There's more to fragrance than meets the nose: Amira El-Noshokaty sniffs into the world of aromatherapy Her pink, hand-painted wood box holds dozens of small bottles -- locally produced Egyptian essential oils that she uses in her aroma and holistic therapy classes. The trick, she explains, is in the mixing. For her own part, Lesli Zehr -- who has been practising and teaching in Egypt for over 10 years now -- can put together up to three oils to achieve the desired result, but the possibilities are endless: "Aromatherapy is the art and science of using the distilled extracts of aromatic plants to a therapeutic end." Oils reach the brain via two principal routes: through the circulatory system by way of the skin during massage; and through the olfactory system directly to the limbic receptors, which affect the heart, sexuality and breathing. With specific properties, essential oils are effective -- scepticism arises, rather, from the fact that few people know how to use them. First, for example, they must be precisely diluted -- with vegetable oil, preferably olive's, in the case of massage or skin applications; with water when using a diffuser. Having obtained degrees in holistic medicine, biochemistry and psychology to achieve her current level of proficiency; Zahr stated: "all diseases start at the energy centres, moving onto the emotional, thence the physical levels. Any problem therefore manifests at all three levels: you cannot treat a headache before you find out the reason behind it, the why of the equation. For, through the headache, your body is talking to you and you must learn to be in tune to listen." Such treatment dates back to ancient Egyptian times -- a fact to which the herb market in Khan Al-Khalili bears partial witness to this day. Not until 1930 did the term aromatherapy emerge, however, when the French chemist Rene Maurice Gattefosse accidentally discovered the power of lavender essential oil in healing burns. In common with other modern-day alternatives to conventional medicine (the methods are collectively known as non-conventional medicine, CAM for short), aromatherapy is a holistic system that physicians have attempted to integrate into their purely physical methodology to capitalise on its substantial effects -- a tendency that became apparent during the 2002 Cairo Seminar on the Integration of Traditional Medicine into Modern Medicine, sponsored by the Islamic Organisation for Medical Sciences in Kuwait (IOMS, founded for just that purpose in 1984), the World Health Organisation, East Mediterranean Regional Office (WHO-EMRO); and the Islamic Organisation for Education, Science and Culture (ISESCO). In 2000, Cairo University's Faculty of Medicine introduced the Complementary Medicine Unit (CMU), while, two years later, the Arab Organisation for Complimentary Medicine (AOCM) came into being. "Karama Perfumes, since 1940." So reads the sign of one of the oldest perfumers in Egypt, located in Khan Al-Khalili. According to Karama Perfumes Manager Mustafa Mahmoud, Egyptian oils are numerous. He need only gesture behind him to demonstrate: stacks of silver bottles line the wall. Here as elsewhere essential oils of brand-name perfumes are imported, along with the licence to dispense them, from a French distillery. There is, of course, "the rare occasion" on which an inexperienced dealer will bungle the formula or add too much alcohol: "illegal sub-dealers occasionally use cheaper alcohol that can cause skin irritation." All of which would be irrelevant had such local enchantments as jasmine oil -- sold as they are at much lower prices -- been more popular. Be that as it may, Zehr warns that pure oils should only be bought from a reputable distillery due to the risk of both inferior plants and dilution. The situation turns out to be even more ironic, though. According to Yasser Khayal, IT specialist at the Marketing and Technology Information Network at the Union of Producers and Exporters of Horticultural Crops (UPEHC), after all, Egypt ranks among the top exporters of aromatic and medical plants: crops like marjoram, basil, chamomile, caraway, jasmine, hibiscus and others cover some 71,000 feddans, mainly in Upper Egypt, which produce up to 89,000 tonnes of usable plants, 50,000 of which is imported raw. With no more than two distilleries, in Fayoum and Beni Sweif, a viable local industry remains out of the question. Al-Shabrawishi Perfumes -- established in 1924 -- remains one of the major factories on the local scene. Though importing is up to 30 per cent more expensive than it was a decade ago, the cost still does not compare with that of establishing a distillery. According to Ayman Karama, owner of Karama Perfumes, locally produced rose oil will cost the consumer LE270, while the equivalent import costs only LE260; this is why Karama Perfumes have not embarked on a distillation venture. For its part the Warda Perfumery, another landmark of Khan Al-Khalili, still holds the beautiful hand-coloured bottles in which essential oils used to be sold. "These are rare specimens," Ahmed Warda explained, "imported all the way from India." He seems well aware of their therapeutic effects: "I recommend a drop of mint oil on the forehead for a headache." As Zehr puts it, though every form of holistic medicine originated in Egypt, the vast majority of Egyptians have yet to engage with them: "But I know they will..." There are few things in life as gratifying as the arrival of a plate of hot food before a famished soul -- its composition rich, its quantity abundant, its colours enticing, its scent wafting up to the nostrils to make the palate watery with anticipation. You must be hungry enough for that little moment to unfold with the full potential of its pleasurable intensity; you must be craving a "good" meal, a different affair from the daily and the ordinary -- you must seek the experience, and prepare for it. One location to head to when this whim strikes is the Sonesta off Salah Salem. Not a very high- profile hotel in town, the Sonesta: it is down-to- earth and straightforward, making little use of extravaganza to focus instead on understated quality -- especially when it comes to food. My previous dining experiences at this hotel have all been extremely successful, even memorable; and The Greenhouse tested of late proved no different. Let us mention immediately that one of the attributes of The Greenhouse is that it operates on a 24-hour basis, which means that you will never need to wander aimlessly in the night should the ghost of hunger appear to haunt you. Just rest your pretty posterior on one of their comfortable chairs and allow the smiling waiter to hand you one of their elegant menus to peruse while the soft lighting soothes you into a cosy mood. The selections are intelligent and diverse, and it might be a little while before you have settled on a choice. Lucky then that the bread in the basket is fresh -- brown or white, rye or sesame-sprinkled, the crust is bound to crumble slightly while you spread that butter. On the night of our dinner, my friend chose to start with a warm Lentil Soup -- always a tricky decision, for shorbet ads remains one of the hardest soups to get just right. There is texture and thickness to adjust, and a very special flavour to perfect; no mean feat if you ask any self- respecting cook. Having said that, her soup was just what we hoped it would be: all the right ingredients in all the right amounts combined to form a creamy concoction that warmed both her stomach and her soul; and with a twist of lemon, it was just heaven in a dish. My Caesar Salad was yet another pleasant surprise. Other than the fact that it was huge (big is not always good, let's remember that), what made it special was the wonderful crispiness of the sweet lettuce. It was like crunching ice without the dental pain -- so fresh, so yummy and so pleasant to chew on, the look it produced on my face could probably have served in an advert. Vinaigrette matters more than anyone imagines on salads like the Caesar; it's what makes or breaks the salad, it's the source of the aftertaste that lingers in the mouth long after the plate has been removed -- and it was succulent. Now for the steaks (wiggling my eyebrows). Hers was Pepper, mine was (take a wild guess) Mushroom, but of course. It's not good to eat too much meat, but it is very good to have a great steak every once in a blue moon; one of those steaks that keeps you silently focussed on your meal, relishing every bite you slice away. The steaks at The Greenhouse are "American" in their appearance: they are thick and juicy, they are large and tender, they are, in a nutshell, highly recommended. The sauce flowed over the meat, wrapping the well-cooked fibres in the rich flavour of the dark gravy, soaking the edges of the sautéed vegetables and the fluffy white rice that accompanied the meal. No room left for dessert, and no real wish for it either. Once one is fulfilled, it is but gluttony to seek more gratification, and that dinner was certainly good enough to be sealed on a savoury note. Lesli Zehr's guide to Egyptian essential oils: Mint, when inhaled, cures nausea and headaches. Rose stimulates the body's energy centres. Jasmine is an effective aphrodisiac. Melissa helps with depressive states, especially those resulting from grief. Rosemary and Basil, inhaled, improve concentration. Note: Essential oils are more effective than cosmetics for skin care. All act as antiseptics.
