Question:
... is mentioned in a few history of scent books I've read. It was hugely valuable in Rome.
Wikipedia mentions that it is rarely used in modern perfumery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spikenard
My questions are: Why? Many ancient scents ingredients have survived (e.g. frankincense),the source plant still grows and it is possible to extract an EO. Is it somehow unsuited to modern tastes (whatever they are)?
and, beyond the EO are there any commercial scents that use it in discernable quantities?

Answer:
There's an old German firm, Walter Rau, built around a cosmetics line called Speick. A mainstay of the German past, my dad always used their products (and Old Spice):
It's widely available in drugstores
http://www.speickwerk.com/
This spikenard - Valeriana Celtica - is a protected alpine herb that can only be harvested in small quantities. And I can't for the life of me remember it's smell. Guess I'll grab a bar of that soap some time.

Answer:
Brown spikenard oil has a very musky, but damp and vegetal smell, with a slightly "fatty" note. It's somewhat like ambrette seed, but more powerful and nuanced. The pure oil has strong sedative properties, aromatherapeutically. I can imagine it being a hard ingredient to work with in modern perfumery.
I know the ancient Egyptians used it quite a bit, and it's a traditional Hebrew/Arab annointing oil.
I'm sure a lot of people on Basenotes would like the smell, but the average person would probably consider it "dirty".

Answer:
Originally Posted by michaeld39 ... is mentioned in a few history of scent books I've read. It was hugely valuable in Rome.
Wikipedia mentions that it is rarely used in modern perfumery
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spikenard
My questions are: Why? Many ancient scents ingredients have survived (e.g. frankincense),the source plant still grows and it is possible to extract an EO. Is it somehow unsuited to modern tastes (whatever they are)?
and, beyond the EO are there any commercial scents that use it in discernable quantities? A quick answer to your question as to why Frankincense survives is because of its historical centrality as an incense ingredient in religious worship in many different cultures over vast periods of time.
With regard to Frankincense, a good place to start might be:
Nigel Groom. Frankincense And Myrrh: A Study of The Arabian Incense Trade (1981). ISBN: 0582764769

Also, see Nigel Groom’s The New Perfume Handbook (2nd ed., 1997), which has a wealth of information on the perfumery in the Ancient World and thereafter (ISBN: 0751404039).
scentemental



Answer:
Originally Posted by Arvydas Brown spikenard oil has a very musky, but damp and vegetal smell, with a slightly "fatty" note.
I'm sure a lot of people on Basenotes would like the smell, but the average person would probably consider it "dirty". I have a small vial and I agree with your description. I would add Stuffy and Sweaty to the list of adjectives. On Ebay they normally have Spikenard based perfumes and lotions that are marketed towards suburban Christians looking for an authentic slice of the New Testament. Do an Ebay search, I'll bet you find a Spikenard based fragrance there.

Answer:
Originally Posted by Cipriano On Ebay they normally have Spikenard based perfumes and lotions that are marketed towards suburban Christians looking for an authentic slice of the New Testament. LOL!

Answer:
[quote=Cipriano;1000416]I have a small vial and I agree with your description. I would add Stuffy and Sweaty to the list of adjectives. /QUOTE]
Originally Posted by Arvydas Brown spikenard oil has a very musky, but damp and vegetal smell, with a slightly "fatty" note. It's somewhat like ambrette seed, but more powerful and nuanced. The pure oil has strong sedative properties, aromatherapeutically. I can imagine it being a hard ingredient to work with in modern perfumery.
I know the ancient Egyptians used it quite a bit, and it's a traditional Hebrew/Arab annointing oil.
I'm sure a lot of people on Basenotes would like the smell, but the average person would probably consider it "dirty".
Sounds interesting - if you layered it with Muscs Kublai Khan you would get Muscs Genghis Khan?
Scentimental makes an excellent point that religious use can provide a vehicle for continuity, (sandalwood would be another example). Other notes though seem to have survived on their own (e.g. rose, violet). Are there (other?) scent ingredients that have fallen off the map, not through extinction, cost or welfare considerations but because people do not want to smell those ingredients any more?
_

Answer:
Originally Posted by michaeld39
Sounds interesting - if you layered it with Muscs Kublai Khan you would get Muscs Genghis Khan?
Rolling in the aisles. You made my day

Answer:
Originally Posted by the_good_life There's an old German firm, Walter Rau, built around a cosmetics line called Speick. A mainstay of the German past, my dad always used their products (and Old Spice):It's widely available in drugstores http://www.speickwerk.com/
This spikenard - Valeriana Celtica - is a protected alpine herb that can only be harvested in small quantities. And I can't for the life of me remember it's smell. Guess I'll grab a bar of that soap some time. I remember both, and by hearsay (or supported by advertising?) 'Speick' products would save boys from getting the usual pimples or acne even. That's how Rau stayed in business when Old Spice was not widely available yet and Muelhens' 'Irsih Moss' too 'luxurious' for students. The soap has a certain medicinal freshness and smells herbal spicy clean. But the after shave was bit too much. It felt like burning pimples away, worse than antiseptic alcohol! Now they have a balm which may be better.
Strange that three totally different mountain herbs and flowers carry 'spike/spica' in their names: the Indian/Nepalese Nardostachis jatamansi, Valeriana celtica (Speick), and the raw kind of lavender Lavandula spica. Essential oils are available of all of them. The uses are similar but not their smell.

I suppose Indian perfumes will sometimes contain Nardostachis j. and the 'Holy Smokes Natural Line' incense sticks offer 'Indian Flower' in their line which contains NJ. About its smell and medicinal virtues: http://www.msinp.com/herbs/product/product.htm