It is the sweet, dreamy, warm scent of baking. Check your cabinets; you may have vanilla extract in the house from the last time you made a batch of cookies. Vanilla essential is slightly different from that vanilla extract, although they do come from the same place.
Vanilla plantifolia is a climbing orchid with white or yellow-green flowers that is grown in Central America, Mexico, East Africa, and Indonesia — but the plant itself does not contain the essential oil. The oil comes from the vanilla beans: long, green pods filled with tiny seeds. The pods are fermented over the course of five or six months, through alternating periods of sweating and drying that turn the green pods brown. It is the fermentation process that forms the vanillin crystals that carry the sweet scent.
True, undiluted vanilla is not frequently used in aromatherapy. Undiluted vanilla essential oil is very expensive and difficult to find; look for an oil that is ten percent vanilla resinoid and ninety percent carrier oil like jojoba. Vanilla extract used for cooking — the vanilla resinoid diluted in alcohol and water — can be used in aromatherapy mixtures and perfumes, provided the product is shaken well before each use.
Researchers have found that the scent of vanilla is nature’s closest facsimile to the scent of mother’s milk. It is this similarity that makes vanilla a relaxing, healing scent — the scent of vanilla brings to mind the feelings of warmth, safety, comfort, and being nurtured. Add vanilla to your diffuser or bath oil when you need to relax and feel at peace.
Vanilla was once thought to be an aphrodisiac, especially for women. Like other food scents, smelling vanilla can help ease indigestion — the smell makes your mouth water, which stimulates saliva and stomach acid production.