Grapefruit Essential Oil Facts and Uses; always a favorite!

I love that grapefruit is wonderful for mind, body and spirit…

Grapefruit essential oil is one of my faves, and for good reason, not only is it a sunshiny, happy scent- it is great for a multitude of purposes.Read on for more facts and fabulous uses for Grapefruit Essential Oil.

Grapefruit Essential Oil Facts:

Latin name: Citrus paradisi. Family name: Rutacaea.

Grapefruit oil is cold pressed from the peel of the U.S. grapefruit.It has a fresh, sweet, citrus scent.

Some traditional uses:

• lift melancholy,
• relieve muscle fatigue,
• as an astringent for oily skin,
• refresh and energize the body,
• stimulate detoxification, (also great for anti-cellulite blends!)
• as an airborne disinfectant

Emotional profile:

• for use with self-doubt and criticism,
• dependency, frustration and grief.

Blends with:

• lemon,
• palmarosa,
• bergamot,
• neroli,
• rosemary,
• cardamon,
• geranium,
• lavender
• cypress
• and many others!

Capillary Gas Chromatography and Carbon-13 NMR Spectroscopy

.38% alpha-Pinene .42% Sabinene .02% beta-Pinene 1.37% Myrcene .02% para-Cymene 83.40% Limonene .01% gamma-Terpinene .62% Octanal .07% Nonanal .40% Decanal .02% Dodecanal .04% alpha-Terpineol .09% Citronellal .04% Neral .06% Geranial .06% Carvone .24% beta-Caryophyllene .10% Nootkatone .01% (Z)-3-Hexenol .09% 1-Octanol .01% (E)-2-Hexenal .01% Ethyl butyrate.01% Valencene

Some Places Where You Can Buy Grapefruit Essential Oil

whether you like white grapefruit, pink grapefruit, from overseas, or right here in Florida, you can find grapefruit essential oil quite easily.

• grapefruit eo from Amazon.com
• Organic Grapefruit Essential Oil from Mountain Rose Herbs
• Grapefruit Essential Oil From Nature With Love
• Ebay

 

Coriander Essential Oil; Happiness in a bottle

Coriander happens to be one of my very favorite essential oils, especially when blended with sweet orange. The floral-sweet-green-lively scent puts a smile on my face every time I open the bottle. I use it in almost every blend I make (if possible…some blends it doesn’t suit).

If you think you don’t like coriander essential oil, try sniffing a whiff of its lovely aroma and tell me you didn’t smile

Read on for more info about this awesome essential oil!

Coriander Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Coriandrum sativum

Plant Part: Seeds

Extraction Method: Steam Distilled

Origin: India

Description: This annual or biennial plant is a native of Morocco and grows to about 1 meter (3 feet) in height. It has sparse, fine, feathery leaves and pinkish/white flowers. The brownish, globose seeds have a disagreeable smell until they ripen, when they take on their spicy aroma. The bright green delicate leaves, umbels of lace-like white flowers are followed by a mass of green (turning brown) round seeds. These seeds are hard and egg-shaped, borne in pairs, which do not separate. The Oleoresin has a strong aroma of coriander.

Color: Colorless to pale yellow clear liquid.

Common Uses: The therapeutic properties of Coriander Essential Oil include being analgesic, aphrodisiac, antispasmodic, carminative, depurative, deodorant, digestive, carminative, fungicidal, revitalizing, stimulant and stomachic. Coriander Oil can be useful to refresh and awake the mind. It can be used for mental fatigue, migraine pain, tension and nervous weakness. This oil’s warming effect is also helpful for alleviating pain such as rheumatism, arthritis and muscle spasms. There are some indications that it can also be useful in combating colds and flu.

Consistency: Thin

Note: Medium

Strength of Aroma: Medium

Blends well with: Coriander Essential Oil blends particularly well with Bergamot, Cinnamon Bark , Ginger, Grapefruit, Lemon, Neroli and Orange.

Aromatic Scent: Coriander Oil has a sweet, spicy, slightly fruity, herbaceous warm smell. It has been claimed by some aromatherapists that the aroma improves if allowed to age.

History: The Egyptians used Coriander seeds as an aphrodisiac. The Romans and Greeks used the seeds to flavor their wines and in India the seeds are used in their cooking. Coriander seeds were even found in the tomb of Tutankhamun. The Carmelite order in France used Coriander seeds to flavor their 17th century eau de toilette and it is still used in Chartreuse and Benedictine liqueurs.

Cautions: Avoid use during pregnancy.

Coriander, the herb of happiness

When I open the bottle a sharp, astringent scent punches out and fills the room. “This isn’t coriander!” I think. The aha moment comes when I realize it may be cilantro – the other part of the plant. I enjoy using coriander seed essential oil in perfumes and have had a couple of bottles of the essential oil that aged nicely to develop a lovely, sweet woody scent reminiscent of rosewood, thanks to the linalool that is present, up to 70% of the essential oil. Smaller percentages of components like thujene, pinene, terpinene and limonene contribute a sharp, herbal and lemony smell and add character as the oil ages. I can smell these in my new coriander supply currently aging on my shelf. Unripe seeds have a higher percentage of aldehydes including trans-2-decenal and decanal that likely add a sharp smell and are responsible for the fresh taste of the leaf, cilantro. The aldehyde C-11 or undecanal is also present in the leaves and is used in perfumes to provide a clean smell. The seeds when immature may smell strongly and be unpleasant but as they age the smell becomes citrusy, woody, spicy and complex. The taste also mellows in older seeds.

Coriander may be one of the oldest flavorings in the world, both seed and leaf. Ancient Egyptians used to bruise the seeds and mix it into their bread. The greens are one of the bitter herbs mentioned in the Bible to be used for Passover. Coriander has been used by the Chinese as a love potion and more recently finds a place in many of the world’s cuisines and all parts are used including the root. Many know the leaves as cilantro and enjoy the spicy citrus taste this herb adds to a variety of foods. Some people, however, detect an unpleasant soapy odor and strongly dislike the herb. Julia Child has been reported to say that she would pluck out any cilantro in her food and throw it on the floor. Distaste for cilantro may be genetic or it may be learned or a combination of both. Like many herbs and spices, coriander is known to be an antioxidant and anti-bacterial and may assist digestion. It is in the carrot/parsley family.

I like how I can get spice and wood from this lovely oil and how it tames cinnamon, if only a little bit. It also provides lift in heavy floral perfumes and is often found paired with rose or jasmine. Coriander was used in Carmelite water by fourteenth century nuns and in Eau de Carmes cologne – a Paris favorite for many years. With a little bit of rose geranium or palmarosa it may be used as a substitute for endangered rosewood in some blends.-from; http://bellyflowers.blogspot.com/2011/03/coriander-herb-of-happiness.html

Rose Geranium Essential Oil

Rose Geranium

Pelargonium roseum is not only beautiful, but happens to be one of the most useful, and wonderful essential oils we have. As you’ll soon see, it’s uses are many and it’s beauty is more than skin deep.

Rose Geranium, or Geranium Rose-

AuraCacia has this to say about Geranium essential oil:

Pelargonium graveolens, the rose-scented geranium, belongs to the same plant genus as the popular red-flowered window box geranium. Geraniums are native to arid areas of South Africa’s Cape Province. The plant is highly drought resistant, thanks to its semi-succulent, water-conserving stems and leaves.

The essential oil in rose geranium leaves has constituents — geraniol, linalol and citronellol — that are also present in rose oil. It’s not surprising that the aroma of geranium’s fragrance resembles that of rose with a musty, minty-green undertone.

Geranium oil has been described as a natural perfume complete unto itself. It’s often used to scent soaps and detergents because, unlike many other essential oils, rose geranium’s aroma profile is not readily affected by the alkaline nature of soap products.

Rose geranium varies much across strains and distillations, in part because the plant is greatly influenced by the climate and soil in which it grows. Geranium oil can range from very sweet and rosy to musty, minty and green. One type of geranium oil, known as Bourbon, has established itself as a premium perfume oil. Bourbon geranium is cultivated and distilled exclusively on the island of Reunion in the Indian ocean. The environment of Reunion has produced a strain of geranium with a very rich, rosy aroma. Perfumers prefer to work with Bourbon oil because it blends well with a wide array of very different oils including clove, sandalwood and lavender.

The main geranium oil-producing regions of the world are found on the African continent, Russia, China and Reunion. Russian and Chinese oils tend to have a greener, fresh-rosy aroma while Egyptian and Reunion oils tend to be heavier and darker.

Geranium oil is distilled from the above-ground parts of the plant. Most of the essential oil glands are found in its leaves. After cutting, the plants are partially dried to increase the yield of oil. That way there’s less water to be vaporized and extracted from the plant material during the distillation.

Popular during the Victorian era, rose geranium was often kept potted in parlors were a fresh sprig was always available to revive the senses. The fresh leaves were also offered in finger bowls at formal dining tables.

Today, geranium is an indispensable aromatherapy oil. It’s one of the best skincare oils, offering relief from congested, oily and dry skin. On an emotional level, geranium promotes stability and balance.

Aromatherapy Uses: Lifts the spirits, boosts immune system and heals a variety of skin conditions such as eczema, burns, wounds, bruises and others. Great hormonal balancer for women. analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, antihemorrhagic, cicatrizant, diuretic, lymphotonic, antimicrobial, antipruritic, antispasmodic , antiviral, astringent, tonic & stimulant, pancreatic stimulant, deodorant, hepato-stimulant, phlebotonic

Skin: acne,burns, bruises, broken capillaries, balances oil glabnd secretion, congested and mature skin, healing especially after facial plastic surgery, eczema, cellulite, mosquito repellent

Respiratory: asthma, sore throat, tonsillitis, clears mucus Muscular/skeletal: osteo- arthritis, rheumatism

Digestive: jaundice, gastritis, colitis, cleans digestive system of mucus, liver tonic

Cardiovascular/Lymphatic: aids poor circulation, stimulates lymphatic system, hemorrhoids, phlebitis

Immune: immune stimulant Endocrine: adrenal, cortical, glandular problems

Genito-Urinary/ Reproductive: eases PMS, menopause, kidney tonic-diuretic

Nervous/ Brain/ Mind: nervous stress, neuro-balancing, neuralgia, quells anxiety, uplifting antidepressant

Rose Geranium

Emotional/Energetic: Taps into the power of the heart, increasing imagination, intuition and sensory world. Increases the capacity for intimate communication, allowing one to receive and to give and express.

Rose geranium’s strong middle note blends well with basil, bergamot, cedar, citronella, clary sage, fennel,  jasmine, juniper, lavender, lemon, lemongrass, neroli, nutmeg, and rosemary. Also Blends very well with: Eucalyptus, lavender, clary sage, rose, lime, orange, frankincense, grapefruit, ylang ylang

RECIPE for

Sunshine Smiles Aromatherapy Recipe

Ingredients

• 10 drops Bergamot essential oil
• 10 drops Grapefruit essential oil
• 15 drops Sweet Orange essential oil
• 5 drops Rose Geranium essential oil
• 3 drops Ylang ylang extra essential oil
• 3 drops Spruce essential oil (or sandalwood for more calming)
• 4fl oz (125ml) carrier oil of your choice, such as jojoba, grapeseed oil, fractionated coconut oil, hazelnut oil, or any you like.

Directions;

Combine all the ingredients in a dark glass or PET plastic bottle. Store it in a cool, dark place (not your bathroom – it’s too warm and humid.)
To use your aromatherapy bath oil, pour about a tablespoon into the bath after you’ve finished running the water.
Handy Hint: This aromatherapy bath oil is excellent for acne. To boost its acne-fighting powers, use grapeseed oil as the carrier oil (it’s astringent – helps tighten pores and reduce oil production.)

SCIENTIFIC INFO:

Botanical name: Pelargonium Odorantissimum / Graveolens
Botanical family: Geraniaceae

Note: Middle

Part of plant used: Stems and leaves

Origin: Algeria, Reunion, Madagascar and Guinea

Description: Sweet and heavy, similar to Rose

History: The Ancients regarded Geranium as an exceptional vulnerary with the power to mend fractures and eliminate cancers.

Properties and Indications:

• Antiseptic
• Astringent – contracts capillaries
• Stimulates the nervous system
• Excellent for the skin – eczema and psoriasis
• Anticoagulant – for circulation
• Haemostatic – prevents hemorrhage
• Gentle detoxification
• Hemorrhoids
• Varicose veins
• Harmonizing and re-balancing
• Regulates and stimulates the adrenal cortex which in turn balances the body

Personality

• Ambivalent- refreshing and a tonic but also has calming qualities

Safety Data: Non-toxic, non-irritant and non-sensitizing

SOURCES: Sheppard-Hanger Sylla, THE AROMATHERAPY PRACTITIONER REFERENCE MANUAL, Tampa, 1998 Mojay, Gabriel, Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit, London, 1996 Battaglia, Salvatore, The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy, Brisbane, 1997