By Suzanne Ress
I think the most impressive quality of aromatic herbs is their scent. The odors of fennel, parsley, and fenugreek remind me of my grandmother; bay leaf and mint of my father; horehound of my grandfather; and lavender and lemon verbena of the summer I was eleven years old. The reason for these associations is not always clear. Perhaps there was a derivative of one of these herbs in a perfume or cosmetic, or even a household cleaner, associated with a person, time, or place that I was barely aware of at the time.
The part of our brains that receives and interprets the odors of airborne volatiles is called the olfactory bulb. Information about odors is stored in long-term memory, the same area of the brain that stores emotional memory, so it comes as no surprise that odors frequently trigger strong memories and can have an effect on one’s emotions.
When my oldest child was just over a year old, she would toddle into my side-yard herb garden to pick basil leaves. Inhaling their fragrance brought a smile to both our faces. I still think of this whenever I smell basil.
Since antiquity people have been enticed by various and complex aromas. For this and other reasons, herbal plants, with their pleasantly strong and distinctive aromas, were held with reverence and considered sacred by ancient people. Herbs were used in religious ceremonies, burned as incense, presented as gifts, and treasured for their power of spiritual transport.
In ancient Egypt dried aromatic herbs and spices were burned as incense, or fresh aromatic herbs and flowers were macerated in oils until their own essential oils mingled with the carrier oil to create precious, scented oils.
Distillation of plant aromas was first done about a thousand years ago. Persian alchemists invented the alembic steam distiller system. The Arabian physician Avicenna used this system to create rose water. One hundred and fifty years after that, in 1150, the water-cooled condenser was discovered. This was followed shortly by alcohol distillation, which also made it possible to more easily and effectively distill almost any herbal aroma into an essential oil.
Perfume making spread to Italy, and then to France and Spain, and into the rest of Europe; its use became quite widespread in the 1600s when people used it to conceal offensive body odors. Grand perfumeries were started at that time, especially in Grasse, France, known for its mild climate and vast lavender fields. Many of these perfumeries are still producing today.
In 1824 Friedrich Wohler first synthesized a carbon-based substance, oxalic acid, previously believed only to be found in nature. In 1882 the first synthetic material was used in perfumery. It was the chemical compound coumarin, which smells like newly mown hay. In the years that followed, vanillin, linalool, and more materials were synthesized in a laboratory for use in perfumery. These synthetically produced aromas were blended with natural ones to form previously impossible fragrances.
With time, more and more aromas have been synthetically produced, so that now most mass-produced fragrances contain at least some synthetics.
The Chemistry of Scent
I find it fascinating that by combining certain molecules, called terpenes, one can create a scent, and that the scent of any herb can be broken down into a list of identified terpene molecules. We know, for example, that the chemical components that create the scent of basil are eugenol, myrcene, pinene, orimene, linalool, cineole, terpineol, and more. A single one of these terpenes has its own odor. Take eugenol, for example: this molecule is also found in cloves, nutmeg, bay laurel, cinnamon, and, in smaller amounts in dill, lemon balm, celery, and vanilla. Eugenol is extracted and separated from fresh basil plants and used widely in perfumes, antiseptics, and more. Try reading the ingredients list on the labels of all your household, yard, and personal care products one day. Many of those ingredients that sound like dangerous chemicals come from herbs!
Another of basil’s terpenes, linalool, is also present in many of the mints, bay laurel, coriander, lavender, hops, and mugwort. This one is widely used in perfumery, cleaning products, insecticides, and is cheaper and easier to synthesize in a laboratory than to extract from plants.
Basil grows well in hot, humid climates, and is grown for its organic linalool content in Brazil as a replacement for rosewood, which has become endangered. About ten tons of basil per acre are harvested every three months, four times a year. The basil plants are cut down very close to their bases. They do not die, but grow up again, fuller and bigger than before. In the Brazilian climate, the same basil plants continue this intensive production for two or three years before they are replaced. Basil essential oil, later refined to separate the linalool, is extracted right in the field. This oil then fetches a price of about one hundred dollars per pound.
Although linalool can be easily synthesized, and is one of the most common fragrances added to just about anything scented, the more expensive, natural linalool produced by plants is preferred for perfume making.
Cineole, also known as eucalyptol, is another component of basil and is found in sage, ginger, and bay laurel. It is sometimes called eucalyptol because the eucalyptus plant contains up to 90 percent of this terpene. Synthetic cineole is widely used in mouthwash, insect repellents, candy, sweets, beverages, cigarettes, and cosmetics.
Plants are still the largest source of fragrance compounds used in perfumery. Besides an herb’s leaves, compounds are extracted from its flowers, blossoms, fruit, seeds, and in some cases, from its bark (cinnamon, birch), twigs, resins, roots, and rhizomes.
There are some human-made synthetic aromas that do not even exist in nature. One of these is the terpene calone, first synthesized in 1966. It is widely used in perfumes and other perfumed products to create a sea breeze, marine-like smell.
Fragrance Families
Fragrances used in perfumery are divided, like flavors in cooking, into families. The classification system is not yet standardized, but all have a citrus family and a floral family. Into the citrus family one could put the scents of herbs such as lemon balm, lemon verbena, and lemongrass. Herbs with floral scents usually are better known as flowers than as herbs—rose and violet, for example.
Personally, I would create an herbal scent category called sharp or balsamic green that would contain the scents of rosemary, costmary, southernwood, sage, and wormwood; a category called fresh green that might contain basil, mint, chervil, and tarragon; perhaps a warm, spicy category for fennel, fenugreek, and curry plant; and a fruity green that would contain pineapple sage, apple mint, and maybe chamomile. There would still remain herbal aromas that don’t seem to fit into any category, like hyssop and horehound, which both contain the diterpene marubiin.
Fragrance blending is much like flavor blending. It’s best to start out simple and work your way along to more complex recipes. A handy rule for beginners is the rule of three. Number one is the top note of the blend, which will be the first odor you perceive—the lightest—and the one that will evaporate most quickly. This could be a lemony scented herb or a mint. Number two is the middle note, the one you perceive after the top note blows past. A flowery or fresh green smell, like basil or rose, could work here. Number three is the base note, which is the one holding the blend together and usually the heaviest smell. Something balsamic or spicy, such as fennel or costmary, would fit the bill.
Fresh Herb Recipes
When making your own herbal fragrance blends feel free to add non-herbal ingredients, too. These perk up a fragrance and add interest. You might add orange peel, vanilla bean, ginger root, peppercorns, licorice root, birch bark, or anything else you find appealing. Anyone with an herb garden, even a small one, can formulate their own unique aromatic blends for personal use and gift giving, and most of what is needed will likely be found on hand.
Freshly picked or dried herbs from your garden will generally make a light scent that does not last as long as homemade fragrances made from herbal essential oils.
Herb Oil
You will need an unscented carrier oil with a long shelf life, like jojoba.
• Pour 2 ounces into a wide, shallow container, such as an emptied and thoroughly washed and dried hand cream jar.
• Gather up a large handful of the herbs you wish to use. Nice combinations are lavender and bay, or rosemary and lemon balm, but use your own judgment and imagination.
• Tear the herbs into smaller pieces so they will release their essential oils, then press them into the jojoba oil so they are all covered. Put the lid on, and leave in a cool dark place for three or four days.
• Then strain the oil through a tea strainer into a small glass. Press the herbs to get all the oil out, and discard the herbs. Put the oil back into the original jar, and repeat the entire process two or three more times.
Smooth a little bit of this oil over the palms of your hands before giving a massage. Or, using a dropper, put a few drops into your warm bath once it is drawn for a skin softening experience that will leave you lightly scented.
Herbal Cologne
You will need ethyl alcohol, a few large handfuls of your selected herbs, and a 6- or 8-ounce glass jar with a lid.
• Stuff all of the herbs into the glass jar, crushing them a little as you do so. Pack them in tightly.
• Pour ethyl alcohol over all, screw on the lid, and leave on a sunny windowsill for one week.
• Then open, and strain using a wire kitchen strainer and a small funnel, into a brown, green, or blue glass jar. Cork it or screw on the lid, and store in a cool, dark place.
This refreshing cologne can be splashed on for a light scent any time.
Using Essential Oils
When I first became interested in making herbal perfumes I thought of buying a small alembic steam distiller to make my own essential oils from herbs. Then I discovered that the yield of essential oil from fresh herbs is only 0.7 percent!
For one-tenth of an ounce of essential oil, you need one pound of fresh herbs! Herbs are very light in weight, and a pound is probably more than most people have of any one herb growing in a household garden. For longer lasting, stronger-scented, unique herbal fragrance, your best bet is to use purchased vials of pure, natural essential oils from a whole foods market or herbalist’s shop.
To start, you need to formulate a blend that pleases you. Experiment with various combinations over the course of a few days, trying them out by vaporizing them together in an aromatherapy diffuser, or mixing some drops together into your bath water. Here are two that I like:
“Old Money”
5 parts basil essential oil
5 parts ginger essential oil
1 part mint essential oil
“Sassy Clean”
3 parts lavender essential oil
2 parts lemongrass essential oil
1 part myrtle essential oil
Massage, Body, and Bath Oil
To make a rich and nourishing body oil, drop your essential oils, starting with the minimum amount, into a glass jar. A little goes a long way, so don’t be tempted to overdo it at first. Then add unscented jojoba oil. Cover the jar and gently swirl to blend, then uncover and sniff. If it seems right, dip your fingertip in and massage a drop of the oil into your hands. If the fragrance is not as strong as you’d like, add another round of essential oils, remembering to stick to the proportions, and to carefully blend the essential oils into the carrier oil before smelling it. Sometimes you have to wear it around for a few hours to realize how strong it is.
When it is to your liking, cover the jar and keep it in a cool dark place. It can be used as a signature massage or bath oil. You can also use a few drops in place of body creams and lotions, to soothe dry, sunburned, or itchy skin.
Perfumed Body Powder
Mix up your selected essential oils in a tiny jar, such as an empty and cleaned sampler honey or jam jar, with a lid.
• In a 16-ounce jar with a lid, pour unscented talcum or cornstarch in to fill it three-quarters of the way.
• Now, get one cotton ball, and put it into the tiny jar with the essential oil, roll it around to soak up all of the essential oils, and then drop it into the larger jar with the powder. Cover the jar, and shake well.
• Keep the powder jar in a cool, dark place, and shake it well, twice a day for three days. After that you can transfer this marvelously scented body powder to a fancy ceramic powder jar or box with a powder puff and lid. Dust your dried body all over after a shower for a light and refreshing scent.
Cologne
Use a base of 2 ounces of ethyl alcohol. Put it into a small glass jar with a lid, and carefully add your essential oils, drop by drop. Gently agitate. This can be used immediately. It should be kept closed tightly, in a cool, dark place.
Solid Perfume
5 grams (about 1⁄5 of an ounce) beeswax
15 grams (1⁄2 an ounce) jojoba oil
Fragrance essential oil blend
Melt the beeswax in a very small Pyrex bowl over simmering water. Pour the jojoba oil into a small glass, and add your fragrance blend oils, drop by drop. Add the melted wax to the oil blend, then pour into a container with a lid; a tiny sample jam or honey jar will work well. Dab a little bit on your pulse points for a subtle fragrance effect.
Perfumed Soap
Buy a chunk of unscented glycerin soap at a hobby or crafts store. You’ll need soap molds, too, which you can also buy at the craft store. Alternatively, use something you already have, such as ice cube trays, empty and clean hand cream containers, or even plastic egg cartons. Gather together anything you’d like to add to your soap for interest or a scrubbing effect, such as fennel or caraway seeds, dried crumbled herb leaves, or dried herb flower petals.
Cut off a piece of glycerin and melt it in a double boiler or in a Pyrex bowl in the microwave. While still hot, stir in your essential oil blend. Mix in your dried herbs and seeds.
Spray your molds with rubbing alcohol. Then quickly pour the glycerin mixture into the molds. Spray a little more alcohol on top of the soaps as they begin to cool. When they are completely cool, remove them from the molds. Store in an airtight container.
Have fun!
Suzanne Ress recently published her first novel, The Trial of Goody Gilbert. When she is not writing, Suzanne enjoys herb gardening, beekeeping, creating mosaic artworks, silver and coppersmithing, horse riding, and long-distance running. She lives in the foothills of the Italian Alps with her husband, daughter, and many animals.