Again With the Mountain Misery
I've been experimenting again with the mountain misery, aka kit kit dizzee, aka bear clover. After reading what Avery Gilbert said about mountain misery (no disrespect to Mr. Gilbert, I admire and appreciate his expertise), and disagreeing wholeheartedly with his observation of the scent being a combination of 'cat urine' and 'boiled asparagus', I became determined to prove its usefulness in natural botanical perfumery. Thus far, my experimentation has been fruitful.
Mountain misery, chamaebatia foliosa, a member of the rose family, smells resinous, piercing, bitter, woody, and tannic. I get absolutely no cat pee, no bland, boiled asparagus notes, nothing of the sort.
It shows great tenacity when blended in even the smallest of proportions with other essences, mixing well with oakmoss (highly diluted), ho wood or rosewood, Himalayan cedarwood, pink peppercorn, muhuhu, sandalwood, clary sage absolute. With hay absolute it turns antique, seasoned wood planks made from ancient redwoods, aged and brittle leather strappings. It really reminds me of my father and Montana, wind rushing down the coolies bringing sage and water to the air. It lifts and extends tea rose, brightening its softness with an edge of light, transforming the center of the rose to cream and milky butteriness.
The possibilities . . .
Mountain misery, chamaebatia foliosa, a member of the rose family, smells resinous, piercing, bitter, woody, and tannic. I get absolutely no cat pee, no bland, boiled asparagus notes, nothing of the sort.
It shows great tenacity when blended in even the smallest of proportions with other essences, mixing well with oakmoss (highly diluted), ho wood or rosewood, Himalayan cedarwood, pink peppercorn, muhuhu, sandalwood, clary sage absolute. With hay absolute it turns antique, seasoned wood planks made from ancient redwoods, aged and brittle leather strappings. It really reminds me of my father and Montana, wind rushing down the coolies bringing sage and water to the air. It lifts and extends tea rose, brightening its softness with an edge of light, transforming the center of the rose to cream and milky butteriness.
The possibilities . . .
Ok, so did you make a Mountain Misery scented oil? If so, how did it come out? I love chamaebatia foliolosa. So much so that I would roll around in it until my clothes were covered in the resin, and then hang those clothes in the closet to smell it up like my favorite mountains.
ReplyDeleteYou're awfully brave. Mountain misery has been known to make some people sick to their stomach from the scent, and I suspect it has to do with car sickness and the scent of mountain misery saturating the air. Scent memories can wreck a person. I have made mountain misery tincture, infusion oil, and a friend recently made a hydrosol with it. All have been glowing successes. Next year I would like to try creating an absolute with mountain misery.
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