Fukuhana Oil
"The smoke smelled of lavender and passion, as the hostess breathed out of her pipe. By her words, it was their Lucky Flower, a source of peace that could make a roiling storm fall asleep. I must say, whether it was the smoke, or the madam's regal presence, it certainly did the trick."
The Fukuhana (福花), meaning Fortunate Flower, is a cannabis plant that has provided much of the Kaguyan Federation with joy for centuries now, and recently been providing that to the world at large as well. While regulations are tight around it, there are more than a few ways to get it if you're feeling naughty, and the happiness it'll bring afterwards will make that all go away!
Just make sure you are responsible, and don't cast under the influence!
History, Discovery
Fukuhana Oil is derived from the eponymous plant, a cannabinoid grown primarily in the Kaguyan Federation. The oil itself is derived from, specifically, the terpenes attached to the flora itself and is chemically washed to separate it from the plant matter.
It has been a staple in Kaguya for many generations, as it's violet pines with faint iridescence (given by it's terpenes) have awed and inspired many. It's use as a popular incense and recreational smoking herb has also been a key piece of its history, especially among nobles and in the renowned Pleasure Houses, before the government began to crack down on it as a drug.
Fukuhana Oil as a specific product was a more recent discovery, born from a tragedy. No exacts are known, likely for secrecy and safety, but the story goes that an alchemist who was using the herb to calm their anxiety had their village raided by Hippolytan soldiers in the year years of the Border Wars, and their house was unfortunately burned to the ground. While their laboratory was underneath the house, the fire caused many glass containers they couldn't flee with to be destroyed, including a bottle of Liars Water, a chemical solvent prized for it's efficiency in cleaning and evaporating. Upon returning to their lab, they saw that the Liars Water had splashed onto their Fukuhana plant, and left a puddle of the thick, sticky resin in its wake. After testing the potability and efficacy of the product, they tested other solvents and passed it along to colleagues of theirs who had more hands-on experience with the plant, which led to the creation and proliferation of the oil.
Properties
Material Characteristics
Once harvested and refined, Fukuhana oil tends to keep a faint yellow or orange hue to it. Texture wise, it can take many forms depending on the distillation method, but in general its solid forms are dense and waxy, but can crumble and break apart easily.
Its scent is the most notable feature, with it being immensely musky and pungent. While many producers add in different materials, or cross-pollinate them with different flowers, in order to change and enhance the scent and flavor, its natural scent has notes of faint lavender behind the musk, as the Fukuhana flower grows best in fields lined with Lavender shrubs.
History & Usage
Environmental Impact
While the Fukuhana flower is native and quite bountiful in the Kaguyan Federation, worries of over-harvesting and over-planting have been raised as of late, and the popularity boom of the flower and its byproducts have not helped that. However, since it and other cannabinoids have moved from "illegal and punishable by jail time for production and possession" to "legal to use and own but highly regulated to buy and produce", government and local druids are able to help advise approved growers mitigate those effects.
Aside from that, an issue inherent with the flower itself is that it's a greedy plant. Its roots tend to spread far and choke out nutrients from other plants in the area, and take much of their water as well. While the exact cause is still unknown, the only known counter to this is lavender shrubs, as when both grow next to each other the roots become entangled, and the Fukuhana roots don't go beyond the shrubs. This odd bit of symbiosis allows the shrubs and flowers to share nutrients rather than having them stolen from others, and has given Fukuhana oil its trademark scent.
Distribution
Trade & Market
Pre-Border Wars, the use and trade of Fukuhana oil for anything other than medical uses was strictly illegal, although the dried flower and roots, rendered free from the THC. was still used for incense and other scent based products. This left the only way for many to get it being illicit means, either private dealers or smugglers.
In the midst of the wars, the drug became legal but regulated, lightly at first, so that the trade and sale of it could be taxed and added to the national coffers for the war efforts, as well as provide aid to soldiers on the battlefield.
Once the dust settled, fear about addiction and drug use of all kinds began to sound out throughout Edda, especially that of veterans, and so while still legal the regulations tightened up, ESPECIALLY when it came to exporting to other nations. So, while there are plenty of legal resources to get it outside of the Federation, they cost a pretty penny, take quite a long time, and have low quality and varieties compared to internal sale. This has led to a resurgence of under the counter sales, and the need for smugglers who can get it imported without all the hoops that bump up the price.
There are other cannabis options across Edda, the most popular of which are sourced from Afallon or Hippolyta, but since Fukuhana has a more pleasant scent, mostly calming effects, and less side-effects, it is by far the most popular.
Refinement & Byproducts
While the terpenes that go into the oil are already present on the flower itself, to get just the oil requires a harvested flower to be washed in a fast evaporating solvent, sometimes more than once, before any potential additives are included. There are multiple ways of doing that that range from simple chemical washing and heat pressing to full alchemical procedures, depending on what product one specifically wants to turn the oils into.
As the refinement process requires chemicals, and specifically fast evaporating chemicals, it isn't a naturally replicable process, although many people simply harvest and grind the flower to get the oil, so there are natural ways to get the benefits.
Uses
Fukuhana oil, once extracted from the flower, can be made into a waxy substance on it’s own, turned into more easily digestible oils, or molded into a variety of different solid forms although those typically require different extraction methods. The most popular compound has it mixed into meltables such as butter or chocolate.
As a potent concentration of the cannabinoids, it is used both for medical and recreational purposes to aid against depression, anxiety, muscle pain, and a potential gamut of mental issues. In a purely recreational sense, it's also a good method of chilling out, as Fukuhana cannabis is a purely indica plant, meaning it makes the mind sleepy and calm rather than alert.
The oil is also frequently added to other products, such as creams, essential oils, butters, and more.
Ahh a substance that helped inspire a 'war on drugs' truly a timeless tale. And as is the way, didn't really seem to work clearly! I also really enjoyed the unique biological aspects of the plant itself, the relationship with Lavender feels like it could be a whole other SC article if one wished, for that is an interesting thing any botanist would surely wish to investigate and more deeply understand if possible. A well written piece I enjoyed learning about very much and most certainly will tuck in my growing collection.