Sanna Oil

#### Sanna Oil. Closely related to **Longoza **(see monograph) is a Far Eastern plant, **Hedychium Spicatum**, cultivated in India and Japan for its flowers and very fragrant roots (rhizomes). In India, an "**Attar**** ****Ekangi**" is prepared from the rhizomes, while in Japan the rhizome is known as "**Sanna**". The essential oil is produced by steam distillation of the comminuted rhizomes. Distillation takes place locally (only) and the yield of oil is good. **Sanna**** ****Oil**** **is a viscous, pale yellow to amber colored liquid, occasionally showing a deposit of a crystalline mass. The crystals are usually odorless when purified. The liquid part of the oil consists almost entirely of cinnamates and 1,4-**Methoxy-Cinnamates**** **of lower aliphatic alcohols. This makes the oil quite interesting and unique. The odor of freshly prepared **Sanna Oil **is woody-spicy with a camphoraceous-fresh-woody topnote and an increasingly spicy, cinnamon type of body note of immense richness and tenacity. On dryout, it becomes again less sweet, but remains spicy-woody. The author has no experience with the application of this oil in perfumery (samples too small), but it is obvious that the oil could find use in balsamic, woody and heavy-floral bases, in hyacinth, lavender and lavandin perfumes, etc. and that it will blend well with styrax, cinnamic alcohol and its derivatives, terpineol, linalool, benzoin, sandalwood oil, nitromusks, ionones, etc.—a very versatile material. Unfortunately, **Sanna**** ****Oil**** **is not regularly available outside its countries of origin. See also **Kaempferia Galanga **and **Longoza.**