19 October 2010

Animal Smells: Hyraceum

One thing I've found when working with hyraceum is that I need to let it sit & marry with other essences for awhile. My latest experiment has been sitting 4 months. I also think that my resin to alcohol ratio may be too high.

My initial thought when I smelled hyraceum tincture was that it smelled like a restroom. Have you ever been on a road trip and stopped at one of the big rest stops on the interstate? The restrooms are supposed to be clean regularly throughout the day. Well, hyraceum, to me, smells like one of those restrooms that has just been cleaned. Sort of fresh but still that restroom smell. Not exactly what I was expecting but what should I have expected from the fossilized pee & poo of this African native? Probably pee & poo. One thing that surprised me was that it isn't offensive at all. Fecal, yes, but there is a sweetness to it also. As it dries down that restroom smell starts to dissipate.

I'm reposting the link to the African Aromatics blog, specifically the post on the Cape Rock Hyrax. It is a fascinating read.

2 comments:

Oh, True Apothecary said...

Hyraceum tincture smells like the elephant pen at the zoo. Elephanty. Musky. Sweat-like and sweet. I think it needs to be used highly, HIGHLY diluted. 1% or less or it takes over.

Lisa BTB said...

LOL this one doesn't smell that strong but strong enough. More diluting is definitely needed.