Kathi KevilleThis flower, sometimes called “everlast” or “immortelle,” is native to the Mediterranean and North Africa and is cultivated in Spain, Italy and Yugoslavia. A related species, H. orientale, is also grown for oil, while H...
Once considered sacred, this herb was often used in purification practices. Hyssop comes from the Mediterranean. Most of the oil produced goes into expensive perfumes. Family: Lamiaceae (Labiatae) Extraction: Distilled from flowering tops. The odor...
This plant native to Asia and cultivated in many locales produces an essential oil that is strongly mucolytic. It is best dispensed from a diffuser for respiratory problems. Family: Asteraceae (Compositae) Extraction: Distilled from the root...
Probably an Iranian native, jasmine has captured the imagination for centuries. Forty-three different species are grown in East India, where women dress their hair with it and where it is poetically known as “moonlight of the grove.”...
The berries of this North American shrub flavor gin, named after geniŠvre, French for “juniper berry.” Traditionally the fragrance was thought to ward off contagious diseases. Native Americans living in the high deserts of the West still...
A medieval European love potion, facial water and cordial called Huile de Venus, this “oil of love” toned muscles and softened complexions. It was also sipped to quell indigestion. Today caraway seeds are more likely to find their way...
Cardamom is a relative of ginger from the Middle and Far East, where it flavors Turkish coffee and East Indian chai tea. The seeds were a valued export item in ancient Greece. Family: Zingiberaceae Extraction: Distilled from the seed. Oleoresin. The...
The Arabs, who traded it for a frankincense substitute, called this Southeast Asia tree “incense of Java,” or luban jawi. The Europeans interpreted this as benjawi and pronounced it “benjamin,” then “benzoin.”...
The small green fruit produced by this Mediterranean citrus tree aren’t edible or pretty, but the smell they emit is wonderful! Unfortunately, you must live in a warm climate like California to grow them. First mentioned in the 17th century En...
This North American tree is the common source of Wintergreen oil, with which it shares similar chemistry, properties and fragrance. The formula for the popular 19th-century “Russian Leather” men’s fragrance (so named because it...
