Body, odors emanating from

The lower-molecular-weight thiols and sulfides are most notorious for their foul smell. Ethanethiol is detectable by its odor even when it is diluted in 50 million parts of air. The major volatile components of the skunk s defensive spray are 3-methyl-1-butanethiol, trans-2-butene-l-thiol, and tra i-2-butenyl methyl disulfide. The all-too-familiar human BO (body odor) emanating from sweaty armpits was analyzed by chemists in the perfume industry in 2004. The major chemical culprit is 3-mercapto-3-methylhexan-l-ol, specifically the obnoxious 5-enantiomer. It is excreted admixed with 25% of its mirror image, which, curiously, has a fruity odor. 

Humans are highly sensitive to the influence of odors in their living environment, and human emotions such as relaxation, exhilaration, sensuality, happiness, and well-being are closely related to odors that stimulate the olfactory pathways in the brain and, in particular, the limbic system. Throughout the world, the application of fragrances to mask the presence of unpleasant odors has been a common method employed to refresh a domestic environment. Personal hygiene products and cosmetics are frequently scented in order to mask natural odors emanating from the body. Perfumed substances in the form of an aerosol, liquid, or solid are often sprayed or rubbed directly on to the skin. 

The historic descriptions of Psilocybe semilanceata cited above are so detailed that I cannot add any of better quality. In spite of many opinions in the literature to the contrary, there is a noticeable odor that emanates from damp fruiting bodies that have been opened. This odor is similar to, but weaker than the one associated with Psilocybe bohemica, which is often described as reminiscent of radishes or poppies, but as generally not unpleasant (also see Chapter 3.2). 

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