Palmarosa essential oil is obtained by distilling the fresh, wilted, flowering aerial parts of Cymbopogon martinii var. martinii (a.k.a. Cymbopogon martinii var. motia) where the essence is most abundant in its inflorescence. Native to the Indian sub-continent it is wild harvested in many parts of India or readily cultivated for its cash crop and…
Essential Oils For Acute Stress
Stress is a very general word to describe physical or emotional turmoil; there are several types of stress and various levels of intensity. Even if you have a balanced and happy life, chances are that acute stress can throw your emotions out of whack from time to time. Acute stress is different from chronic…
Essential Oil Allies: Sweet Marjoram
Sweet marjoram essential oil is distilled from the flowering tops of the graceful Origanum majorana; the essence is abundant in its leaves. It is commonly grown and distilled for its fresh and comforting essence in Egypt, France, and Germany. Classified in the Lamiaceae family, it is a hardy perennial sub-shrub in hot and dry…
Essential Oil Allies: Vetiver
Vetiver essential oil is distilled from the washed, dried and chopped roots, rhizomes and rootlets of the tropical grass that goes by the Latin moniker of Vetiveria zizanioides. Although it is native to India, the grass is mainly grown and distilled for its thick and complex essential oil in Java, Sri Lanka, the Reunion…
Blue Oils
While most essential oils are clear or slightly colored, some of them offer a rainbow of hues from dark brown (Vetiver, Patchouli), bright orange (Red Mandarin) and yellow (Turmeric), to beautiful turquoise (Inula), and inky dark blues (Yarrow, German Chamomile, Blue Tansy). These colors are a consequence of the chemical compounds present in the…
Essential Oil Allies: Spanish Lavender
Lavendula stoechas essential oil is obtained by steam distilling the flowering tops of “Spanish” lavender. Like other plants in the lavender genus, this plant seems to have an identity crisis going by several common names: Spanish, French, Arabian, Maritime, Butterfly, Topped, Cotton or Crested lavender. It has been confused with other plants over centuries….