The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (13 page)

CHARACTERISTICS A pale yellow or orange oily liquid with a mild, sweet-balsamic, ‘pencil-wood’ scent. It blends well with sandalwood, rose, juniper, cypress, vetiver, patchouli and benzoin.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS Mainly cedrene (up to 80 per cent), cedrol (3–14 per cent), and cedrenol, among others.

SAFETY DATA Externally the oil is relatively non-toxic; can cause acute local irritation and possible sensitization in some individuals. Use in dilution only with care, in moderation. ‘The oil is a powerful abortifacient … use of the oil has been fatal.’
²⁹
Avoid during pregnancy. Generally safer to use Atlas cedarwood.

AROMATHERAPY/HOME USE

SKIN CARE
: Acne, dandruff, eczema, greasy hair, insect repellent, oily skin, psoriasis.

CIRCULATION, MUSCLES AND JOINTS
: Arthritis, rheumatism.

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
: Bronchitis, catarrh, congestion, coughs, sinusitis.

GENITO-URINRY SYSTEM
: Cystitis, leucorrhoea.

NERVOUS SYSTEM
: Nervous tension and stress related disorders.

OTHER USES Extensively used in room sprays and household insect repellents. Employed as a fragrance component in soaps, cosmetics and perfumes. Used as the starting material for the isolation of cedrene.

Apium graveolens

FAMILY Apiaceae (Umbelliferae)

SYNONYM Celery fruit.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION A familiar biennial plant, 30–60 cms high, with a grooved, fleshy, erect stalk, shiny pinnate leaves and umbels of white flowers.

DISTRIBUTION Native to southern Europe; extensively cultivated as a domestic vegetable. The oil is principally produced in India, and also Holland, China, Hungary and the USA.

OTHER SPECIES There are many cultivated varieties, such as celeriac root
(A. graveolens var. rapaceum)
and the salad vegetable
(A. graveolens var. dulce).

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION Celery seed is widely used as a domestic spice. The seed is used in bladder and kidney complaints, digestive upsets and menstrual problems; the leaves are used in skin ailments. It is known to increase the elimination of uric acid and is useful for gout, neuralgia and rheumatoid arthritis. A remedy for hepatobiliary disorders, it has been found to have a regenerating effect on the liver.

Current in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia as a specific for rheumatoid arthritis with mental depression.

ACTIONS Anti-oxidative, antirheumatic, antiseptic (urinary), antispasmodic, aperitif, depurative, digestive, diuretic, carminative, cholagogue, emmenagogue, galactagogue, hepatic, nervine, sedative (nervous), stimulant (uterine), stomachic, tonic (digestive).

EXTRACTION Essential oil by steam distillation from the whole or crushed seeds. (An oil from the whole herb, an oleoresin and extract are also produced in small quantities.)

CHARACTERISTICS A pale yellow or orange oil with a spicy-warm, sweet, long-lasting odour. It blends well with lavender, pine, opopanax, lovage, tea tree, oakmoss, coriander and other spices.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS Limonene (60 per cent), apiol, selinene, santalol, sedanolide and sedanolic acid anhydride, among others.

SAFETY DATA Non-toxic, non-irritant, possible sensitization. Avoid during pregnancy.

AROMATHERAPY/HOME USE

CIRCULATION, MUSCLES AND JOINTS
: Arthritis, build-up of toxins in the blood, gout, rheumatism.

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
: Dyspepsia, flatulence, indigestion, liver congestion, jaundice.

GENITO
-
URINARY AND ENDOCRINE SYSTEMS
: Amenorrhoea, glandular problems, increases milk flow, cystitis.

NERVOUS SYSTEM
: Neuralgia, sciatica.

OTHER USES Used in tonic, sedative and carminative preparations, and as a fragrance component in soaps, detergents, cosmetics and perfumes. Extensively used as a flavouring agent in foods, especially by the spice industry, and in alcoholic and soft drinks.

Matricaria recutica

FAMILY Asteraceae (Compositae)

SYNONYMS
M. chamomilla
, camomile, blue chamomile, matricaria, Hungarian chamomile, sweet false chamomile, single chamomile, chamomile blue (oil).

GENERAL DESCRIPTION An annual, strongly aromatic herb, up to 60 cms tall with a hairless, erect, branching stem. It has delicate feathery leaves and simple daisy-like white flowers on single stems. In appearance it is very similar to the corn chamomile
(Anthemis arvensis)
but can be distinguished from it because the latter is scentless.

DISTRIBUTION Native to Europe and north and west Asia; naturalized in North America and Australia. It is cultivated extensively, especially in Hungary and eastern Europe, where the oil is produced. It is no longer grown in Germany, despite the herbal name.

OTHER SPECIES There are many varieties of chamomile, such as the pineapple weed
(Chamaemelium suaveolens)
and the Roman chamomile
(C. nobile)
, both of which are used to produce an essential oil.

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION This herb has a long-standing medicinal tradition, especially in Europe for ‘all states of tension and the visceral symptoms that can arise therefrom, such as nervous dyspepsia and nervous bowel, tension
headaches, and sleeplessness; especially useful for all children’s conditions, calming without depressing …’
²⁰

An excellent skin care remedy, it has many of the same qualities as Roman chamomile, except that its anti-inflammatory properties are greater due to the higher percentage of azulene.

ACTIONS Analgesic, anti-allergenic, anti-inflammatory, antiphlogistic, antispasmodic, bactericidal, carlminative, cicatrisant, cholagogue, digestive, emmenagogue, febrifuge, fungicidal, hepatic, nerve sedative, stimulant of leucocyte production, stomachic, sudorific, vermifuge, vulnerary.

EXTRACTION Essential oil by steam distillation from the flower heads (up to 1.9 per cent yield). An absolute is also produced in small quantities, which is a deeper blue colour and has greater tenacity and fixative properties.

CHARACTERISTICS An inky-blue viscous liquid with a strong, sweetish warm-herbaceous odour. It blends well with geranium, lavender, patchouli, rose, benzoin, neroli, bergamot, marjoram, lemon, ylang ylang, jasmine, clary sage and labdanum.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS Chamazulene, farnesene, bisabolol oxide, en-yndicycloether, among others. (NB The chamazulene is not present in the fresh flower but is only produced during the process of distillation.)

SAFETY DATA Non-toxic, non-irritant; causes dermatitis in some individuals.

AROMATHERAPY/HOME USE

SKIN CARE
: Acne, allergies, boils, burns, cuts, chilblains, dermatitis, earache, eczema, hair care, inflammations, insect bites, rashes, sensitive skin, teething pain, toothache, wounds.

CIRCULATION, MUSCLES AND JOINTS
: Arthritis, inflamed joints, muscular pain, neuralgia, rheumatism, sprains.

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM:
Dyspepsia, colic, indigestion, nausea.

GENITO-URINARY SYSTEM
: Dysmenorrhoea, menopausal problems, menorrhagia.

NERVOUS SYSTEM:
Headache, insomnia, nervous tension, migraine and stress-related complaints.

OTHER USES Used in pharmaceutical antiseptic ointments and in carminative, antispasmodic and tonic preparations. Extensively used in cosmetics, soaps, detergents, high-class perfumes and hair and bath products. Used as a flavour ingredient in most major food categories, including alcoholic and soft drinks.

Ormenis multicaulis

FAMILY Asteraceae (Compositae)

SYNONYMS O.
mixta, Anthemis mixta
, Moroccan chamomile.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION A handsome plant, 90 to 125 cms high with very hairy leaves and tubular yellow flowers, surrounded by white ligulets.

DISTRIBUTION Native to north west Africa and southern Spain, having probably evolved from the very common
Ormenis
species which grows all around the Mediterranean. Also found growing on the plains in Israel. The oil is distilled in Morocco.

OTHER SPECIES It is distantly related to the German and Roman chamomile botanically, although it does not resemble them physically.

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION This is one of the more recent oils to appear on the market, and as such it does not have a long history of usage. The oil is often mistaken for a ‘true’ chamomile, though it should more correctly be called ‘Ormenis oil’ since: ‘Chemically and olfactorily, the oil is distinctly different from the German or the Roman chamomile oils, and cannot be considered as a replacement for them.’
²¹

ACTIONS Antispasmodic, cholagogue, emmenagogue, hepatic, sedative.

EXTRACTION Essential oil by steam distillation from the flowering tops.

CHARACTERISTICS Pale yellow to brownish yellow mobile liquid with a fresh-herbaceous top note and a sweet rich-balsamic undertone. It blends well with cypress, lavender, lavandin, vetiver, cedarwood, oakmoss, labdanum, olibanum and artemisia oils.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS Unknown.

SAFETY DATA Generally non-toxic and non-irritant – more specific safety data is unavailable at present.

AROMATHERAPY/HOME USE ‘Sensitive skin, colic, colitis, headache, insomnia, irritability, migraine, amenorrhoea, dysmenorrhoea, menopause, liver and spleen congestion.’
²²
Little is known about its therapeutic history and usage.

OTHER USES Employed extensively in perfumery work, especially in colognes, chyprès and fougere fragrance.

Chamaemelum nobile

FAMILY Asteraceae (Compositae)

SYNONYMS
Anthemis nobilis
, camomile, English chamomile, garden chamomile, sweet chamomile, true chamomile.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION A small, stocky, perennial herb, up to 25 cms high, with a much-branched hairy stem, half spreading or creeping. It has feathery pinnate leaves, daisy-like white flowers which are larger than those of the German chamomile. The whole plant has an applelike scent.

DISTRIBUTION Native to southern and western Europe; naturalized in North America. Cultivated in England, Belgium, Hungary, United States, Italy and France.

OTHER SPECIES There are a great many varieties of chamomile found throughout the world, four of which are native to the British Isles, but the only one of these used therapeutically is the Roman chamomile
(C. nobile).

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION This herb has had a medical reputation in Europe and especially in the Mediterranean region for over 2000 years, and it is still in widespread use. It was employed by the ancient Egyptians and the Moors, and it was one of the Saxons’ nine sacred herbs, which they called ‘maythen’. It was also held to be the ‘plant’s physician’, since it promoted the health of plants nearby.

It is current in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia for the treatment of dyspepsia, nausea, anorexia, vomiting in pregnancy, dysmenorrhoea and specifically flatulent dyspepsia associated with mental stress.

ACTIONS Analgesic, anti-anaemic, antineuralgic, antiphlogistic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, bactericidal, carminative, cholagogue, cicatrisant, digestive, emmenagogue, febrifuge, hepatic, hypnotic, nerve sedative, stomachic, sudorific, tonic, vermifuge, vulnerary.

EXTRACTION Essential oil by steam distillation of the flower heads.

CHARACTERISTICS A pale blue liquid (turning yellow on keeping) with a warm, sweet, fruity-herbaceous scent. It blends well with bergamot, clary sage, oakmoss, jasmine, labdanum, neroli, rose, geranium and lavender.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS Mainly esters of angelic and tiglic acids (approx. 85 per cent), with pinene, farnesol, nerolidol, chamazulene, pinocarvone, cineol, among others.

SAFETY DATA Non-toxic, non-irritant; can cause dermatitis in some individuals.

AROMATHERAPY/HOME USE See
German chamomile.

OTHER USES See
German chamomile.

Anthriscus cerefolium

FAMILY Apiaceae (Umbelliferae)

SYNONYMS
A. longirostris
, garden chervil, salad chervil.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION A delicate annual herb up to 30 cms high, with a slender, much branched stem, bright green, finely-divided, fernlike leaves, umbels of flat white flowerheads and long smooth seeds or fruits. The whole plant has a pleasing aromatic scent when bruised.

DISTRIBUTION Native to Europe and western Asia; naturalized in America, Australia and New Zealand. Widely cultivated, especially in southern Europe and America.

OTHER SPECIES A cultivated form of its wild relative, the wild chervil or garden-beaked parsley
(A. sylvestris)
, with which it shares similar properties and uses. Not to be confused with another common garden herb sweet cicely
(Myrrhis odorata)
, also known as sweet or smooth chervil.

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION The name
chervil
comes from the Greek ‘to rejoice’, due to its delightful scent. The leaves are used as a domestic spice in salads, soups, omelettes, sauces and to flavour bread dough. In folk medicine it is used as a tea to’ tone up the blood and nerves. Good for poor memory and mental depression. Sweetens the entire digestive system.’
³⁰