Ambrette

Abelmoschus moschatus is a hairy, erect annual or short-lived perennial that grows one to two metres tall, with lobed leaves and large, pale yellow, hibiscus-like flowers with a crimson centre. After the flower fades, it forms a ridged, hairy pod about 5 to 7 cm long that splits to release many small, kidney-shaped, greyish-brown seeds.

The seeds smell sweetly musky, with fruity, floral and brandy-like notes, and the fragrance becomes more pronounced when they are crushed. They are sold whole, powdered, or distilled as ambrette seed oil or absolute for perfumery, which is among the costliest natural fragrance materials. The plant is also related to okra, and its young pods are sometimes eaten.

Abelmoschus moschatus is native to India and parts of tropical Asia and is now cultivated or naturalised across the tropics, including Southeast Asia, Africa and the Caribbean. It grows in warm, humid regions on moist, well-drained soil.

The French name ambrette, meaning little amber, refers to the scent resembling ambergris. The genus name Abelmoschus comes from an Arabic phrase habb al-misk, meaning seed of musk, and the species name moschatus is Latin for musky. Hindi mushkdana and other names across Asia use the same idea.

Ambrette has been known in Asia and the Middle East for centuries. In Ayurveda, the seeds, called latakasturika, are used for digestive and nervous system tonics, and Unani practitioners also used them. Arab traders carried the seeds across the Indian Ocean and the Middle East, where they were used to scent coffee, tobacco and fabrics, and it is reported that in Yemen, ground seeds are added to coffee as a flavouring.

In Europe, the seed became popular in perfumery in the 18th and 19th centuries, where it was used in powders and sachets. In the 20th century, perfumers valued ambrette oil as a natural musk with a more refined, plant-derived character, particularly when concerns about animal-derived musk from the musk deer grew. Synthetic musks have since replaced most natural musk in mainstream perfumes, but ambrette seed oil, mainly produced in India and Madagascar and also in Indonesia and Ecuador, is still prized in fine fragrance.

The plant is also grown as a garden ornamental, and its fibrous stems have been used locally for cordage.

Distilled ambrette oil and extracts are used in perfumery, cosmetics and as a flavour for tobacco, beverages and sweets. In parts of the Middle East and South Asia, the ground seed flavours coffee and sweetmeats. The seed is also an ingredient in traditional Ayurvedic and Unani preparations.

Young pods and leaves are cooked as vegetables in some regions, and the stems give a fibre used for rope. It also appears in the flavourings of some soft drinks, ice creams, baked goods and confections, always in very small, regulated quantities.

Ambrette seed is used in traditional medicine for digestive, nervous and respiratory complaints, and early laboratory and animal studies have examined its antioxidant and antispasmodic effects. There is no strong human clinical evidence that supports medical use. It is best regarded as an aromatic material used in small amounts rather than a nutritional or therapeutic food.