Every year new hydrosols appear as if by magic.  Dedicated distillers from all over the world have embraced the idea of saving their distillate waters properly and they are now trickling out into the world of aromatherapy, just waiting for us to enjoy them.  Here are some of my findings on these new waters.

Frankincense (Boswellia carterii): although I wrote about frankincense in Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy we have since found a new supplier and a more consistent product.

Elements: Earth & Fire; Yang; 4th chakra

Odour: This is the mesa, the pillar of earth in the desert of heat.  Rising vertically up towards the heavens just as smoke from this resin rises white and true when burned.

Taste: balsamic, minty, resinous, it runs across the roof of the mouth and induces a tiny shiver of cold that can raise the hairs on your arms.  It’s incredibly soft both in taste and odour when diluted and its picture become more round.

Frankincense opens the heart allowing us to feel love(d) and self-love.  Although it is strongly related to the sun its focus is the fourth chakra, the heart, and it resonates with the colors pink and green.

Myrrh (Commiphora molmol):
Elements: Fire; Yin; 6th and 7th charkas.

Odour: very smoky without any ‘burnt’ edges and none of the ‘rubbery’ tones so often found in myrrh oils.  It’s almost sultry if that’s a smell, inducing a mellow, laid-back feeling… this is opium for the masses!  Undiluted the odour is of medium intensity but its effects belie the seeming subtlety.

Taste: very sweet, the sweetest of the resins.  The balsamic bitterness comes in on the after-taste but without the minty edge common in other resins, just a very slight cooling along the gums.  Seems less astringent than many other myrrh samples.  Swirled in the mouth there’s a bubblegum sugar note that appears briefly and is followed by a dry woody taste that also has some sweetness.

Myrrh is for the mouth, gums and teeth where it cleanses infections and tones the tissue.  Combine with Immortelle for receding gums, gingivitis, canker sores or any other oral problems.  Myrrh can also be used all over the body for washing wounds that are slow to heal  and is particularly useful for ulcers associated with diabetes.

Elements: Earth, Yang, 6th chakra followed by 2nd chakra

Odour: Has dry, red-earth undertones, almost sweet but with an acidic smokiness.  Intense aroma and not to everyones liking, although not unpleasant. Very expansive, the odour multiplies dramatically in a vessel compared to its aroma from the bottle.  There is a bitterness to the odour that is more pronounced than in many resin hydrosols.  Prolonged inhalation induces a slightly hypnotic or meditative state.

Taste: characteristic balsamic mintiness of resins.  Very astringent and drying in the mouth, yet simultaneously inducing salivation/amylase response due to the bitter elements.  Bitterness is more evident on the lips than the tongue perhaps due to the oil content of the hydrosol.  Undiluted it causes tingling along the sides of the tongue and gums.  Even a small amount of water dramatically dilutes the taste and odour and it becomes very palatable at 50:50 dilution with water, the standard dilution (30ml in one litre water or 1oz in 32oz water) becomes mild and atmospheric.

Opoponax is a major aphrodisiac and I would suggest it as part of tantric rituals.  Its ability to induce a meditative state makes it perfect for other ritual and magic work, guided meditations and personal growth work.  For the physical body use opoponax for suppurating wounds, boils or anywhere there is pus and infection.  Do not use on psoriasis or excema as it stings like mad although it helps.   This is also a key element in flea and tick repelling formulas for animals.  This little known resin deserves greater recognition, however due to the poor quality and odour of most opoponax oil in the market it has not regains its historical importance like its sisters myrrh and frankincense.

Calendula marigold (Calendula officianalis): Finally a true hydrosol of Calendula exists.  It is impossible to distill the fresh plant so, this one is made by hydro-distilling a gorgeous, unctuous concrete extraction and the results are amazing.

Elements: Fire & Water; Yin; 2nd chakra

Odour: Highly aromatic, in fact the ‘aroma bubble’ extends up to a meter when you pour this hydrosol into a vessel, true flower power!  Pungent, sweet, flowery but not floral it has the characteristic spicy edge of calendula flowers.  A big, fat, round, juicy smell, kid’s stuff for grown-ups.  Calendula hydrosol laughs and tickles the corners of your mouth into a smile.  The aroma rolls forward, somersaulting through layers and layers of scent.  The high notes are quickly followed by the predominant heart/middle notes with good support from the base notes.  Very unusual combination of odours forming a complex profile… really a symphony of scent.

Taste: slightly balsamic as expected since the fresh flowers are highly resinous and sticky.  Less floral in taste than the smell suggests but still sweet with a slight Campari edge.  Dilution brings out the undertones of spice, pumpkin and a hint of nutmeg.  Just try this in your cooking.

Calendula is known for its healing properties, particularly related to the skin, digestive tract and mucus membranes.  Use for all skin issues, wounds, makes a great mouth wash for oral care and a nice addition to a netti-pot or colonic.  Take internally for irritable bowel, ulcers, Crohn’s disease and old-fashioned upset stomach.  Even fractures and sprains can benefit from compressing with calendula.  Its affinity for the second chakra makes it a fabulous douche or wash for the genitals for both men and women, and it is effective enough to use for vaginitis, thrush and yeast or urinary tract infections.  The 2nd chakra element also means it can be made into delightful, aphrodisiac cocktails, think Campari and soda on a Mediterranean beach, just use your imagination.