White Lotus Aromatics Newsletter - Gulhina 2, July 10, 2002
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Gulhina 2
Dear Friends,
Today we will progress further with our exploration of aromatic plants of India. The lovely flower of Lawsonia inermis or Lawsonia alba will be the topic of the day. This is called as Gulhina in India which means the Flower of Hina or Heena. As the word Gulhina is associated in most instances with the traditional attar of that name it is important to remember that this is a very different attar than Hina Attar. Hina Attar though bearing the same root name is a totally different essence which you can read about on my fragrant harvest website. The name Gulhina on the other hand refers specifically to the attar created when the flowers of Lawsonia inermis are hydrodistilled into sandalwood oil.
Words beginning with B related to Olfactory Perception
adjectives
bad, beautiful, best, better, bitter, bittersweet, black, bland, blithe, blue, bold, bright,botanical, brilliant, briny, broad, brown, buoyant, buttery
verb
bake, bite, blend, boil, bracing, breathe, brew, broil, bruise, bubbling, budding, burning
noun
balance, balm, balsam, balsam tolu, balsam peru, balsam copaiba. banana, bayberry, barbeque, bark, base, basil, batch, bath, bay, beach, beauty, benzoin, bergamot, berry, beeswax, beverage, bile, bind, biology. birch, bliss, bloom, blossom, body, bogey, bois de rose, bond, boronia, bough, bouquet, boutique, bower, bracken, bramble, branch, bread, breath, breeze, brine, brocolli, broom, bubble, bud, bulb, buoyancy, burn, butter
Research on the Internet-
Many people ask me how I go about doing internet research on a specific plant. It is a fairly easy thing to do but it requires an abundant amount of patience.
The search engine of choice for me is Google
http://www.google.com/
You can do a general search or you can even do a search just for images related to the plant you are working on.
In the beginning you may wish to adopt the widest search parameters. Suppose you are going to research frankincense. You may just type frankincense in the field. Then you may wish to refine your search. You can do it in any number of ways.
First of all you may find more specific information by searching the botanical name of the plant:
Boswellia or Boswellia serrata(Indian frankincense), Boswellia carteria, Boswellia sacra, etc.
Then you may refine your search further by adding a connected word like;
Boswellia serrata history
Boswellia serrata medicine
Boswellia serrata phytochemicals
Boswellia serrata monographs
Boswellia serrata ayurveda
Boswellia serrata description
Boswellia serrata legends
Boswellia serrata poetry
Boswellia serrata safety data
Bosweelia serrata msds
Boswellia serrata gas chromatography
It is very important that you use all your creative thinking powers to uncover the information you need. Search engines are peculiar creatures that turn up interesting information only if they recognize certain combinations of words.
It is a little like a treasure hunt. I generally spend 10-20 hours researching a topic.
I think the most important thing to realize is that you need to work at this type of research. There is an astounding information on the internet but you have to dig very deep and be patient.
It is a very exciting treasure hunt to make and I would encourage all of you to use this invaluable resource. It can help your customers immensely as well..
For those of you doing direct sourcing here are a few updates-
Ramakant has just got in a nice consignment of
1. Lavender(Lavandula agustifolia)/Kashmir(100 kilos)
2. Geranium(Pelargonium graveolens)/Palani Hills(this is grown at 8000 feet by organic techniques) It is a special geranium with outstanding olfactory virtues.-20 kilos
3. Blue chamomile(Chamomilla recutita syn. Matricaria chamomilla)/Assam(this is a wild harvested from the above species of Chamomile. What they are doing in Assam is just broadcasting the seed and letting it come up naturally. They have plenty of folks to harvest this crop and it is producing a nice azulene rich oil)-10 kilo
This type of situation of ordering directly is best for folks requiring 10 plus kilos(total combined order) of essential oils to be sent by Fedex. Ramakant and family have many other oils which they source directly from distillers throughout India so these are just a few new arrivals. Sandeep Harlalka actually handles the international orders but please be aware that you need to order a minium of 1 kilo of any specific essential oil.
Clive Tuebes in Africa has just informed me that he has or will have soon-
1. Certified organic Lemonbalm(Melissa officinalis)
2. Organic but not certified Lemon Verbena(Lippia citriodora)
3. Lily Magnolia(I am waiting for the genus and species on this one) The Lily Magnolia is really a superb essential oil. It is the only oil he is currently offering that is not from Africa. His colleagues in China are distilling it. It is a very fine exotic floral oil, one of the most interesting I have experienced in recent months
4. He also has the beautiful fleurosols of Musk Rose(Rosa moschatus). Lemon balm(Melissa officinalis), Damask Rose(Rose damascena) The Fleursols are produced by a special cold extraction process which is also called the Phytonic process. The oils extracted by this method are often really really lovely.
Clive sells these more expensive products in small amounts(100 grams and up) One has to check with him regularly on these because they are not produced on a grand scale.
Anyway for those of you who are interested in direct sourcing I thought you might like to know of these things.
In this regard I would also like to mention that as our times evolve, direct sourcing may be the key to economic survival for many of us. I am seeing prices go up on many oils especially organic ones and also shipping rates have increased dramatically from several countries. A person selling oils on this end has therefore to increase their prices to keep afloat. It is a unique challange because the general consumer is very price conscious but may not be very quality conscious. Lots of oils bear the name patchouli for instance but may not be aware of what constitutes an authentic patchouli oil(and if you think that a gc is proof that an oil is authentic then you may be surprised to find that this is not much of a guarantee. It is far more important that you know who the distiller is or at least no that the company has an impeccable record for devotion to naturals). When prices start to go up on the international scene then a lot of adulteration begins to happen because sellers are aware that buyers are more interested in price than in the product itself. So this leaves the smaller entreprenuer scrambling to figure out how to both maintian their intergrity and be somewhat competitive. For many of us there is no substitute for authentic oils and there is no joy in buying oils that have been standardized no matter how cheap they might be. So in this regard we have to think of how we can keep progressing on our chosen path while maintaining quality at every level. So this is where direct sourcing comes in.
If you can develop the planning skills to get involved in direct sourcing for at least some of your oils, absolutes, C02 extracts, then it can prove a boon both for you and your customers.
It is very very important though to approach these distillers and extractors with a lot of sincerity. Sending samples is very costly using courier services and I highly recommend that you offer to pay for samples if you request them. Simple courier charges alone can amount to $38 for a small package. So one should be sincere in this type of thing.
I think most of you have the earlier letters with accompanying addresses I sent out on direct sourcing but if not I will happily send that information along.
Gulhina-The Flower of Paradise
How aromatic evening grows! The flowers
And spicy shrubs exhale like onycha;
Spikenard and henna emulate in sweets.
Blest hour! which He, who fashioned it so fair,
So softly glowing, so contemplative,
Hath set, and sanctified to look on man.
Hillhouse, James Abraham, 1789-1841: Scene from Hadad.
Description :
A glabrous much branched shrub or quite a small tree with grayish brown bark. Leaves are opposite,subsessile, elliptic or broadly lanceolate, entire, acute or obtuse, 2-3 cm long and 1-2 cm wide. Flowers are numerous, small, white or rose coloured, fragrant.
http://www.modern-natural.com/Lawsonia%20Inermis%20Linn.htm
Images
http://www.lanset.com/pathline/henna.htm
www.botany.hawaii.edu/faculty/
carr/images/laws_ine.jpg
www.maroc.net/ghis/ Henne/hen3.jpg
Hands cling to hands and eyes linger on eyes: thus
begins the record of our hearts.
It is the moonlight night of March; the sweet smell of henna
is in the air; my flute lies on the earth neglected and your garland of flowers
is unfinished.
This love between you and me is simple as a song.
(Excerpts from The Gardener by Ravindranath Tagore)
Acquaintance With the Henna Flowers
On evening in the month of July, in the city of Jodhpur, Rajasthan we had gone to visit an ancient religious and secular site of the
the Rajput kings and queens in times past."We reached Jodhpur about 4:00 in the afternoon and proceeded to our hotel. Our contact in the city was Mr.
Navneet Soni and we called him once we reached our room. He joined us shortly after we had refreshed ourselves with a nice shower. Plans
for the coming days were discussed and we then proceeded to a beautiful spot on the outskirts of the city called Mandore. Mandore was the site
of the former capitol of the area and was established in a fertile gorge surrounded by rocky hills. The Parihar Rajputs ruled here from the sixth
to thirteenth century and built a charming palace complex surrounded by beautiful gardens. We entered this ancient site through a park of
towering trees, shrubs, flowers and waterways. Temple like structures called chhatis were prominent features of the landscape. They marked
the spot where past rulers had been cremated. Other magnificent buildings graced the landscape and we enjoyed the fine mood created by the
gentle post-sundown light. Luscious smells of henna and jasmine flowers wafted on the night air." Rajasthan Journal, 1996
On several previous occasions I had seen the henna flowers in other parts of India but on this particular evening, perhaps because of the time
of day, the setting we were in, and the sweetness of the odor emanating from the flowers, I took more careful note of its unique olfactory
characteristics.
http://members.aol.com/parijata/gulhina.html
A Remarkable Sacred Garden
One of the most recent and memorable contacts with this radiant messenger of the plant world came in 1998. In August we were traveling
through South India in the state of Karnatika. I had read on the internet about a place called the Sacred Grove located between Bangalore and
Mysore. As we traveled that route towards Coimbatore we were able to discover this remarkable place by asking guidance from local people.
Entering this small botanical paradise created through the efforts of Mr. Yellapareddy, retired Forest Conservator of Karnatika, we were able to
explore a garden created in honor of the countries great scriptures. When the foundations of Indian civilization were laid thousands of years
ago, great sages and seers inculcated in the hearts of the people a profound love and respect for nature. That taught that all the plants had been
created for some divine purpose and that one of the duties of the human being was to still their mind so they could learn to decipher the
language of the botanical world. The trees, shrubs, herbs, and vines were invested with sacred status as they provided humans with food,
clothes, medicines, shelter and all manner of practical and aesthetic delights. Often they were connected with specific dieties, sages or saints
who were themselves embodiments of qualities that could be manifested in a persons life if they were prepared to tread on the higher spritual
path. Mr. Reddy had carefully gone through these great spiritual works and had studied which plants were connected with such exhalted
beings. In his garden he made different small forests for each of them. It was a veritable paradise of sacred traditions in which one could see
many of the most important aromatic and medicinal plants. As I wandered through this place which had been created with much vision and
understanding I came acrosss a number of Henna shrubs on the way to the Lotus Pond. Just prior to our visit we a nice monsoon rain had
freshened the environment. The shrubs displayed several large and lovely panicles of perfect flowers which gently scented the surrounding
area. In the ancient land, in this beautiful garden, their gentle message of sweetness, innocence and purity clearly spoke to the heart.
http://members.aol.com/parijata/gulhina.html
'Scent from Paradise in showers!
Maidens, fit for bridal bowers,
Here are fragrant henna flowers!'
Rawnsley, H. D. (Hardwicke Drummond), 1851-1920: VI STREET CRIES
(IN CAIRO) [from Idylls and Lyrics of The Nile (1894)]
Olfactory characteristics of Gulhina Attar
The odor of the attar if it is indeed pure, is a balanced combination of tea-like aroma of the leaves and the soft sweetness of the flowers. In the
living flower the predominating first note is a bit lighter and sweeter but in the attar the two aromas coexistent in a balanced form. I think that
it is virtually impossible to capture many of the most ethereal notes of any living flower as the whole life force of the plant is directly
connected to the earth at that time. A well distilled oil can approach this domain but never completely capture it.(at least in my opinion)
Perhaps there is the ambience of the environment itself which helps create a mood which cannot exactly be replicated when one leaves that
place. When one is standing in the presence of a plant in its natural environment all the five senses are gathering in the impressions of that
place and it penetrates very deeply into the heart.
In saying this I am not downplaying the importance of the ethereal essences to be distilled from these gems of the botanical world. There can
be no doubt that the distilled oil of that plant can bring a world we have visited back into focus. It is one of the most powerful means of doing
so. And the same oil can produce very postive effects on a person who has never encountered that plant in its own habitat. One of the great
gifts of aromatic botanical treasures is their oil. There are many many people who cannot leave their work to explore the world in which
they(the plants) live. So in the grand dispensation of nature arrangements have been made to transport those precious essences from the
world in which the plants live and breathe into cities and towns where people can inhale them and at least for a brief period of time be
transported into a world of great beauty and sublimity. Precious essences like Henna, play an important part in keeping our sense of wonder
and innocense alive. They are in their own silent way, agents of transformation.
http://members.aol.com/parijata/gulhina.html
Uses of Flowers in Ayurveda
The flowers are intellect promoting, cardiotonic, refridgerant, soporific, febrifuge and tonic. They are usefuol in cephalagia, burning sensation, cardiopathy, amentia, insomnia and fever
Indian Medicinal Plants by S. Raghunatha Iyer
Uses of Flowers
There is a huge body of literature on the mehndi or henna paste made from the leaves of Lawsonia inermis but compartively little on the flowers. I have done my best to share what I could find
The Egyptians are said to have prepared both an oil and an ointment from the flowers for making the limbs supple. A distilled water prepared from them is used as a cosmetic, and the powdered leaves have been in use from the most ancient times in Eastern countries for
dyeing the hair and the nails a reddish-yellow.
http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/h/henna-24.html
Beyond expectations, there was also a standard of excellence to meet. Thus
international debate of the time centered on exactly who made the finest
Cyprinum, a fragrance based upon the scent of henna (Lawsonia inermis): the
perfumers of Egypt (specifically those from Canopus) versus their competition
from Ashkelon, Cyprus or Sidon? (Both Pliny and Dioscorides believed the
Egyptian product to be superior over all others.)
http://www.egyptmonth.com/mag08012000/mag4.htm
Botanic Name : Lawsonia Inermis
If Headache is due to Heat then apply the paste of Heena Flower made in Vinegar, on forehead.
www.knockdoctor.com/ayurvedic/Ayurhead.htm
In Morocco, henna is used to guard against misfortune. It is used for its magical powers. The traditional use of henna is similar to prayer, and whether it reveals
a regret, a request, a fear or a superstition, it admits to the presence of forces beyond our comprehension, forces infinitely greater than ourselves.
The henna plant is a symbol of transformation. Lawsonia Inermis, or henna grows primarily in Africa, India and the Middle East. The henna plant can grow
from 10–15 feet tall with small bright green leaves amid a thorny bark. It produces beautiful flowers that emit a sweet, seductive scent reminiscent of jasmine and
rose. The flower is petite and four petalled, with slender, elongated antennas bursting from the center. It blooms in red, rose, white, yellow, cream and pink.
http://planetvermont.com/pvq/v8n2/henna.html
Lawsonia inermis
Camphire is lauded by King Solomon for its wonderful fragrance. It is also referred to as the cypress flower and is the alhenna of the Arabs. It has creamy-white
blossoms that are highly scented, hanging in clusters as grapes and growing in Palestine, Egypt, Arabia and a large portion of northern Africa.
Song of Songs 1:14 (KJV) My beloved is unto me as a cluster of camphire in the vineyards of Engedi.
Song of Songs 4:13 (KJV) Thy plants are an orchard of pomegranates, with pleasant fruits; camphire, with spikenard,
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/3664/camphire.html
One practical aspect of attars is that the one derived
from the henna flower is said to be an excellent anti-perspirant.
http://www.bdancer.com/med-guide/suppl/makeup.html
Henna/Mehndhi Paste
In the past few years the ancient Indian and Middle Eastern tradition of applying the vibrant red paste created from henna or hina
leaves(Lawsonia inermis) to the hair, hands and feet has spread into the western world. People have fallen in love with this custom of
drawing elaborate patterns on the palms of the hand and the soles of the feet. Far more than a simple or elaborate means of decorating the
body, the henna leaves are said to contain medicinal compounds which are good for allaying various skin problems. In the Garden of Life by
Naveen Patnaik it is written:"Medically , henna is considered an anti irritant, a deodorant, and an antiseptic. It is used by Ayurvedic
physicians for skin irritations such as heat rashes and skin allergies and to cool the body during the intense heat of summer. Becasue of this
cooling property, henna leaves and flowers and made into lotions and ointments to be used externally for boils, bruises, and skin
inflammations , including sores from leprosy." There is a growing body of knowledge on henna paste, its aesthetic and practical applications
but up to this point little has been discussed on the perfume of the flowers and its current use in making the traditional attar, known as
Gulhina. Since the delicate odor of the flower offers us a unique contriubution to the world of aromatic essences it is worth discussing the
little I know on this subject.
http://members.aol.com/parijata/gulhina.html
Mehndi is deeply ingrained in the Indian tradition. Although applied on other occasions as well, it is an integral part of the wedding ceremonies and is almost synonymous with the marriage of a woman. A special time is set aside for the application of mehndi to the hands and feet of the bride-to-be. Usually the ceremony takes place on the night before the actual wedding. The bride will be surrounded by all the female members of the household, as well as the friends, she has grown up with, and close relatives who have come to attend the wedding. There will be much singing and dancing interspersed with bouts of teasing the bride. It is an atmosphere full of joviality, nostalgia, and a tinge of sadness. The ceremony will probably last into the week hours of the morning when, finally, the women will retire for a few hours slumber only to wake up for a hectic day ahead for the wedding. The bride will usually sleep with the mehndi paste still on her hands and feet and not wash it off until the next morning. This is crucial, since the longer the paste stays on, the darker is the ultimate color. The next morning, when she does wash her hands and feet, everybody will come to admire the intricate patterns and the deep vibrant color. The darker the color the more her mother-in-law and husband are supposed to love her. Traditionally, as long as the bride has mehndi on her hands, she will not be asked to do any household work or chores at her mother-in-laws house once she reaches there after the wedding. So, the bride has her own special interests in trying to keep the mehndi paste on as long as possible to get the darkest possible color!
http://www.rajtourism.com/html/fairsfestivals/Teej/mehndi.htm
Healthcare Properties India
Healthcare Properties:
1.Abdominal pain: Grind all the following into a paste: the roots of Lawsomia incermis, the roots of Ranga (Tribal), the roots of Gandha (Tribal), the roots of Cocos miciferathe roots of Ita-Anla, the tuber of Moimordia dioica, the exocarp fruit of Ipomoea digitata. Prepare tablets with this paste.
Take one tablet orally each time twice daily for 15 days. (A-4) [OR-1-4-526]
2.Jaundice: Grind the roots of Lawsonia inermis (5g) with seeds of Piper nigrum (21 umber) into a paste. Take this paste orally as single dose daily for 21 days with rice washed water (T-2) (G-6) [OR-1-1-72], [OR-2-2-1313] (or) Grind the roots of Lawsomia incermis into a paste. Take 10ml of this paste orally each time twice daily for a week with rice washed water (B-3) [OR-3-2-85] (or) Grind the roots of Lawsomia incermis with sun-dried rice into a paste. Take 10ml of this paste orally each time twice daily in empty stomach in morning and after food at night for 3 to 4 days (J-6) [OR-4-2-100] (or) Collect the roots of Lawsonia incermis growing towards east on any Saturdays and Sunday in early morning before washing the face. Grind these roots into a paste. Take 10ml of this paste orally each time twice daily for a week with rice washed water. (B-9) [OR-4-1-13] (or) Rub the roots of Lawsonia inermis on a carry stone and collect the suspension. Take 10ml of this suspension orally each time once daily for a week in empty stomach. (B-30) [OR-2-1-1243]
3.Skin diseases: Grind the leaves of Lawsonia incermis with the rhizome of Curccuma longa into a paste. Apply or smear this paste on infected area once daily for 3 to 4 days. (B-3) [OR-3-2-85]
Other Usage's:
1.Grind the leaves of Lawsonia incermis into a paste. Girls use this paste to decorate the palm. This paste is generally used when a girl going to be married. (G-6) [OR-1-1-72]
And oh! what odours the voluptuous vale
Scatters from jasmine bowers,
From yon rose wilderness,
From cluster'd henna and from orange groves,
That with such perfumes fill the breeze,
As Peris to their Sister bear,
When from the summit of some lofty tree
She hangs encaged, the captive of the Dives.
Southey, Robert, 1774-1843: [from The Poetical Works (1838)]
VOL. IV.
Book on Henna
Henna's Secret History by Marie Miczak
http://www.authorsden.com/visit/viewwork.asp?AuthorID=4435