Are you a jasmine lover?
I can easily say that this is my favourite scent. I love smelling this lush, sweet, flowery, comforting, mysterious and slightly musky fragrance.
A deep inhalation - in my garden of the beautiful aroma connected my sensory organs (indriyas) with my mind (manas) almost instantly.
In a split second it brought me back to our wedding day where I used Mangalore Jasmine as part of my bridal hairstyle.
Another memory when smelling the scent is my time in Gurukulam with Dr L. Mahadevan Sir at the Sri Sarada Hospital. Every day on the way to the OP department I passed a blooming jasmine vine.
Jasmine is called Jati in Sanskrit and Jasminum grandiflora in latin. There are several types of jasmine, each with its own unique characteristics and uses. Jasmine grandiflora is a specific species known for its large, fragrant flowers. It is native to South Asia, particularly India and is prized for its intensely sweet and floral fragrance.
It has many sanskrit synonyms such as:
- Hrudya Gandhi - the fragrant pleasing to the heart
- Malati - with beautiful flowers
- Cetika - a fragrance that refreshes the mind
Jasmine is a creerper producing an abundance of flowers. The waxy blossoms are white five petaled pinwheels.
Jasmine has a magical ability to cure eye disease and the milky juice of the leaves has anti inflammatory action and can be applied directly over the wounds.
The juice of the flowers can also be made into eye drops.
More uses:
The leaves are chewed for oral hygiene and is helpful to relieve stomatitis and strengthens teeth and gums.
The leaves and flowers are boiled and used as ear drops in ear conditions.
Jasmine is also used for garlands for the hair, especially in the Mangalore (Karnataka) region. I had them braided in to my hair on my wedding day.
The oil pressed from the jasmine flowers is a worldwide popular scent. Jasmine flower oil has a rich, sweet and floral aroma that is often described as romantic. It is commonly used as a base note in perfumes. In aromatherapy, jasmine oil is believed to have mood-enhancing properties and is used to promote relaxation, reduce stress and uplift the spirit. Good to promote sleep and it is helpful in depression.
The entire plant is used in Ayurveda and its Ayurvedic uses are:
- Vajikarana - fertility, reproductive system, the flowers are aphrodisiac
- Stambhana - stops bleeding
- Raktasodhana - purifies the blood
- Akshiroga - eye disease
- Dantaroga - teeth ailments
- Vrana - ulcers
- Shiroroga - headaches, disease of the head
- Kustha - skin disease
- expelling worms
- inflamed eyes
- regulating menstrual flow
The Ayurvedic properties are:
- Rasa/ taste: tikta (bitter) and kashaya (astringent)
- Guna/ qualities: laghu (light), ruksha (drying), tikshna (sharp)
- Virya/potency: ushna (heating)
- Vipaka/post digestive taste: katu (hot)
- Karma/ action: Reduces all the three dosas.
Ayurvedic formulations containing Jasmine are:
Jatyadi thailam, Jatyadi ghrita, Jatyadi varti,
Jasmine petals are used in Kajals (Ayurvedic eye liners) which we have available at the Lakshmi shop.
Are you a Jasmine lover? If you have a favourite way to use it we would love to hear.
With love Karin and the Lakshmi team
* 𝘗𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘎𝘈. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯 𝘈𝘺𝘶𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘩𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘯. 𝘞𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘭 𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘺, 𝘤𝘶𝘳𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘴.