Goloka – ORGANICA – Davanam

I hesitated to buy Davanam because davanam belongs to the mugwort family, and I can’t stand the mugwort that is native here in Germany. Its scent strongly reminds me of cannabis, just without its distinctive sweetness.

With a batch of second-hand incense sticks I bought on Kleinanzeigen, I eventually got around to trying them. In brick-and-mortar stores, these incense sticks are usually priced at €3 for a 15g box, while online retailers often offer them for less. Ephra World, for example, sells them for €1.85.

On the back of the packaging, it states that Davanam is Artemisia siversiana, which is (according to them) also referred to as ‘southern wood’. However, searching for ‘southern wood’ leads to a different mugwort species: Artemisia abrotanum. Meanwhile, the plant actually known as Davanam (or Davana) is Artemisia pallens.

Thankfully, Davanam doesn’t have a marijuana-like scent, but it is very herbaceous. It has a fresh yet slightly tart herbal aroma, with a greenish tone that can come across as somewhat piercing but not unpleasant.
The dry, herbal-tart note with a hint of camphor bolsters my suspicion that Indian mugwort might be one of the components of Vrindavan Flower.

Unlike in Sri Tulsi from this line, I don’t find Davanam’s sweetness overdone or otherwise off-putting. On the contrary, it rounds out the scent nicely. It’s a honeyed sweetness, and at times, I catch a pleasant floral nuance in the composition.

Davanam isn’t quite to my taste, but I find the scent surprisingly pleasant. A vibrant, herbal bouquet for those who enjoy green, tart and slightly sweet aromas.