Agarwood--Update from Laos 2013

This article is based up my personal experiences involving numerous trips to Laos and India starting in 1985. I have been interested in aromatics my entire life and have started and then owned Enfleurage, a small, New York based company specializing in Aromatics from the Natural World, since 1996.
I am not a scientist, and this work is in no way meant to represent my findings as scientific in any way. It is also not meant to be indicative of any opinions I may have on agarwood from places other than Laos and India, as those are my areas of interest. While I have explored agarwood in Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, my visits were  swift in passing and not objective as my contacts are limited in those countries and therefore any observations would be merely parroting what I’ve been told with no meaningful analysis. In both Laos and India I am well-invested.

The road through Southern Laos, from Vientiane south through Paxsan and Pakading, Savannakhet to Pakse, is lined with agarwood plantations, almost all of them sickly, the trees meagre and frail, their leaves denuded by caterpillars.

There are a few reasons why agarwood plantations have fallen out of popularity and why people are selling the trees for next to nothing, sometimes even burning them, planting anything in their place.

One reason is the caterpillars, which starting attacking the young foliage with gusto a couple of years ago and could be a culprit for a 40% reduction in productivity. Yield is down so far that at the distillery we visited, which is trying to make actual Oud oil instead of its poor cousin, Boyah, a 180 kilo batch of wood made 10 ml of oil only. The yield should have been 10 times that, which is still minuscule, considering the amount of time and fuel it takes--altogether perhaps 60 days soaking and 10 days distillation, all using firewood. At 10 ml, even the astronomical price I paid for it couldn’t account for the production cost.

Another, even bigger reason for the worthlessness of agarwood trees these days is the lack of a market. I know that sounds crazy for a plant that was just declared an endangered species a few years ago and today enjoys a trendiness among hip small perfume houses, but let me explain.

to read more, please visit our website, under "media"

The Cinnamon Isles

My dance card may be full with frankincense, agarwood and sandalwood, but there’s always room for a little flirtation on the side. Being aromatically promiscuous, I do enjoy canoodling with some of the hotter and sexier Indian ocean spices and their floral consorts.

Despite arranging my stills for a frankincense distillation tomorrow, I made it my business to address a bag of Cinnamonum zeylanicum (verum) from the Seychelles. This past summer I went to the Seychelles islands, ostensibly for a vacation, and was seduced by their magnificent cinnamon forests, among with other aromatic treats.

Before my appendix burst on La Digue island, resulting in my very first helicopter ride back to the hospital on Mahé, emergency surgery, and a desperate attempt to flee home to Oman, my friend and I had spent 4 days ambling around Mahé, including trips to the botanical gardens, wild cinnamon forests, insanely pristine and exquisite beaches, plenty of coconut rum and, of course, a cinnamon distillery in Grand Anse.

I am so new to the world of cinnamon! Nearly a cinnamon virgin in fact. In addition to being one of those hot and sexy Indian Ocean spices, as exotic and fascinating as the sampans that surely transported spices to Arabia from the Moluccas, can there be a smell more imbued with the sense of home? Cinnamon rolls, Christmas time, hot apple pie, for Gods sake. Cinnamon may be one of the most American of all aromatics, at least to Americans!

Cinnamon swings in every way: olfaction and gustation; sweet and savory; comfort and adventure.....Cinnamon’s hot sweet spiciness warms and gladdens the gray days of winter. Cinnamon gives color to a black and white world--so she is really one of the most feminine of all spices.

 



Tall Tales of Yore

Naturally, when people traveled by ocean, the great trade routes stopped here in the   Arabian Peninsula, then the center of the ocean going world. Spices came from the Far East across the Indian Ocean and up to Europe via the Red Sea and Alexandria. The local Arabs were the middlemen for this trade and of course, not being fools, invented fabulous stories about the origins of cinnamon; the terrible dangers that awaited those who dared to harvest it, the extreme bravery and cunning needed to acquire it and therefore, the high cost that was perfectly reasonable, given the circumstances.

It was said that cinnamon could be found making up the nests of huge and vicious cinnamon birds, who harvested the cinnamon from an unknown place, guarding their cliff-hanging cinnamon nests with eagle eyes and malevolent temperaments. These birds could easily tear men apart with their razor-like talons and beaks. The only way to lay hands on the cinnamon was to cut apart an ox, leaving the body in plain sight, and stealthily hide and wait for the carnivorous birds to fly down to claim it, taking it back to the nest, where the great weight of the ox parts broke apart the nest, causing the cinnamon to drop to the base of the cliff, where it could quickly be collected before the harvesters ran for their lives.

You can read about this in Herodotus’ Stories. He also suspected cinnamon grew in Arabia, along with frankincense and myrrh and was guarded by fearsome flying snakes. (These are possibly Omani carpet vipers, who live among the frankincense trees, and while they don’t actually fly, they can leap out of the trees.....)

Cinnamon is mentioned in all the old books, including the famous passage of the Song of Solomon “.....a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard, Spikenard and saffron; calamus and cinnamon, with all trees of frankincense; myrrh and aloes, with all the chief spices: fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon.”

And Psalms 7:17 “I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes and cinnamon.”

Also in the Hebrew Bible you can find many references to cinnamon, with Moses being told to use both cinnamon and cassia in holy anointing oil.

The cinnamon trade to Europe was controlled by the Arabs, then the Portuguese, then the Dutch and finally, as the trade was declining in importance, the British. Like the drug trade today, it was extremely lucrative.

Cinnamon or Cassia??

Remember I’m not talking about cassia, just true cinnamon, Cinnamonum zeylanicum. Cassia, poor thing, is considered somewhat of a poor cousin to Cinnamon. Think Lavender/Lavandin. As lavandin is a respectable oil in it’s own right, as long as it’s not masquerading as lavender, so is cassia compared to cinnamon, and good as long as he’s not pretending to be someone he’s not. Carob and chocolate are like this too. Carob milk was delicious as long as you weren’t expecting chocolate milk.

Cassia is “Chinese cinnamon.” and while aromatically stronger, is not as subtle and nuanced. It’s also cheaper, so you find it masquerading as true cinnamon quite often.

The Trade Today

Cinnamon’s main home is the Indian Ocean--Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Madagascar and the like. It can grow in any tropical climate, but is happiest on Indian Ocean islands. Cassia is from China, and Southeast Asia (Indonesia, Vietnam, etc) has several species of its own.

France is a huge importer as is the US and Mexico. Let’s reflect for a minute on Mexico, the land that gave us both chocolate and vanilla. Just think about it.

The Cinnamon Peeler by Michael Ondaatje

---

The Cinnamon Peeler by Michael Ondaatje

If I were a cinnamon peeler
I would ride your bed
and leave the yellow bark dust
on your pillow.

Your breasts and shoulders would reek
you could never walk through markets
without the profession of my fingers
floating over you. The blind would
stumble certain of whom they approached
though you might bathe
under rain gutters, monsoon.

Here on the upper thigh
at this smooth pasture
neighbor to your hair
or the crease
that cuts your back. This ankle.
You will be known among strangers
as the cinnamon peeler's wife.

I could hardly glance at you
before marriage
never touch you
-- your keen nosed mother, your rough brothers.
I buried my hands
in saffron, disguised them
over smoking tar,
helped the honey gatherers...

When we swam once
I touched you in water
and our bodies remained free,
you could hold me and be blind of smell.
You climbed the bank and said

this is how you touch other women

the grasscutter's wife, the lime burner's daughter.

And you searched your arms

for the missing perfume.

and knew

what good is it

to be the lime burner's daughter

left with no trace

as if not spoken to in an act of love

as if wounded without the pleasure of scar.

You touched
your belly to my hands
in the dry air and said
I am the cinnamon
peeler's wife. Smell me.

Falling in Love Again

Thanks to olivegarden.gr

 With Lemon Myrtle that is!

What a crazy, fabulous tree this is, and what a fresh, bold and assertive statement in lemon love!! The lemony family is a big one: citrus, lemongrass, lemon verbena, melissa, citronella (be nice!) and even eucalyptus citriodora. But Lemon Myrtle is the überchild, the biggest, boldest and most sophisticated!

Bakhousia citriodora--it belongs to the family Myrtaceae, unsurprisingly. Lemon Myrtle is native to Queensland, Australia but now is cultivated in New South Wales as well. But it’s definitely Australian, what they call a Bushfood.

Thanks to bullockcreeknursery.com.au

Lemon Myrtle was used by the native Aboriginal people as a medicine (it’s very anti-microbial) as well as a flavoring, before increasing in popularity with the general population. It fell out of favor for a while, in general, but in the last 15-20 years has picked up in popularity again, this time in the world at large, not just among those who know it and love it locally.

As a flavoring, this is a great, delicious and creamy lemon oil. As usual, it’s best with butter and cream. (What isn’t?)  Lemon Myrtle flavored shortbread cookies, pastas, fish, etc; you are limited by your imagination. Enfleurage Middle East is experimenting with some ice creams and you’ll hear about it soon.

I made a spray for the bathroom, using a bit of vodka in water, in one of those big plastic bottles with a trigger, with Lemon Myrtle, Cinnamon, and a tad of Tea Tree, Geranium and Savory, thinking it would be useful. For Heaven’s sake, It’s beautiful! I’m completely addicted to it. The entire house shines as I prance around, spraying 6 or 7 big gusts, and its so fresh and clean, but with this creaminess, no pineyness.

Somehow, when we talk about oils that are good for cleaning with, it’s rather on the side of useful, utility, and cost; versus heady, narcotic, love and lushness. We tend to choose them not for their delectableness, but for their practicality. Am I wrong?

Well, here is the perfect marriage, the stellar lemon cream burst to the cosmos, and you can feel free to spray it all over your house, and the air just shimmers in delight. And yes, it disinfects as well.

Years ago I fell in love with Lemon Myrtle--it was one of the first oils we ever imported ourselves. But it was not well known or popular, and anyway, my head was turned by every neroli, jasmine and geranium that passed. Years later, on the other side of the world, I’m dancing through the Myrtle mists of lemony love once again.

Immune Aid

Immune Aid is our strong and stable workhorse blend, and we’ve been getting a lot of great feedback since we started making it and so I figured I’d write a little bit since it’s one of our later blends.

It’s a combination of some of our favorite big and burly bacteria blasting essential oils: cinnamon bark, thyme, tea tree, ravensara and lemon.

Immune Aid can be used in different ways and we’re not supposed to tell you to take essential oils internally. But here at Enfleurage we do, usually one drop in a teaspoon of honey, yet we can’t suggest that other people do that. But we’ve found that if we’re starting to get sick, Immune Aid can often kick it out before the cold takes hold.

Immune Aid is also in use at a few Pilates and Yoga studios around here, in a spray for the air and also to mist and wipe down mats and machines.

A few drops in a vaporizer, diffuser or humidifier can improve the air, a few drops on the washcloth in a hot shower will steam up into a great inhalant, and a few drops added to water can be used for laundry, wounds, cleaning the house……

Tea tree is known to be an anti-fungal, anti-viral, anti-bacterial and a powerful immuno-stimulant. It is often recommended for all sorts of infections, asthma, bronchitis, coughs, thrush, cystitis, acne, blisters, cold sores, bites, rashes and warts.

Thyme is known to be anti-septic, bactericide, insecticide and immuno-stimulant. It’s often recommended for digestive issues, all manner of infections including lung, colds, flu, sore throats, coughs, and chronic fatigue.

Ravensara is anti-septic, anti-viral and an immuno-stimulant. It is commonly recommended for flu, bronchitis, sinusitis and at the first sign of fever, chills or tiredness.

Lemon is just a great anti-septic, anti-microbial, bactericidal, insecticidal, tonic and is known to stimulate the immune system, pumping up those white blood cells. It smells and tastes good, too. Lemon is often recommended for its tonic and stimulating, uplifting properties, as well as its activity against flu, colds, bronchitis, and edema.

Cinnamon Bark is a strong anti-septic, gastro-intestinal stimulant, anti-spasmodic, insecticide, stomachic and tonic. It is recommended for all digestive problems, viral infections, loss of appetite, aches, chills, colds,

immune system support, pain, and melancholy.

These essential oils all have other properties as well as these complementary ones I listed, but together, they create a lovely, fierce and harmonic synergy. The taste of cinnamon and lemon mellow the tea tree and thyme when taken in a drop of honey.

Myrrh-The Bitter Aromatic

 “Myrrh” is both Arabic and Hebrew for “Bitter.” Actually, it’s “Murr,” a small step away, but still recognizable. Actually again, it’s originally Aramaic.

Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) belongs to to the eccentric and crusty tribe of tree-borne gum oleoresin exudates who happily dwell in the remoter areas of the Arabian Peninsula and African Horn. There are many families who belong to the Myrrh tribe, including Balm of Gilead and Sweet Myrrh (opoponax) and others. But Myrrh, meaning, “myrrh,” is found in Yemen and Somalia, and even then it’s pretty restricted--to Yemen from roughly Hadramawt west to Aden, and to Somaliland. There are supposed to be a few stragglers in Oman, near Dhalkut, on the road to Yemen, but I haven’t seen them yet.  Am still waiting for my friend (ahem, Mohammed) to show them to me.  All the myrrh I work with in Salalah comes from the Somali coast.

Here is a nice description from Guido Majno’s The Healing Hand--Man and Wound in the Ancient World: “Myrrh is tapped from a scraggy, unfriendly tree of ‘crippled appearance,’ with a grey-white bark, and usually gathered from thickets not over three metres high. It is leafless most of the year, and its rough branches end in thorns. The bark tends to crack spontaneously letting the myrrh trickle out even without man-made wounds.”

Myrrh has been used and known, trusted and loved for thousands of years; by the ancient Egyptians, the Greeks, the Romans and of course, the locals. Sure, myrrh is aromatic, but the answer doesn’t lie just with a pretty smell. Myrrh doesn’t even smell all that pretty--myrrh smells serious. Myrrh smells useful. Myrrh smells like the aromatic in charge of the medical ward. Myrrh is the doctor sleeping on the cot in the maintenance room. Myrrh is not really for flouncing about with a burner, dancing through the hallways and smoking up your scarf. Myrrh is all about stopping infection. Killing microbes. Healing an ulcer. Myrrh is the cool and rational voice in the corridor, the plan of action, the Samurai warrior.

Why has myrrh always been at the head of the group of aromatic plant medicines? First of all, it’s temping and maybe correct to assume that a plant’s natural actions will be mimicked when used on humans. Oozing out of the tree? Use on oozing wounds of course. And myrrh smells, and doesn’t decay, so this is logically something you want to impart to a wound, n’est pas? It seems to work, and this is probably the main reason why even today we see myrrh as an antiseptic ingredient in toothpastes, mouthwashes, balms, and liniments.

Myrrh is an antiseptic and is useful in for abrasions, cuts, minor burns, and the like. Myrrh also has some analgesic properties and so will help with sprains and bruises.

There is some talk about myrrh being beneficial for diabetics as it can lower blood glucose levels but apparently it also does this non-diabetics so if you are taking a lot of myrrh internally, keep this side effect in mind. However, it has been shown to lower cholesterol LDL (bad cholesterol) levels, and to increase the HDL (good cholesterol) in various tests on humans done in the past few decades.

Just putting it out there....

Some Fun Religious Tidbits

Myrrh was one of the gifts of the Magi to the newborn baby Jesus, and was also a key ingredient in “mummy blends”, as in embalming the dead.  I think those are the two most famous myrrh attributes, but there is more!

Myrrh was an ingredient in “Ketoret” incense, the consecrated incense used in the First and Second Temples of Jerusalem, according to the Torah and Talmud.

Myrrh is also offered, as an incense, during Christian liturgical celebrations, sometimes mixed with frankincense and other aromatics. It’s also used in the sacramental oils for both chrismation and unction, in the Eastern Orthodox Church

And meanwhile, in other medical systems......

Traditional Chinese Medicine classifies myrrh as bitter and spicy, neutral temperature. Uses are similar to frankincense. But myrrh moves the blood, while frankincense moves the chi.

Ayurveda considers myrrh (daindhava) to have tonic and rejuvenative properties. It’s contra-indicated for pregnant women, those with uterine bleeding, kidney dysfunction or stomach pain.

Western Allopathic Medicine. Here’s some stuff I found on WebMD, which I find surprising, even though it’s super cautious, because it seems to acknowledge myrrh’s efficacy. Most of the warnings seem to be about oral doses. This is a direct quote from WebMD:

“MYRRH Side Effects & Safety

Myrrh seems safe for most people when used in small amounts. It can cause some side effects such as skin rash if applied directly to the skin, and diarrhea if taken by mouth.
Large doses may be UNSAFE. Amounts greater than 2-4 grams can cause kidney irritation and heart rate changes.

Special Precautions & Warnings:

Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Taking myrrh by mouth during pregnancy is UNSAFE and should be avoided. Myrrh can stimulate the uterus and might cause a miscarriage. There isn’t enough information to rate the safety of using myrrh on the skin during pregnancy, so until more is known, it’s best to avoid this use. Breast-feeding mothers should also avoid using myrrh. Not enough is known about the safety of using myrrh when breast-feeding.

Diabetes: Myrrh might lower blood sugar. There is a concern that if it is used along with medications that lower blood sugar, blood sugar might drop too low. If you use myrrh as well as medications for diabetes, monitor your blood sugar carefully.

Fever: Myrrh might make a fever worse. Use with caution.

Heart problems: Large amounts of myrrh can affect heart rate. If you have a heart condition, get your healthcare provider’s advice before starting myrrh.

Surgery: Since myrrh might affect blood glucose levels, there is a concern that it might interfere with blood glucose control during and after surgery. Stop using myrrh at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.

Systemic inflammation: If you have systemic inflammation, use myrrh with caution, since it might make this condition worse.

Uterine bleeding: Myrrh seems to be able to stimulate uterine bleeding, which is why some women use it to start their menstrual periods. If you have a uterine bleeding condition, use myrrh with caution, since it might make this condition worse.

MYRRH Overview Information

Myrrh is used for indigestion, ulcers, colds, cough, asthma, lung congestion, arthritis pain, cancer, leprosy, spasms, and syphilis. It is also used as a stimulant and to increase menstrual flow.

Myrrh is applied directly to the mouth for soreness and swelling, inflamed gums (gingivitis), loose teeth, canker sores, bad breath, and chapped lips. It is also used topically for hemorrhoids, bedsores, wounds, abrasions, and boils.

In foods and beverages, myrrh is used as a flavoring component.
In manufacturing, myrrh is used as a fragrance, in incense, and as a fixative in cosmetics. It is also used in embalming.”


So there you have it.

About Our Myrrh

Myrrh dissolves in water, so they say. I find this to be a little misleading though. I think it’s more correct to say it liquifies. Myrrh is the father of slime and if you put a little resin in a pot with some water and leave it for a few days, it will be as gloriously and horribly slimy as anything you have ever felt. Be careful of myrrh though--the texture can really get away from you. I’ve said frankincense is like napalm when it’s boiling. Myrrh is worse and for longer.

Small myrrh distillation in Salalah

We distill small amounts of Somali origin Myrrh in Salalah. And even for me, someone used to frankincense, myrrh is difficult to work with and exceptionally hideous to clean up after. And myrrh’s process takes a really long time.

I’m writing this only because we tend to run out of myrrh rather quickly, and this is the reason.
We use only spring water in our myrrh distillation, and don’t remove the oil from the hydrosol. Part of the reason for this is just that it’s too difficult without a centrifuge and without ruining the hydrosol.  And it’s a happy difficulty because when I think about using myrrh, on the skin primarily, it’s actually much better, smarter and more effective in its water world vehicle.

So our myrrh hydrosol (or hydrolat, or water, or whatever you want to call it) is beautiful, active and effective on its own, right our of the spray bottle. We put no preservatives in the myrrh. We distill it, filter it, and bottle it and sell it fast. The myrrh I just brought from Oman, that is on the Enfleurage shelves as I write this is no more than 3-4 weeks old.

You can use the myrrh as you like, and if you don’t have something in mind, then use what I wrote above as a guide. You can also use it as a refreshing astringent-like spray on your face after cleansing and before moisturizing. Spray on anywhere for bug bites, poison ivy mishaps, sunburn, and the like. You can use other essential oils if and as needed, as compresses or a separate balm after, or with the myrrh. (Chamomile, Tea Tree, Lavender, Peppermint, etc.) Or just spray on a little myrrh as needed. You can be as involved or as remote as you like when you have all your basic ingredients, and that now includes our myrrh oil-laden hydrosol.

Storage-wise, even though it’s not necessary, it probably won’t hurt to refrigerate it.

If you have myrrh ideas, or are sitting on myrrh lore you want to share, then please share it with us on our facebook page!

New Classes & Events Webiste!

While I'm working on this distillery and generally occupied here in Salalah Oman, Enfleurage has not only moved into a new, happier and more elegant incarnation, but our classes are taking off!
Christina is our fabulous instructor, and she does classes on natural home beauty, including detoxification, and also pain relief, stress relief, therapeutic body oils, and how to make your home a wonderful haven of aromatic serenity.
Check out our new website, devoted entirely to classes and events at Enfleurage! Even as we slowly slog on with redoing our main web site, Christina has put this up and if you're in the New York area, or planning to be, have a look at our class schedule! We're also starting a series of blending labs, blending intensives, and more.
How blessed am I to have these great people at Enfleurage? Without Tom, Stacy, Christina and ken Enfleurage would be just another store.
Really I'm delighted about this.
Enfleurage Events & Classes

Jasmine Sambac & Champa Harvest!

I had the incredible good fortune to visit two floral extraction facilities near Coimbatore yesterday. Was already planning to go see our absolute guy and I always post something about it. You can read Seriously Sexy Flowers if you want to know a little more about what he’s got there. He does Jasmine sambac, Jasmine grandiflorum (his specialty, from his own fields,) Jasmine auriculatum, Champaka (Michaelia champaka,) Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera,) Mimosa (Acacia dealbata,) Frangipani (Plumeria alba,) Rose (Rosa damescena) and Tuberose (Polyanthus tuberosa,) and a few essential oils as well--davana, curry leaf, tulsi, palmarosa.

I have visited the farm for rose and frangipani extraction before, and this was an even happier day, as we had not one, but two extractions: Champaka and Sambac.

Champaka was first--it’s the beginning of the season and only 13 kilos of flowers showed up. To make a kilo of champaka absolute you need to work with 13 tonnes. (That’s 1000 kilos per tonne, so 13,000 kilos of flowers.) Champaka (aka Champa) comes in red and white varieties but the red is actually yellow in color. This is a huge and assertive flower and the absolute is absolutely (!) crazy! The scent can be overwhelming and the floral heart is attended by tendrils of mint and clove, like a hyena with her cats.







Due to our paucity of Champa flowers, they were shown into two vats, introduced to the hexane, and left to make their magic--we ran out to greet the jasmine truck as it rumbled toward us down the lane.


How cute is this? Loaded in the back of this little truck were 25 burlap bags, each bulging with 60-70 kilos of freshly picked, still unopened jasmine sambac blossoms, all hot and smelling of wet green cherry and sublime sambac.





Each bag was heaved over to the scales, weighed and recorded, then shown to a spot on the matted floor, slit open, and dumped on its side with a soft thud, a splash of creamy yellow sambac blossoms escaping. When all the bags were weighed and situated, they were all upturned at once, so all the flowers would be exposed to the air for approximately the same amount of time. 6 huge fans roared above.



Soon we were swimming in a sea of sambac flowers---9 million if you’re counting. the mounds were smoothed, turned, shuffled about, and made comfortable for the next four hours would see them slowly open, after which they would be giving all their scent to the hexane.

This ton and a half of sambac blossoms will make approximately 1 kilo of oil. And this is our kilo, made for us at Enfleurage.



Jasmine sambac is one of the two main jasmines growing in Tamilnadu, the other being Grandiflorum. They are as different as siblings can be; the Grandiflorum is sweet, demure, calming, picked in the early morning and so serene that even the jasmine markets reflect it. The Sambac, also known as Arabian Jasmine, is another story. It’s picked in the evening, extracted at night--sambac has a wild, almost aggressive scent, and her markets reflect that; it’s complete chaos at the sambac market! People are runing around with sacks of flowers, yelling and bumping into each other! Sambac’s smell is juicy and fruity and highly alluring. She has notes of cherry, cassis, and wet green jungle.

I love both Jasmines, but there’s time when one or the other predominate, when one of the other is my favorite.

Jasmine grandiflorum grows at its best in the farmland around Coimbatore. Jasmine sambac, while able to survive in a pot in a New York apartment, is happiest about 100 kilometres from when Jasmine grandiflorum lives. She grows in the southern part of the jasmine belt, in the farmland around Madurai. The freshly picked flowers are brought by truck up to the factory.



What about Jasmine sambac? This is an oil that is supposed to bring out the feminine--in terms of sensuality, relaxation, comfort within one’s self, confidence and the like. Sambac is a big time aphrodesiac. It’s also a great oil to use in the delivery room (as in babies,) and some people swear it helps them sleep. But it seems that jasmine’s fans are not limited by gender, or anything else. Jasmine is simply a delightful and sweet, wonderful flower, who unfolds her delectable perfume and captivates men and women alike.

I spent my evening rolling in the jasmine blossoms, laying on the floor in the warm evening air as the flowers softly opened.