Can you guess?
That's right, fenugreek! Those of you who have used this herb to increase milk supply, will be amused to hear that the smell of maple syrup which has been periodically wafting around New York City, causing fears of a gas attack, was in fact fenugreek, according to the New York Times.
Anyone who has used it to increase milk supply will tell you that, when taken in significant amounts, it makes your sweat smell like maple syrup.
I knew that it's used as a cooking spice, and as an artificial maple syrup flavoring, but apparently it's used in fragrances, too. A New Jersey company has been fingered for the smell, which has been wafting into the city from the plant where they process fenugreek seed for use in frangrances.
The NYPD were calling these periodic smells "maple syrup events," and studied atmospheric patterns to determine the source of the smell. Maybe some nursing moms should have helped them out.
Want to get email updates from the Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog? Subscribe here. Want an RSS feed? Subscribe here. Want to subscribe to our breastfeeding podcasts on iTunes? Click here.
