Oh! For the mighty hemlock! Though I've never seen hemlock as Christmas tree commercially, I have harvested them from the forest. A droopy top is the main feature, so not good for a heavy top star, but a unique aromatic blend.
I just looked it up and it does look very nice! It seems like the typical tree one would see in an evergreen forest. A quick search suggests that the name was given to the tree given it's similar scent to the poisonous plant. It'd be interesting to look into that!
I have never NOT had a live Christmas tree. Our preference tends to be the Fraser Fir (single flat needles). I am especially pleased that the aroma of pine needles has overtaken the unpleasant wet dog odor in my vacuum cleaner!
I also really enjoy the natural aromas over the manufactured scents. The natural scents of Hyacinths, Lilac and fresh cut grass are so much more pleasing than those found in candles ... many of which make me nauseous.
I suppose a lot of it came from a fear of fires for my family. Also the cost may have been off putting!
This has really made me interested in the types of scents used in products. I suspect that higher end products may actually use essential oils and source them from specific trees. Some of the studies I looked at even looked at similar species but grown in different regions and found different levels of each odorants, suggesting that the actual content can be very difficult to narrow down.
This partially makes sense if the intent for these terpenes are to provide antimicrobial properties to the plant, and so the different bacteria, fungi, and herbivores around may actually have some epigenetic factor on the regulation of different odorant genes.
As to the smell of certain air scents, I assume that cheaper products may use synthetic compounds, similar to imitation vanilla having vanillin. The use of one odorant, rather than a mixture that serves to be very similar to the actual thing may be a likely issue. I definitely feel off with certain flower scents in candles which are very off putting. Maybe because I'm a guy, but I think part of it stems from the selection of specific odorants.
There was one molecule (3-phenylpropanoic acid) that was listed in one study as vomit-like/fruity in smell. Imagine a manufacturer selecting for that odorant for a candle or air freshener!
Fascinating read. Thank you!
Thank you Samantha! Something festive aside from the constant COVID talk!
Oh! For the mighty hemlock! Though I've never seen hemlock as Christmas tree commercially, I have harvested them from the forest. A droopy top is the main feature, so not good for a heavy top star, but a unique aromatic blend.
I just looked it up and it does look very nice! It seems like the typical tree one would see in an evergreen forest. A quick search suggests that the name was given to the tree given it's similar scent to the poisonous plant. It'd be interesting to look into that!
I have never NOT had a live Christmas tree. Our preference tends to be the Fraser Fir (single flat needles). I am especially pleased that the aroma of pine needles has overtaken the unpleasant wet dog odor in my vacuum cleaner!
I also really enjoy the natural aromas over the manufactured scents. The natural scents of Hyacinths, Lilac and fresh cut grass are so much more pleasing than those found in candles ... many of which make me nauseous.
I suppose a lot of it came from a fear of fires for my family. Also the cost may have been off putting!
This has really made me interested in the types of scents used in products. I suspect that higher end products may actually use essential oils and source them from specific trees. Some of the studies I looked at even looked at similar species but grown in different regions and found different levels of each odorants, suggesting that the actual content can be very difficult to narrow down.
This partially makes sense if the intent for these terpenes are to provide antimicrobial properties to the plant, and so the different bacteria, fungi, and herbivores around may actually have some epigenetic factor on the regulation of different odorant genes.
As to the smell of certain air scents, I assume that cheaper products may use synthetic compounds, similar to imitation vanilla having vanillin. The use of one odorant, rather than a mixture that serves to be very similar to the actual thing may be a likely issue. I definitely feel off with certain flower scents in candles which are very off putting. Maybe because I'm a guy, but I think part of it stems from the selection of specific odorants.
There was one molecule (3-phenylpropanoic acid) that was listed in one study as vomit-like/fruity in smell. Imagine a manufacturer selecting for that odorant for a candle or air freshener!