Rose Hydrosol - TCM and more

I was recently enjoying time with a colleague of mine who is a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) practitioner as well as dabbler in general herbs, aromatherapy, and cooking. Eventually the topic of rose and rose hydrosol came up between us and it became a fabulous exchange of ideas, recipes and experiences.

* Add about 1-2 tablespoons (or to taste) of rose hydrosol to a half quart of water (or sparkling water). This makes for a hydrating calorie free spritzer with a twist that also is a gentle liver/spleen/stomach tonic!

* Put that same twisted rose hydrosol in a fine mist spray bottle and have a refreshing moisturizer that combats summer heat, winter cold and generally drying climate control systems.

* Add a tablespoon (or to taste) of rose hydrosol to a batch of sugar cookie dough or vanilla cupcake frosting for an international style gourmet treat the kids will love!

* As a feminine rinse for arousal add 1 -2 tablespoons of rose hydrosol to a cup of lukewarm water and cleanse.

Well ladies and gentlemen, that concludes today's aromatically arousing discussion. Hopefully you will join the ALOF Blog again! :)

CLICK HERE to buy rare and precious Certified Organic White Rose Hydrosol today!

Of petrified feces and ancient jellied urine

I'm sure that for more than a few of you my title conjures some interesting sensations, visually and olfactorily. What I am referring to there is a natural aromatic material known as Africa Stone or Hyraceum.

It is, quite frankly, crystallized and petrified fecal and urine pellets (and it smells like it) from the Hyrax, or Dassie - a very interesting small mammal that resides in Africa and apparently happens to be the closest living relative to elephants, even though they are only the size of overgrown guinea pigs.

It takes centuries for a colony of Hyrax using the same "community outhouse" per se to produce a large mound of hyraceum. It is recorded that some hyraceum dates back well over 10,000 yrs, but that it can also be produced in a shorter time (centuries rather than millennium) due to the very dry climate of that region.

This petrified and even fossilized material is used in perfumery as a substitute for other musky animal notes such as civet or deer musk, which are obtained in manners that are ethically questionable and/or unacceptable to many modern perfumers and consumers.

"Why would anyone want to use this kind of material in perfumery?" one may ask. First off let me say that this is the type of aromatic that is used highly diluted to begin with and then only in small amounts in the total blend.

Secondly, as with cooking, there are times that an ingredient may not be something you want to eat concentrated, in quantity, or stand alone (i.e. anchovies) but in a small amount adds wonderful flavor and depth to the dish (i.e. Ceasar salad dressing, which contains anchovies).

Then we can sum it up in more "primal" terms - including words like pheromones and instinctual biological olfactory affinities hardwired into our brains from the beginning of time to promote sexual attraction and species reproduction.

A little dab'll do ya (but not straight up .. then you'll just smell like a NYC subway restroom ;)

Ginger and Rebellious Stomach Qi

The other day I awoke feeling nauseated (and before anyone asks, no, I am not currently with child ;).

My many years of exposure to, and training with, herbs has taught me that fresh ginger (生姜 sheng jiang) is absolutely one of the best remedies for such matters.

Sniffing fresh ginger essential oil, sipping warm fresh ginger tea and getting some extra rest greatly improved how I was feeling.

Let's hear it for ginger and its ability to, in the stomach, sink what Traditional Chinese Medicine refers to as rebellious Qi (he wei jiang ni) a.k.a. vomiting!

Yay!

Vanilla Amber Base

While looking for something in my art studio, I stumbled upon a perfumery experiment that I began back in May of 2006! 2 bottles of Vanilla Amber Base, one with a base of jojoba and the other a base of grain alcohol.

It has mellowed so nicely over time! While I've not searched out the recipe in my notebook, I know the blend contains macerated vanilla beans, benzoin, styrax and a host of other delicious aromatics.

I look forward to playing with this now that it is back on my aromatic paint pallet :)

Thai Lime Revisited

Right now I'm SO into the green citrus scents. I was walking home from
the pool earlier and given several leaves off of my neighbor's Thai
Lime tree. Boy was I in heaven while sniffing them for the
remainder of that stroll home!

I'm inspired to make a marinade by chopping and blending with green onion, garlic, lemongrass, grated ginger, vinegar, nam pla (fish sauce), and a bit of honey.

I have found that when out of fresh Thai Lime leaves - a drop, or even a diluted drop of Thai Lime (a.k.a. Kaffir Lime) leaf essential oil works fantastically!

Thai Lime

After my lemongrass experience in the garden last week, I found myself longing for one of my favorite citrusy scents .. Thai Lime a.k.a Kaffir Lime or Ma Krut (Citrus hystrix).

Imbued with its sweet tart spirit, I was inspired to prepare a fresh batch of Thai Lime Leaf Liquid Olive Castile Soap .It is on special through the month of August in honor of the season of Late Summer. Click here to order!

Lemongrass

This morning I made a division from my lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) plant. Crushing a blade between my fingers released into my immediate vicinity a most pleasant, sunny, refreshing aroma. It was a lovely garden moment, captured and preserved in my olfactory memory.

I have found that lemongrass essential oil truly captures the aromatic character of the actual plant.

Capturing the blossoms' perfume

This morning, I picked a fresh batch of sweetly scented blossoms. They have gone into a mason jar, been covered with grape alcohol, and left to sit and infuse the liquid with olfactory bliss.

Those of you who don't have fresh citrus blossoms to infuse, can still enjoy this subtropical fun! I've found that Neroli hydrosol blended with alcohol (such as grain or grape), and other essential oils, if desired, makes for a nice light body spritz.

The sweet scent of citrus blossoms

As I took a stroll through the garden this morning, the air was humid and heavy with the luscious scent of citrus blossoms.

The sweet orange and myer lemon trees are just coming into bloom and delightfully perfuming the breeze. A lovely way to begin any day!

I've discovered first hand that if you don't have citrus trees in your garden, the fragrance of these fresh blossoms is amazingly true with that of the Bitter Orange Neroli Blossom Hydrosol that I've been importing from Spain the last several years and a fantastic substitute!

The Scents of Autumn

Cool Autumn weather has arrived in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere. This is time of year when we celebrate the harvest and begin to prepare for the long winter nights.

One fabulously easy way to create a comforting, fragrant, Autumn atmosphere in your home is to make aromatic wax tarts. The tarts can be used as sachets to scent small spaces, such as drawers, closets and bathrooms. They can also be melted, in appropriate simmering style diffusers, to scent much larger living areas.

To prepare, simply melt together, and then mold, a little bit of beeswax, floral wax, a few drops of essential oils and voila! Instant olfactory gratification.

Traditional aromatics of this season, for both scenting and flavoring, include rich warm spices such as anise, cinnamon, clove and black peppercorn. Also fitting are woody notes such as cedarwood and copaiba balsam. Certain florals, such as jasmine and rose, can help round out and bring dimension to your Autumn blend.

Voluptuous Vanilla

Synthetically produced vanillin can never compete in flavor and/or fragrance with genuine, prime quality vanilla. Once, an aromatic commodity of nearly untouchable cost, vanilla beans, in recent years, have become rather inexpensive. We can now use vanilla beans to create gourmet food and artisan aromatics liberally without guilt!

To extract the the odorous air of this orchard pod, split vanilla beans may be infused in a high proof alcohol or a fatty oil with a long shelf life (such as fractionated coconut, jojoba, etc ..). It is deliciously decedent when infused in Organic Virgin Coconut Oil.

For those who desire a very strong vanilla note in their aromatic blends, Vanilla Absolute is your answer. The variety we have in stock now is strong, gorgeous and full-bodied! Produced by the Old World method for perfumery with undenatured sugar cane alcohol. It took years of searching for a vanilla of this aromatic quality. This is an essential item for the pallet of any aromatic artisan.

Enjoy your weekend, and may every day be as wonderful as vanilla!

Keep natural aromatics accessable!

Before you read the latest message from Cropwatch below, I cannot stress enough the importance of what Tony Burfield and his Cropwatch organization are doing FOR US ALL.

If you enjoy aromatherapy, naturally scented toiletries, natural body care and natural perfumes, you'll want to pay attention to this issue very closely as your access to natural aromatics is in danger!

Let's put the power and beauty of our numbers to work! Please volunteer to help him if you have any expertise in the areas he's asking for assistance with, or perhaps you're just a great researcher and can track down the information despite not having these issues in your area of expertise.

If you're shy, you can still contribute to the natural perfumery world, so
please contact Tony at tony@tonyburfield.co.uk

His latest message:

Dear All,

As we approach critical mass, we have some choices to make.

Perfumery used to be about history, art & culture. Now it seems to be
mainly about the (often nonsensical) regulation of ingredients driven
by a form of imposed & unchallengeable legislatory 'Toxicological
Imperialism'.

This itself is held in place by fear-culture amongst perfume buyers, who are terrified of media exposure/litigation over supposedly harmful fragrance ingredients. Interest in herbal medicine used to include your right to self-dosing, using traditional active plant extracts. A program of their removal from shop-shelves is the result of back-door lobbying, via pharmaceutical concerns.

Our age-old usage of aromatic plants & essential oils for their useful properties - as biocides, antiseptics etc. etc., is similarly curtailed by this flawed system of Hyperbureaucratic Technocracy within Europe, which is being carbon-copied by authorities in Canada, the US and other countries.

How much longer do we have to put up with this sorry state of affairs where natural ingredient use is often so affected by negligible &* *unquantified risk, before everyone sees that in reality this is an "Emperors New Clothes" situation? The revolution for common sense in aromatic regulation starts here. We are getting ever bigger! Join us!

Please read Cropwatch's August 2007 Newsletter.
http://naturalperfumersguild.com/news.htm

Tony Burfield of Cropwatch
http://www.cropwatch.org

P.S. Volunteers are needed to help examine the following areas...

1. Furanocoumarins. Academics & industrialists are helping us construct
a massive data-base, which we will make publicly available, so we can
all see the issues for ourselves. But we need more help.

2. Methyl eugenol carcinogenicity - challenges to the present accepted &
outdated view.

3. Dimethyl & diethyl phthalates - ignored data & any associated
industry conspiracy issues (thanks to the Perfume Foundation for this lead).

4. Sensitisers - ignored contrary evidence to the '26 Sensitisers' issue
& new policy initiatives.

5. Issues of transparency & secrecy, freedom of information & the
withholding of safety data from the public domain within professional
trade & research organisations. This area includes how regulatory
bodies have processed scientific evidence, & examining records of how
scientific decisions were made.

We have limited evidence from a number of academics that an 'expert' EU advisory committee has not properly dealt with (or perhaps have not properly understood) submitted evidence in particular cases; these need public exposure, & we need to establish a more robust code of practice.

Floral Waxes

Always wanted to use real jasmine but thought it was way too expensive? Try the floral wax!

For years this fragrant by-product of the absolute making process was mostly discarded!

Then, not long ago, floral waxes became more widely discovered to be a wonderful resource for fragrancing. Scent wise 1 oz of the floral wax is equivalent to 1/2 oz of the corresponding absolute at an INCREDIBLE saving!

For example - currently 1/2 oz of Tuberose Absolute costs about $170 retail. Meanwhile, 1 oz of tuberose floral wax is currently on sale at my site for $10.

That certainly makes creating a fine soap, candle, cream or solid perfume scented with the lovely natural fragrance of tuberose much more affordable!

Currently we have available and ON SALE - Clary Sage Floral Wax, Helichrysum Everlasting Floral Wax, Jasmine Grandiflorum Floral Wax, Jasmine Sambac Floral Wax, Lavender Floral Wax, Tuberose Floral Wax, Violet Leaf Floral Wax & Wild Chamomile Floral Wax.

Rose Floral Wax, Frangipani Floral Wax & Pink Lotus Blossom Floral Wax all will be coming back into stock this Autumn.

With such precious, natural, exotic aromatics at prices like these why wait any longer to indulge? Click here to experience and enjoy these affordable olfactory delights now! http://alittleolfactory.com/waxes.htm

My Sweet Alba Rose

During my visit to Isparta, Turkey several years ago, while touring the damascena rose fields in full bloom, I had the intoxicating opportunity to experience a generous splash of rose hydrosol on my face , warm and fresh from the stills. I was immediately hooked and am always on a quest for the finest that is available each year.

Several weeks ago we brought in an absolutely lovely Alba Rose Hydrosol from Bulgaria. I am really excited to have this most precious and rare NOP certified organic rosy treat.

Alba Roses are hybrids whose antiquity may go back further than the Roman Empire. They are believed to have originated as a cross between the thornless single white R. canina and R. damascena. Pliny the Elder, who lived from 23-79 A.D., mentioned white roses in his writing, entitled Natural History. Many botanists believe these roses may have been Albas.

This exotic treat of is produced by one of the most respected family owned distilleries in Bulgaria, whose rose oils have been featured in famous Fifi award winning perfumes.

Click here to order