There is a part of our brains that gets turned on when certain pheromones are detected through smell. Without going into the physiology of how that happens, the end result is that our moods are lifted up and we sense an overwhelming love or sense of well-being. You probably have experienced this phenomenon to some degree yourself when you have smelled an exotic flower. Here are a few of those exotic flowers that have this ability to affect us—jasmine, ylang ylang, and neroli. These happen to be some of my favorites. Let’s take a closer look at these fragrances.
Jasmine is nicknamed the “queen of the night” because it is most fragrant between 2 and 4am! Women have treasured this seductive fragrance for centuries. Because of the delicacy of this flower and the fact that it is most potent in the dead of the night, it doesn’t produce much in the way of an essential oil found in the flower petals. To obtain its essence, it has to go through a special process using a solvent that produces an absolute rather than an essential oil. One pound of jasmine oil requires about 1,000 pounds of jasmine flowers picked before sunrise! The fragrance of true jasmine oil is uplifting, antidepressing, and stimulating,
Ylang ylang means “flower of flowers.” Traditionally the flowers were strewn on the beds of newlywed couples on their wedding night. Like jasmine, the flowers are picked in the early hours of the morning but unlike jasmine, ylang ylang flowers actually can be distilled several times yielding different scents with each distillation. The best of course, is the first distillation. Ylang ylang fragrance is intoxicating, balancing, restores confidence and peace, and filters out negative energy like anger and mistrust. It combats low self-esteem and increases focus of thoughts.
Neroli is the flower of the bitter orange tree. The ancient Egyptians highly regarded this fragrance for its ability to heal body, mind, and spirit. This fragrance is a natural relaxant used to treat depression and anxiety. It stabilizes emotions and uplifts and inspires the hopeless, encourages confidence, courage, joy, peace, and sensuality.
Not bad for a few beautiful exotic flowers! Want to learn more about essential oils? Contact me. I’m particularly familiar with these three flowers—I’ve grown jasmine both in Florida and Colorado, picked ylang ylang in Ecuador, and picked neroli among the orange trees in Florida. I just love getting intoxicated with these exotic fragrances!!
Linda Smith
720-201-9377
Linda@T-W-Services.com