Pheromones: The Magical Scent

Scientists researching pheromones say that mammals think through their noses. Virtually all organisms, from yeast to insects to humans, produce volatile smelly pheromones that act as sexual magnets and send other messages such as dominance or fear. Pheromones are substances secreted by one animal that cause some behavioral response in a second animal.

Pheromone is from the Greek words pherein, which means to bring or to transfer, and hormon, which means to excite. Most studied pheromones are volatile smells but other is transferred by direct skin-to-skin contact. Pheromones are primarily present in the skin and the glands of skin, in saliva, urine, and vaginal liquids. (Cohn 1994)

Some pheromones are oil-like chemical odors that can be put into perfumes and oils. However, other pheromones are proteins which must be transferred by physical skin to skin contact or by kissing. (Singer 1991) Kissing is nearly universal in human culture and may be an unconscious method of transferring protein pheromones.

However, in recent years the definition of pheromones has been expanded to include both attractive and repulsive pheromones which play a major part in attraction between persons. While you may be attracted by the pheromones of one person, and pheromones of another person may repel you.

Along with the benefits from usage of these pheromones, there some disadvantages too. These pheromones can also trigger aggression. But, on the other hand, traditional plant pheromone all have soothing properties, encourage calmness, and have been also used for meditation and religious ceremonies.

Plants use chemicals to attract bees and other pollinators to their flowers. Some plant pheromones have similar chemistry to animal pheromones. Musk is a strong pheromone from musk deer, musk ducks, musky moles, muskrats, musk ox and musk beetles. But similar pheromones exist in musk melons, musk hyacinths, musk cherries, musk thistle, musk rose, musk plums and musk wood.

Human beings use lots of expensive deodorants and perfumes. But these expensive perfumes often fail. Why?! The key to using pheromones and scents is to put them into contact with large areas of our body. Then the heat of our body biochemically alters the odors and blends them into our overall pheromone signature.

One's personal pheromone "odor signature" is a complex mixture of pheromones containing body oils and fatty acids, sweat, and hormones such as androstenone secreted onto the skin from your apocrine glands. In addition, the 40 million skin cells that you shed each day add to your pheromone signature.

Perfumes that are dabbed on a small area – such as the wrist – do not effectively mix into our overall pheromone signature. Thus, they exist as a separate smell and do little to change our total pheromone signature. Furthermore, the mixing of many different scents in perfumes produces a confusing pheromone signal.

Though there are good number of artificial pheromones with many fragrances available in the market, we can manage without any or we can choose the best needed instead of an expensive perfume or deodorant.