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Rich with symbolism, Indian flowers create a language of their own to express love, worship, seasonality and beauty. Culturally and historically depicted as felicitating poised Kings and Queens with their spell binding aromas, as beautiful embellishments of their palaces, or as gifts exchanged for trade across borders, Ayurveda has always given much importance to the magical and therapeutic properties of these flowers.
Let us delve deep into the essence of one such coveted Indian flower – the Kashmiri Nargis – a flower with the most sensuous, intoxicating and charming aroma, and the best-selling fragrance by Forest Essentials.
The Nargis is known as one of first daffodils to ever be cultivated dating back to 371– 287 BCE writings and it is known by multiple names depending on the region it is found in. For instance, as per Greek mythology it is known as Narcissus poeticus or Poet’s Daffodil and traditionally in Kashmir it is known as the Yemberzal.
The daffodil Narcissus Poeticus, acquires its name from the Greek legend of a young and handsome hunter named Narcissus. It is said that as a result of his extreme vanity, he fell in love with his own reflection in a pond. One version of the story states that, Narcissus then drowned in the pond while gazing at his reflection, and it is from here that the Narcissus daffodil bloomed.
In Kashmir, the importance of the Nargis, for the Kashmiri people, is that it declares the arrival of Spring after the long harsh months of Winter. This white petalled beauty is also considered a symbol of good health and prosperity and hence delivers a mandatory appearance at Kashmiri weddings as well as celebrations of the New Year.
A popular Kashmiri folk song, derived from the first ever Kashmiri opera performed- Bombur ta Yemberzal, is illustrative of the love story of the Narcissus (Yemberzal) and the Bumble Bee (Bombur), and reiterates the central importance of the flower to Kashmiri culture.
Ayurvedic Significance of the Nargis
In Ayurveda, Nargis Essential oil is considered very rare and precious. Sensuous, relaxing, calming, and warming, the floral oil has wonderful toning and highly moisturizing properties for when used on the skin. At Forest Essentials, we use the pure essential oil of the Nargis flower to create the Nargis Collection of products.
For the extraction of the pure essential oil, each Nargis flower is hand plucked at a particular time of the day when they are at their maximum potency to ensure high quality essential oil production.
Our manufacturing facility in Uttarakhand has traditional Deg or Bhabhka Yantras for the extraction of Steam Distilled Floral waters and essential oils in the same manner as it was done centuries ago. Some of the extraction methods date back to the ancient formulations mentioned in Arka Prakash.
Here is a step-by-step bath ritual with the Nargis collection of products:
Step 1: Cleansing Shower Butter Nargis
Begin your bath with a deep cleanse using the Nargis Shower Butter. This cleansing butter nourishes and clarifies your skin, to leave it drenched with moisture and lightly scented with the delicate fragrance of the Nargis flower. This soft butter melts at body temperature into a creamy lather when it comes in contact with water.
Step 2: Moisture Replenishing Bath & Shower Oil Nargis
After cleansing the skin with the Nargis Shower Butter, apply the Bath & Shower Oil all over skin. This light textured oil has unique skin conditioning properties owing to its base of organic, cold-pressed Sweet Almond Oil which deeply moisturizes without leaving your skin feeling greasy and adds glow to the complexion, while the Nargis Essential Oil scents skin with the intoxicating fragrance of the flower.
Step 3: Velvet Silk Body Cream
Smooth onto the body after a bath, steam or spa treatment to soften, nourish and leave the skin with a satin sheen. Prepared with Vitamin E and organic Beeswax, this cream protects your skin from UV rays and pollution, while it deeply nourishes and firms the skin, leaving it scented with the delicate fragrance of the Nargis flower.
Step 4: Parfum Intense Nargis
This absolute summer essential is infused with the natural fragrance of steam distilled Nargis floral oil and is vital to hydrate, tone and scent the skin for long hours through the scorching heat of Summer days.
