Do you know about floating gold ? Wondering about Archimedes’ formula? Moreover, gold floats in water or what? In fact, it is a very expensive substance. Found floating in water. Hence it is also called floating gold. The name of this precious substance is ambergris. However, although the name is ambergris, it has nothing to do with the country of Greece. It is associated with whale fish. Even though he is not a whale, he is a sperm whale. Ambergris comes from the throat of this particular type of whale. It is actually the vomit of that particular type of whale. You may be sneezing now. But the interesting thing is that ambergris is used to make expensive perfumes in different countries of the world. It can be said that the combination of whale vomit makes a musk-like fragrance. A perfume made from vomit, that too from sperm whales. If you want to understand the matter, you must first know about the sperm whale.
Its origin is from the Greek word sperma. Which means seed. It is semi-liquid and waxy. It is also called sperm oil. This sperm oil is produced in the part from the beak to the head of the whale. It is used as lighting and lubricant. Sperm whales are rare species. But poachers, eager to extract ambergris and sperm oil, do not hesitate to kill this whale when they find it. Sperm whales can live up to 70 years. Male whales are much larger in size than females. An adult sperm whale is 16 to 20 meters long. This species of whale is the largest of the toothed whales. Its tooth structure has a distinct beauty. That is why it is called Keshalon in French. Which means big teeth. The sperm whale is found mainly in Greenland, Falkland, South Georgia, St. Helena, Iceland, South Orkney Island, Antarctica and various areas of the Arctic. However, sperm whales can also be found off the coast of Mumbai, India.
Sperm whales eat many squids (octopus-like animals) throughout the day. They accumulate in the stomach. There a complex physical process produces the substance called ambergris. It makes up about one percent of the total waste in the whale’s body. This substance is expelled by the whale mouth. After coming into water, it freezes like wax. It floats. Gradually floated to the shore of the sea. One kg of ambergris costs one crore rupees in the international market. This is why it is called floating gold or floating gold. Ambergris is in good demand in different countries of the world including Dubai. Fresh ambergris is soft and black or gray in color. Apart from making medicine, perfume, it has also been used in food in the past. It floats in the sea for a long time and accumulates on the shore. As ambergris ages, the sweetness of its smell increases. The process of oxidation to float in sea water changes its color and smell.
Ambergris has long been used in perfumery. However, it is known that its use in food and drink was also prevalent. A favorite dish of King Charles II of England was scrambled eggs with ambergris. In 18th century Europe, ambergris was used to make hot chocolate and Turkish coffee. Ambergris was burned as incense in ancient Egypt. In China, it is called ‘dragon spit fragrance’. In medieval Europe, ambergris was used to treat colds, headaches, and epilepsy. The Indian medical book ‘Materia Medica’ mentions ambergris and describes it as a stimulant. Ayurvedic and Unani systems of medicine in India also mention its use. Ambergris was used along with various medicinal plants to treat physical weakness, fever, typhoid, epilepsy, nervous disorders. Ambergris is also mentioned in the writings of the scholar and traveler Ibn Battuta.
Leave a Reply