Scented water

Scented water, odoriferous water or sweet water, is a water with a sweet aromatic smell. It is made of flowers or herbs and is the precursor of the modern day perfume. Scented waters are also used in making other products such as pomanders and body care products.

Some of the flowers and herbs used to make scented water are:

In Medieval times a scented water was used for hygiene by a person washing their hands with it before meals, since many meals were forkless. The wealthy of Medieval times had their linen clothes boiled in scented water.Varahamihira (6th century) was using scented water to clean his toothbrushes. Just prior to Marie Antoinette's execution in 1793 one of her servants was able to smuggle her some minimal need requests, one being some scented water for her teeth.

Hippocrates mentions scented water in his medical practice:

Then dipping (BAPTW) into oil of roses or Egyptian oil, apply it through the day, and, as soon as it stings, take it away, and baptize (BAPTIDZO) it, again, into woman’s milk and Egyptian oil, and apply during the night and rinse with sweet scented water and apply tallow. Hippocrates , ii, 710

Boccaccio in his Decameron mentions scented washing waters:

Without permitting anyone else to lay a hand on him, the lady herself washed Salabaetto all over with soap scented with musk and cloves. She then had herself washed and rubbed down by the slaves. This done, the slaves brought two fine and very white sheets, so scented with roses that they seemed like roses; the slaves wrapped Salabaetto in one and the lady in the other and then carried them both on their shoulders to the bed... They then took from the basket silver vases of great beauty, some of which were filled with rose water, some with orange water, some with jasmine water, and some with lemon water, which they sprinkled upon them.

It was a custom in the Roman Empire for amphitheatres to be furnished with scented water jet fountain sprays for refreshing the spectators. The overhead awning (velarium) shielding the spectators for the Colosseum was saturated with scented water for dripping fragrant water on spectators' heads to keep them cool.

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