Orris Root
Iris pallida, Iris germanica, Iris florentina
Synonyms:
Iris, Flag Iris
Family:
Iridaceae, Iris family
Where to find this herb:
Cultivated all over Europe
Part(s) used:
root
Special constituents:
Essential oil , 0,1-2%, known as "orris butter", consisting of about 85% myristic acid, with irone, ionone, menthyl myristate. Isoflavones: irilone irigenin, iridin and others. Triterpenes: β-sitosterol, α- and β-amyrin
Correspondance:
Venus/Water (Cunningham), Moon (Beyerl)
Uses:
Demulcent, aromatic, expectorant, antidiarrhoeal.
Iriswortel 
Violrod Description:
Orris Root is the underground rhizome of 3 species of Iris. It is cultivated in Italy and Marocco. The rhizome may be peeled or unpeeled, the better quality being the peeled, which is creamy- white in colour.
Orris Root is used as a fixative in the perfume industry. It also has a scent of its own, but this is usually not detectable in blends with other herbs. The scent is similar to Violets (thus the Danish name, Violrod, meaning Violet-root) although the plant is not related to Violets.
Medicinally, Orris Root has been taken for coughs and diarrhoea as an infusion. It is used in dental preparations and in cachous, which are sweets used by smokers to disguise the odour of the breath.
Orris Absolute, one of the most expensive of all natural perfume materials, is on a steady retreat from the perfumer's shelf. This fact is due not only to the high price of orris absolute, but also because of the appearance of a number of fine synthetic chemicals which either reproduce the principal notes in orris absolute, or are actually present in the natural material and have been duplicated in organic synthesis. Orris Absolute is produced from the concrete oil of orris by alkali washing in ethyl ether solution to remove the myristic acid which amounts to 85-90% of the concrete oil. The absolute is also produced from a petroleum ether concrete, which is free from myristic acid. The liquid portion is carefully vacuum distilled. The resulting absolute is a water white or very pale yellow, oily liquid of extremely delicate, sweet floral, yet somewhat woody odor which appears very weak at firs t, but later, or on dilution, displays its full and impressive strength and diffusion. Orris Absolute is mainly used in perfumes and only in high class lotion types or similar bases where the price does not prohibit its application.
For incense-making, mix a small amount of Orris Root into your incense blend. It will work as a fixative, making your incense last longer. It adds a delicate note of its own. In my experience, Orris Root mixes well with all scents, and it is special in the sense that it is an aerial scent, very light, but still manages to fixate the scent of other herbs (in contradiction to most other fixatives, which are very heavy and "earthy").