Visual Smell Wheel: Scents of the Amazonian Chemospace
(2024)

Due to the high alkaloid content of Brugmansia plants, extracting essential oils from it requires large amounts of plant material which can derive into a toxic mix. Therefore, this work seeks to create an olfactory experience of the expanded chemospace where Brugmansia plants live and thrive. The smell of various plants used in this work is associated with facilitating healing of both humans and soils, and supprt biosocial exchanges among forest communities. A selection of essential oils extracts and macerated plant mixes were made from plants found in medicinal Chagras: Chondur, Cullanguiyo and Mastranto, among others with support from local farmers and medicine men and women from Putumayo Colombia and Madre de Dios, Peru. Camino Verde reforestation Station and Moena Botanicals provided some of the base ingredients prepared as as essential Oils. Camino Verde is a regeneration project in the Peruvian Amazon that addresses deforestation by supporting smallholder farmers and restoring ecosystems. Through agroforestry and community partnerships, it produces pure, small-batch essential oils from native plants. These regenerative products help rebuild biodiversity and promote a thriving future for people and nature.