2. Ginger Tea (Zingiber officinale): suggested to be used for indigestion (dyspepsia) / stimulating the gastrointestinal system / alleviating constipation by promoting the production of bile / stimulating circulation by thinning the blood / to lower cholesterol / to calm anxiety by stimulating serotonin / regulating diabetic blood sugar levels / used to fight E. coli and certain kinds of diarrhea / as a treatment for nausea (considered safe for morning sickness in pregnant women) / as an anti-inflammatory / to teat arthritis / as a cough suppressant / as a treatment against viral infection such as the common cold / as a stimulant to decrease fatigue / said to prolong life ( a general panacea) / as a treatment used to fight ovarian and skin cancers / used as natural preservative

3. Chamomile Tea (M. chamomilla / Matricaria recutita known as German Chamomile or camomile): recommended to alleviate insomnia / reduce stress and anxiety due to having anxiolytic agents that act as tranquilizers / contain antiallergenic properties / used to treat certain skin disorders and rash-like breakouts / stimulate uterine contractions (and induce miscarriages) / used as a laxative to treat constipation and for its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties to treat irritable bowel syndrome and sooth the gastrointestinal tract / used as an antiseptic oral wash / due to containing the active ingredient terpene bisabolol is sometimes used to treat inflammation, swelling, pain, muscle cramping, back pain and alleviate redness in rosacea (topically) / promote healing / considered to be an antioxidant / as a herpes remedy / to regulate diabetic symptoms

Shopping Suggestions:

Sage:

• Alvita Sage Tea (24 caffeine-free tea bags)
• Desert Sage Tea (Full-leaf Loose Herb Tea) made by The Republic of Tea / beautifully packaged tin with 2.8 ounces
• Organic Sage Leaf by Starwest Botanicals (1 lb. bag)

Ginger:

• Organic Ginger Tea by Traditional Medicinals (Best Deal: 6 boxes with 16 tea bags)
• Lemon Ginger Tea by Yogi (Best Deal: 6 boxes of 16 tea bags)
• Organic Ginger Root by Starwest Botanicals (bulk 1 lb bag)

Chamomile:

• Certified Organic Chamomile Tea (a Fair Trade product) by Traditional Medicinals (Best Deal: 6 boxes of 16 tea bags)
• Organic Chamomile Tea by Davidson’s (bulk packages) 16 ounce bags

Can Sage, Ginger and Chamomile Tea Help Treat Chronic Health Conditions?

Sage - Sage oil is more potent and contains: cineole, which is a eucalyptol with anti-inflammatory properties. Aside from tannic acid, the leaf contains flavonoid glycosides that can have an antioxidant effect in the body. Sage also can contains niacin and estrogenic substances that may explain why in some women, drinking sage tea can have a mild effect on hormone levels – with positive or negative results depending on dosage and/or natural hormone conditions.

Ginger – Fresh ginger / essential oil contains: gingerol, which is related to the active ingredient in cayenne peppers (capsaicin). When ginger is dried and ground into a powder to make ginger tea preparations, gingerol becomes stronger and is converted to shogaols, said to have antibacterial properties and can aid gastrointestinal functions. For this spicy root to be a chemopreventive (to reverse carcinogenesis), more than ginger tea is required. Concentrated gingerol extracts may be used, but clinical studies don’t show conclusive evidence as to its cancer fighting effectiveness.

Chamomile – the essential oil is stronger and contains: terpene bisabolol, an anti-inflammatory that can aid gastrointestinal issues. The tea may contain luteolin, which is flavonoid with antioxidant properties, thought to help metabolize carbohydrates and aid in regulating the immune system The German chamomile flower may also act as an anti-inflammatory agent. It contains small amounts of coumarin (which gives chamomile its sweet hay-like scent) and may have positive effects against arrhythmia, hypertension and act as a mild painkiller. It has been studied to see if it may help treat diabetes and lower blood cholesterol levels, however results are inconclusive.

Difficult Questions on Natural Remedies and the Curative Powers of Herbs

With mounting evidence that genetics plays a major role in individual predispositions toward specific diseases and chronic health problems such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, gastrointestinal disorders, type II diabetes, cardiovascular and circulatory dysfunctions, rheumatoid / osteoarthritis conditions and even how well people fight bacterial infections and viruses like the common cold, we may begin to wonder if what we eat and drink makes much of a difference. At the same time, due to a recent trend toward alternative therapies and natural healing, confusion exists about what to do when faced with a serious illness. Some people are asking questions like:

1. If herbal remedies and teas stimulate or regulate body functions, why don’t medical authorities prescribe them instead of drugs?
2. If herbs prolong life, and be used in place of painkillers, antibiotics, antidepressants, tranquilizers as well as hormone or blood sugar regulators, why don’t researchers focus on studying the properties of chamomile, ginger or sage tea (for example)?
3. Why don’t pharmaceutical companies make herbal remedies, like ginger tea formulas, instead of leaving it in the hands of bulk herb store companies, traditional medicine shops and alternative healing clinics?
4. Why are herbal formulas and natural dietary supplements, considered “alternative”? Are there really two different systems that are equally effective – one that’s natural and one that’s mainstream and uses drugs?
5. If alternative healing teas really work, then why do bulk herb store and dietary supplement companies officially state that their products are NOT intended to treat or cure disease?
6. Why do medical or scientific professionals say that studies show inconclusive results while healers may say “scientific studies prove….”and then list traditional benefits of ginger, sage, chamomile and other herbal teas?
7. Is medical science withholding valuable information about natural remedies?

The Heavy Burden of Proof

Theoretically, herbal remedies like chamomile sage or ginger tea can stimulate or regulate certain functions because they contain ingredients that the body may respond to, and sometimes does. The problem is “sometimes”. The body not only follows a genetic code, but is regulated by chemicals. Slight chemical imbalances can lead to dramatic changes. In order to ascertain how a particular substance is produced or regulated, scientists / medical researchers examine stable (duplicable) formulas to see if a genuine chemical effect exists or merely a placebo response. In order to do this, isolating active ingredients is essential to measure dosages and see specific results. A scientific test can’t be conducted if dosages / ingredients are variable. Since herbal formulas are normally taken in less than precise ways and prepared using different methods, from plants grown and harvested in different regions with different levels of active ingredients, studying precise health effects is virtually impossible.

Product Example: Fresh Ginger Root by Ajika (Your Indian Shop USA)

How Much is Just Right?

When a drug is produced from a plant (such as when extracting or synthesizing salacin for aspirin from white willow bark), the active ingredient is isolated, and made identical, and therefore can be tested in exact dosages to know how much works, what’s safe, if reactions occur and why. But how much of a particular tranquilizing ingredient is in a cup of chamomile tea? How much of an antibacterial agent is in a teaspoon of Zingiber officinale in a ginger tea formula? How much will a cup of sage tea lower a diabetic’s blood sugar level?

Product Example: Chamomile Flowers by Frontier Whole German Certified Organic Chamomile (16 ounces per bag)

Factors that affect testing how much of an active ingredient is in something:

1. where the plant was grown / soil nutrients / regional type of plant
2. how it was harvested and handled afterward / heat/ light / moisture
3. how long the sage or ginger or chamomile has been left to steep before drinking
4. what other body chemicals (or regular foods) will interact with the active ingredients
5. what active ingredients remain after a plant is heated, cooked, boiled, brewed
6. how much of the curative power is placebo (which will only offer temporary relief)

(An ideal herbal preparation would be made from genetically identical plants, grown in identical soil, harvested in a controlled environment and isolated into specific dosages containing precise amounts of active ingredients, and that, by many standards, would convert it into something unnatural, perhaps a drug.)

Product Examples:

• Clary Sage Therapeutic Essential Oil 100% Pure (10 ml) by Edens Garden Price: $3.45
• White Sage Smudge Stick by Rollingforce (Usually used in ritual ceremonies of purification or as incense) Packs of two 5 / 6 inch bunches of dried Sage Price: $7.95

Dietary Supplement and Bulk Herb Store Products versus Pharmaceutical Brands

In order for pharmaceutical companies to sell a product as something that prolongs life, reduces pain, fights bacteria, curbs depression, tranquilizes anxiety, regulates hormones or balances blood sugar, they must prove, through controlled experiments that:

1. the product proposed for sale contains an ACTIVE INGREDIENT, not just a placebo
2. what DOSAGE is required to produce a specific RESULT
3. what SIDE EFFECTS will be produced by a specific dosage
4. that the product has been proven EFFECTIVE and generally safe

The above checklist can only be accomplished by having a stabilized product that’s always the same. Pharmaceutical companies and scientists are not conspiring to keep information from the public, they simply can’t get approval to sell a plant as medicine unless they can prove a specific benefit.

Many people aren’t aware that there are few laws restricting the sale of “known food substances” (which includes most herbs, spices, dietary supplements and tea preparations) so long as they claim no medicinal properties. Therefore, dietary supplement and bulk herb store companies don’t need to prove the effectiveness of anything they offer in order to retail it as a food. A “food” may not be sold as a cure for a specific condition, and therefore dietary supplements / herbal formulas, including sage, ginger and chamomile tea, have the disclaimer: NOT intended to treat or cure any particular disease. In the United States there’s usually an additional note that states that the FDA hasn’t evaluated the product or statements pertaining to potential health benefits.

Alternative Medicine?

“Alternative” is a term used for herbal remedies and traditional therapies as well as teas, detoxification agents and most natural healing products and supplements that cannot be tested in controlled environments to prove their effectiveness because they’re foods, spices, condiments, vitamins, minerals, tonics or herbal teas – often nutritious, energizing, invigorating and healthful, but not medicine to treat the body when something has gone seriously wrong. If an active ingredient in a herb or tea is studied and found to genuinely help a particular ailment (more so than a placebo), it’s then moved from its “alternative” status to “mainstream” medicine because its effectiveness has been substantiated with evidence.

A Quick (but informative) Read: Trick or Treatment: The Undeniable Facts about Alternative Medicine by Edzard Ernst & Simon Singh / 2009

The Cure for Death

Eating fresh natural foods and drinking herbal teas nourishes the body, and should be used as such. Food and teas are nutrition for energy and also for maintaining and preventing illness, as well as assimilating vitamins and eliminating waste – yet a handful of spinach or a bag of tomatoes (although containing vital ingredients for life and health) would make us laugh if retailed in supermarkets with a label claiming to cure a disease. When things go WRONG, we need more than regular healthy food.

Water, while being the elixir of life (without which we would not live more than a few days), if packaged in bottles that said: “The Cure for Death”, we’d probably all have a good laugh. Why don’t we laugh at herbal food preparations and medicinal teas that claim to cure everything from fungus to cancer? Because many individuals want to believe weird things and don’t want to hear that the body is driven by a genetic program and controlled by chemicals and neural circuits.

Suggested Book: Why People Believe Weird Things: Pseudoscience, Superstition, and Other Confusions of Our Time by Michael Shermer (foreword by Stephen Jay Gould) Paperback 2002

Choosing The Best Natural Foods and Herbal Teas as well as Medical Science

Some people sip on a cup of chamomile tea before going to bed, and after a stressful day it’s soothing, calming, relaxing. Those who have an irritable bowel or suffer from gastrointestinal disorders may find that altering their diet may have a positive effect, as will drinking sage tea. People who have frequent colds, flue and sluggishness due to stress, poor diet or lack of exercise, may alter unhealthy lifestyles and add stimulating herbs and spices to their meals, as well as warm drinks – perhaps ginger tea. But, when the body seriously malfunctions, it’s important to remember that science and medical technology is working FOR us – to prolong life and make us healthier. While eating healthy fresh foods and drinking herbal teas is a means to maintain health, even prevent some conditions from developing, sometimes we need more than herbs or teas to effectively heal the body or rid organs of disease.

1. Neroli Oil

Neroli oil / bitter orange is one of the most widely used scented oils in perfumes, cosmetics and skincare products. It’s blended with other natural extracts and therefore isn’t always the top note, yet provides a citrus sweetness that blends well with rose, lavender and bergamot.

Derived From: Neroli oil is from the blossoms of bitter orange, Citrus aurantium, of the same species as the Seville orange (the bigarade) prevalent in Andalucía, Spain and throughout Mediterranean regions. The citrus aurantium tree blossoms, if left to grow, produces bright oranges that decorate the streets of Mediterranean cities. The fruit is seldom picked because of being extremely sour. Citrus aurantium is related to bergamot oil (Italian C. aurantium bergamia).

What Neroli Smells Like: Neroli fragrance oils are derived from BITTER orange, yet the scent is honey-sweet, almost floral, with a metallic undertone.

Primary Uses: bitter orange has substituted ephedra in dietary supplements that promote weight loss, and has come to be known as a pseudoephedrine stimulant. Likewise, Neroli fragrance oils are stimulating when applied topically, used in weight loss massages, added to aphrodisiac products, and used in disinfecting skin therapies and fungus treatments, also to treat mild skin infections and help acne blemishes.

The essence of bitter orange raised blood circulation, creating a sense of well-being, therefore helps depression / anxiety.

Orally, bitter orange is thought to act as an appetite suppressant and colon cleanser. It may help regulate gastrointestinal problems, curb nausea, and treat mild cases of heartburn. It has antiseptic properties, and when heated, offers an uplifting aroma, ideal for diffusers. It may be applied to the skin during massage, added to bath water, heated, burnt as incense, made into tea, and used as a disinfectant.

Neroli History: The fragrant essence of bitter orange is often sold as Orange Oil, but the word “Neroli” comes from the seventeenth century Italian Princess of Nerola (a small city in the province of Rome), named Anne Marie Orsini, who first used the sweet orange blossom scent in her gloves.

Shopping at Your Online Fragrance Shop:

- Edens Garden fragrance shop offers 100% pure Neroli essence that’s therapeutic grade, and comes in 10 ml bottles or as part of gift sets.

2. Sandalwood Oil

Sandalwood is one of the oldest and most widely used scented oils in the world. It’s a traditional Ayurvedic medicine and also used in many sacred Eastern rituals.

Derived From: Traditionally, the essence of sandalwood has been derived from the wood at the heart of the Santalum album tree. Therapeutic grade sandalwood oil is distilled from wood chips.

Today, sandalwood oil is usually distilled from the Osyris lanceolata, also called African Sandalwood. Although not the same as Santalum album, it’s the most widely sold essence because Santalum album trees have been over harvested and the oil is now scarce and expensive. The scent is similar, although not identical, yet still appropriate for therapeutic usage. Edens Garden sandalwood is derived from the extract of African sandalwood.

Primary Uses: Sandalwood oil is well-known for elevating the heart rate and generally enhancing blood circulation. Sandalwood fragrance oils are used in everything from therapeutic massage creams, bath products and shampoo to incense sticks, home deodorizers, scented candles and potpourri.

Sandalwood has been found to contain ?-Santalol, which according to the abstract: “Chemopreventive Effects of ?-Santalol on Skin Tumor Development in CD-1 and SENCAR Mice1” by Chandradhar Dwivedi et al., showed that it may have a chemopreventive effect on skin cancer.

What Sandalwood Smells Like: Sandalwood oil smells woody and earthy, yet, unlike other wood fragrances, isn’t heavy – in fact it’s fresh (likened to the aroma of wetted earth at the beginning of a rainstorm after a long dry spell).

Sandalwood History: The history of this scented oil is indelibly linked to the religion and cultural history of India, China Japan and many Asian countries. It’s best known as one of the fragrance oils in Ayurvedic healing – thought to help anxiety. It’s used in Buddhist meditative ceremonies for awareness while seeking enlightenment.

Shopping at Your Online Fragrance Shop:

- Edens Garden fragrance shop offers 100% pure sandalwood oil / therapeutic grade /sold in bottles of 10 ml or as part of gift sets.

Other Suggested Products From the Edens Garden Fragrance Shop:

1. Gift Sampler Kit by Edens Garden with 14 different Pure, Natural, Therapeutic Grade Oils that include: Bergamot, Clary Sage, Cinnamon Leaf, Eucalyptus, Grapefruit, Lavender, Lemon, Lime, Patchouli, Peppermint, Rosemary, Spearmint, Sweet Orange and Tea Tree

2. Sampler kit by Edens Garden with 6 different 100% Pure Essential Scented Oils / Therapeutic Grade oils include: Eucalyptus, Lavender, Lemongrass, Orange, Peppermint and Tea Tree / or choose a series of Synergy Blends that include: an Aphrodisiac, a Breathe Easy essential oil, one for meditation, another to Renew, oil for Relaxation and Stress Relief.

3. Edens Garden Ultimate Aromatherapy Gift Pack includes 32 Pure Essential Oils / therapeutic grade / 10 ml bottles

(Note: Essential oils are fragrances, like perfume, and should not be considered alternatives to medication for treating serious health conditions.)

What a Speed Dating Test Discovered

Although this area of study has received much attention, controlled tests that can provide solid evidence either way are extremely difficult to conduct in valid ecological settings that likewise follow clinical standards necessary for proof. However, in 2008, a report of a study was published entitled: Evidence that androstadienone, a putative human chemosignal, modulates women’s attributions of men’s attractiveness. (Saxton TK, Lyndon A, Little AC, Roberts SC from School of Biological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool.). The test was conducted as part of a speed dating event, and the conclusions noted that women had a tendency to rate men as being more attractive if they had been exposed to androstadien (a commonly known human pheromone).

Here’s another speed-dating test. Watch and see what happens when one two pairs of identical twins are given pheromone perfume and let lose on the New York speed-dating scene. Watch the ABC 20/20 Pheromone Experiment:

Human Pheromones and Social Behavior

Previously in 2001, an analysis of information was compiled called: Human Pheromones: Integrating Neuroendocrinology and Ethology (by James V. Kohl,1 Michaela Atzmueller,2 Bernhard Fink2 & Karl Grammer2 from JVK Resources, Inc. Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. And Ludwig-Boltzmann-Institute for Urban Ethology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria) wherein “human ethology; pheromones, odor; olfaction; human sexuality; sexual selection; mate choice” were explored and explained.

In the abstract, the researchers explained that “The effect of sensory input on hormones is essential to any explanation of mammalian behavior, including aspects of physical attraction. The chemical signals we send have direct and developmental effects on hormone levels in other people.” And in the concluding comments we find the following statements “we have merely scratched the surface with regard to the pheromonal basis of human mate…” The last phrase of the article says, “Human pheromones have more potential than any other social environmental sensory stimuli to influence physiology and, therefore, behavior.”

Real Life Testing of Pheromone Perfume

Are these statements and hypothesis backed up by clinical studies or real life tests? Although still inconclusive, there is evidence to suggest that pheromone perfume may not be merely a manufacturer’s hoax. A study conducted by Cowley and Brooksbank that included getting women to wear a pheromone scented necklace, were observed to be rewarded with better male interactions. This may help to offer support for bettering social behavior, but what about specific sexual attraction?

More Romance, Cuddling and Intercourse

The often cited studies by Cutler et al as well as McCoy and Pitino used a double blind, placebo-controlled clinical testing system using synthetically designed pheromones, as they would be in a perfume, and over the course of 6 weeks male and female participants recorded their sexual behavior (after a 2 week base-line report of non-pheromone use). The conclusions were: 58% of the participants that applied the pheromones had increased sexual contact (from baseline) as compared to a 19% increase in the placebo group. That included sexual intercourse as well as more romantic behavior like cuddling. A second study reported similar findings with up to a 74% increase in sexual or romantic behavior toward a partner using a particular pheromone. It must be noted that the pheromone usage didn’t trigger self-stimulation or overall sexuality with just anyone, but demonstrated a sexual increase toward the particular individual (partner) wearing or using the pheromone. Therefore it appeared to provides evidence to support the idea that it wasn’t merely an aphrodisiac, rather a means for specific attraction.

A second report by Bill Ritter offers a look at what happened when two New York 40 plus women tested Athena Perfume Pheromones. Watch the second episode of the ABC 20/20 – Tests Athena Pheromones on Women Over 40 to see how pheromones affected these 2 women’s lives:

Still NOT Conclusive

Does this mean that it’s widely accepted in scientific circles that buying a love scent pheromone perfume will make anyone more attractive to someone of the opposite sex? Not at all.

First of all, the proof is often distorted for commercial purposes – to sell perfume containing (or not containing) human systemized pheromones. Most members of scientific communities, while unquestionably agreeing with the endless proof that pheromones offer sexual attraction in many animals) also agree that evidence is lacking when it comes to humans, and that the proof available is inconclusive.

From a biological/genetic standpoint as well as from a neurophysiology or social behavioral stance, human sexual attraction is based on perceptions of “beauty”, personal hygiene, aesthetic factors that are unconsciously processed by the brain upon seeing and/or smelling the (perceptible and imperceptible) body odors that a member of the opposite sex may be excreting (including basic bad body odor which may be repellant and have nothing to do with pheromones, versus a fresh scent that may have no hormonal effect, but may influence choosing such a person as a mate). It may also depend on the ovulation cycles in women and what male hormones are secreted under their arms, as well as facial expressions, social conditioning factors and a mass of variables that include almost every known anatomical / physiological and psychological issue that clinical studies simply can’t control or monitor in each individual.

Nevertheless, products like, Pherazone, PherX and the famous Athena Pheromone formulas (developed by Dr. Winnifred Cutler) have gained attention because people claim they work in real life. Do they? For some people, obviously yes. But are pheromones mere confidence boosters, a kind of powerful self-placebo, or is there a chemical composition that can be detected by members of the opposite sex? At present, science isn’t offering decisive answers, but there’s no harm in having fun with the formulas.

Mix Athena, or other brands of pheromone perfume with favorite fragrances, or use unscented – pure. View Athena Pheromones- how to mix for a few practical ideas:

Conduct Your Own Personal Love Scent Pheromone Perfume TEST

Will a synthetic androstenone pheromone perfume make you more attractive? It’s possible, so why not conduct your own personal love scent pheromone experiment. To find out more and buy some of scented or odorless varieties, visit womensproductreview.com and brouse Androstenone Pheromone Perfume Direct from PherX.

Maybe you’ll have success like the couple in this PherX video:

PherX Pheromones Are The Secret

Books and Product examples presented in this post:

1. Pherone Bundle B-175 for Men to Attract Women, with Pheromone Cologne Formulas D-17X and V-5 — Pure Human Pheromones

2. PherX Pheromone spray

3. PHERAZONE for MEN – Scented Pheromone Cologne by Pherazone

4. Athena Pheromone formulas by Athena Institute: Dr. Winnifred Cutler

5. PherX Pheromone Perfume direct from PherX

The vomeronasal organ, also shortened to VNO, and sometimes referred to as Jacobson’s organ due to having been discovered, in the early 1800’s, by Danish anatomist Ludvig Levin Jacobson, is an organ that human embryos develop. This organ is a chemical receptor (chemoreceptor), unique because, although arising with the nasal plate, remains separate from the nasal cavity, encapsulated in cartilage, which can (as it does in other animals) open into the nasal cavity and therefore receive love scent pheromone information, which can then (theoretically) be transmitted to the brain’s hypothalamus region. The hypothalamus is an almond-sized section of the brain that joins the pituitary gland and endocrine system to the nervous system – famous for secreting and/or processing hormones to regulate essential body functions.

We know that human embryos develop the vomeronasal organ, and we understand where it’s located during the embryonic state, and we also understand (after studying animals) how it can work to detect pheromone perfume and send information to the brain whereby the chemical messages are transmitted to the nervous system and thereby capable of altering or stimulating some kind of behavior. But, we must ask if this chemical receptor organ (the VNO) is still present in adult humans? We need to ask this question because scientific studies indicate that the vomeronasal organ, although present in embryos, apparently degenerates (is either eliminated entirely or is so dramatically altered that it becomes virtually undetectable) as the fetus develops.

Preliminary studies suggested that the genes known to allow for a functional VNO in other animals, appeared to be absent (or at least dysfunctional) in humans. To date, there’s no scientifically agreed answer as to whether humans have a functional VNO, and if they do, does it perceive any kind of love scent pheromone, and if the VNO does exists and is functional, if it can detect pheromones, and how that detection actually works, and if it indeed is responsible for male-female attraction / sexual behavior, and to what degree if at all. Here’s what’s known:

1. While not everyone agrees, there is evidence to suggest that the vomeronasal organ remains present in human adults, although quite difficult to find and even more difficult to study due to it’s changeable position and possible camouflaged (so to speak) aspect. It may be a minute chemical compound or chromosome (also referred to as a homologue) that takes on a structure akin to a tiny duct that varies in size and composition from person to person. Even during a meticulous autopsy, whereby specialists search for a VNO structural presence, it’s very difficult to locate. Why?

2. The basic problem is that while the VNO is easy to spot in an embryo, the facial and bodily changes that a human undergoes as it develops seems to force the VNO to reposition itself and alter its appearance to such a degree that there’s no standard “histological structure” (a typical shape, size or position) that can be looked for, therefore it’s extremely easy to miss. Since anatomical experts can’t be sure where it will be or what shape it may have, it’s easy to understand how it can appear not to exist, when it may be there, but of a different structure or located in a different place, for example, blending with the nasal plate structure or being disguised as a tiny tube (or tubes) that may appear to serve no specific function.

3. The situation gets even more complicated because the vast majority of studies are conducted on animals, not humans. So, while researchers have found evidence that our cousins, the chimps, have a functional VNO, other primates apparently don’t. It’s also possible that certain individuals, due to their facial or cranial structure have a functional VNO, while others don’t. It’s possible that some functioning detection systems only detect specific pheromones and therefore appear not to function because they’re so selective. Is the VNO, or accessory olfactory system so sensitive and individually selective to such a small range of pheromones, and perhaps only a specific times of the month, or during certain life-cycles, that it appears to not be a functional organ?

4. It’s widely accepted that humans are able to detect “family” or kinship through their sense of smell, due to the presence of pheromones – although it is not something that’s done consciously. However, studies conducted using the latest neuro-technology equipment (such as fmri) confirm that the ability to smell close family members is true between mothers and their children as well as between brothers and sisters (and vice verse). However, such pheromone sensitivity, interestingly, does not appear to exist between a husband and wife or between half-brothers and sisters or step-relations. Does this mean pheromones don’t help us attract mates? Perhaps, but not necessarily. What it means is that humans are equipped with sensitivity to scents that are detected unconsciously – and do affect social behavior. It just hasn’t been satisfactorily proven (in controlled studies) that scents induce specific sexual behavior or control how or why we choose a particular mate.

So, Investigations and clinical studies continue, and perhaps with the aid of genetic testing and brain imaging techniques there will be evidence of how (or if) the VNO may or may not detect pheromone perfume and affect who we choose to date.

Sexual Attraction

To introduce the following segment, here’s a video, presented by Dr. Robert Winston (Baron Winston), a British professor, doctor and scientist, who explores Sexual Attraction (Human Instinct)

A Practical Pheromone Question

Since the anatomical VNO organ itself is extremely difficult to study, it’s reasonable to formulate another pertinent, and more practical, question: Couldn’t we study the “possible” effects of pheromones by spraying them into the air or on our skin and observing how these may or may not create change in social interactions and/or sexual attraction and human behavior? If it could be proven that a pheromone perfume consistently caused a certain reaction in someone of the opposite sex, then it wouldn’t really matter if it was due to the presence of a VNO gland or some other detection or receptor system. Have there been pheromone “smell” tests conducted in humans? To find out what’s known in this area, continue reading: The Aphrodisiac Power of Pheromone Perfume: Part III…

Testing a Love Scent Pheromone Perfume

Human pheromone perfumes are fun to try on yourself or to give as gifts. This is true whether any particular chemical aphrodisiac property has been proven to affect sexual behavior or not. Wearing a fragrance (or at least smelling fresh) can boost confidence and thereby be part of the formula for attraction.

Human sexuality and social relations are a highly complex blend of evolved genetic sequences and environmental/social factors, so whether pheromone perfume works, or whether we even have the right organ to detect delicate hormone altering scents, it’s worth a little personal experimentation. Why not take advantage of every possible advantage in the dating / mating game?

For product reviews and shopping suggestions, please visit: womensproductreview.com and browse the section called Marilyn Miglin Love Scent Pheromone from Perfume Emporium.

Books and Product examples presented in this post:

1. Vomeronasal Chemoreception in Vertebrates: A Study of the Second Nose by Charles Evans

2. The Scented Ape: The Biology and Culture of Human Odour by David Michael Stoddart

3. Pheromones and Animal Behaviour: Communication by Smell and Taste by Tristram D. Wyatt

4. Principles of Behavioral Genetics by Robert R. H. Anholt and Trudy F. C. Mackay

5. Pheromone By Marilyn Miglin Eau De Toilette For Women

6. Pheromone by Marilyn Miglin mini Parfum

How an Animal Love Scent Works

In animals, primarily insects like moths and butterflies, but also in some sea creatures and a few mammals, like boars, rats, guinea pigs, the pheromone release acts as a sort of love scent, and is employed by females to demonstrate their ability and availability to copulate, but even more importantly, when excreted by males, is used to provide “choosy” females with useful information – like what species the male belongs to and what their individual genotype (genomic sequence) is like. By (unconsciously) analyzing the male pheromone perfume, the female may quickly deduce if the male is of the right family, if he’s healthy or sickly, and therefore a good or bad choice as a mate.

No Contact Love Scent – Pheromone Perfume Long-distance Action

In some cases, such as with the copepods (which are little crustaceans found abundantly in oceans, lakes, ponds, swamps and almost everywhere where there’s water), the love scent pheromone perfume they have at their disposal isn’t used in a very romantic way, but more like a high-tech tracking device. The female copepod will leave a pheromone trail in the water and the male’s gamete (which is it’s reproductive cell – something like a sperm) will follow the scent in order to find the female gamete (equivalent to the ovum) and fertilize it. This type of no-contact fertilization is more common than many of us humans might believe, and the purpose of the love scent is therefore extremely different – closer to a guided missile system than an alluring romantic tool for mutual attraction.

On the other hand, moths and butterflies use their extremely strong pheromone love scent formulas to attract mates from vast distances – often summoning their partners from kilometers away – perhaps the insect version of internet dating using “scented” partner selection detection. Insect pheromone studies have confirmed that these secretions are indeed powerful and alter animal behavior in dramatic ways, so much so that they’re used by as a means to monitor and/or control insects/animals to human benefit.

How Mammals Detect Pheromones

As we’ve seen, some animal love scent (pheromone perfume, which may or may not be pleasant to a human nose) is used as a semen-ovum tracking device, but can also be employed as a signal for two creatures (who likewise don’t mate with physical contact) to ejaculate their eggs into the water at the same time. Other animals (especially mammals like rats and guinea pigs), apparently use vomeronasal systems (the olfactory receptors that detect pheromones) as a means to communicate very important social behaviors when living in groups. Although some animals are still capable of mating without following a specific male-female love scent (such as when their auxiliary olfactory gland called the vomeronasal organ VNO has been removed), but social and reproductive behavior is altered.

Apparently, this important olfactory gland (the vomeronasal organ), may be required equipment for pheromone detection. Therefore, the question we started with: can a pheromone perfume stimulate a human response in the same way pheromones affect animal behavior? requires modification. The new question is: are humans equipped with the organ that may be necessary to detect a love scent emitted by a member of the opposite sex? Do humans have VNO olfactory glands?

(Anyone interested in an in-depth look at pheromone’s and animal behavior should watch the three-part series on YouTube by Catherine Dulac from Harvard University that deals with Sex and Smell: Chemosensory Detection, Molecular Biology of Pheromone Perception, and Sex-Specificity of Pheromone Responses. The 3 videos are about 30 minutes each and offer a detailed description of how pheromones “evolved to signal the sex and the dominance status of animals” amongst other things.)

Here’s a real life look at elephant pheromones in action:

Elephant’s Sexual Behaviour – Liagen

Human Love Scent Detectors

The vomeronasal organ also shortened to just VNO, and sometimes referred to as Jacobson’s organ due to having been discovered, in the early 1800’s, by Danish anatomist Ludvig Levin Jacobson, is an organ that human embryos do develop. This organ, in fact a chemical receptor (chemoreceptor), is unique because…

…Continued in Part II: Is the Olfactory Sense Organ Necessary to Perceive Love Scent Pheromone Perfume?

Try a Human Love Scent

Human pheromone-based perfumes can be fun to try, whether or not their aphrodisiac stimulating or chemical properties have been clinically proven to be detectable by members of the opposite sex or not. Many of the fragrances that utilize pheromones in their composition, are beautifully designed scents that can boost confidence, provide sensual appeal, and be a genuine means of attraction. For product reviews and shopping ideas go to womensproductreview.com and browse the section called Shopping Scented Monkey for a Love Scent, which includes information on the popular pheromone fragrance collection called Realm by Erox.

Product examples presented in this post:

1. Realm Perfume For Women by Erox

2. Pherone Formula M-15 Pheromone Cologne for men by Pherone

3. PherX Pheromone Perfume for Women

4. Nexus Androstenone Pheromones (for men) by Nexus Pheromone

5. Pure Instinct by Jelique

6. Human Euphoria Women’s Pheromone Perfume by Eyefive

7. Human Euphoria Men’s Pheromone Cologne by Eyefive

Invicta has been in making quality Swiss watches for more than a hundred years now. Back in the 19th century the only ones who could enjoy using high quality Swiss make time pieces were the rich people. Those were the days when Swiss watches were seen as highly complex works of art that are very expensive. There was no way that the ordinary people could afford such highly priced works of art. That was until Raphael Picard came along and changed the watch making business forever. Picard was a revolutionary thinker who had sound business acumen. Seeing the trend during his day for expensive watches that were sold to a very narrow market, he started a watch making company that would focus on making Swiss watches that would be sold at prices that are a lot lower than the competition. That was how the Invicta watchmaking company was born.

It was not long before that when Invicta mens watches have become famous not just for the affordable prices but for their quality and craftsmanship as well. Just because a watch will be sold cheaply does not mean that it does not deserve to be well crafted. Invicta automatic watches have great performance features as well that takes it at the top list of great watches. They feature qualities that are comparable to their more expensive competition.

Today the company still follows the spirit of it founder in providing high quality Swiss watches that are affordable. They have a great line of collection that features great watches. These collections are comparable and in some cases even better than those from other brands. Their divers watch for example are high performance tools that can be used by professional diver’s. Make your move right now and get Invicta watches right away and feel their excellent qualities

Years passed by and I have my own job it was then I could fully understand Mom’s view that a piano is plaything for the rich. It is quite expensive. Then I heard about the digital piano and I became curious right away, so I visited the nearest music store in my place. My curiosity turned to excitement when I saw the Yamaha CLP 320 price. It was something that I could really afford. When I tried it out I decided right away that it was the kind of piano for me. The Clavinova CLP 320 price is really making great music affordable to a lot of music lovers like me.

Yamaha has a long history of making superb instruments and now they are extending their reach into the domain of digital instruments. A digital piano like the CLP 320 can produce the same sound as a regular acoustic piano but it has certain features, because of its technology that can not be duplicated by an acoustic instrument. Music lovers should all get the CLP 320 right away. It made my life long dream of owning a piano a reality.

This brings me to the gist of my topic which is about the latest soft toys in the market these days. Just a few years back we had some soft toys by the name of webkinz which created a stir. Why? Because these soft toys which also come with a code that gave you access to its identical replica online. That means your soft toy would have an online identity just like facebook and you can even make friends with the other animal soft toys online. There are also other online activities like games etc that you can do too. So that was a smart combination of soft toys with technology. So if you want a soft toy with a twist then the webkinz would be something nice to get.

But there are more fascinating soft toys out there. Recently the latest soft toys craze was that of the my pillow pets. These soft toys can transform from pillows to soft toys and back again. What is good about them is you wont be afraid that you cant find a pillow to lie on in bed or when you are travelling when you got something like a my pillow pets toy around. Check out the list of my pillow pets retailers online and get your own my pillow pets. I am definitely getting these toys as they can be very useful especially if you do a lot of travelling with the kids. I think kids will love this because they get to play with their soft toys in a different way.

Weddings are mostly about personalizing your feelings with your near and dear ones, and the best way to go about it is by customizing the wedding and thank you cards to please your guests. They would never want to part with such beautiful mementoes of gratitude that you personalize for them, especially by adding your wedding photographs.

The thank you cards can even be designed according to the overall weddings themes. The cards look touchier if you could have your photographs taken holding the signboard with “Thank You” message.

You could also personalize these cards with the guest’s photographs taken along with the wedded couple. With the help of digital photography, you can creatively beautify them by using some nice wordings with stunning color combination to compliment your photos.

The promptness in sending wedding thank you cards is the most important thing for you to do. You need to send them within 4 weeks of your wedding, or you can hand it over as and when you meet the invitees on your wedding. These cards would hold more meaning if it reflected style and theme of your wedding.

You can keep a track of the number of invitees attended your wedding to avoid confusion and personalize the card each card for the guests with a special note of thank you and how much you appreciated their presence.

It is also important that you make your thank you cards heartfelt and personal as possible. Giving a personalized touch to each card and sending them to your guest would make both, you and the invitees feel special. You can add appealing accessories like beads, flowers or ribbons on your thank you cards to make it more attractive.

You can customize your wedding thank you notes according to theme, color and pattern followed on your wedding. For example, if your wedding theme was Cinderella, then you can include a picture of Cinderella on your card to match with the theme.

Make your creative wheels spin and think out of the box, like sending wedding photo thank you magnets which the guests can use on the refrigerators. They can use them on their fridge or shelves and they last longer than the paper cards.

Floral Cake plate

A footed cake plate is usually made of glass, has a border around it that is about three inches tall and is a perfect vessel to serve as a vase alternative. If you can get your hands on as many footed cake plates as you have tables, you are in business.  Simply fill each with water, place a small arrangement that you can make yourself (or have friends and family help you with) and that is it!  You are done!

Shabby Chic

Mix and match is a hot trend for a lot of things these days, so who says you can’t incorporate this idea into your wedding centerpieces?  Go to the flea market and find as many vases or other containers as you need where you can arrange some fresh cut flowers in a slightly random way.  Try and find some long stemmed vases to make some of the increasingly popular tall wedding centerpieces. If you get them all the same color, for instance a distressed white, then it will really look shabby chic.  Another thing you can do is to get various ceramic vases with flowers so that they are all the same thing but mix and matched at the same time.

Fishbowl and Foliage

One relatively affordable way to make great wedding centerpieces is to fill fishbowls with foliage.  Leaves, branches and other foliage are nowhere near as expensive as flowers.  They also smell great.  If your wedding is in the fall or winter seasons and as long as it works with your overall wedding theme, you can use pine tree branches for added fragrance.  Couple that with some scented candles and you will have a beautiful wedding centerpiece on each table that will have guests enchanted throughout.

When planning your wedding try to save money whenever possible so you can put it to good use elsewhere.  Look for cheaper materials to use in your decorations such as wedding balloons and you are away. For wedding centerpieces to be beautiful they don’t have to be expensive at all.