Listening to Scent: An Olfactory Journey with Aromatic Plants and Their Extracts

Listening to Scent: An Olfactory Journey with Aromatic Plants and Their Extracts
Author: Jennifer Peace Rhind
Publisher: Singing Dragon
Copyright: 2014
Number of Pages: 164
ISBN: 1848191251 / 978-1848191259

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Listening to Scent is such an appropriate title for this fascinating and important book. Within its pages, Jennifer Peace Rhind teaches us how to train our noses and our olfactory palate to listen to and appreciate the subtle nuances of essential oils, absolutes and other natural aromatics.

While many natural perfumery and essential oil blending guides exist, Listening to Scent delves deeper into olfactory training and than most aromatherapy-related blending publications and guides.

In addition to its enlightening chapters contained within Part I Listening to Scent, the publication also contains olfactory profiles for about 45 essential oils categorized into 11 categories. See the Table of Contents below to view the categories. Each profile provides the botanical name and plant parts used to produce the oil, odour profile, olfactory notes and a section that offers a comparison of the oil with other related essential oils.

Description from the Back Cover

Although many of us actively use our sense of smell, and enjoy the sensations it brings, relatively few of us take the time to educate and train the 'nose', our olfactory palate. Introducing a process that is both therapeutic and enjoyable, Jennifer Peace Rhind explores how anyone, especially anyone interested in fragrance, aromatherapy or natural perfumery, can develop their sense of smell. She explains the skills involved, from olfactory vocabulary, awareness and memory through to discrimination and fragrance creation, and describes activities that help develop these skills, including group events inspired by the Japanese art of koh-do or the 'way of incense'. She also includes the odour profiles of a variety of scent families to accompany the process.

About the Author (From Back of Book)

Jennifer Peace Rhind is a Chartered Biologist with qualifications in massage and aromatherapy. She has experience as a therapist and partner in a complementary healthcare clinic and as a lecturer in Complementary Healthcare in Higher Education.

Table of Contents for Listening to Scent

• Part I Listening to Scent
  • 1. Why Cultivate your Sense of Smell?
  • 2. The Language of Scent
  • 3. Our Olfactory System and its Connections
  • 4. Olfactory Sensitivity and Perception
  • 5. Discrimination
  • 6. Olfactory Memory and the Reasoning Processes
  • 7. The First Steps
  • 8. How to Conduct Sensory Exercises
  • 9. Odour Families, Types and Characteristics
  • 10. The Next Steps: Identification and Discrimination
  • 11. Creative Blending
  • 12. In the Spirit of Koh-do
  • 13. Reflections on the Olfactory Journey
• Part II Olfactory Profiles
  • 14. Balsamic Family
  • 15. Wood Family
  • 16. Spicy Family
  • 17. Coniferous Family
  • 18. Herbaceous Family
  • 19. Medicated Family
  • 20. Green Family
  • 21. Agrestic Family
  • 22. Floral Family
  • 23. Fruity Family
  • 24. Citrus (Hesperidic) Family
• Part III An Experiential Programme of Study
  • 25. Reset Your Nose with Scents in the Natural World
  • 26. Stimulate Your Senses with an Olfactory Culinary Experience
  • 27. Immerse Yourself in the World of Aromatic Plant Extracts
• Appendix 1: Odour Types and Characteristics Encountered in Aromatic Plant Extracts
• Appendix 2: Some Notes on Chemistry
• Appendix 3: Building Accords
• Glossary
• References
• Some Suppliers of Aromatic Materials
• Scent Index
• Subject Index
• Author Index
• About the Author

Additional Recommended Books By Jennifer Peace Rhind:

• Aromatherapeutic Blending: Essential Oils in Synergy
• Cooking for the Senses: Vegan Neurogastronomy
• Essential Oils: A Handbook for Aromatherapy Practice
• Fragrance and Wellbeing: Plant Aromatics and Their Influence on the Psyche

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