Sambucus nigra/Elder Flower

pH 4.0–4.2

Aroma and Taste Sublime. It is floral but not sweet, delicate but with a wonderful and firm presence both aromatically and in the flavor. In dilution it is exceptionally delicious.

Stability and Shelf Life Stable. Should last for eighteen months without problems.

Properties and Applications Experimental. Unlike the extracts or berries, which contain high levels of vitamin C, there is no confirmed evidence that this vitamin is present in the hydrosol, as vitamin C is both water-soluble and destroyed by heat. However, it works synergistically when taken with vitamin C and does seem to have fairly distinct immune-boosting properties. Take one teaspoon every hour at the first sign of a cold and you will probably never succumb to the infection. A gentle circulatory stimulant, elder flower can be compressed on muscle aches or sports injuries, or you can drink it as a beverage to tone the venous system. Mildly diuretic and a specific for the kidneys, it detoxifies and restores and is experimental to reduce the pain associated with arthritis, rheumatism, swollen joints, and acid deposits in tissue.

Elder is renowned for its effects on the nervous system; it reduces physical and mental stress and promotes a sense of calm. A delicious cold beverage; sweeten it with honey for children. Use it in ice cubes, punch, or alcoholic drinks; add it to desserts, jams, jellies, and fresh fruit.

Santalum album/Sandalwood

pH 5.9–6.0

Aroma and Taste A soft, dry, unmistakable sandalwood odor that is highly aromatic despite its extreme delicacy. Must be at room temperature to give off an odor at all. The flavor is more pronounced than the smell, as is the case with all the wood waters; it is dry and pleasant and holds up well in dilution.

Stability and Shelf Life Stable. Should be in the range of eighteen to twenty-four months.

Properties and Applications Experimental and rare. Certainly some of the sandalwood hydrosol in the market is the oil, or synthetic oil, added to water; the real thing is as rare as the real oil, so buy carefully. Government-controlled forests in India have been the only reliable source for many years, as poaching of the wood led to its eradication from the wild in most of the world, including India. However, in recent times Australia has started producing a beautiful sandalwood oil, but it is an absolute extraction, not a distillation. There is also the West Indian sandalwood (Amyris balsamifera), which is quite nice but completely unrelated to the true Indian sandalwood of the Santalaceae family. You will find all of these products on the market at some time or other.

Sandalwood shares many properties with cornflower, and they can be used interchangeably in topical applications, although men, and many women, prefer to use sandalwood, if only because it sounds more exotic than cornflower. Do not put sandalwood in the eyes.

Topically it is exceptional in skin care. It is only slightly drying and astringent; use it as a compress on delicate and mature skin, in the eye area for crepey lids, and with variable results for acne, rosacea, couperose skin, eczema, and psoriasis. For these last conditions try combining it with other suitable hydrosols; synergies nearly always work better. Add sandalwood to your shampoo, or use it combined with cedarwood and/or goldenrod as a rinse on oily hair and for seborrhea.

Mildly anti-inflammatory, it is a great aftershave, balancing and calming the skin and the mind, preparing you for the day ahead. Combine it with immortelle as a mouthwash for gingivitis or post–dental surgery. Ayurvedic uses include possible applications as a douche for vaginitis and candida. A three-week internal protocol has proved effective in recurring bladder infections and cystitis.