Get High on a Good Whiff of Geosmin

The smell of damp earth is free

The Lady at Evergreen, taking a good whiff of damp earth to feed her soul as she stands between towering fennel in the herb garden.

What’s your favourite smell?

I have four favourites, all vying to be number one.

• Coffee.

• Toast.

• Petrichor (the smell of rain).

• Geosmin (the smell of damp earth).

I experience the pleasure of smelling coffee each morning and toast most weekends. Whether I smell petrichor depends on the weather, but I can smell geosmin every day of the year if I want to. All I have to do is go into the garden, put my hands into the soil, lower my head, and take a deep whiff.

Apparently, I’m not alone in loving the smell of geosmin. Everyone who smells it tends to swoon like I do.

Why?

In her book, The Space Between the Stars: On Love, Loss and the Magical Power of Nature to Heal, Indira Naidoo explains:

There are physiological reasons why we find this musty smell or geosmin particularly pleasurable. Geosmin is created by bacteria that live deep in the soil. When the perfume of these compounds hit the prehistoric parts of our olfactory centre it signals that food and water are nearby. It’s why when we smell damp soil our mood lifts immediately.

 It’s the aroma of life.

The world is full of beautiful aromas of flowers, French perfumes and fancy culinary delights. All of these can lift our mood, but they can also cost money.

But the smell of damp earth is free for everyone.

Put your credit card away. Just go outside and take as much as you want.

Indira went on to write:

There’s also considerable research showing that these compounds act in a similar way to antidepressant pills.

Geosmin is the Aroma of Life

Indira wrote the book after her younger sister died suddenly. In her grief, she turned to elements of nature embedded in her urban landscape to find healing: an ancient tree, puddles, ants, the wind, stars, and the soil under her feet.

We come from the earth, and we go back to the earth.

No wonder we can find solace in its aroma.

In many ways, it is our home.

And it’s why, as Indira points out, she’s never met an unhappy gardener.

Gardeners are getting high on geosmin!

So if you want to feel a surge of well-being, go and potter in your garden - or in someone else's.

With love, Marlane