Illuminated Perfume: aphrodisiacs

"You are the rose of me

in you I have lost myself utterly
your fragrance, as a breath from paradise
about me ever lies
I crush you to my heart with sutblest ecstacy
and on your lips I live, and in your passionate eyes."
~ Chettur

Long before paper valentines, male and female humans strove to inspire each others love and lust with potions and cocktails from the arena of the sensual. In today's contribution to the Perfume Illuminated Project Beth and I feature a heavenly triad to awaken the senses: Chocolate, Wine and Roses.

FRAGRANCE

In ancient Rome, where pleasure and luxury held extraordinary value, scented wines were created by macerating rose petals in fermented grape juice. During the feast of Rosalia, in honor of Roses, garlands and petals of the flower were used to adorn palaces and villages.

Roses, as other flowers, are the reproductive organs of the plant. As such they blossom open exuding their enchanting aroma to attract pollinators such as honey bees, moths and hummingbirds. In the Arab world, where the rose originates, glorious gardens have been created as an homage to the rose and a place for contemplation. In poetry, literature and aromatherapy the rose is associated with the human heart.

"The red rose whispers of passion
and the white rose breathes of love
O, the red rose is a falcon
and the white rose is a dove
But I send you a cream-white rosebud
with a flush on it's petal tips
for the love that is purest and sweetest
has a kiss of desire on it's lips"
~ O'Reilly

...you're in my blood like holy wine, you taste so bitter and so sweet.
Oh, I could drink a case of you darling and still be on my feet...
~Joni Mitchell

Wine also had his own celebrations in adoration of Dionysus, known as Bacchus in Rome, the god of agriculture and pleasure. Anthestêria, a three day long festival of flowers in honor of the mythic God and the arrival of the blossoming Earth.

Considered an aphrodisiac due to it's ability to relax the mind and cause an altered state of awareness wine is also pleasurable to the palette. For those who do not like wine or drink alcohol a lovely alternative is hydrosols, a by product of the distillation process. Hydrosols are now produced worldwide and are available in of virtually every plant that is distilled. My personal favorite is Jasmin sambac hydrosol.

"Love is like swallowing hot chocolate before it has cooled off.
It takes you by surprise at first, but keeps you warm for a long time."
- Anonymous

The third ingredient in this frothy trilogy is chocolate, from the cacao seed of South America. Rich, creamy chocolate offers physical pleasure to the palette and soothes the nervous system. This edible wonder began first as a frothy, spicy beverage in the rain forest of Mesoamerica, meaning middle earth. Discovered and brought back to Spain by conquistadors, the seed eventually was processed into the hard and delicious confection we adore today.

Cocoa butter, the vegetable fat from the bean used to make the gastronomical delight, is also used for ointments and toiletries. Moisturizing with a mild, warm chocolate aroma the butter is an excellent emollient used in creams, soap and solid perfumes.

Like Rose and Wine, Cacao was honored with many festivals in Mesoamerica and is featured in their creation myths. The Latin name for Cacao Theobroma meaning literally “food of the gods”. The Mayans and Aztecs saw a correlation between chocolate and blood. Chocolate as the blood of the Earth and essence of life.

Although I have not come across any old formulas for perfumes made of this menage a trois, there are historical references to the first liquid perfumes evolving from scented wines made with rose and orange flowers.

In botanical perfume we have the following ingredients related to our trio:

ROSE

Rose otto essential oil, steam distilled from the petals of roses. Rose otto refers to Rosa damascena flowers.
Rose concrete and absolute, chemically extracted from the petals of roses.
Rose wax, a left over by product of the extraction process
Rose hydrosol
Rose hip and seed oil

WINE

Grape alcohol, used as the base for liquid perfumes.
Cognac essential oil, Vitis vinifera, White and Green.

CACAO

Cocoa Absolute and C02, Theobroma cacao, extracted from the seeds.
Cocoa Butter

For a liquid perfume I suggest a fragrance from the Floral bouquet family with a touch of Oriental. Use a base of Grape with these essences for the love potion:

- Rose absolute or otto
- Vanilla Co2 or absolute
- Cognac essential oil
- Cocoa Absolute or C02
- Rose geranium
- Bergamot
- Bitter Orange
- Ginger
If you want to take this more into a Mayan potion add:
- Black Pepper
- Cinnamon
- Hazelnut
- Honey Absolute
- Butter Absolute

FLAVOR: Beth Schreibman Gehring

Please continue reading about Chocolate, Wine and Roses at the Windesphere Witch blog

Images: Nose and Mouth are old engravings on Parchment, Paintings from ArtMagik
The Shrine by William Morris
Gather Ye Rosebuds while ye may by William Morris
The Wine of Tokai from Luis Ricardo Falero
Roses of Youth by Henrietta Rae

"As the spirits of certain people hover music,
My soul, o my love! swims on your perfume."
~ Charles Baudelaire, "La Chevelure"

The word aphrodisiac comes from the name of the Greek Goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite. This day, attributed to Aphrodite and ruled by Venus, we will take some tips from the Goddess, for she was a devotee of pampering herself and knew how to cultivate and inspire beauty.

FRAGRANCE

In aromatherapy circles "Aphrodisiacs" are essences which evoke a sense of relaxation and euphoria which then opens the doorway to a heightened state of sensuality. Most often these essences come from flowers. Morphologically flowers function within the plant to attract pollinators and for reproductive purposes. Examples of aromatics used in natural and botanical

perfumery that are derived from flowers and considered aphrodisiacs are: Ylang Ylang, Jasmine, Neroli, Rose and Tuberose. The aroma of narcotic Ylang Ylang flowers top the list as the most powerful of the group. My teach David Crow taught me that Ylang Ylang has the power to put a woman into her physical body and relax, he suggested it for all blends evoking sensuality.

In floriography, the Victorian language of flowers, tussie mussies or nose gays were given to a beloved to convey a message. Small floral bouquets were gifted to a beloved as a piece of poetry that appealed to the eyes and the sense of smell.

Besides flowers, aromatics from spices are also found to arouse and stimulate passion. Derived from seeds which are associated with reproduction, in morphological terms they have the ability to shift and transform, unlocking obstructions. Allspice, Anise, Bay, Cardamon and Cinnamon are just a few on the long list.

Roots, associated with the base chakra, ground us to the moment and this earthly plain. As an anchor to earth, roots bring us into our won physical bodies. Essences derived from roots that are also aphrodisiacs are Ginger and Vetiver.

Dark and viscous, base notes with their earthy and musky aromatics have a similar quality as roots. Their depth, even in their cimmerian hues, convey mystery and conjure the shadow side.
These essences include Sandalwood, Patchouli, Vanilla, Peru Balsam, Myrrh and my favorite Labdanum.

With such a plethora to choose from, you can see why perfume is associated with sensuality and charming the God and Goddess within. For today I thought we would create a perfume devoted to Aphrodite. I selected essences mentioned above as well as those associated with the Goddess and Greece.

Labdanum
Oakmoss
Sandalwood
Patchouli
Peru Balsam
Myrrh
Seaweed Absolute

Rose
Jasmine
Ylang Ylang
Tuberose
Clove
Honey or Beeswax Absolute

Myrtle
Bergamot
Bitter Orange
Lemon
Black Pepper

Next week Beth continue our look at Aphrodisiacs by focusing on Chocolate, Wine and Roses.