Because the scent is developed by oxidation, the succulent leaves of this pretty East Indian bush carry little indication of their potential. The leaves are aged before being distilled, which takes up to 24 hours. Even then, the oil is harsh. As it...
Pepper is a semitropical climbing shrub from India, where most oil and peppercorns for seasoning are produced. Some also comes from Indonesia and the Orient. Family: Piperacea Extraction: Distilled from partially dried, unripe fruit. The scent is...
Peppermint self-hybridized, probably in the 17th century. It now grows wild throughout Europe, North America and Australia. After the British Medical Journal noted in 1879 that menthol relieves headaches and neuralgia, menthol cones (which evaporate...
The fragrance of rose has inspired poets and lovers throughout the ages. The Greek poetess Sappho christened it “queen of flowers” in 600 BC. Although originally distilled in Asia Minor, today Bulgaria is the world’s largest...
Rosmarinus means “dew of the sea,” where this Mediterranean herb loves to grow. Rosemary delights the late winter with prolific blooms. Rosemary was the main ingredient in “Hungary Water” and the first cologne. The old French...
The French call this South American rain forest tree bois de rose, or “wood of rose.” Rosewood was first distilled in 1875 in French Guiana, but became so popular that the trees were all cut. It is one of the many plants that make the...
Familiar as a culinary herb, sage comes from Spain and Asia Minor. In medieval times it was used as a nervous-system tonic to reduce tics or epilepsy. Because its essential oil has antioxidant properties, the herb was used to preserve food. In...
One of the oldest perfume materials, sandalwood has been in use for at least 2,000 years. It begins producing oil only after 30 years. Mysore, India, produces the best-quality oil, which is regulated by the government, but oil is also available from...
This large Australian tree, sometimes also spelled “ti,” is related to eucalyptus. There are many species and subspecies; all have an interesting bark that curls off the trunk, giving them the name “paperbark.” Studies show...
Rudyard Kipling wrote of the “wind-bit thyme that smells like the perfume of the dawn in paradise.” Ancient Greeks complimented each other as “smelling like thymbra”; their word thymain meant “to burn as incense,”...
Kathi Keville