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Attar Perfume Oil: The Essence of Perfume

Attar Perfume Oil: The Essence of Perfume The word “attar”, or perfume oil is believed to be derived from the Persian word itir meaning perfume, which is taken from the Arabic word itr. Attar is an essential oil, derived from botanical sources, like flowers, plants, and herbs. The Egyptians were famed for producing perfumes in the ancient world. They were formulated from flowers and plants, before being added to other oils. Ibn Al Baitar, a pharmacist, physician, and chemist (1188 -...

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Sidr Honey – Healing for the People

And your Lord inspired to the bee, “Take for yourselves among the mountains, houses and among the trees and [in] that which they construct. Then eat from all the fruits and follow the ways of your Lord laid down [for you].” There emerges from their bellies a drink, varying in colours, in which there is healing for people. Indeed in that is a sign for people who give thought. Surah an-Nahl 68-69 LIQUID GOLD Sidr Honey Healing for the People Honey is mentioned in...

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Miswak – the Natural Toothbrush

What is Miswak? Miswak is the general term given to any teeth cleaning twig. The term is also interchangeable with siwak or sewak in the Arabic language and Kayu Sugi in the Malay language. The twig can come from different tree types which are recommended but the most common miswak is from the Arak or Peelu tree. Other trees used for producing this teeth cleaning twig include olive, bitam or walnut tree. The miswak is a natural alternative to the toothbrush in...

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Dates from Paradise – Ajwa dates

Ajwa dates are a soft, luscious and fruity date variety, with a fine texture, from Saudi Arabia. They are  cultivated in Madina Tayyiba. In fact, Ajwa dates are the most famous variety of dates from this region and for very good reasons, as you will see below. Historical evidence around Arabia and North Africa suggests that dates have been consumed in the area for over 8,000 years. Dates have since been exported to other areas of the world such as Pakistan,...

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Oud & Bakhoor – Fill your homes with luxurious scent of Arabia…

Oud & Bakhoor - Fill your homes with luxurious scent of Arabia… Nobody can beat the arabs when it comes to perfuming their house and dwellings. Their secret - Bakhoor! Oud is the general term given to the perfume oil extracted, using a variety of techniques, from the wood of the Agarwood tree. Oud oil has been previously discussed in detail in our previous blog here. Bakhoor is usually the general term used to refer to, mainly wood chips, soaked in fragrant oils...

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Royal Jelly – Not just for Queen Bees

What is it? Royal Jelly is a substance produced by honey bees to feed their larvae that will become queen bees. as well as feeding adult queen bees. When it is fed to larvae, they are given copious amounts and the continuous feeding of royal jelly is what causes these larvae to mature into adult queen bees. The royal jelly is secreted into specially constructed queen cells. The royal jelly is harvested, by bee keepers, from these individual queen cells where...

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Oud Oil – The origin of this exotic scent

Oud oil is distilled from the Agarwood tree. Agarwood is reputedly the most expensive in the world. Oud oil is specifically from the resinous, fragrant heartwood produced primarily by trees in the genus Aquilaria. There are approximately 15 species of the genus Aquilaria. The resin has many names including agarwood, aloeswood, eaglewood, gaharu, agalocha or Oud (In Arabic). Aquilaria species that produce agarwood are found throughout Asia, while occur naturally in South and Southeast Asia. The Indian sub-continent was the main source...

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Black Seed – The Seed Of Life

Black Seed - The Seed of Life   The Black Seed - has it’s origin in Western Asia. Black seed, or its binomial name, Nigella sativa  is variously called kalonji seed, fennel flower seed, black caraway seed and Roman coriander seed. Other names used, sometimes misleadingly, is black cumin seed. In Arabic, it is also popularly known as Habbatus Sauda.  It is a tall plant with delicate pale blue or white coloured flowers, the fruit is a large and inflated capsule composed of three to seven united follicles, each containing numerous seeds.   The...

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