What is musk oil?

Answer 1

Most Musk oil comprises a synthetic musk ingredient used in scents. The aromatic essence is inspired by a "musky" extract derived from a miniature antler-less deer which originates deep in the Himalayan mountains. Moschus moschiferus is a relatively harmless animal weighing just twenty-five pounds and standing twenty inches in height. The scent pod of the male musk deer has been sought after for centuries and its aroma is considered one of the most popular scents throughout history, dating back to ancient Roman, Persian, and Chinese cultures. The animals are threatened or endangered. The synthetic musks are quite good, but the complexity of the animal-derived musk continues to fuel some hunting. The worth of musk oil from deer exceeds its weight in gold. A number of other animals have what are denoted as musk glands or secrete what is called musk, but none of them is used commercially. Certain plants have a scent that is called musk as well. Links are provided for more detail. Additional Info: The musk oil is produced from a gland removed from the bottom of the belly of the Asia Musk Deer, Tokapi Deer, or Chinese Wild Deer. It is about the size of a small orange, and can only be obtained from the adult male deer. It is the either boiled in oil, or dried in to grains. In Mongolia it has been illegal to hunt these deer since 1953, but it is estimated by the number of musk glands on the market that 2000 male deer have been poached yearly in Mongolia alone between 1996 and 2001. Due in part to their size, trapping is a normal hunting pratice. One researcher witnessed 500 to 600 traps in a sq. kilometer (0.6 sq. miles) of the deer's range in Russia. Using this method, all deer are trapped and it is estimated that it will take 3 to 5 deer to find a fully mature stag (male). In Russia alone that would be 60,000 deer killed in one year to equal the amount of musk sold at their markets. All this for perfumes (5 % of trade) and traditional medicines of China (bulk of musk trade) and others. Currently the musk gland is used in as many as 400 Chinese and Korean traditional remedies, that have been made for over 5,000 years if not more. But as the populations grow in that area of the world, it consumes the habitat of this species, while demanding ever more Musk Deer's gland! Laws are in place to protect and conserve these deer in their range, it appears enforcing them is not a priority. To get more details see site listed below.