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MUSK
DEER
Musk is made to infuse
in pure alcohol for at least a year
Musk is produced by the male of a small deer, the Musk Deer,
from the Hindu
Kush and the Himalayas, the moschus moschiferus, a sedentary
animal that marks its territory dropping small balls of the
Musk that is produced in two purses attached under it's belly
that look very much like testicules. The Musk deer drops the
musk balls during the reproduction season as an olfactory message,
for females and rivals, that contain all the information
about itself; age, state of health and genetic patrimony.
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The weighting of Musk |
Marco
Polo narrates in his "Million " that,
crossing Kashmir, he observed such an abundance
of the Musk deer that the musk balls were found
everywhere under the trees. Probably the animal
was then protected by iron laws that punished its
killing, and the kings of these regions had to pay
the caliph an annual tribute of musk, as is reported
in the Islamic archives. Today the small animal is
nearly extinct, the hunters shoot him dead
and cut off the precious purses in which the musk
can be conserved indefinitely. The prices are obviously
very high and cheats are numerous. There are some
breeding farms of moschus in China where musk is
collected without killing the animal. The
musk obtained in such a way is reputed to
be of inferior quality compared to the wild one.
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| As perfume, the musk
was used pure, rubbing a tiny piece in the beard or
in the hair, but it is given to few among the very
few privileged who ever encountered it, to use it in
this way. In fact, not everyone can bear the effect
of its extreme power. The Perfumers of the past have
found more aesthetic and economic satisfaction using
it as a " magical " ingredient in their compositions.
For this purpose they prepared infusions of musk in
alcohol, with several concentration grades. Musk was
also made to macerate in essential oil of sandalwood,
for at least a year (better if five), and that is an
excellent way to extract its aroma because these two
scents are of a similar nature and they reinforce each
other. |
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Musk is mentioned in the
Quran as the substance with which are sealed the drinks
of paradise. For the Muslims, the fact that the perfumed drinks
of the hereafter (ginger, grape, etc...) are sealed with musk
indicate it to be the king of all the scents and, because God
printed his Name on the seal (the seal bears the name
of the owner), Musk is the purest and noblest of all terrene
matters.
Buy online the kit of animal scents
For in-depth research on Musk Deer see Internet documents
Special report on Kashmiri Muskdeer
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