Have you ever noticed the fragrance of lily flowers? Perhaps you have ever received a lily bouquet as a gift from someone, or maybe you have ever grown one in your home? Although not all of them are fragrant, most of them emit a subtle scent and pleasant fragrance that are said to overpower perfumes sometimes. Some even said to have bad smells. Some even said their smells are toxic. It’s not entirely true. In this article, we will talk about the scent and present the facts behind all those rumours about these flowers!
Aromatherapeutic benefits for well-being
Exciting news, your favourite flower has an aromatherapeutic benefit for a healthy mind! It is none other than Oriental Lilies that often smells sweeter in the evening, as their compound named linalool helped boost up the fragrant of this bloom intensely in the evening. With this scent, your plants can help to decrease stress and increase good feelings around you. Did you know that our sense of smell is capable of triggering both chemical and neurological responses in our body? With a single scent of these blooms, it can relax our mind, lift our lethargic mood, or relief our stress from troubles in our daily lives.
A study published in 2009, titled “Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry”, has stated that the linalool has a positive effect as a stress-reliever in our body. By inhaling this floral-scented compound, our body will reduce chemical changes to our stressed-out immune cells flowing in our bloodstream, then calmed hundred of genes that acted during our stressful conditions. Oriental Lilies have Linalool as one of their major scent components.
Captivating beauty
The beauty of Lily is indeed undeniable. You might have ever crossed by and seen their blooms in a nearby flower shop, or perhaps seen them on the internet, or even grown one in your home or office. Although a rose, gerbera, baby’s breath, and carnation are all also beautiful, this flower that is dubbed as the “Queen of the Garden” sure lives up to its name by presenting its beauty as soon as it started to bloom. They are visually gratifying, confirmed even by the Harvard Medical School that their presence alone adds a positive effect on our well-being. They can give us relaxation, energy, compassion, less depression and stress.
A lily plus a curious cat is dangerous!
You must’ve heard of the words, “Curiosity kills the cat.” This will apply if you are an owner of a Lily plant and a cat. Cats are curious by their nature, and it’s not a surprise if your cat would be drawn to the beautiful blooms in your house. You should be aware that although they are lovely, they pose a threat to your cat! Mainly, those belong in the true lily and daylily families. The entire plant is toxic, starting from the stem, leaves, pollen, flowers, and even the water. Just a sip of the water, licking a few of its pollen, or eating just a tiny amount of its leaf or flower petal might cause your beloved furry pet to develop a fatal kidney failure, even in less than three days. Because they are very dangerous and might cause a high risk of death, it’s wise not to bring them home if you have a cat. You can put it in your workplace instead to avoid the fatal risk!
A ‘drunken flower’ effect
Although the Queen of Garden has a fresh and lovely smell that many people like, it also has a side effect. After all, too much of something always leads to adverse effects, so it is advised to do things moderately. The same also applies to lilies. The fragrance of this plant contains a trace of stimulant, which might lead us to a kind of ‘drunken flower’ disease if smelled for a long time, and it may cause us to get over-excited and unable to sleep at night. Make sure not to put these flowers in your room at night. Although, they are safe as long as you don’t smell them too much. If you enjoy their fragrance moderately, as we have stated above, they can work their magical aromatherapeutic effects for our healthy mind and body.
Why do my lilies smell stink?
Some have even complained that their lovely blooms are smelling bad. The answer is, while some lilies smell aromatically unique to some, others who may have allergies or sensitive noses might not like their smell at all. Although, not all lilies have scents. Some may have such strong fragrance, and some may have only little to no scent at all. Most people usually have problems with Easter Lilies’ odours.
If you have a problem with their fragrance, prepare a pair of tweezers and newspapers. Place some sheets of the newspaper on a clean and level work surface. Layer them about three pages thick. Then, hold the stem in one hand, place the stamen (slender stalk in the centre of petals) facing forward. Insert the tweezers to the centre of the flower and pinch the stamen at the base to break the stamen off. Pull them out then repeat the process for the remaining blossoms.
