Neroli: Sweet Sunlight

By David Crow, L.Ac.

Neroli is the fragrance of orange trees blossoming under the Moroccan and

Tunisian sun. It is the fragrance that greets farmers as they begin another spring

day of harvesting, gently plucking the tiny golden gems that shine from inside

green citrus foliage. Many factors will influence the quality of the neroli oil: each

blossom must be plucked when it is just starting to open; the buds must be gathered

only on warm sunny days; the flowers cannot be bruised; leaflets and petioles must

not be mixed in. By the end of the day, the clothing and weather-aged hands of the

dark-skinned harvesters will be saturated with an intoxicating aroma desired by

queens and empresses, sheiks and maharajas.

Neroli is a fragrance that has been known and loved for centuries throughout the

Mediterranean region. Generation after generation of skilled distillers have slowly

extracted the neroli oil from the tender flowers, creating one of the world's finest

and most sought after perfumes. Every spring, the delectable fragrance of Citrus

aurantium blossoms rises inside wood-fired stills in North Africa's temperate

mountains; it is an aroma that will bring joy to all, especially those who have the

pleasure of savoring the first few drops that appear in the collecting beaker.

Hundreds of pounds of the precious floral treasure, a small mountain of botanical

gold, will yield only a tiny vial of exquisite oil. Those engaged in this unique

alchemical art know that a special satisfaction is found in producing high quality

natural products with healing powers: the happiness of making others happy.

Bees find the fragrance of neroli irresistible. Busily climbing into each sunburst

world, they delight in the labor of gathering its essence and transforming it into

ambrosial orange blossom honey. Lovers are also rapturously attracted to the

sensuous nectar secreted by the yoni-like mandalas of silken petals and the

aphrodisiacal euphoria it produces when worn by ones beloved. Neroli was the

cheerful fragrance sprinkled in the bedchambers of Arabian princesses of old, and

the scent that wafted from scarves of European noble ladies. To this day, it excites

and inspires the master perfumers of the great fragrance houses, who use its

delicious sweetness in their expensive aromatic creations.

Neroli is a medicine that the soul craves when besieged by stress, anxiety, worry,

and depression. Like scented liquid sunlight, the yellow drops of citrus joy uplift

the mind from gloomy moods, rescue the heart from realms of sadness and grief,

and strengthen the spirit of those enduring unending hardships. Inhaling a few

drops of neroli essential oil from the palms has a fortifying effect on the brain and

nervous system, while simultaneously pacifying the irritation of sensory

over-stimulation. The effects of neroli on emotional well-being can be compared to

the nourishing, soothing, and revitalizing effects of Mediterranean sunshine. For

those who cannot escape their troubles and flee to a Greek isle or an Italian villa,

enveloping oneself in neroli's blessed aura is the next best thing. Widespread use of

neroli could end the daily aggravations caused by the rat race of modern society,

especially if used for aromatherapy in cars: scientific research has confirmed that

inhaling the oil has an immediate sedative effect on over-caffeinated hyperactive

mice.

For some fortunate elders, neroli is the fragrance of childhood in southern

California. Only a few short years ago citrus orchards stretched from Santa Barbara

to San Diego and from the coast eastward to the edge of the high desert. Every

spring the land was awash with neroli's intoxicating aroma. What were our city

planners thinking when they cut down the beautiful cooling trees that give such

refreshing fruit and replaced their exotic enchanting perfume with the hot

hydrocarbon exhaust of freeways?

Neroli is both the fragrance of paradise lost and the fragrance of hope for the

future. Just as we pulled out the green orchards to make room for cars, someday

soon we will need to invite the trees back into our communities. When that time

comes, as a result of intelligence, wisdom, and foresight, cities will become

gardens and urban forests filled with an abundance of nutritious foods and healing

herbs. Families will once again wake to the sweet scent of orange blossoms carried

on the morning breeze, and neroli's exotic perfume will be freely available to all. 

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