Aromatic Journeys: Jasmine

Greetings and Salutations from the wooded hills in Southern California where the native oaks are now abundant with acorns. For our journey into the world of aromatics today I thought I’d share a tincture of jasmine sambac I have been working on for the last month.

Years ago I planted jasmine sambac plants into several pots located along the south facing side of the front porch of our little woodland house. Over the years the plants have gotten large and abundant with blossoms beginning in July. This year I decided to tincture the white waxy flowers with the intention to use the final brew for the upcoming liquid version of my Cimbalom botanical perfume.

Jasmine sambac is referred to as Arabian jasmine originating in India. The shrubs I have are “Maid of Orleans” which is one of the most fragrant of the variety. The flowers are used in Hawaii for flower leis and in Asia for tea.

The arrival of the flowering season this year brought an abundant supply of the supply of blooms which I would harvest in the morning. Once I have made sure each flower is dry and free of any moisture I add the little blossoms to the glass container with my organic grain alcohol. Each day I remove the spent flowers and add new ones. Below are details on how you can make your own Jasmine sambac tincture, the procedure can be used for any item that you would like to extract the aromatic, medicinal or vibrational properties of.

To create a Jasmin sambac tincture you will need:

1. Clean glass jar with a firmly fitting lid, sterilized if possible. I use glass apothecary jars available at laboratory supply stores.

2. Fresh Jasmin sambac flowers that contain no moisture.

3. A high proof alcohol, ideally Ethanol but a high proof Vodka will work. I use a beverage grade organic grape and/or grain alcohol for all my tinctures.

4. Small ceramic or metal strainer.

5. Cheese clothe.

Place the flowers into your clean glass jar with a firmly fitting lid, sterilized if possible and cover with alcohol. I gently stir mine with a glass rod and place in the refrigerator. Each morning collect new blossoms, filter the alcohol, add the new flowers to your glass vessel and pour the used alcohol over the new flowers.

Repeat this process until the plant is no longer producing blossoms. Over time you will notice your alcohol will shift from clear to vibrant lime green to yellow and finally resulting in a very viscous, fragrant golden liquid. For the final stage filter the tincture through cheesecloth to remove all the small plant particles. Filtering once more through a coffee filter is advisable if you desire a very clarified liquid, however, be aware that you will lose quite a bit of your tincture by using this method.

Once your tincture is ready you can use it full strength as a special perfume or use as one component within a natural perfume. This is ideal for those allergic to the main stream perfumes made with synthetic aroma chemicals.

Thank you for tuning in, please join us again next month as we take a new journey into the world of aromatics via the Lillyella blog.

~Roxana of Illuminated Perfume