Psychoactive and other botanical PERFUMEs

[mindperformer]

Currently I'm making perfumes again, after a long break

Although the psychoactivity of many essential oils and odors like Oud (Agarwood), Helichrysum italicum, Cestrum nocturnum- flower odor, Alepidea amatymbica- root odor, Indole-alkaloid- odor, Lemonmyrtle, Lavender and others, is relative and depends on the personal susceptibility,
there are many compounds in essential oils, which have definitely CNS- effects, like Myristicin, Safrole, Asarone, Ledol, Eugenol, Polygodial, Elemicin and the compounds in Kaempferia galanga-oil and Salvia lavandulifolia.
But for example Thujon was shown to be NOT an active constituent in Absinthe, which depends more on marketing.

First of all, it has to be said that about 99% of all the perfumes on the market, also the expensive ones, are composed mostly if not completely of synthetics. They are so much cheaper and nowadays composing a perfume is pure chemistry and to be in line with trends. Also the price of the perfumes depends on marketing and the flakon, and at least the (cheap) constituents.
After all it is surely possible to make real art with synthetics or semi-synthetics, and of course there are many safe synthetics and some toxic natural compounds, but why imitating jasmine instead of taking the real thing, for example? Most synthetics, also aldehydes, musk and marine notes can be back-replaced by natural oils, extracts and absolutes. I only have 3 synthetics for odors which are not replaceable by naturals, but I use only one of them regularily: Iso E Super.

Over the years I collected many interesting odors and essential oils, and now my odor-collection comprises:
105 natural essential oils and absolutes from plants and fungi
101 natural extractions (direct or from enfleurage) in 80% alcohol
4 natural compounds like Vanilline, Borneol, Indol and Camphor
2 semi-synthetics (hydroxycitronellal and bitter almond aka benzaldehyde)
3 synthetics (Iso E Super, Apple, Banana)

Most of the essential oils and absolutes came from Primavera, they only sell naturals.
The Brasilian Rosewood, Oud and Sandelwood from them are certified and from cultivated sources.
The alcohol extractions were made by myself.

All of them can be completely divided in odor groups:

Citrus / Citral:
Lemongrass, Orange, Neroli, Bergamotte, Grapefruit, Lemon, Nashia inaguensis, Backhousia citriodora, Lemon balm, Lemon basil, Petitgrain, Tangerine, Leptospermum citratum, Satureja biflora, Olibanum from Somalia and Oman, Kaffir-lime leaves, Sichuan pepper from Nepal, Zanthoxylum sancho leaves

Green:
Boxwood leaves, Galbanum, Green tea, Iris, Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)

Adehydes:
Cilantro leaf, Cinnamon, Jasmine, Wild cherry, Orange, Calamus, Bitter almond, Perilla leaf, Acacia farnesiana flower,

Metallic / Fresh:
Limnophila aromatica, Violet leaf

Watery / Marine:
Nori alga, Kombu alga, Sargassum, Limnophila aromatica, Violet leaf

Iris / Violet flower:
Iris root (Orris root) absolute, Violet flower, Acacia farnesiana flower

Powdery:

Iris, Violet flower, Vanilla, Rose, Musk (Ambrette seeds), Opoponax, Cola nut, Oud (Agarwood), Neroli, Benzoe, Sassafras, Lavender, Sandelwood (New Caledonia), Tonka bean

Floral:
Jasmine, Chamomile (blue), Neroli, Champaca, Rose, Lotus, Palmarosa, Yarrow, Lavender, Rhododendron (Himalaya), Helichrysum, Brasilian Rosewood, Manuka, Linaloe wood, Ratrani (Cestrum nocturnum), Ylang-Ylang (organic), Linden flower, Rhodiola root, Hydroxycitronellal, Tuberose, Acacia farnesiana flower, Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)

Lily / Muguet (Lily of the valley):
Hydroxycitronellal

Fruity:
Wild cherry (natural), Apple (synth.), Banana (synth.), Red apple (natural), Australian bushtomato, Goji berries, Roman Chamomile (odor like apple), Juniper berries, Limnophila aromatica (odor like melon), Hunza apricot, Damson plum

Aromatic / Herbal:
Thyme, Tarragon, Clary wort, Cannabis, Chaste tree, Cologne mint, Green tea, Labdanum, Juniper berries, Cola nut, Caraway, Somalia sage, Wild/ creeping thyme, Fabiana imbricata, Ledum groenlandicum, Cumin,

Aromatic / Warm / Spicy:
Calamus, Nutmeng, Hay, Tulsi, Patchouli, Caneel cinnamon, Cardamom, Coriander, Bay (allspice), Spikenard, Sassafras, Fennel, Clove, Valerian, Ginger, Pepper, Galanga, Pink pepper, Wild cardamom, Grains of paradise (melegueta), Saffron from Tibet, Elemi, Maori-Kava leaf, Perilla leaf, Anise

Aromatic / Camphor / Fresh:
Hyssop, Eucalyptus, Camphor, Borneol, Ravensara, Rosmary, Myrtle, Laurel, Niaouli, Cajeput, Wormwood, Salvia lavandulifolia, Wintergreen, Tea tree, Boldo, Horopito, Meadowsweet, Camphor, Borneol, Eriocephalus africanus, Juniper wood

Mint:
Nana mint, Pepper mint, Cologne mint, Tasmanian mintbush

Sulfur:
elemental, natural S in EtOH

Oud / Agarwood:
Agarwood scented smoke enfleurage, Oud oil

Nutty / Coconut / Rice:
Maledives coconut (ripe), Jojoba, Oud, Coriander, Bitter almond, Pandanus leaf (odor like rice)

Cocoa / Carob:
Cocoa extract, Wild cocoa, Cola nut

Coffee:
Coffee, Wild coffee

Sourly:
Kombu alga, Maledives coconut (ripe), Grains of paradise (melegueta), Champaca

Amber / Dry:
Fossil amber

Balsamic:
Sandelwood from New Caledonia, Sandelwood, Opoponax, Myrrh from Yemen, Cedar, Clary wort, Canada balsam, Cade (Juniperus oxycedrus)

Musk:
Ambrette seeds, Costus, Patchouli, Angelica dahurica root, Iso E Super

Narcotic:
Ratrani (Cestrum nocturnum), Champaca, Jasmine, Tuberose, Alepidea amatymbica, Ylang-Ylang (organic)

Milky:
Maledives coconut (fresh), Vanilla, Fig leaf, Honey

Sweet:
Tahiti- and Raiatea-Vanilla, Bourbon vanilla, Vanilline, Vanilla abs. (organic), Tonka bean, Honeybush, Damiana, Helichrysum, Palo Santo, Styrax, Maltol, Nashia inaguensis, Opoponax, Mondia whytei, Benzoe from Laos, Honey, Guaiac wood, Anise, Acacia farnesiana flower, Cinnamon (organic)

Leather:
Natural leather composition (with birch tar), Black truffle

Smoke / Tar / Phenol:
Agarwood scented smoke enfleurage, Birch tar, Peat (baked), Cade (Juniperus oxycedrus)

Peat / Earth:
Patchouli, Peat (baked), Guaiac wood, Birch tar

Woody:
Sandelwood, Cedar, Cembra pine, Patchouli, Sassafras, Himalaya fir, Mountain pine, Larch, Iso E Super

Indol / Skatol:

Dimitri (old, inactive), AMT, Jasmine

Animalic / Sweat:

Vetiver, Galbanum, Spikenard, Valerian, Costus, Androstenon / Androstenol, Cumin, Iso E Super

Tobacco:

Chee-tah green tobacco

Moss / Oakmoss:

Oakmoss abs.

Resinous:

Bristlecone pine, Coastal Redwood, Kandea from Gabon (Okoumé), Mumio (Shilajit), Breuzinho, Copaiba, Labdanum, Olibanum from Oman and Somalia, Copal from the Huichol, Myrrh from Yemen, Mastix, Elemi, Fabiana imbricata, Birch tar, Juniper wood,

Edited February 19, 2013 by mindperformer

[tarenna]

Good one - as always a highly valuable contribution.. cheers

[mindperformer]

thanks tarenna,

I didn't expect such a fast post, regarding the time difference ;-)

[mindperformer]

one of the greatest challenges was to make a perfume with the odor of the sea:

...it has a heart of Kombu alga and Limnophila aromatica and violet leaf with accents of Palmarosa, Nana mint, Bergamotte and Canada balsam

also the agarwood scented smoke enfleurage was complicated (it is made with other incense traditionally in Sudan). The Agar was burned on charcoal under a big glass, with liquid coconut fat at the bottom. The fat was collected and extracted with 80% alcohol.

One of my recipes for simple masculine Aftershave (on 200ml):

Satyr:

6 drops Lemon basil oil

4 drops Clary wort oil

2 drops Oakmoss absolute

2 drops Spikenard oil

2 drops Vetiver oil

1 drop Galbanum oil

8 drops Cedar oil

2 drops Rosemary oil

2 drops Lavender oil

4 drops Bergamotte oil

Rainforest- perfume (for 20ml):

2 drops Patchouli oil, old

3 drops Oakmoss absolute

1 drop Lavender oil

1 drop Cembra pine

1 rod wetting Neroli oil

1 rod wetting Palmarosa oil

1 rod wetting Rosemary oil

1 rod wetting Vetiver oil

2,5ml Kandea (Gabon, Okoumé)- tincture

10ml Cologne mint tincture

2ml Nashia inaguensis tincture

1ml Tonka bean tincture

Edited February 19, 2013 by mindperformer

[mindperformer]

The Leather scent, I had composed from Birch tar, Juniper wood, Cade, Styrax, Acacia farnesiana flower,

Myrtle, Labdanum and a hint of Vanilla.

My next challenge is to make a real psychoactive perfume with Alepidea amatymbica, Oud and Ratrani

Edited February 19, 2013 by mindperformer

[mindperformer]

Perfect fixatives are Labdanum, Oakmoss and Costus

and after all Canada balsam, which (the cis-abienol in it) replaces Ambergis from the sperm whale

If an odorless fixative is needed, take Jojoba oil, its in fact a liquid wax ...as Copaiba and Canada balsam are liquid resins

[whitewind]

What a great thread you have just started Mindperformer! You have just distilled the essence of ethnobotany and turned it into a scent of divine aroma unsurpassed on these forums!

[mindperformer]

thanks whitewind

a narcotic, but at the same time time clearing perfume is:

...for a total of 20ml, with 80% alcohol

1 drop Kaempferia galanga oil as headnote

1 drop Ratrani (Cestrum nocturnum flower absolute)

5ml Lemon myrtle tincture for roundness and an antidepressant headnote

1ml Alepidea amatymbica- root tincture

5ml Ambrette seeds tincture

1 rod wetting Jasmine absolute

1 rod wetting Oud oil

1 rod wetting Sassafras oil

1 rod wetting Tuberose absolute

very small amount Indole or simple Indole-alkaloids

1 rod wetting Canada balsam

a few drops Iso E Super

Edited February 19, 2013 by mindperformer

[planthelper]

nice one!

but you haven't got what i got, and what is the most important ingreedient regarding perfumes.

the holy grail of perfumes!

it's said aswell to be synthesised thise day's, but everything around it, is still shrouded in mystery,

and even the famous perfume makers don't easely talk about it.

it's said to be aswell, a psychoactive substance, and pilgrims to mekka were or are still using it oraly,

naturaly i talk about, AMBERGRIES!

i found above specimen on an australian beach! it's rare, and believe it or not, that day, i said to myselfe, go to this beach and collect ambergries and i did. chances of this happening though are very remote, it still blows my mind. never found it again, hehehe.

this guy, though got far more lucky than me:

http://www.slashgear.com/uk-man-finds-chunk-of-whale-vomit-possibly-worth-100000-01267737/

even my piece is worth 2000aud!

Edited February 19, 2013 by planthelper
69 typos :)

[mr b.caapi]

Apparently if you find it in Australia you are not allowed to sell it. is this true?

what does it smell like PH ?

Edited February 19, 2013 by mr b.caapi

[planthelper]

oh, interressting, i would never sell it, it's my most prized specimen in my natural collections.

i have invited many people to smell it, and most people like the smell, specialy if you don't tell them what it is.

if you say, it's out of a sperm whales stomach, they already jump often into protective mode.

the smell is, like a sweet nice smell of a no 2.

it's hard to think, but imagen a no 2 that smell absolute divine.

i like the smell a lot.

Edited February 19, 2013 by planthelper

[coin]

Mitti attar is one that intrigues me....distillation of baked earth.

Rhus khus is intensely transporting...so much more balanced and whole than straight vetiver oil.

It is interesting that an agarwood industry is building up in Western Australia. I think the first harvests/distillations will be next year, along with Indian sandalwood...the Santalum spicatum industry has been producing oil for many years, but it is not worth comparing the two oils. It will be nice to have some unadulterated oils back on the market.

[Bigred]

thanks mindpeformer you are truly a asset to our community

[endorfinder]

Do you find any of these to be psychoactive as perfumes, most likely transdermally?

[coin]

user "friendly" has also made some interesting posts about the psychoactivity of Nymphaea essential oils.

[mindperformer]

gorgeous! planthelper

how would you describe the smell? Does it have manure-oceanic, rough, animalic odor?

"Adrienne: It is always difficult to accurately provide a description of the fragrance of ambergris. Every piece can be different and every person can react differently to the fragrance"

For all the others who don't have the real thing, but need a perfect fixative or the fecal-oceanic smell:

First of all I must say that perfumery was and is often very traditional, shrouded-in-mystery, connected with intimate erotic and searching for exotic materials (in the past: mostly naturals).

In perfumery the fresh, black ambergis can't be used, but only the white/ grey Ambergris (aged 20-30 years on the ocean), which has some sweetness.

As substitute for the great fixative qualities of Ambergris, I use Canada balsam:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120405075357.htm

...with Ambroxan (which occurs naturally in Ambergris) the scent was synthetically recreated.

Very interesting links:

http://www.bojensen.net/EssentialOilsEng/EssentialOils01/EssentiaOils01.htm#Amber

http://www.fragrantica.com/notes/Ambergris-524.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambroxan

Ambroxan is also contained in the absolute of Tobacco, Clary wort and in Labdanum (Cistus labdaniferus), which I often use as fixative.

Flavor of Ambroxan: woody, cedar wood, floral, leather−like, slightly tobacco note and dry musk−like

...so we also have this notes in the substitutes:
Canada balsam has cedar-woody-balsamic notes

Tobacco and Labdanum have leather-like, floral notes and

Labdanum also gives the dry musk

It is possible to buy Ambergris from New Zealand, because there are more findings:
http://www.ambergris.co.nz/buy.htm

Edited February 20, 2013 by mindperformer

[mindperformer]

another substitute:
Cetalox. ≥96%. Odor: An extremely powerful and elegant amber note.
(which to my impression also pure liquid Canada balsam has)

also good descriptions on the odor of Ambrox DL and Ambroxan:
http://www.thescentinel.com/post/7765948055/raw-materials-ambroxan
http://www.basenotes.net/threads/231447-Ambrox-Ambroxan

All in all, the scent of aged Ambergris is described as sweet ambery, woody, tobacco, earthy scent with a hint of Isopropanol, but without the chemical component.

I'm experimenting with adding fossil amber tincture and a hint of kombu alga to the Canada balsam-Tobacco-Labdanum-mix, also finding the perfect amounts.

Edited February 20, 2013 by mindperformer

[planthelper]

i can add two things, one can't say white is good and black is not.

but, there are two different sources of a ambergries, the one removed of out of a dead or killed individual.

and the one, spit out by the whale, and which travelled on the open sea for years, and get's washed onto a beach.

both get used in perfumery, but the latter is much better, mine is of the 2nd type, and very suitable for perfum making.

it has a very sweet smell, which i mentioned earlier.

second, it's not the fragrance of the ambergries what the perfume makers are after foremost (although it would add to the scent, probably), no not at all.

but they use ambergries as, a carrier substance, because the scent of ambergries does never fade!!

so it makes the perfume, not lose it's power.

my piece was quite white on the outside, when i found it, and now the white has faded over the years.

Edited February 20, 2013 by planthelper

[Roopey]

MP, Do you ever use Hemp Seed Oil for speedier transdermal action? I find that it is the best natural substance for such purposes as hemp seed oil and your skin were meant for each other.

[mindperformer]

I understand, so you have the real white ambergris, gratulation! whales are fascinating...

I mentioned the perfect fixative- use, as you described it... as carrier substance for perfume not losing its power

Edited February 21, 2013 by mindperformer

[mindperformer]

I didn't use hempseedoil as carrier, but I often use it on salads.

It seems like a good idea regarding the fatty acid- profile, but there is also a risk with overdose, with some oils like sassafras

[mindperformer]

user "friendly" has also made some interesting posts about the psychoactivity of Nymphaea essential oils.

real Nymphaea essential oils are hard to get, you most often get synthetics as "lotus", but it is not impossible

[mindperformer]

Do you find any of these to be psychoactive as perfumes, most likely transdermally?

Sassafras was really stimulating and euphoric when inhalating from the phial, Oud, Ratrani and others have mellowing effects

Lavender is kind of psychoactive sedative

Cumarine aka Tonka bean also has some antidepressant effects, but inhaling too much gets me uncomfortable.

As perfume, many essential oils do emit their compounds, sometimes this cloud gives instant and short psychoactive effects, only by inhaling much of it after a few pumps

...but as we know there are not only toxic synthetics but also many natural allergenic or otherwise dangerous (toxic when overdosed) compounds, so when using critical plants, take care not inhaling too much

Edited February 21, 2013 by mindperformer

[mindperformer]

Mitti attar is one that intrigues me....distillation of baked earth.

Rhus khus is intensely transporting...so much more balanced and whole than straight vetiver oil.

It is interesting that an agarwood industry is building up in Western Australia. I think the first harvests/distillations will be next year, along with Indian sandalwood...the Santalum spicatum industry has been producing oil for many years, but it is not worth comparing the two oils. It will be nice to have some unadulterated oils back on the market.

Mitti Attar is really interesting, I didn't hear from it before

I have made something like that with peat, which I baked it for long time until it got black, then extracted the phenols with 80% alcohol. is has kind of whiskey smell (the malt is also smoked with peat)

Edited February 21, 2013 by mindperformer

[coin]

real Nymphaea essential oils are hard to get, you most often get synthetics as "lotus", but it is not impossible

Friendly runs OmChi Herbs & I'm sure he has genuine oil. He has described many Nymphaea experiments