Enfleurage

And of course yemen is all the stranger and more interesting for the briliant cake-like architecture and the daily qat chew, which makes the whole country stoned.

fascinating :-)

I live in Muscat. Oman is a lovely place to visit - but not during the long, hot, humid summer! Exception: Salalah during the Khareef (July-August) - green, misty, and cool...

Oh yes, I finally got a big dose of Muscat summer this year. My god. I love the heat. But the humidity was a surprise the first time I felt it! I thought it was always dry! But Muscat just takes you down in minutes, there is no bargaining with it.

Oh I know Frankincense enthusiasts, in fact, I would include you on that list.

these things become more important when you are considering healing properties. There are other resins related to frankincense (like for instance "mastixa" from the island of Chios for which there are many medicinal properties claimed). In the cases where you wish to look at research done, or so something traditionally used in a practice, i.e. perfumery (a specific resin from a specific type of tree), - then it becomes significant as they may have slightly diff properties

I think that's the important difference, Christopher, being "knowledgeable and honest about what they are gathering and distilling" That's something entirely separate from latin, in my opinion. But when people have an aromatherapy book in their hands, I think to some extent the two become synonymous in popular belief, unfortunately.

Yes, I understand, the latin seems to take on a life of its own sometimes when the real picture of what we know (and don't know) about a given plant material is much more complex than can be conveyed in this or that term.

Maybe you should think of it this way: It's annoying to you because you're one of the people who has made an effort to be ... Read Moreknowledgeable and honest about the whole picture of what is known about a given plant and its distillation. When people come with their ideas, it's an opportunity for them to learn more.

That said, having a common terminology is an important starting point, even if there is some inaccuracy. It's a million times better than having bottles labeled with just a common name and not having any idea what's in there. I recently received a palo santo sample from a friend which wasn't even the same genus as what other e.o. suppliers were calling palo santo. So, you might say it's good for the field to be believers in the myth of accurate and reliable scientific names for plants.

to some extent I do if I want to look specifically at properties of an herb (especially healing)

well, it's a starting point, that and your nose.