Following my piece about food and cooking last month, I was reminded of Elizabeth David, to whom I had the good fortune to be introduced many years ago.

Her book French Country Cooking first appeared in 1951, when rationing was still in force in Britain. Supplies of eggs, milk, butter, meat and sugar were severely restricted, and I recollect a trail of little old ladies turning up at the house, with large, covered, wicker baskets, offering farm-fresh eggs, pats of butter and cream cheese. Cream was virtually unobtainable. For a time even potatoes were rationed. Queueing in the food shops was a fact of daily life. However strenuous the efforts made, food was often not that palatable although, personally, I became quite addicted to brawn, brains, and beetroot. Ugh! I sense several mutter, but please remember that you ate what you were given, or you starved!

In those days, Mrs. David's book must have read like fiction. However it did contain suggestions as to what ingredients might be substituted for lashings of bacon, cream, eggs, meat stock and so on. A list of stores to keep in the cupboard and where to buy them was also included, and a few recipes for dealing with tinned foods. Oh that my mother had bought this book!

At about this time I was given my first shotgun, and was regularly bowling over rabbits which were eagerly seized by the farmers who allowed me to roam at will across their land. Strangely, my parents never asked where I had been or what I had shot, but continued to fund my cartridges. Could it be that they had struck a deal for eggs and butter in exchange for the rabbits, or was it that neither was particularly partial to Lapin au gratin? Whatever, 'real' meat remained a special treat within our household.

Nevertheless, it still horrifies me that I was allowed to wander freely with a shotgun under my arm, as a 10-year-old! Mind you there were others too and, with our dogs (dachshunds in my own case) and ferrets, we were probably performing a useful task. At the very least, it was putting fresh meat on someone's table! 

When I met Mrs. David in the late 1960s she was already Britain's most inspirational cookery writer, having published in 1954 Italian Food, in 1955 Summer Cooking, and in 1960 French Provincial Cooking. However, although she encouraged so many people of a certain generation to cook, including me, she occasionally got a small detail wrong.

In French Provincial Cooking, which is before me as I write, the late Mrs. David writes that “the vanilla was planted in many of the French colonies, notably the islands of Reunion, Bourbon and Madagascar.” The first two places are, in fact, one and the same, Bourbon being the island's name before the establishment of the French Republic.
A long look at Vanilla.
Although Madagascar is today one of the world's largest vanilla producers, and the finest pods come from Reunion, Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia Jacks), which is a tree-climbing orchid that needs support into which to put tiny, but strong 'hooks', is native to Mexico and Central America where a local insect with a particularly long proboscis takes care of natural pollination of the flower. When Fernando Cortez brought the plant to Europe shortly after the discovery of America, it remained for a long time a mystery that the plant did not produce fruits outside its native country. In fact, it was more than 300 years later before the problem was resolved.

Imported in the early 19th century to the gardens of General Lafayette in French Guyana, the plant soon found its way to the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. The captain of the ship, Pierre Henri Philibert, was a Creole from Reunion and he also brought the plant to his native island. However, he was disappointed to find that the aromatic pods failed to fertilise. But, a couple of decades later, a young slave named Edmond Albius accidentally discovered that by rubbing together the flowers of the orchid, which has both male and female organs, the pods would appear. From then on, methods of curing were developed, based upon experience from natives in Central America, and before the end of the century cured vanilla beans were among the most appreciated flavouring materials.

This hand-pollination is still used today, even in Central America and Mexico where natural pollination by insects is insufficient for commercial production. In Reunion, the work is traditionally done by women, called les marieuses, or “wedding makers”, and it begins in June and lasts for three to four months. Each morning the women introduce the flowers to each other - by hand. It takes about three years for the first fertilisation to take place and each plant produces about 40 pods.

The vanilla “pod” is prepared by letting the fruit ferment for several weeks (the fruit is not really a pod, but rather an odourless capsule). To facilitate enzymatic reactions, the fruits are exposed to the sun during the daytime, often after initial blanching in water, and covered at night, so that they do not cool off too much. During this fermentation process, the vanilla aroma develops. The drier the fruit, the faster will the vanillin crystals appear on the outside of the fruit. It may take a year or more on whole, moist fruits. It is, however, no sign of high quality, since this “frosting” can be attained by sprinkling the vanilla fruits with a light solution of synthetic vanillin.

Synthetic vanillin is used in abundance in place of vanilla and vanilla extracts but, no matter what its advantages are, it will never replace vanilla and its extracts whose aroma is infinitely more subtle. Vanillin is actually synthesised from phenols, such as eugenol and guaiacol. It can also be produced from lignins, complex organic polymers deposited in the cell walls of many plants making them rigid and woody, a plentiful and inexpensive starting material. Usually the ligneous fraction present in liquid wastes from the manufacture of paper pulp is used. This lignin contains coniferyl alcohol, which with high temperature oxidation under pressure yields vanillin, which can be extracted by a selective solvent, then purified and recrystallised.

The highest concentration of vanilla aroma, both for perfume and flavour, is found in the so-called Vanilla Absolute. However, the absolute is not representative of the total aroma of the vanilla fruit, as certain aromatic materials are lost in the attempt to produce an alcohol-soluble extract of this botanical.

I don't think that vanilla absolute has any role in aromatherapy, though it has a reputation for dissipating grief. In home perfumery perhaps, but it can be the very devil to work with. Therefore I am back where I started: food! My mother always had vanilla essence and vanilla pods in her store cupboard, and it was the first flavour and aroma with which I became familiar as a child.

When Cortes first travelled to Mexico he found vanilla pods being used by the Aztecs to flavour a chocolate drink taken after meals as a stimulant. Since then the pods have been used as both flavouring and medicine, as they possess a number of therapeutic benefits.

Vanilla is tonic, stimulant, antiseptic and digestive. It helps greatly in the digestion of rich foods, so use it in dessert recipes such as milk puddings, ice cream and souffles.

A heavy smoker all her life, my mother would take a small glass of vanilla wine after a meal whenever she had a bad cough. To prepare this heady elixir, she would marinate some vanilla pods in a bottle of sweet sherry for three weeks. I tried some once and thought it pretty awful but, all the same, it never failed to soothe the ravages of Players and Craven'A'!
 
Phototoxity of plants, and hogweed in particular.
The phototoxity of certain plant species, indigenous to Britain or exotic, has long been known.The accidents which they cause always occur after contact with the plant followed by exposure to sunlight, and they are enhanced by humidity. This phototoxicity results in an acute dermatitis, sometimes with blisters and vesicles. In many cases, a hyperpigmentation follows which may last a long time.

The phototoxic constituents, common to all these species, are linear furanocoumarins also known as psoralens, which include bergapten (5-methoxypsoralen), xanthotoxin (8-methoxypsoralen), psoralen and isopimpinellin. 

Many plant families around the world produce these phototoxins as a defence against pathogens, herbivores and competitors but, as far as European species are concerned, and with the exception of the the fig tree (Ficus carica L.) which is of the Moraceae, the plants involved all belong to the Umbelliferae family, or to the Rutaceae family. 

Most often, they are cultivated species, and the reported dermatitis is observed in farmers or in the employees of the industries processing the plants: angelica (Angelica archangelica L.), celery (Apium graveolens L.) and parsley (Petroselinum crispum (Mill.) Nyman ex A.W. Hill), and the numerous citrus species.

Other species are at times also to blame, either because they are in our natural environment, such as the garden parsnip (Pastinaca sativa L.) and common hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium L.), or because they are cultivated as ornamental plants, such as the horticultural varieties of fraxinella (Dictamnus albus L.) - the biblical burning-bush. Of course, similar risks of phototoxicity exist with the products used in perfumery, cosmetology, dermatology, and so on, that include furanocoumarins or essential oils of Citrus, particularly those based on bergamot (Citrus bergamia Risso & Poit).
 
Therefore I was not at all surprised when I was called the other day by Claire Nayegon asking if I had any ideas for treating hogweed-induced dermatitis.

Whilst common hogweed can cause dermatitis in some, it is the much larger variety that is to be truly feared. A native of the Ural mountains, the giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum Sommier & Levier) was first introduced to the United Kingdom by Victorian plant collectors. However, it was not long before it escaped from the captivity of walled gardens and established itself in the wild. An introduced plant can become a pest because it is often growing without the natural insect, disease, or climate conditions that tended to control it in its native habitat.

The plant thrives in many habitats but does particularly well where the soil has been disturbed, such as wasteground or on riverbanks, where erosion combined with a good supply of groundwater provide ideal conditions. The plant, a member of the Umbelliferae [which includes the carrot (Daucus carota L.)], has a base of large foliage surrounding the main stem which can grow to a height of 5 metres. The small white flowers and seed pods radiate out from the top of the main stem and form a distinctive white canopy. This is similar to, but much larger than, the flowering heads of the common hogweed. Flower heads of the giant hogweed can reach almost 1 metre in diameter, while the smaller common hogweed seldom exceeds 30 or so centimetres. Scale is without doubt a defining characteristic for giant hogweed. 

Everyone learns to treat nettles (Urtica dioica L.) with respect from an early age, but most people are unaware of the dangers associated with these impressive giants. Every year there are reports of people sustaining horrific injuries as a result of their ignorance.

The growing season starts in late March, with full height and flowering being reached in late June and July. It is at this time that the plants are at their most impressive, and dangerous. The sap from the leaves and the stem in particular is highly toxic and contact with the skin can lead to severe scars. Contact with the eyes can lead to temporary or, in some cases, permanent blindness. The sap, which contains the furanocoumarins pimpinellin and isopimpinellin as a defence against insects, renders skin photosensitive which means that exposure to sunlight following contact causes blisters and burns. In the 1970s many cases of poisoning were seen in this country as a result of children playing with the hollow stems as pea-shooters or telescopes.

Treatment? I don't rightly know, but there have been favourable reports of Aloe Vera and Liquid Extract Echinacea providing some relief. I would also consider honey, as it has an enviable reputation for clearing infection and promoting clean healthy granulation tissue. Sea buckthorn, Rosehip and Tamanu must be worth consideration also, as there is considerable research to support their use in such a situation, but it is not my position to advise. Perhaps an aromadermatologist would care to comment on this particular phytophotodermatitis?

Thousands put their best feet forward!
2016 participants (1008 reflexologists and 1008 tourists) have set a new Guinness World Record in Taiwan on July 1st for having “most people receiving reflexology simultaneously.” Tourists who volunteered for the event came from various countries, including Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

The attempt was organised by Taiwan Tourism Bureau to promote health tourism. Reflexology is a popular practice in Taiwan for relaxation and improving general health and, apparently, in some places you can find a reflexology 'shop' on almost every corner! In recent years, the therapy has gained popularity amongst tourists.

There had been no previous record attempt in this category, and Guinness required at least 400 participants to have at least five minutes treatment on each foot. I just knew that millipedes would have their day sometime!

Quentin Crisp vindicated!
As mentioned at the end of my June Newsletter [No. 195], Quentin Crisp once observed that “after the first four years the dust [in a house] doesn't get any worse”: no scientist has ever investigated Mr. Crisp's observation. However, it seems that he might be right.

Carole Haigh, who has a sneaking admiration for Mr. Crisp's hypothesis but lacks the necessary conviction to undertake the research as she likes to keep her consulting room spotless, wrote to tell me that many years ago she had worked in an art materials shop where the storerooms had not been touched for years.

The very back storeroom had not been cleaned out since the owner took it over from his parents almost twenty years before and the nearest one had not been cleaned for about 10-15 years when it was turned from a picture framing room into a storeroom. The dust and dirt in both rooms was at a similar level. Just a thin layer of grime that was very dense and dark in comparison to the light gray and 'fluffy' dust in the shop that was removed daily.

Whilst not exactly scientific, Carole's observations are good enough for me, but will I really be allowed to abandon my duster?!

Help with Haemorrhoids.
Do you have any recommendations for haemorrhoids? Are there any oils that can be used for bathing and/or applied topically which will ease and possibly shrink the haemorrhoids?, I was asked the other day.

Haemorrhoids, or piles, are varicose veins located in the rectum, just above the opening of the anus, due invariably to poor blood circulation to the rectum. This may occur temporarily during pregnancy due to pressure from the uterus, or continually due to sluggish liver, grumbling appendix, or chronic constipation. The discomfort of piles encourages constipation, so the two disorders can aggravate each other.

First degree haemorrhoids remain inside the rectum, but may bleed. Second degree haemorrhoids bleed and protrude beyond the anus but return after defecation. Third degree haemorrhoids remain outside the anus and have to be pushed back manually.

Externally protruding haemorrhoids may respond particularly well to the astringent properties of Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens L.), in either a bath or bidet, applied topically as a compress or blended into a lotion. Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens L'Her.) can have a similar effect and is also analgesic, while Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) may help discomfort. Juniper (Juniperus communis L.) and Frankincense Somali (Boswellia carteri Birdw.) are worth consideration, as they improve blood circulation generally, and Valerian (Valeriana officinalis L.) and another member of the Valerianaceae, Spikenard (Nardostachys grandiflora DC), are reputed to be helpful in the reduction of haemorrhoids and varicose veins.

All these oils must be suitably diluted for use and specific regard must be given to their suitability for use during pregnancy.

Not just an emulsifier!
I read with interest the wonderful recipe for aftershave, suggested by Gill Farrer-Halls in your May newsletter [No. 194], emailed Cheryl Jesperson from Spain. I just might have a solution to the “shake before use”.....Mix the essential oil blend with 5ml of lecithin.....this acts as an homogenizing agent so that the mixture always stays evenly dispersed when added to the astringent solution. Shake it, and it should stay this way. A very good tip, which started me thinking about lecithin in general.
  
All are aware that, under normal circumstances, oil and water do not mix, yet for countless centuries cooks have blended fats and oils with water in baking and chemists have combined them in order to produce emulsions, suspensions and creams. To achieve the desired results they used simple, natural ingredients in their recipes and formulations. Readily available foods such as egg yolk, buttermilk and seed germ oils somehow held the oil and water together, but how?

In 1850, a Frenchman, Maurice Gobley, discovered the substance which enabled the mixing (or emulsifying) of oil and water to take place. It had always been available, nature had seen to that, but what Gobley did was to find out exactly what it was that made this phenomenon occur, and because he isolated the emulsifying agent from egg yolk, he gave to it the Greek name for the yolk of an egg - lekithos.

We now know this natural, biological, emulsifier as lecithin. It has many applications throughout industry where its properties are used in the production of a variety of products, from margarine and chocolate to paint and cosmetics. More recently lecithin has become valued for its medicinal and nutritional properties. It can still be made from egg yolk but the most widely used and finest source is the soya bean.

Soya bean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is a Fabaceae which only exists in culture; it is very close to G. soja Sieb. and Zucc. which is probably its wild ancestor. It is a small herbaceous annual plant. The fruit is a pod; brown, bumpy, and very fuzzy, it contains 1-4 ovoid to spherical seeds of variable colour.

According to several authors, soya bean did not originate in China but in Australia, from where migratory birds introduced it into China. Certainly, it has been used in Asia for a considerable time [some suggest since the 11th century BC], especially as “milk” (tonyu) obtained by steeping and grinding the seeds, and as tofu, a kind of “cheese” obtained by curdling tonyu, consumed fresh, cooked or fermented (sufu), and a number of fermented products obtained from pounded seeds (tempeh, miso, natto), as well as sauces such as shoyu, are also consumed.

“Soyfoods”, perceived as “healthful” and “natural”, have enjoyed rapid sales growth since they appeared on European supermarket shelves in the 1980s.

Although known to Europeans since the 16th century, it was not imported into England until 1908 and its culture in the United States only began in 1924. At about the same time, an oil mill in Hamburg began producing lecithin from soya beans. For the first time it was possible to replace the expensive egg yolk lecithin with the more economical plant lecithin and a new technology was born. In the second half of the 20th century much more was learned about the technical and nutritional values of lecithin.

Lecithin is a food which belongs to a fat-like group of substances called phospholipids. It is a complex mixture of fats and essential fatty acids, together with phosphorous and two important B group vitamins, choline and inositol.

Although lecithin itself is predominantly a fat, it is its action on other fats or lipids in the body, especially in the blood, that makes it highly valued as a nutritional supplement. Like vitamin B, it is not a single substance but a complex of different nutrients, each with its own particular role to play in the body's chemistry. It should be understood, however, that the effect of lecithin is not explained by its content of choline, inositol, fatty acids and accompanying phospholipids, but by the substance lecithin itself, through its function in the body as a carrier of other compounds, as a transporter of fat, as a supplier of energy and as an essential part in the structure of body cells and organs.

When, because of stress, physical or mental exertion, ageing or a diet containing insufficent of the component parts required by the liver to produce lecithin, there is a danger that a shortage of lecithin in the body can seriously affect health and can be responsible for a build-up of cholesterol in the artery walls leading to arteriosclerosis, one cause of ischaemic heart disease. In these circumstances a supplementary source of lecithin is required to keep the body fit and active.

As previously mentioned, the first lecithin produced by Maurice Gobley was from egg yolk, and this is still a useful commercial source but, from the nutritional point of view, it has certain disadvantages when compared with lecithin obtained from vegetable sources. Egg yolk contains more than 6% lecithin but it also contains large amounts of cholesterol, and cholesterol deposited in the arteries can lead to fatal heart disease. The lecithin-cholesterol ratio in egg yolk is such that it favours the release of cholesterol.

Egg lecithin (ovo-lecithin) contains fatty acids which the body needs but they are mostly in a saturated form and are less effective in lowering the blood cholesterol level than the polyunsaturated essential fatty acids that are available in lecithin produced from soya bean oil.

Soya beans have the following approximate composition: protein (42%), carbohydrate (26%), fat (19%), water (11%), and lecithin (2%).

The beans are cleaned, partly dehulled, then split and rolled to form thin flakes. The oil is extracted from these flakes and a mixture containing soya oil and lecithin remains. The raw oil is then heated and water added. Under these conditions the lecithin swells to a jelly-like emulsion and can be split off from the oil using high speed separators. The water is then driven off as steam. The crude lecithin which remains, and is in oil form, has an approximate composition of lecithin (60-70%), soya oil (27-37%), moisture (1.5-2%), and others (0.5-2%).

The quality and efficiency of lecithin used for nutritional purposes is dependent on the potency and composition of the phospholipid complex. The most suitable have a phospholipid content of 98-99% and, more importantly, contain a high proportion of phosphatidyl choline, which is very close in character to the type of lecithin found in the human heart muscle.

If the raw lecithin is dehydrated, the soya oil removed and then blended, it is possible to obtain a granular or powdered lecithin which is very pure, and which contains a good balance of phospholipids. The very finest has a total phospholipid or lecithin content as high as 98 to 99%, the remaining 1 or 2% being soya oil and water, plus some natural vitamin E. Granular lecithin contains far more calories, choline, inositol and phosphorous than lecithin oil.

Of course, all lecithins are different and before choosing a supplement it is advisable to check the labels.

Finally.....
An opportunity not to be missed, if you live near Morpeth in Northumberland.
 
Jim Payne has a complete set of all the Aromatherapy Quarterly magazines plus copies of International Journal of Aromatherapy, 1988-1991, and Aromatherapy Today, volumes 13-18, to give away FREE to anyone who could collect.

If you are interested, Jim can be contacted on 01665 570285, or email his daughter April at info@dolma-perfumes.co.uk




charles@essentiallyoils.com

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