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...
Regardless of its reputation as a love potion, the 14th-century nuns of St. Just included coriander in their Carmelite water, a scent and complexion product that remained popular for the next four centuries. Coriander dominated Eau de Carnes...
Native to Spain and Greece, this is the “rockrose” grown in some North American gardens. Possibly the Bible’s onycha and “rose of Sharon” (Song 2:1), it often replaces ambergris. It has long been popular in Spain, which...
Some perfumes use small amounts of cumin, which is native to Egypt and the Mediterranean. The seed is commonly used in Mexican and East Indian foods, and is traditionally used in the ancient Ayurvedic medicine of East India. Family: Apiaceae...
This large European and west Asian plant is common in herb gardens. It tastes like a very strong celery. The herb is often used in treating women’s complaints. Family: Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) Extraction: Distilled from fresh roots, or from...
The landscapes of southern France and Greece are graced with this statuesque evergreen. It has long been associated with death, and even today Egyptians use cypress for coffins, while French and Americans plant it in graveyards. Smoke from the...
A well-loved Mediterranean herb, this English lavender has been associated with cleanliness ever since Romans added it to their washing water. In fact, the word comes from the Latin word lavare (“to wash”) and is the root for the word...
With more than 600 species, eucalyptus offers a variety of scents. The blue-gum variety is the most widely cultivated and produces most of the oil available today. It was introduced at the Paris Exposition in 1867 after the Melbourne, Australia...
Kathi Keville