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Post by Portia
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So APJ,
Do you want to see something fabulous? It’s always a surprise to find out something wonderful about our world. Before this video I had heard of only two of the other species of humanoids on the earth, that there were ten or even more is surprising to say the least. That only some of them have added to our gene pool is also interesting, most going extinct 40,000 years or more ago.
Mind blown,
Enjoy.
Portia xx
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Post by Portia
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Another of these fun and informative mini films from the Atlas Obscuracrew. Today we learn of a lake in the Himilayas with and extraordinary amount of skeletons there. Is it a burial ground, war grave, diseased lake? We find some wonderful theories and perhaps even the truth in this short film brought to us by the most excited person ever, he’s so cute in his enthusiasm.
I hope you enjoy,
Portia xxx
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Post by Portia
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So my mate Ainslie Walker sent me this and through it I was smiling like a fool. It’s SO FREAKING CUTE! Nearly 5 minutes of CuttleFish Facts done in such an entertaining way that you will definitely want to pass on the link. Who knew that CuttleFish were such quiet little creatures of such excellent factoids? Certainly not me.
Photo Stolen Wikipedia
I hope you enjoy True Facts About The CuttleFish as much as I did.
Thanks Ainslie,
Portia xxx
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Post by Suzanne R Banks
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Hi APJ,
Photo Stolen thewellnessdoer
When we talk about essential oils, it’s often an umbrella term for many different kinds of aromatic liquids.
These are usually water/steam distilled, and this is the most common way to date that oils are extracted. All the oils you would commonly buy today would be steam and water distilled and this process is simple, traditional and dates back through the past century.
These are usually made flowers or very delicate plants where a chemical extraction process is used (see my article Absolutes? Not Absolutely) but they resemble essential oils in viscosity and are used in the same way as essential oils. They tend to be more concentrated then essential oils.
These are highly concentrated liquid extracts that are a combination of resins and aromatic oils. The plants they come from have a high resin content so they fall into their own category. Once again they can be used in the same way as essential oils.
Photo Stolen Cottonseed Oil Flickr
CO2 Extraction is also called Super-critical CO2 extraction and it produces a couple of plant products – extracts or selects, and totals.
A relative newcomer in the world of extraction, the name makes it sound bad but it’s not! There are lots of good things about this process and I’ll try to sum it up briefly and succinctly.
The extraction process uses carbon dioxide heated to a degree where it has both liquid and gaseous properties- this part is the super-critical part. It’s less hot them steam and water distillation so this is a bonus as it doesn’t change the plant materials as much. It’s this liquid form that extracts the volatile plant material. Aromatic oils, resins and other cellular materials like pigments are extracted by the liquid CO2 which evaporates easily, leaving a substance that more closely resembles the plant.
CO2 extracts more closely aromatically resemble the whole plant, whereas essential oils are specifically the volatile oil component of the plant.
CO2 extracts may be better scent wise, or less attractive. It depends on the plant.
Some CO2 extracts that are now available are –
ambrette, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, clove, nutmeg, caraway, fennel, ginger
sea buckthorn
amaranth
cocoa, coffee, vanilla
pomegranate
evening primrose, rosehip
chamomile, champaka, ginger lily, jasmine, juniper, linden blossom, patchouli
arnica, calendula, lavender, hops, St Johns wort,
angelica root, orris root, kava
agarwood, frankincense, galbanum, myrrh, spikenard
I don’t use CO2 extracts extensively in my practice yet, as many of the extracts are semi-solid and aren’t easy to work with. It seems some of the extracts are better suited to using in creams and lotions. As I move more into the area of natural perfumery I know I’ll use some of the extracts more often. I haven’t actually spent the time looking at the analysis of each oil, which will indicate the therapeutic property of the “oil”.
According to Nature’s Gift, “totals” are a secondary product of the CO2 process: “are usually thick and pasty due to the beneficial fats, resins and waxes they contain that come from the plant material itself. These totals are soluble in essential oils and vegetable oils. …. These potent extracts are wonderful for cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The Calendulas extract, for example, in a dosage of 2 grams extract to 1000 grams ointment is effective for it’s anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial activity.”
None of my suppliers in Sydney provide these “totals” and I don’t have first hand knowledge of how they work – but it sounds interesting!
Good luck with the CO2 extracts!
Suzanne R Banks XXX
Suzanne R Banks Blog
Suzanne R Banks Aromatherapy
Suzanne R Banks FaceBook
Below you’ll find an extremely interesting video.
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Post by Ainslie Walker
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Hello APJ
I recently learnt a friend of mine lost her sense of smell 2 and a half years ago. I find the subject fascinating so wanted to share. Here is her story;
“It wasn’t until the day after I fell and hit my head that I realised that I had totally lost my sense of smell. At first, all my senses had been dulled so it was not obvious to me but as I found myself struggling to enjoy food I realised it was because without smell, I couldn’t fully taste – the two are inextricably linked. It’s a weird sensation holding an apple to my nose and sniffing with no response coming from my brain (but I remember what it smells like which confuses me). Not to mention, hugely frustrating being unable to experience the full sensual onslaught of my morning coffee. I was in tears when I first realised. It’s like a plug has come loose and I can’t locate it.
It’s also amazing how disruptive it is to my full understanding and appreciation of the world around me. I find myself craving the smell of petrol fumes as I cross the road or dreaming of cigarette smoke as I stand drinking outside the pub. Perhaps it is because it’s the most primeval and instinctual of the senses – without it, I feel like I can’t sense danger, I can’t quite feel safe, something’s not right and my brain won’t let me forget it. It’s like I can’t actually see properly because in many ways, I’m not getting the full picture.
Photo Stolen FotoPedia
Certainly it’s the most evocative of the senses, strongly tied to memory and place. And as the days wore on without a sense of smell I found myself experiencing “phantom” smells – memories of smell rising from the backwaters of my mind and overwhelming me at unexpected moments: bike grease, camembert cheese, suntan lotion, shitake mushrooms, lager and lime, orange ice lollies. Some of these you can probably taste as you read but they were definitely aromas in my mind – and strong ones – showing how symbiotic the two senses are. A lot of the time I get what I can only describe as a warm, organic chemical smell. I imagine this is what molecules smell like, or molecular fusion – the reforming of my sense of smell.
It can take three months for the “olfactory bulb” to restore itself and occasionally, when I’m not thinking about it too much, I notice that I’m picking up the subtleties of scent: I can smell soap on my skin or strawberry jam on my toast, and I can’t help but feel gleeful, giggling to myself. Being able to smell is truly wonderful. I hope it comes back fully and if/when it does I won’t ever take it for granted!”
Photo Stolen Book Depository
A book about this subject: Season To Taste by Molly Birnbaum – she was an aspiring chef who got hit by a car whilst jogging and lost sense of smell and taste.
Photo Stolen Book Depository
Another on the science of smell, with much more links to perfume is Luca Turin’s Secret of Scent. Fascinating!
It’s amazing that scientists still don’t understand mechanics of smelling or even its full purpose!
Luckily for my friend her sense of smell is returning and she can FINALLY begin experimenting with new perfumes again. (she stuck with the same perfume because there was no way to choose new ones) Needless to say she went a bit crazy on perfume purchases once it was coming back!
Ainslie Walker
Australian Perfume Junkies 