The Importance of Smell

Long before the development of tools the sense of smell was likely just as important as the sense of sight. Food – as well as predators – could be smelled long before they were actually seen. Scent played an additional role in identifying who was kin and clan and who was not. As the species with the honor of being the most efficient sweaters (as in liquid sweat not pullovers), our underarms naturally attract bacteria. Each clan’s bacteria would develop to be a little different from each other, thus marking each group with a unique signature.

Fast forward thousands of years. The human nose may have lost its ability to identify family members just by following their noses, but their ability to produce unpleasant aromas certainly wasn’t diminished. This eventually gave rise to the art of perfumery and later aromatherapy, using essential oils to heal the body and alter ones mood.

Essential oils are more than just pretty smells; they are the concentrated oil based essence of the aromatic plant it is made from. 100lbs of plant material might yield 1-2 pounds of essential oil. That’s how concentrated this stuff is! Plants are amazing chemical factories. Many potent anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-cancer molecules are to be found in essential oils.

It is of course misleading to make health claims about essential oils or any other natural substance without a lot of solid testing and paperwork. But we HAVE noticed that when we run Peppermint in the factory everyone seems to get a little speedy, like the coffee was extra strong that morning. Run a bunch of lavender and I see a lot of yawns. Citrus blends seem to have just the right combination of calm, joy and energy.

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