Here’s a pic from the Smith College Bulb Show (which ends Sunday the 20th). I had a busy week so I was only able to go for 25 minutes, but it was worth the drive. It was a warm, lush and fragrant experience. I went on Wednesday morning and it wasn’t as crowded as it other times, when there has been a line or a school group pressing through. This time I could take my time without the people piling up behind me, so I enjoyed stopping to put my face in the Hyacinth and the Freesia and just smelling them. Both of those are such beautifully fragrant flowers, but the essential oil in them, tragically, is so volatile and so delicate that cannot be extracted and bottled. I’m sure there are thousands of medicinal and magical properties in those fleeting oils so I took my time with them.
After I left after the bulb show greenhouse, I wandered through the rest of the greenhouses, taking a left down the concrete hallway to the row of citrus trees. And there were the white blossoms of the oranges and lemons. Ahhhhhh. They were small and waxy, releasing their gorgeous scent through the hallway. The scent of citrus blossoms are flowery and light and they reminded me of the most famous essential oil to come from citrus blossoms- Neroli.
Neroli is the name of the essential oils extracted from a a Bitter orange (Citrus aurantium). The flowers are delicate and must be extracted by careful steam distillation after being hand picked. That is why it is a very expensive oil. I had already been an aromatherapist for a year and working with essential oils for more than 20 when I finally smelled it! Four years ago I finally bought 1ml (20 drops) for 17 dollars just so I could see what the fuss was about. Neroli is used frequently in perfumery, has been used on wedding nights for centuries; to both calm the nerves and as an aphrodisiac. Like many essential oils in the citrus family; it helps to alleviate depression and anxiety. It also is wonderful for the skin, helping to heal scars and treat acne with its antiseptic properties. (It’s an ingredient in my Precious Face Oil) But it was the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra’s love of neroli that made me plunk down the cash for my 20 drops. She was said to love the scent and used the blossoms and perfume liberally.
It was quite a moment; opening that first bottle. The scent is a very high note that smells flowery but also like candy – sweet and sour; lemon and green. There’s also the tiniest hint of orange in there. You can almost feel the scent in your sinuses. It is light and delicious; sensual and uplifting. Amazing.
Since then I have discovered I can purchase Neroli diluted in Jojoba oil. (Or I can just dilute it myself!) Now I don’t have to horde it. It is easier to work with a diluted oil because then when I spill it down my arm or it drips quicker than I anticipated I don’t worry that I’ve used it all up. And the fragrance is so strong that a 10% dilution is powerful enough to use just a few drops and get great effect.
It is a marvelous oil for the anxiety and panic that often come up in labor and many women choose it for their custom blend in my Aromatherapy for Pregnancy class. I also find many individual clients pick it to put in the custom oils and sprays we make. It blends so beautifully with others and is such a wonderful oil.
If you want to smell it, come to my Tools for Stress Relief class on Thursday March 24th 6:30 to 8:00p at Franklin Medical Center. I’ll bring a bottle and you can smell it and maybe choose to add it to your personal spray or roll-on. The class is only $10 and includes the aromatherapy product. Email or call me if your interested.
Happy Spring!
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| Orange Blossom at Smith College Greenhouse |
Email me at crowladyhealing@gmail.com, give me a call (413-325-4529) with any questions.
xoxox
Katherine
Here is an audio of peepers and wood frogs I grabbed at midnight the other night. They were really singing!
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