Plants of India: Champa

Sona Champa-Sacred Flower of India
by Christopher McMahon

Part 3: Fragrance of Champa

An olfactory study of this oil is a worthwhile experience. First of all the distillation process itself takes place over a number of days and the heat and pressure are low as compared with steam distilled oils. The sandalwood oil is allowed to slowly absorb the volatile consituents and fix them in a most delicate and exquisite way. After the distillation process is completed the oil is allowed to mature for a number of months. It is stored in special leather bottles and kept in a dark, cool place. The proportion of champa to sandalwood is just about perfect in a properly made attar. Higher concentrations sometimes end up masking the supremely fine subltle notes of the oil. The same holds true with floral absolutes which are much to powerful to study in their undiluted form. One must remember that it takes thousands of flowers to produce a kilo of oil and if one attempts to study the distillation of so many blossoms without first diluting it is possible that the olfactory nerves can become overstimulated and hence unable to detect the subtle nuances contained therein. Sandalwood is the perfect medium for such a dilution as its soft rich, and deep precious woods notes blend perfectly with almost any oil. In the case of the attar, the process of natural dilution goes on for almost two weeks and the gentle intermingling of the two oils allows a bouquet to develop which is truly heavenly. It is a complete and perfect perfume onto itself.

It takes many hours to explore the hidden depths of the oil. After dipping a clean cotton swab or perfumers blotter paper into the oil one should repeatedly inhale it at intervals over the period of a day. Already I have tried to describe the quality of the fresh flowers fragrance and one can certainly detect many of the same basic notes in the attar. It is impossible of course, to perfectly capture the smell of the fresh flower, as it contains extremely volatile molecules that the slightest amount of heat will destroy, but the basic character of the flower's fragrance is certainly maintained in a true attar. The great advantage of the attar is that the sandalwood oil only releases the top, middle, and base notes over a long period of time so one can enjoy all the richness and beauty of the essence over a very long period of time. In the end one can only say that the fragrance is almost perfectly balanced and anything added to it would only detract from its ethereal loveliness.

The flower has a number of other cosmetic, medicinal and economic uses. Hair oils are prepared using a special technique of layering the fresh flowers between husked sesame seeds and allowing the fragrance to become absorbed into them over the course of a day. The flowers are then changed and new ones placed and this process continues for a number of days until the seeds have been properly charged with the fragrance of the flowers. Then the seeds are cold pressed and the resulting oil is used for perfuming the hair. The flowers are also used for producing a yellow dye for dyeing textiles. An infusion or decoction of flowers is recomended in cases of dyspepsia, nauseau and fevers; and these liquid elixirs have also been found useful in treating gonorrhea and renal diseases. Flowers beaten up or macerated in sweet oil form excellent external applications for diseases of the head, eyes and nose. This oil has also been found useful in treating sub-acute rheumatism, vertigo, and gout and is valued in relieving common headache.

The leaves also possess aromatic properties and can be steam-distilled to yield an essential oil. Steven Arctander says it is, "sweet oily-grassy, reminsicent of perilla oil but less punguent, more delicate. The odor also reminds of the fragrance of freshly cut stems or leaves of tulips. After this interesting fresh-grassy topnote the odor changes into a delicately sweet, tea-like or hay-like fragrance with and undertone of sage clary and rose leaf absolute. Indeed an interesting oil." Young leaves of the tree are crushed in water to make a cooling antiseptic lotion used as eyedrops. The juice of the leaves is used for treating colic.

Various medicinal preparations are derived from the bark of the tree. It is considered efficacious as a stimulant, antispasmodic, and febrifuge. In the form of a powder and also as a decoction the bark is useful in intermittent fevers and in mild cases of gastritis. The bark has slightly aromatic qualities and is used as an adulterant for cinnamon. It adds flavor to betel nut which is chewed for its digestive and stimulant properties. The dried root and root bark are used as purgatives and to promote menstrual flow. Seed and fruit of the tree also have various uses. In some areas the fruits are eaten. Fruit and seed are both used in a preparation for healing the cracks on the feet. An oil is extracted from the seeds which when rubbed on the abdomen is useful in relieving flatulence. The seeds are ingested for removing intestinal worms. These are but a few of the beneficial properties ascribed to the Michelia champaca tree.  END

Updated: 5/26/2006

Copyright (C) 1998 by Christopher McMahon. All rights reserved.

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