Chewing Grade *From Chios, Greece... A Greek aromatic treasure. 

One of my absolute favorite resins on the Heater! Healing and relaxing...

In ancient Egypt mastic was called \"the fragrance that pleases the gods.\" This Mastic is from Chios and is a rare and pure incense experience. It properties are Healing and its Fragrance delightful and subtle. When heated on an Electric Incense Heater it slowly melts and forms a clear liquid pool of sweet scent. We recommend using Mastic an Electric Heater to get he most of its wonderful arome. Burning it as incense is a very soothing , an uplifting balm to the soul. 

The mastic tree is a large evergreen shrub that grows to about 20 ft (6m) in height. The trees are are fully grown after about forty years and typically live to near one hundred years old. The tree begins giving its aromatic resin (mastic) when it is 5-6 years old. After roughly 15 years, it produces from 60 to 400 grams of mastic resin per year. 

  Mastiha is a transparent, lemon-white colored, natural resin which exudes from the mastic tree. The only known home to mastic is the southern area of the island of Chios, Greece. There is also a different aromatic mastic resin, Pistacia kinjuk found growing in areas in and around Turkey. 

  Since ancient times, mastic has been used as a natural medicine. A leaf fossil from a mastic tree has been found dating back six million years. The Incense makers of ancient Egypt used mastic resin in their Kyphi mixtures, and imported this popular ingredient in large quantities.  

On Mastic: 

 - Mastiha is a stimulant that has a mysterious virtue and power to feed the pleasures of Venus and to arouse in a remarkable way 

- Mastic is one of the original ingredients in Holy Oil 

- It was used as chewing gum to sweeten the mouth, this Mastic is safe to chew.  

From Katlyn....Mastic smells like angels...
Every once and awhile I re-discover something wonderful, something I was taking for granted. Then thankfully I am reminded…Yesterday I fell in love with Chios Mastic all over again. Mastic is one of those illustrious resins that has so much history and healing that goes with it, you tend to forget just how amazing the scent is. Really…it is exquisite. Subtle and unique, there is nothing else quite like it. It needs to be sat with and listened to, its clean white perfect tears, the way it melts and never seems to burn or scorch on the heater, it aroma lasting for hours. Sure you can chew it and of course cook with it, it is that pure and filled with goodness and flavor….yet be sure to heat it….Mastic smells like angels.
Also I felt a need to share a thought on incense and illness. Like Frankincense, Mastic has a great positive effect on mind and body, I think that it is a resin that could be very beneficial to those going through a difficult time of illness , not only as physical medicine but as balm for the spirit. Its clean light scent is easily tolerated, there is no smoke or strong perfume. Cleansing the air and elevating the mood, without the billows of Sage or other smudging herbs.

What is Mastiha? 

Mastiha is the natural and rare tree resin of the pistacia lentiscus var Chia tree. Scientific research has shown that this resin has anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory qualities. It has been documented from antiquity for its health benefits, its use as the first natural chewing gum and as a cooking spice. Today, it is still chewed as well as used in pharmaceuticals, perfumes, cosmetics, and in the culinary world. Chios mastiha contributes to a healthy gastrointestinal system and has beneficial effects for both oral hygiene and skin care.

Chios Mastiha is protected by the European Union as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product. This distincion recognizes the name of a specific region or country where a specific agricultural product originates exclusively due to the geographical environment. This includes the natural and human factors and production, alteration and processes which take place in the delineated geographical area. All PDO products bear the EU symbol designating them as such.

Chewing Chios Mastiha is a truly unique experience. To create your own natural piece of gum, select a few medium pieces of the resin, or combine a small piece with a large one. The larger pieces tend to be softer than the small ones, so it is recommended that one chew a mixture rather than chew only the small, hard pieces. Before chewing, let the pieces moisten in your mouth. The mastiha may taste a bit bitter at first, but that taste fades into a light herbal flavor. Begin chewing and the mastiha becomes a white silky color. The resin keeps its hard texture indefinitely and this is precisely why it is recommended for gum health and amazingly clean teeth! Keep chewing the gum for a half hour in order to gain all the therapeutic benefits.