Louro Nhamuy Oil

#### Louro Nhamuy. This oil, also known as **Louro Inhamuy, **has in itself probably little or no interest for the practising perfumer. But investigations made a decade ago (see Yves-René Naves' bulletin from the Givaudan Research Laboratories in Geneva, Oct. *5,** *1951, bulletin No. 245) show that the distillation of Brazilian bois de rose oil used to be carried out with little consideration given to the correct botanical species. Other trees growing nearby were felled and occasionally admixed with the "bois de rose" (see monograph) in the native stills at Manaus, Brazil. Among the trees suspected in connection with this contamination was **Louro Nhamuy**, whose botanical name is **Nectandra Elaiophora **(or **Aniba Elaiophora**). Oil of louro nhamuy has been distilled in that area for more than 30 years. The oil is a pale yellow, mobile liquid of fresh and strongly terpene-like, sweet odor. There is little or no resemblance to the odor of true bois de rose oil, but the author finds that the odor of louro nhamuy oil has much in common with the odor of petitgrain monoterpenes and foreruns (from the production of terpeneless petitgrain oil). The sweet, bitter-leafy undertone and the freshterpenic bodynote is pleasantly rounded off by distinct notes of linalyl acetate type. Oil of **Louro Nhamuy **is a possible source of contamination of the Peruvian bois de rose oil, too. This oil is shipped from Iquitos almost 2,400 miles on the Amazon river before it reaches the Atlantic Ocean. It is interesting to note that Brazilian bois de rose oil is shipped 900 miles on the same river. The Peruvian oil passes right by the Brazilian distilleries after 1,500 miles of river transportation. Yet, the Peruvian oil is usually slightly lower in cost! **Louro**** ****Nhamuy**** ****Oil**** **is still produced for local consumption in Brazil. It is not likely that the oil will find a market in the American or European perfume industry.