Minyak wangi barat

,

Saya ingin memperkukuhkan maklumat yang sahih tentang persoalan
perfume yang saya sendiri selidiki secara kebetulan. Semasa saya
mengikuti pengajian di Kalamazoo, U.S. saya terbaca dalam satu
encyclopedia yang mengandungi maklumat tentang perfume dan proses
pembuatannya.

Alang terperanjatnya saya apabila mengetahui bahawa balang besar yang
digunakan untuk memerapkan minyak disaluti dengan lard (minyak babi)
bagi tujuan memastikan 'long lasting' seperti yang dinyatakan dalam
mel-e
yang terdahulu. Saya terus mencari maklumat tentang perfume dalam
hampir
all the
encyclopedias that I could get hold of at the Waldo Library in
Kalamazoo.

Kesemua encyclopedia yang telah saya baca memberi maklumat yang sama.
Semenjak itu saya tidak pernah membeli perfume dari barat. Setiap
kali saya ke tanah suci saya membeli berbotol-botol minyak wangi
seribu bunga. Saya juga pesan keluarga atau rakan yang ke tanah suci
untuk membelikannya. Sehubungan dengan perkara perfume, para
penceramah ada menyentuh soal pemakaian minyak wangi dan lazimnya isu
yang ditimbulkan adalah soal haram/halal memakainya. Sedikitpun tidak
disentuh tentang halal/haram minyak wangi itu sendiri.

Di satu ceramah yang saya hadiri semasa di PTSL, walaupun penceramah
yang hadir seorang yang terkenal, saya beranikan diri untuk
mendedahkan bahawa persoalan tentang perfume yang lebih serius adalah
soal kesucian bahan itu sendiri. Penceramah tersebut terkejut tetapi
beliau turut setuju dengan bukti yang telah diberi dan menyeru semua
yang hadir supaya elakkan daripada memakai minyak buatan barat. Satu
perkara lagi tentang perfume. Jangan pakai perfume sehingga apabila
dibau oleh lelaki selain muhrim kita, ia ibarat zina.....

Waallahu'alam.


Setakat mana kebenarannya... wallahhualam..

Hampir setahun yg lalu, apabila saya mendapat maklumat ini saya
merasakan ujian Allah yang datang pd saya umpama batu besar yg perlu
dipikul sehinggalah sampai ke destinasi yang saya sendiri tak tahu.
Pendek kata jika maklumat ini tidak disampaikan, selama itulah
bebanan ke atas diri saya memikul `batu besar' itu akan terus menerus
saya pikul.

Saya manusia yg begitu lemah iman, tidak mampu menegah dgn perbuatan
serta pertuturan. Hanya doa yg termampu dilakukan. Namun saya masih
tak gembira dgn sikap saya krn tidak berusaha bersungguh mencegahnya.
Maka, saya rasa sekarang Allah berikan saya lorong pertuturan
mengajak rakan-rakan yang dirahmati Allah meninggalkan sesuatu yg
selama ini kita jahil mengenainya...

Cerita begini...

Sewaktu mengikuti rombongan Puspanita ke Indonesia bersama kumpulan
isteri-isteri orang kenamaan termasuklah Puan Seri dan beberapa orang
Datin, kami transit di Singapura dlm perjln balik. Sewaktu di duty
free shop sambil berjalan bersama seorang Datin, kami melalui kedai
perfume. Ramai ahli-ahli biasa puspanita dan lain-lain Datin serta
Puan Seri singgah dan mencuba berbagai jenis perfume yg ada. Memang
agak lumrah perkara ini berlaku dan ia bukan setakat di kalangan
wanita malahan kaum lelaki juga.

Tiba-tiba seorang Datin bersuara kpd kumpulan `pembeli' perfume
ini... "dengar ni nak cerita" katanya. "Dulu saya suka pakai minyak-
minyak wangi begini dan buat koleksi hampir semua jenis jenama
perfume buatan luar negara. Satu hari saya ikut Datuk melawat Europe
dan kami dibawa ke kilang membuat minyak wangi. Dalam kilang yang
begitu besar itu, bermacam-macam jenama minyak wangi dipersembahkan
kpd rombongan kami dgn harga kilang yg jauh lebih murah berbanding
dgn harga dipasaran. Sampai pd satu peringkat pembuatan, kami melalui
kawasan di mana terdapat tangki-tangki besar berisi bendalir putih yg
dicampurkan ke hasil akhir iaitu minyak wangi tadi.

Saya pun tanyalah pekerja kilang itu apa bendalir putih tu dan untuk
apa kegunaannya?" Jawapnya.. "Oooh! That's lard, and it helps the
smell stays longer". Datin itu bertanya lagi dalam nada terkejut dan
wajah selamba, "you mean you add lard in all types of perfume?" "Oh
yes! Or else the odour will not last."

Cukup setakat itu cerita saya kpd sahabat sekelian. Dipendekkan
cerita, saya menyeru kpd rakan2 Muslim sekelian, bhw semua jenama
pewangi import ada mengandungi minyak babi. Marilah kita semua
berhenti dari menggunakan barangan tersebut. Ramai rakan-rakan kita
yg mengunjungi tanah suci Makkah dan Madinah dan disana banyak
terdapat minyk wangi yg tak dicampur dgn bahan dari babi.

Di negara Egypt yg merupakan negara pengeluar minyak wangi terbesar
dari kalangan negara-negara Islam, bermacam2 perfume boleh didapati
dan barang tersebut juga boleh diperolehi di Malaysia. Kita hanya
perlu bertanya negara asal pembuat perfume itu.

Ujian Allah adakalanya begitu ringan dan mudah.... berhentilah
menggunakan minyak wangi jenama Barat... itu sahaja. Namun ia
memerlukan kekuatan iman yg jati utk mengubah diri kita ke arah
keredhaan Allah.

Wallahu'alam.

Plants & Human Affairs (BIOL106) - Stephen G. Saupe, Ph.D.; Biology Department, College of St. Benedict/St. John's University, Collegeville, MN 56321; [email protected]; http://www.employees.csbsju.edu/ssaupe

Stimulating the Senses - Essential Oils

I. What is an essential oil?


A. Definition.
An aromatic liquid (oil). They usually smell pleasant. Since these oils have an odor or essence, they are called “essential oils”.

B. Fixed vs. volatile oil
Essential oils are volatile, or in other words, they evaporate readily. In contrast, the fixed oils like corn, safflower and peanut, do not evaporate. The Grease Spot Test is a test to determine whether an oil is volatile or fixed. Simply spot a small sample of the oil on a sheet of paper. If it leaves an oily mark, like after eating some potato chips, the oil is fixed. If it disappears, it is an essential oil.

C. Chemistry.
Essential oils are a diverse mixtures of molecules. The kind and concentration of molecules in the oil determines its odor. The molecules typically have 20 carbon atoms or fewer and are hydrocarbons, terpenes, alcohols, phenols, esters, aldehydes and ketones. Essential oils are soluble in organic solvents (i.e., ether).

II. Plants and essential oils

A. Occurrence.
Essential oils occur in numerous different plants, but especially tropical and subtropical species. They occur in more than 60 families and are especially common in the Mint, Citrus, Laurel, Myrtle, Geranium and Carrot families. Most of our commercially-important essence producing plants come from Asia, Africa and tropical America.

B. Botany.
Essential oils are found in all parts of the plant, including flowers, roots and leaves. Different organs usually yield different oils. The actual oil that is produced is dependent on plant age, maturity and climate. The oils are usually produced in glands or hairs or ducts in or on the plant.

C. Why do plants produce essential oils?
Among the reasons are: (1) to attract pollinators; (2) deter herbivores; and (3) used to combat other plants (allelopathy). There are likely other functions, too. However, the oils are probably not waste products of normal metabolic activities as once suggested.

III. Uses.

give odor (and flavor) to spices;

give odor to perfumes, soaps, toiletries, and cosmetics;

act as antiseptics and medicines. The main premise of aromatherapy is that essential oils can affect our mood, etc. Although of the claimed benefits seem highly exaggerated (i.e., pseudoscience), there is research that clearly supports a role of essences in treating human disease. For example, recent research suggests that odor and essences may be an important treatment for seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

insecticides; and

manufacture of many things including plastics, polish, ink and glue.

IV. Extracting Essences from Plant Material.
The technique must be gentle because the oils are easily changed. There are three major techniques:

A. Distillation.
The plant material is placed in water, heated to a boil and the steam carrying the essential oil is condensed and collected in a receiver flask.

B. Steam Distillation.
This is similar to regular distillation except the plant material is suspended above the water. The plant material is extracted with steam.

C. Effleurages (Cold fat extraction).
This technique is especially good for delicate and easily changed oils and for those plants (flowers) that continue to produce essential oils after they’ve been harvested. In this method, lard (tallow) is spread on a glass plant and flower petals are laid on the surface. When one layer is finished, the process is repeated essentially making a lard/glass plate sandwich. The odor is absorbed by the lard. The flowers are removed and then replaced by others until the lard is saturated with essence. The lard is then extracted with alcohol to remove the essence but not the fat.

D. Solvent extraction.
The plant material is directly mixed with solvent. This is a popular method because it is simple and inexpensive. It is good for plant material that doesn’t continue to produce odors.

E. Expression.
Mostly used with citrus oils. The rind is scored and the oil is collected under pressure.

V. A survey of some essential oils

A. Allspice.
Derived from the berry of Pimenta dioica, a tree native to the West Indies. Much of world crop is grown in Jamaica. The berry is steam-distilled to yield an oil with a general spice note.

B. Ambergris - secretion of sperm whales.
Since whales eat lots of cuttlefish, which are like squid and have a hard “bone” (used for parakeets), the whales secrete ambergris to protect the lining of the gut. Ambergris is now obtained synthetically, to protect sperm whales which are endangered.

C. Citronella.
Derived from the leaves of the grass, Cymbopogon nardus, which is native to India and Sri Lanka. Used in soap making, i.e., Ivory Soap, because of its germicidal action. Citronella also repels insects.

D. Cloves.
Derived from the undeveloped flower buds of Syzgium aromaticum, which is probably native to the Moluccas in Indonesian. The hand-picked buds are distilled to produce a spicy-sweet odor. The leaves also produce an oil. One of the main ingredients, eugenol, is used as an anesthetic in dentist offices.

E. Coriander.
Derived from the seeds of coriander (Coriandrum sativum) which is native to southern Europe and Near East. Pleasant odor, spicy, sweet and somewhat woody. Used more for flavor than fragrance. Russia is the major producer.

F. Fennel.
Obtained from the seeds of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), which is a member of the carrot family native to the Mediterranean.

G. Lavender.
Derived from the flowers of Lavandula angustifolia and relatives (Lavandula hybrida, which is a hybrid). France is a major producer, but it is also grown in Spain, Italy, s. Russia and Tasmania. The flowering tops and stalks are steam distilled. Refreshing floral-herbal odor with balsamic undertones.

H. Lemon.
Expressed from the peel of lemon, Citrus limonia, a small tree native to China. Many areas produce lemon oil including California, Sicily, Brazil and Israel. Lemon grass oil is derived from Cympopogon citralis.

I. Myrrh.
Sweet smelling resin from trees in the genus Commiphora, which are native to Africa and southwest Asia.

J. Oil of bay.
Odor is strong and spicy. The oil is derived from the leaves of Laurus nobilis, the laurel. The leaves were also used as crown of victors in Rome. Native of the Mediterranean.

K. Orange.
The peel of the sweet orange, Citrus sinensis, is expressed from the oil. Especially produced in Sicily, Israel, Spain Florida, California and Brazil.

L. Patchouli.
Derived from the leaves of Pogostemon cablin, a plant in the mint family native to the Philippines. China, India, Indonesia, and Philippines are major producers. The leaves and stems are cut and steam distilled. The resultant oil is allowed to age. The leaves yield about 3-5% oil by dry weight. This oil was especially popular during the 1960’s.

M Sassafras.
Derived from the roots of Sassafras albidum, an understory tree native to the eastern US. The active ingredient is safrole, which has a root-beer like odor. Many people make tea from sassafras roots, but safrole is a suspected carcinogen.

N. Sweet birch.
This oil with a wintergreen-odor is derived from the sap of the sweet birch tree, Betula lenta. This tree is native to the eastern US.

O. Ylang ylang.
Derived from flowers of Cananga odorata, a tree in the Magnolia family that is native to Indonesian and the Philippines.

V. Perfumes

A. A brief history of perfumes.
Perfume comes from the Latin words, "per" - meaning through and "fumus" - for air or smoke. Thus, perfume literally translates into “through the air”, which is how the odors reach our nose. Perfumes have had a long and influential role in world history since the beginning of recorded history. They were particularly important in India, China, Babylon, Egypt, Rome and Greece. This is particularly interesting since they are not necessary (essential) for survival and are mostly products of vanity. Today perfumes are a multimillion-dollar industry. Perfumes were first used in religious ceremonies. They stimulated European exploration and global colonization. Many were prized as highly as gold. Perfumes were especially important when people were less conscious of cleanliness - they masked body odors. Perfumes work as antiseptics. For example, workers in perfume labs in France are said to have fewer lung and bronchial disorders. Perfumes also increase perspiration rate and help cool the body, which is important in the tropics.

B. Perfume Making.
The perfume master works like a composer mixing different fragrances, called notes, to produce a perfume. The perfumes are classified by the dominant "note" into groups or families. These are (including an example): (1) chypre - patchouli; (2) citrus - lemon, orange; (3) floral - lily of the valley, frangipani, Magnolia; (4) Fougere - lavender; (5) green - spearmint, thyme; (6) Oriental - ylang ylang, clove; (7) Woodsy - cedar, balsam. The largest amount of money spent on the development of a new perfume is in marketing.

C. Ingredients.
Few perfumes are pure essential oils, most are mixtures of:

Odorants - the basic ingredients that give the perfume its odor. The odorants can be: (a) concretes - immerse the plant in solvent to extract the oil and then evaporate the solvent; or (b) absolutes - extract the concretes with alcohol; or (c) distilled oils; or (d) expressed oils. Most perfumes are mixtures of absolutes. Synthetics are rapidly replacing natural plant odorants;

Fixatives - mostly animal products, like musk, civet and ambergris, that serve to retard evaporation of the oil and to equalize the volatility of the ingredients in the essential oils; and

Alcohol - the amount varies but is usually in a ratio of 8 parts alcohol to 2 parts essential oil.

D. Storage.
Light and oxygen can ruin perfume. Keep in small bottle in a cool and dark place.

E. People and perfume.
Try on a perfume before purchase since it reacts with an individuals chemistry to produce a unique odor. It takes about an hour for the full effect. Strength: perfume (19%+ oils) > toilet water (11-18% oils) > cologne (5-10% oil). Fragrance chemists can predict scent by chemical structure of the molecule.

VI. Spices

A. Herbs vs. spices vs. seeds
There is no clear-cut distinction, though the general usage is given in the table below:

Table 1: Comparison of herbs, seeds and spices
Herbs Spices Seeds
temperature tropical temperate
leaves fruits/flowers (bark, root) used whole

B. Function.
Spices serve a variety of functions including:

help to preserve foods;

cover up the taste of food spoilage (disguise unpleasant tastes;

"Liven" up foods; and

are involved in religious ceremonies (i.e, incense, embalming)

C. Brief History – the importance of spices in world history can’t be understated.

Arabia – crossroads of spice trade, especially for early spice traders. Arabian traders often told of lies about difficulty obtaining spices to maintain monopoly

Spice caravans traveled overland, often took 2 years, very dangerous
Circa AD 40 Greek merchants realized wind pattern shifts in Indian Ocean twice a year, allowed for travel by ship to the spice lands. This eventually broke the Arab domination of the spice trade

Roman empire became involved in the spice trade and eventually dominated. The Goths/Vandal/Huns to the north became jealous. In 408, Goth Alaric demanded a city ransom of 5000 lb gold, 30,000 lb silver, 3000 skins, and 3000 lb pepper. By 476 Roman empire fell

476 – 1095. Arabs reasserted control of spice lands
1096 Crusades – reopened spice trades to European. Europeans jealous of Arab wealth and monopoly, tried to gain control
Venice/Genoa became center of the spice trade. Great wealth. Spurred Renaissance and a cultural rebirth
1260 – 1269 Marco Polo & son - returned to Venice describing great wealth of China
1453 Istanbul (Constantinople) fell. Needed to find alternate route to Spice lands. Prince Henry the Navigator (Portugal) established Naval College to train ship officers. Ultimately Portuguese sailors found a rounded the Cape of Good Hope (i.e., Vasco de Gama, Diaz the first)
1505 – Portuguese mounted large expedition. 16 ships. captured spice island. Portuguese East Indies Co.

Spain – wanted action – sent Columbus west to find spice islands

Magellan – looking for an alternate route to spice islands. Died in the Philippines but one of his ships made it. First to circumnavigate globe
Spain exploited Mexico/Peru
Portuguese – Brazil
Dutch involved – controlled spice trade 1605 – 1621 (Moluccas – Spice Islands)
Battled extensively with Britain
Ultimately smuggling and naval blockades led to fall of the Dutch monopoly
D. Survey of Some Spices

Mint Family (Lamiaceae).
Square stems, bilabiate flowers, aromatic, Mediterranean, dry climate. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Thyme (Thymus vulgaris), Oregano (Origanum vulgare), marjoram (Origanum marjoram), Basil (Occium basilicum), Sage (Salvia officinalis), Mints (Mentha)

Carrot Family (Apiaceae).
Umbel inflorescence, fruits that split into two one-seeded sections, fluted hollow stem, dissected leaves). This group includes parsley, chervil, dill, cilantro, coriander, fennel, cumin, anise, celery seed, caraway seed

Ciinnamon – (Cinamomum zeylandica, C. cassia, Lauracee).
From the inner bark. Cassia cinnamon is the less expensive product and the one we find commonly in our markets. Root sprouts cut, outer bark removed, clean inner bark, dry, curls. Sri Lanka, India and Seychelles are big producers.

Cloves – (Eugenia caryophylata; Myrtaceae)
Spice Islands, Moluccas; flower buds. Rich in the chemical eugenol (90%). Often used in toothpaste. Deadens nerves in the dentistry.

Nutmeg/Mace (Myristica fragrans).
seed = nutmeg; aril = mace; covering of fruit also can be eaten; trees dioecious

Ginger Family (Zingiberaceae).
Cardamom (Elettaria cardamom), seeds; Ginger, rhizome, major producers include Nigeria and Sierra Leone; Turmeric, rhizome

Black pepper (Piperaceae; Piper nigrum)
SW Asia; vines related to Peperomia. Fruit harvested à “ferment” à black (black pepper) à remove outer husk à endocarp (white pepper). Grown extensively in India, Indonesia, Malagasy Republic, and Brazil

Allspice
Native to the West Indies & Jamaica; dried green berries; also called pimento (different than the one in a cocktail olive)

Capsicum peppers.
Native to Peru/Andes. Note this group includes chiles, bell peppers, and jalapenos and is different from "Black pepper"

Vanilla (Orchidaceae).
Pods allowed to ferment, extracted in alcohol

Saffron (Iridaceae).
Stigma of crocus, dyes, food; Spain and Portugal major producers. Labor intensive. It takes about 5200 flowers to make one ounce.

E. Miscellaneous.
Many spices associated with cuisines of relatively recent association. For example, red (capsicum) peppers – Szechwan, India; and cumin/coriander in Mexican cuisine comes from the Old World

References:

Dalby, Andrew. 2000. Dangerous Tastes: The Story of Spices. Univ of California Press.

Kunzig, Robert. 2000. A fragrant revolution. Discover. pp 22 – 23. February.

LeGueres, A. 1992. Scent. The Mysterious and essential powers of smell. Turtle Bay Books.

Morris, ET. 1984. Fragrance. The Story of Perfume from Cleopatra to Chanel. Charles Scribner’s Sons, NY

Pendick, Daniel. 2000. Heaven scent. New Scientist pp 25 – 28. 8 January.


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