As an unrepentant logophile (lover of words), I’ve assembled a list of unusual, obscure, or simply charming-to-me words. Ludic is defined as “playful, in an aimless way,” and that’s my plan for approaching this a-to-z challenge—keeping my feet on the joy trail and meandering wherever the daily word takes me.
L is for…
Labdanum – a fragrant sticky brown resin produced by evergreen shrubs in the genus Cistus, the rock-roses.
This resin, used in perfumery, incense, and herbal medicine, is exuded from glandular hairs on the leaves of the plant in the summer to protect the plant’s photosynthetic operations from oxidative stress caused by the intense sun. It is indigenous to very dry locations in the Mediterranean, North Africa, and the Middle East.
I chose today’s word both because I’m a fan of the resin and its scent, and because I simply like the mouth-feel of the word as it rolls around in my mouth and sounds through my lips.
Labdanum’s use was known throughout many ancient cultures but was particularly prevalent in Ancient Egypt. It was used in incense blends and temple offerings, cosmetics, and medicines. The practice of pharaohs wearing false beards to emulate the resurrected god Osiris is well-known and documented, and it is now believed that the beards were, in fact, made from goat hair smeared with labdanum resin.
Labdanum has a complex scent, often described by perfumers as sweet, warm, balsamic, and floral. It has notes of the richness of leather and the sweet earthiness of musk and vanilla. It’s purported to be reminiscent of Ambergris, which comes from the digestive tracts of sperm whales and is now illegal to possess in most countries due to the Endangered Species Act. So, labdanum is often used as a substitute in perfumery.
There were two traditional ways the resin was gathered. The first was by combing it from the hair of goats who browsed and grazed among the shrubs. The second traditional method still employed in the eastern Mediterranean, especially Crete, is to gently beat the bushes with a lambadistrion, a sort of rake with leather thongs instead of teeth.
In my guise as a natural botanical perfumer and aromatherapist, there’s no question that fragrance is a significant and important part of my life. My body and my home are always scented, and I use scent both for personal pleasure and adornment, and in spiritual practices. Incense definitely has a large place in my world, as it has been for so many in different cultures throughout many, many thousands of years. So many understand its use for simple perfuming, meditation and spiritual practices, healing, divination, clearing, cleansing and purifying, blessing, in offerings, and for elevating one’s mood.
Although not totally unlike its resinous relatives, myrrh and benzoin, labdanum has the additional ability to both broaden and maintain the impact of lighter perfume notes. I burn a lot of resin incense, particularly frankincense and myrrh, and often include a bit of labdanum to the mix, which just adds to the magic.
Smell is such a complex sense – and can easily produce altered states. Ancients understood this and felt it was a way to connect with the sacred. Many of the early botanicals burned were capable of producing ecstatic feelings. I like the ephemeral nature of incense – it calls for our attention, our focus, our presence. It’s here for a short while, and then it’s gone. It teaches us to pause and reflect.
I think William Law had it right when he said:
“All that is sweet, delightful, and amiable in this world, in the serenity of the air, the fineness of seasons, the joy of light, the melody of sounds, the beauty of colors, the fragrancy of smells, the splendor of precious stones, is nothing else but Heaven breaking through the veil of this world, manifesting itself in such a degree and darting forth in such variety so much of its own nature.”
Writing this post reminds me of a favorite project that I really should revisit because I enjoyed it so much – making incense beads. The process isn’t much different than making herbal beads, which I do on a fairly regular basis, but it involves slightly different ingredients. But the big difference is that upon creating the beads, I (and the other people I made them for) wore them non-stop for days, infusing them with our energy and wishes, and then we burned them in ceremony during a full moon. It was lovely and powerful – co-creation at its finest.
These words from Marcrina Wiederkehr have been floating around in my mind for the past few days, and this feels like the perfect time to share:
“Gratitude is like incense. It ascends and flows out as a sweet fragrance to everyone.”
What about you – have you ever smelled labdanum? Are you an incense fan? Have a favorite scent? Feeling grateful about something and want to share? Have a word you love because it feels delicious to roll it around in your mouth? Do tell – you know I love to hear.
Hari Om
I have to be a little careful around perfumes—many trigger my asthma and/or headache. However, I do manage around traditional incense, such as sandalwood and sweet herbs. In oils/essences, rose, geranium, and peony are generally okay. Lavender (beyond the actual flower itself) is a no-no. I cannot tolerate the majority of modern/commercial perfumes, and it can really spoil an outing if my air space is attacked by someone wearing three yards of stink… YAM xx
I certainly understand. Most perfumes are petrochemical-laden man-made synthetic isolates, and can be very triggering.
I never heard the word labdanum. I like scents; my favorites range from spicy, and woody, like patchouli, to citrusy, particularly lemon. I also have a list of favorite words that fill your mouth; one is “polpastrello,” Italian for the part of the “pulpy” fingertip that holds the fingerprint. I guess it is “fingertip” but it does not sound as good as polpastrello. 🙂
Oh, Marina, polpastrello is a fabulous word! Definitely more thrilling than fingertip.
I’ve never smelled it (or even heard of it) but it’s amazing what a trained nose can distinguish. In Grasse, France I visited a parfumerie where they explained the role of the “nez”(nose) in figuring out what made up certain scents. I know what I like, but not necessarily what kinds of notes make up the total scent.
I bet your parfumerie experience was a delight. I know “nez” because I subscribe to Nez, the olfactory magazine.
I’ve never smelled labdanum but now I want to. Is it easy to find? I burn incense at night as part of a bedtime ritual. I buy it through Nippon Kodo and enjoy a variety of scents.
Labdanum sounds a lot like laudanum. Both roll off of the tongue.
I probably wouldn’t say it’s easy to get, but it’s usually available through Mermade Arts, which is a wonderful resource for a wide range of incense resins. I don’t use a lot of stick incense, but Nippon Kodo is a great source of Japanese incense – I have a number of wonderful scents from them as well. Good call about laudanum – now you’ll have me uttering labdanum laudanum and making my mouth doubly happy.
I’ve been buying scented candles recently trying to find a certain scent I really liked. I think I’ll try labdanum next.
I think it’s probably unlikely you’ll find a labdanum-scented candle, Maria. But it’s always fun to be scouting out a pleasing scent.
I haven’t knowingly smelled it. At one time I would buy incense for my mother. It’s too much trouble for me to set stuff like that up, so I don’t do it. I should probably get in the practice
I whole-heartedly advocate for not taking on incidental stuff that’s too much trouble, Liz.
Labdanum is new to me. Unfortunately, I cannot have incense where I live or any strong scent as my husband has asthma and very sensitive to smells. It sounds fascinating though!
I’m sorry to hear about your husband, Brenda – asthma can be quite a challenge.
I dislike incense – 99% of the time it’s way too much. But I love that there is a special word lambadistrion to collect your special word labdanum! And I’d certainly be curious to smell it.
I love that – a special word to collect my special word! And it’s a pretty awesome word at that.
What a great word and post about it! This reminds me of a “word a day” screensaver I used to have at work – I spent more time making notes about the words and definitions than working, haha. But your blog is way more interesting than that!
Sounds like it was a great screensaver – I would have been enticed down its rabbit hole for sure. And thanks for your kind words, Allison.
What a lovely choice of word! Indian incense was a part of my childhood as my aunts and grandmothers would burn it during sunset hour daily. Personally, sandalwood and night jasmine are my favourites. Scents can trigger lots of things – including very happy memories! Have a wonderful A-Z.
That’s a lovely memory! And yes, scents are very good at leaving trails through time and space – it’s a very special magic.
Wishing you a wonderful A-to-Z also!
So interesting!
Ronel visiting for A-Z Challenge Jaded Loki & My Languishing TBR: J #AtoZChallenge2025 #Books #Bookreview
Thanks, Ronel.