8.Home Sweet Home aromatherapy
Aromatherapy, the ancient art of using scent to enhance inner well-being, has been practiced for centuries by many Africans. On the continent, the fragrance of one’s home is very personal and a source of pride.
In Senegal, family matriarchs combine blends of sugar, essential oils and perfumes to create a special potpourri called Tchourai (pronounced “chew-rye”) that is typically sprinkled onto hot charcoals to release the aroma. Tchourai recipes are individual and often jealously guarded secrets. For the first time, scents based on these recipes are available here in The Senegalese Collection, a new home-fragrance line by Sarut in New York City. Sarut’s Tchourai combines natural pods, seeds and sand and is burned in either a solid kapok wood incense burner or in a terra-cotta pot with a flip-over lid. The fragrances are called Casamance and Dogon, and prices begin at $7 for the oils and $20 for the burners. For information on stores selling this collection, call (800) 345-6404.
COPYRIGHT 1999 Essence Communications, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group