What is ambergris and where does it come from?

Those who are interested in perfume, probably know the class of fragrances "amber", but did anyone wonder why he is called that and in general what is amber? In fact, there is no riddle in this. This is the name of the waxlike substance that is formed in the digestive tract of sperm whales. Among the lay people, however, there is a version that amber is nothing but vomit masses of whales. But scientists have long concluded that the substance is not formed in the stomach, but in the intestines of sperm whales and is excreted from there.

It is believed that the secretion of this substance is caused by wounds that inflict sharp squamut beaks on the intestines of sperm whales. However, there is no exact information on what amber is and how exactly it is formed. This substance is collected on the sea coasts, as well as during the capture of whales. There are 4 main types: fresh, white, ordinary and black amber. Fresh product is almost useless, so experts usually advise throwing such finds into the sea for further maturation. White amber is the most expensive and rare - it is very long in the sea. Pieces of this species are usually quite small and solid, as part of the substance is washed and the surface is oxidized. The oldest pieces can easily crumble into dust.

And what is an ordinary category of amber? This substance is gray-brown in color, it has a strong specific flavor, its pieces are larger, and the texture is less dense than in the previous species, some stratification may be noticeable. Finally, the last type is black (low quality) amber, which occurs most often. This substance was in the sea for a very short time, so almost did not have time to oxidize. Nevertheless, the pieces are quite dense, although not always solid, and also have a pronounced odor.

By the way, about how this stuff smells. As the quality grows, its aroma becomes thinner and sweeter. If black ambergris can have a pronounced fecal note in smell, then from white you will feel only a subtle sweetish fragrance. Nevertheless, all categories of this substance, except fresh, find application both in perfumery, and in nontraditional medicine.

The fact is that amber, the fragrance of which is used to fix the smell of perfume, is very much appreciated in oriental medicine, as is the mummy. However, because of the rarity and high cost, it is almost impossible to acquire it, because the monopoly for the purchase of virtually all amber reserves is owned by the world's elite perfumery manufacturers. However, in recent years, instead of it and musk, synthetic fixers and perfume compositions have increasingly become used.

It is also believed that this substance literally exudes pheromones that attract the opposite sex, but this point of view is unlikely to be grounded. Ambergris probably does not contain substances that attract people, but whales can act. And yet it is interesting what amber is for whales, and what is its original functional purpose. Scientists among other possible answers also consider the option that this substance serves as a kind of message about the state of health, the genotype and carries other information about a particular specimen of cetaceans.