Gandhi Root
Note Profile
About
Steam-distilled rhizome oil of Homalomena aromatica, an Araceae plant grown in India and Indonesia. Also sold as Ghandi root and Sugandh Mantri. It smells earthy first, then resinous and woody, and suppliers reach for forest floor to describe it.
Scent Profile
Earthy leads and all four sources put it first: 'Earthy, Bold, Humus, Forest' (Rising Sun Botanicals), 'bold, earthy, resinous' (Aromatics International), 'rich and earthy' (Kannauj Attar), 'distinct earthy, woody' (DBR Exports). Dry_woody is the second word two of the four use, and the forest-floor image the other two reach for. Amber_resinous carries the resinous and balsamic readings that two suppliers name directly. Below the naming line, mossy_chypre for humus, aromatic_herbal for the linalool one supplier claims, sweet_vanillic for 'slightly sweet', floral for the mild floral undertone one supplier reports, and fresh_spice for the 'refreshing pleasant spicy' reading.
ScentWheel
Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.
Origin
India and Indonesia. The oil is distilled from the rhizome, not the leaf or the whole plant. Araceae, so it is botanically unrelated to every other root note published here: angelica-root and lovage-root are Apiaceae, cypress-root is Cupressaceae, mondia-root is Apocynaceae.
Usage in Perfumery
Base and fixative in woody and chypre work, and in Indian attar practice where it is sold under the name Sugandh Mantri. Four essential-oil suppliers list it as a standalone oil.
Similar Notes
Perfumes featuring Gandhi Root
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