Distil my beating heart

On a quiet, green island in the Indian Ocean is a set of buildings that looks like it might have been the inspiration for US cult series LOST. Its tropical industrial ambience and the smell - heady cloves and lemongrass - give the place a deep sense of atmosphere.

Sacks upon sacks of cloves, rows of shiny machinery that look like Jules Verne imagined them into existence, a dusty lab that seems abandoned by an alchemist... what is this place?

Pemba's essential oil distillery is the production site for the potent and affordable clove oil that is a major export of Zanzibar; as well as a handful of other oils such as sweet basil, eucalyptus, cinnamon leaf and lemongrass.

Locals come here with their clove harvests (you'll see these cloves drying out in the island sun, roadside), which are weighed and then paid for. They then sit and wait to go through the distillation process - dropped into a large metal vat, then bombarded with steam until their precious oils are released upwards into a pipe and then drop down into smaller containers for collection and bottling.

View our gallery tour of the distillery

After the somewhat lacksadaisical tour (distillery staff seem surprised when visitors wander in, are unsure what to charge us, and who should be our guide initially - but the charm of the place more than makes up for the low-key welcome), we're offered the distillery's products for sale.

We buy cinnamon oil, eucalyptus and lemongrass in slightly crude plastic containers that threaten to spill their contents, but those contents are pungent and cheap. If you don't like DEET, this super strong lemongrass is great for warding off mosquitoes.

We ask if there is also potential for the island's distillery to make and export coriander seed oil, recently hailed as a potential solution to the modern 'super-bug' bacterial problem in many Western hospitals, as well as having the potential to kill E. coli and salmonella. Our guide seems unsure, but says he will look into it.

Could there also be the chance to make flower oils, such as jasmine and ylang ylang - markets that tend to be dominated by the Madagascans? Somehow it's hard to imagine this sleepy, disconnected place being a buzzing hive of industry, but that is part of its appeal.

Yet with Pembans being known amongst Zanzibaris for their work ethic and business sense, who knows?

As we left Pemba, the lady at airport security wrinkled her nose. "What is that smell?" she asked "Your bag really stinks!" I explained that it was lemongrass oil from the distillery down the road. "That smell is from Chake Chake?" she replied in disbelief "I don't believe it!"

If you would like to visit the distillery, you can take a taxi from Chake Chake and ask the driver to drop you there. The price of the tour is currently TSH3,000 per person.

Some of the oils available for sale at the distillery:

Clove oil is an antiseptic and stimulating oil useful for the relief of toothache and as a mouthwash to sweeten the breath. It has a strong warm and spicy smell, and is also thought to be good for the treatment of arthritis, bronchitis, colds, indigestion, infected wounds, mouth sores and muscular and nerve tension. It can also be used as an antiseptic and to repel insects.

Cinnamon leaf oil has a spicy, musky smell, and can be used to treat colds and flu, as well as exhaustion and depression. It has strong anti-rheumatic properties and is also useful for the digestive system.

Sweet basil oil is typically used to improve blood circulation and help the digestive system. It can be used to treat insect bites and stings, and can assist with cases of anxiety and mental fatigue.

Lemongrass oil works well as a muscle and skin toner, and is said to revitalize the body and mind. It also helps to fight against infections and helps in the recovery from illness. It repels insects and also can be used to keep pets free from pests such as fleas, ticks and lice.

Eucalyptus Citriodora oil from the so-called lemon-scented eucalyptus tree, is effective against fungus and is a strong antiseptic, as well as being an anti-inflammatory. It has a soothing, fresh, citronella-like scent.

Eucalyptus Camaldulensis oil is a light oil with a soft, earthy aroma that can be used as an antiseptic, or to ease rheumatism, arthritis, asthma and muscular aches. It is also said by some to relieve fevers that arise from infectious disease.