Agarwood - An Unforgetable Scent

Agarwood comes from the Aquilaria trees that grow in southeast Asia. The trees are sometimes infected with mold and produce an aromatic resin from the result of this. As the infection grows it produces a very rich, dark resin called gaharu or jinko and is highly prized distinctive fragrance and used for incense and perfumes. I remember time in Sri Lanka where this distinctive aroma was sensed in many home and holy places there.

The scent of agarwood is complex and relaxing and it has no comparisons with any other herbs. Its essential oil that are made form this has a great cultural and religious significance in ancient civilizations around the world.

There are fifteen species in of the Aquilaria tree and of those just over half are known to produce agarwood resin. Unaffected wood of these trees keep a light colour, the resin dramatically increases the mass and density of the affected wood, changing its colour from a pale beige to dark brown or black. 7% of the trees in the forests are infected by the fungus. It is quite common for a the trees of a forest to be inoculated with the fungus for the purpose of harvesting.

The cheapest oil distilled from agarwood can be bought relatively cheaply for as little as $20 per kilogram, but the finest oils distilled from agarwood can cost as much as $7,000 per kilogram. It is interesting that only Yves Saint Laurent from the giants of the perfume industries uses Agarwood in their perfume products.

I for one will never forget the scent from this herb had brought to me. Somehow this will be better known in the west over time as the globalisation of all things good moves on.

Neroli Oil - A Popular Perfume Ingredient

Image via Wikipedia

I had never heard of neroli oil before until I was given a DIY deodorant recipe given to me by a Bulgarian friend, which had this included in the ingredients. Not knowing about it before is not surprising as being a bloke who doesn’t take much interest in perfumes. Well I know about it now and so will you.

Neroli oil is produced from the blossoms and the scent is similar in scent to bergamot produced from the blossom of the bitter orange tree.

The blossoms are pick by hand in late spring and the oil is made from water distillation, as the blossom is to tender a herb to go through the process of steam distillation as with other herbs and spices.

Princess of Nerola first introduced the essence of bitter orange tree as a popular fragrance and used it in her gloves and in the water when bathing. This is where the name comes from. Neroli has a fresh distinctive and quite spicy scent with a flowery characteristic. Its floral oils are used extensively in perfume manufacture. It is a non-toxic, non-irritant oil and over 12% of all perfumes use Neroli now as their main ingredient. It blends well with all citrus and other floral oils. A little know fact is that Neroli oil is also one of the key flavouring components of some Cola based recipes.

Used in aromatherapy and massage treatment, Neroli has a soothing effect on the nervous system. For many years it has been used to relieve tension and anxiety with a marked affect to increase blood circulation. A solution can be made by adding three or four drops of the essential oil to one cup of almond oil. This can be added to grapefruit seed extract to make great oil for massage, but not for children or pregnant women.

Next time I see perfume in the shops I will look at the ingredients to see if I can detect the neroli content.

Images via Wikipedia