Kewda flower may be victim of government crackdown on gutkha in India
Oh, no, my beloved kewda flower, the male flower of the Pandanus odoritissimus, a Prehistoric plant that has survived for millions of year, may be in danger because of a proposed Indian law. It seems that the kewda flower is one ingredient used in a rather toxic chewing gum known as gutkha. You can read the article for all the details, but I will cut the chase about the problem: an industry may be shut down because of this, an industry that supports many families and a beautiful product that is used in perfumery. I use pandanus flower oil in two of my perfumes, Fairchild and Kewdra. I will be able to harvest the flower here in Miami or grow my own if supply dries up. Pandanus - aka Kewda flower I truly don't think it will dry up, because some of the distilleries will remain active. Perhaps the distilleries could have been more forward-thinking and used some long range planning for alternative uses for their kewda oil, but often industries ...