Fragrance and Wellbeing: Plant Aromatics and Their Influence on the Psyche

451 Pages·2013·3.419 MB·English

by  Jennifer Peace Rhind

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This book explores the impact of fragrance on the psyche from biological, anthropological, perfumery and R
aromatherapy viewpoints.
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Fragrance and Wellbeingexamines the ways in which fragrance can influence our perceptions and experiences.
It provides an overview of the theoretical and philosophical frameworks that have been used to analyse how G
and why we choose fragrance. A broad range of fragrance types – woody, resinous, spicy, herbaceous, agrestic,
floral and citrus – are then introduced, as well as the attars that form part of Unani Tibb medicine, and the R
traditional and contemporary uses and mood-enhancing properties of fragrance types are presented. Finally,
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readers are given guidance on how to cultivate their olfactory palate, which reveals a new dimension in the
use of fragrance to enhance wellbeing. N
F R AG R A N C E
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‘This book takes in a fantastic range of topics, including the biology of fragrance, the social life of scents, the
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healing powers of smell and incense rituals from around the world. Its central chapters profile the uses of an
impressive list of aromatics and it concludes with some vital suggestions for cultivating our olfactory palate.
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Written by a true perfume lover, Fragrance and Wellbeingmakes for heady reading.’
– David Howes, Professor of Anthropology, Concordia University, Montreal and co-author ofAroma: The N
Cultural History of Smell (1994) andWays of Sensing: Understanding the Senses in Society (2013)
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‘Jennifer Peace Rhind transports the reader on a fascinating journey while exploring the influence of scent on a n d

the development of civilisation. Fragrance and Wellbeing investigates our evolving relationship with the
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language of scent and its impact on the personal, cultural, spiritual and therapeutic domains. A thoroughly
interesting, informative and engaging read!’
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– Lora Cantele, Editor,International Journal of Professional Holistic Aromatherapy
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‘A walk through an oriental bazaar, contemplation in a Hindu temple and reading Rhind’s Fragrance and L W E L L B E I N G
Wellbeingare three experiences that provide a clear insight into what westerners miss by pushing our sense of
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smell aside. By presenting ample cross-cultural, historical and psychological evidence, Rhind persuasively
argues why we should take our nose seriously.’ E
– Dr Jan Havlíček, Department of Anthropology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
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Jennifer Peace Rhindis a Chartered Biologist with a PhD in Mycotoxicology from the G
University of Strathclyde. Her long-standing interest in Complementary and Alternative

Medicine (CAM) has led to qualifications in massage, aromatherapy and reflexology, and

for 13 years she worked as a therapist and partner in a multi disciplinary complementary
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healthcare clinic. During this time she became involved in CAM education in the private e
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sector and co-founded the first professionally accredited CAM school in Scotland. She
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was a lecturer on the BA (Hons) Complementary Healthcare programme at Edinburgh
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Napier University for 14 years, and remains involved in scent education. She is the author f
e Plant Aromatics
of Essential Oils: A Handbook for Aromatherapy Practice, also published by Singing Dragon. She lives in r
Biggar near the Scottish Borders. P
and Their Influence
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c on the Psyche
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73 Collier Street d
London N1 9BE, UK
400 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA SINGING Jennif er P eace Rhind
www.singingdragon.com DRAGON
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Cover design: Black Dog Design
Fragrance and Wellbeing
by the same author
Essential Oils
A Handbook for Aromatherapy Practice
ISBN 978 1 84819 089 4
eISBN 978 0 85701 072 8
A Sensory Journey
Meditations on Scent for Wellbeing
ISBN 978 1 84819 153 2 (card set)
Fragrance and Wellbeing
Plant Aromatics and Their Influence on the Psyche
JENNIFER PEACE RHIND
LONDON AND PHILADELPHIA
First published in 2014
by Singing Dragon
an imprint of Jessica Kingsley Publishers
73 Collier Street
London N1 9BE, UK
and
400 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
www.singingdragon.com
Copyright © Jennifer Peace Rhind 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form (including
photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or not transiently or
incidentally to some other use of this publication) without the written permission of the copyright owner
except in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the
terms of a licence issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, Saffron House, 6–10 Kirby Street,
London EC1N 8TS. Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce any part of
this publication should be addressed to the publisher.
Warning: The doing of an unauthorised act in relation to a copyright work may result in both a civil
claim for damages and criminal prosecution.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Rhind, Jennifer.
Fragrance and wellbeing : an exploration of plant aromatics and their influences on the psyche /
Jennifer Peace Rhind.
pages cm
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-84819-090-0 (alk. paper)
1. Odors--Psychological aspects. 2. Perfumes--Psychological aspects. 3. Aromatherapy. I. Title. II.
Title:
Fragrance and well being.
RM666.A68R52 2014
615.3’219--dc23
2013011089
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 978 1 84819 090 0
eISBN 978 0 85701 073 5
For my husband Derek,
our lovely ‘little person’ Leeloo,
my mother Elizabeth,
and in memory of my father James Mackie

Contents
PREFACE 9
Introduction 13
Part I Scent: A Pan-Dimensional Perspective
1 The Fallen Angel 18
2 Smell and the Psyche 28
3 Per Fumum 45
4 Perfume: The Transcendence of the Sweet Life 87
5 The Psychology and Sociology of Fragrance 125
Part II A Natural Palette of Aromatics
6 The Language of Fragrance 146
7 Woody, Resinous, Balsamic and Coniferous Scents 157
8 Spices 202
9 Herbaceous, Green, Camphoraceous, Cineolic and
Agrestic Scented Botanicals 231
10 Flower 291
11 Citrus, Lemon-Scented Botanicals and Fruity Fragrances 331
12 Attars and the Role of Fragrance in Unani Tibb Medicine 354
Jeannie Fatimeh Graham
In Conclusion
13 Cultivating the Olfactory Palate 374
GLOSSARY 388
APPENDIX A: CLASSIFICATION OF FRAGRANCE 398
APPENDIX B: AMBERGRIS 405
APPENDIX C: FRAGRANCE AND THE FOUR ELEMENTS 407
APPENDIX D: DEVELOPING SENSORY APPRECIATION OF PLANT AROMATICS,
ESSENTIAL OILS, ABSOLUTES AND FRAGRANCES 408
REFERENCES 412
FURTHER READING 430
FRAGRANCE INDEX 432
SUBJECT INDEX 435
AUTHOR INDEX 443

Preface
It is no secret that I have a love of all things fragrant; perhaps we all do. I know
mine started in early childhood. Like many little girls I made rose ‘perfume’ from
flowers in the garden, but that wasn’t enough! I also tried out carnation, marigold,
flowering currant and southernwood, but with little success. My earliest ambitions
were ‘to be a lady who worked in a flower shop and/or who made perfume’ –
none of the nurse or ballerina aspirations, then! My mother’s and grandmother’s
perfumes reflected the times of my childhood – Coty’s Muguet de Bois and L’Aimant,
Chanel No.5, Bourjois’ Soir de Paris in its vibrant blue bottle, one (it was particularly
pungent) called Californian Poppy, and another called Jasmine (a favourite), my father’s
Old Spice – and I wore them all! I remember ‘eating’ soap, biting into a solid block
of pipe tobacco, and, when I was older, attempting to inhale the smoke from joss
sticks. The memory of the fragrances I wore in adolescence remains vivid; even
their names are hugely evocative for me – Yardley’s Sea Jade, Goya’s Aqua Manda,
and Lentheric’s Tramp. When I was a student I wore Carven’s Ma Griffe (a bottle
fell out of my bag in a corridor in the old Royal College Building of Strathclyde
University; it shattered, and scented the area for quite some time, provoking some
interesting reactions), and then Dior’s Diorella, and Guerlain’s Shalimar. They all
remind me of my sense of ‘self’ in those days. In fact, I still wear the last two,
although the three of us have changed, just a bit, since the 1970s. My internal
olfactory landscape is populated by the scents in the natural world that have made
their indelible mark on my psyche. Even thinking about them – roses, peonies, sweet
peas, carnations, honeysuckle and flowering currant in our various, much-loved
family gardens; the exotic blossoms of lemon and frangipani at the Andromeda
Gardens in Barbados; the fragrance of sweet clover on the grass behind the sand
dunes of Westport beach on the Kintyre peninsula; the seaweed tang on shores of
Loch Fyne, and the deep, earthy, resiny scent in ancient pine forests that surround
Loch Maree; aromatic wild thyme on the hillsides of the Greek islands; even the
scent of cut timber, wood shavings and diesel in my father’s garage – brings back
breathtaking and fond memories of happy times. I relish the aromas of food and
drink too – for me it is unthinkable to cook without savouring the smells of herbs
and spices, and exploring how they interact to give ever-changing aroma and taste
sensations; I enjoy discerning the different notes in wines and malt whisky, and
sensing how different botanicals influence the aroma and flavour of gins. I usually
light a joss stick when I sit down to write – not just for its fragrance but also as
an acknowledgement to ‘the Muses’ – I like the ritualistic aspects of fragrance too.
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