The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (20 page)

OTHER SPECIES There are about forty-seven varieties which are said to have been developed in cultivation, such as the Java lemon
(C. javanica).
The lemon is also closely related to the lime, cedrat (or citron) and bergamot.

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION The juice and peel are widely used as a domestic seasoning. It is very nutritious, being high in vitamins A, B and C. In Spain and other European countries, lemon is something of a ‘cure-all’, especially with regard to infectious illness. It was used for fever, such as malaria and typhoid, and employed specifically for scurvy on English ships at sea.

Taken internally, the juice is considered invaluable for acidic disorders, such as arthritis and rheumatism, and of great benefit in dysentery and liver congestion.

ACTIONS Anti-anaemic, antimicrobial, antirheumatic, antisclerotic, antiscorbutic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitoxic, astringent, bactericidal, carminative, cicatrisant, depurative, diaphoretic, diuretic, febrifuge, haemostatic, hypotensive, insecticidal, rubefacient, stimulates white corpuscles, tonic, vermifuge.

EXTRACTION Essential oil by cold expression from the outer part of the fresh peel. A terpeneless oil is also produced on a large scale (cedro oil).

CHARACTERISTICS A pale greeny-yellow liquid (turning brown with age), with a light, fresh, citrus scent. It blends well with lavender, neroli, ylang ylang, rose, sandalwood, olibanum, chamomile, benzoin, fennel, geranium, eucalyptus, juniper, oakmoss, lavandin, elemi, labdanum and other citrus oils.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS Limonene (approx. 70 per cent), terpinene, pinenes, sabinene, myrcene, citral, linalol, geraniol, octanol, nonanol, citronellal, bergamotene, among others.

SAFETY DATA Non-toxic; may cause dermal irritation or sensitization reactions in some individuals – apply in moderation. Phototoxic – do not use on skin exposed to direct sunlight.

AROMATHERAPY/HOME USE

SKIN CARE
: Acne, anaemia, brittle nails, boils, chilblains, corns, cuts, greasy skin, herpes, insect bites, mouth ulcers, spots, varicose veins, warts.

CIRCULATION, MUSCLES AND JOINTS
: Arthritis, cellulitis, high blood pressure, nosebleeds, obesity (congestion), poor circulation, rheumatism

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
: Asthma, throat infections, bronchitis, catarrh.

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
: Dyspepsia.

IMMUNE SYSTEM
: Colds, ’flu, fever and infections.

OTHER USES Used as a flavouring agent in pharmaceuticals. Extensively used as a fragrance component in soaps, detergents, cosmetics, toilet waters and perfumes. Extensively employed by the food industry in most types of product, including alcoholic and soft drinks.

Cymbopogon citratus

FAMILY Poaceae (Gramineae)

SYNONYMS 1.
Andropogon citratus, A. schoenathus
, West Indian lemongrass, Madagascar lemongrass, Guatemala lemongrass. 2.
Andropogon flexuosus, Cymbopogon flexuosus
, East Indian lemongrass, Cochin lemongrass, native lemongrass, British India lemongrass, ‘vervaine Indienne’ or France Indian verbena.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION A fast-growing, tall, aromatic perennial grass up to 1.5 metres high, producing a network of roots and rootlets that rapidly exhaust the soil.

DISTRIBUTION Native to Asia, there are two main types: 1. The West Indian lemongrass which is probably native to Sri Lanka, now cultivated mainly in the West Indies, Africa and tropical Asia. Main oil producers include Guatemala and India. 2. The East Indian lemongrass, which is native to east India (Travancore, etc.), now mainly cultivated in western India!

OTHER SPECIES There are several varieties of lemongrass of which the East Indian and the West Indian types are the most common. Chemotypes within each variety are also quite pronounced.

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION Employed in traditional Indian medicine for infectious illness and fever; modern research carried out in India shows that it also acts as a sedative on the central nervous system. It is also used as an insecticide and for flavouring food. After the distillation process, the exhausted grass is used locally to feed cattle.

ACTIONS Analgesic, antidepressant, antimicrobial, anti-oxidant, antipyretic, antiseptic, astringent, bactericidal, carminative, deodorant, febrifuge, fungicidal, galactagogue, insecticidal, nervine, sedative (nervous), tonic.

EXTRACTION Essential oil by steam distillation from the fresh and partially dried leaves (grass), finely chopped.

CHARACTERISTICS 1. A yellow, amber or reddish-brown liquid with a fresh, grassy-citrus scent and an earthy undertone. 2. A yellow or amber liquid with a fresh, grassy-lemony scent, generally lighter than the West Indian type.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS 1. Citral (65–85 per cent), myrcene (12–25 per cent), dipentene, methylheptenone, linalol, geraniol, nerol, citronellol and farnesol, among others. 2. Citral (up to 85 per cent), geraniol, methyl eugenol, borneol, dipentene; constituents vary according to type.

SAFETY DATA Non-toxic, possible dermal irritation and/or sensitization in some individuals – use with care.

AROMATHERAPY/HOME USE

SKIN CARE
: Acne, athlete’s foot, excessive perspiration, insect repellent (fleas, lice, ticks), open pores, pediculosis, scabies, tissue toner.

CIRCULATION, MUSCLES AND JOINTS
: Muscular pain, poor circulation and muscle tone, slack tissue.

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
: Colitis, indigestion, gastroenteritis.

IMMUNE SYSTEM
: Fevers, infectious disease.

NERVOUS SYSTEM
: Headaches, nervous exhaustion and stress-related conditions.

OTHER USES Extensively used as a fragrance component in soaps, detergents, cosmetics and perfumes. Employed as a flavour ingredient in most major food categories including alcoholic and soft drinks. Also used for the isolation of citral and for the adulteration of more costly oils such as verbena or melissa.

Citrus aurantifolia

FAMILY Rutaceae

SYNONYMS
C.medica var. acida, C. latifolia
, Mexican lime, West Indian lime, sour lime.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION A small evergreen tree up to 4.5 metres high, with stiff sharp spines, smooth ovate leaves and small white flowers. The bitter fruit is a pale green colour, about half the size of a lemon.

DISTRIBUTION Probably native to south Asia; naturalized in many tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It is cultivated mainly in south Florida, the West Indies (Cuba), Central America (Mexico) and Italy.

OTHER SPECIES There are several species of lime such as the Italian lime
(C. limetta)
which is used to produce an oil called ‘limette’; and the leech-lime
(C. hystrix)
which is occasionally used to produce an essential oil called combava.

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION The fruit is often used indiscriminately in place of lemon with which it shares many qualities. It is used for similar purposes including fever, infections, sore throat, colds, etc. It used to be used as a remedy for dyspepsia with glycerin of pepsin.

ACTIONS Antirheumatic, antiscorbutic, antiseptic, antiviral, aperitif, bactericidal, febrifuge, restorative, tonic.

EXTRACTION Essential oil by 1. cold expression of the peel of the unripe fruit; the expressed oil is preferred in perfumery work, and 2. steam distillation of the whole ripe crushed fruit (a by-product of the juice industry).

CHARACTERISTICS 1. A pale yellow or olive-green liquid with a fresh, sweet, citrus-peel odour. 2. A water-white or pale yellow liquid with a fresh, sharp, fruity-citrus scent. It blends well with neroli, citronella, lavender, lavandin, rosemary, clary sage and other citrus oils.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS Limonene, pinenes, camphene, sabinene, citral, cymene, cineols and linalol, among others. The expressed ‘peel’ oil, but not the ‘whole fruit’ oil, also contains coumarins.

SAFETY DATA Non-toxic, non-irritant, non-sensitizing. However, the expressed ‘peel’ oil is phototoxic (but not the steam-distilled ‘whole fruit’ oil).

AROMATHERAPY/HOME USE See
lemon.

OTHER USES Both oils, but mainly the expressed, are used as fragrance components in soaps, detergents, cosmetics and perfumes. Mainly the distilled oil, but also the terpeneless oil, is used by the food industry, especially in soft drinks – ‘lemon and lime’ flavour. The juice is used for the production of citric acid.

Bursera glabrifolia

FAMILY Burseraceae

SYNONYMS
B. delpechiana
, Mexican linaloe, ‘copal limon’.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION A tall, bushy tropical shrub or tree, with a smooth bark and bearing fleshy fruit. The wood is only used for distillation purposes when the tree is twenty or thirty years old. The oil is partially a pathological product since its production is stimulated by lacerating the trunk – which apparently must be wounded on the night of the full moon for the tree to produce any oil!

DISTRIBUTION Native to Central and South America, especially Mexico. It is cultivated in the Far East particularly in India (Mysore). The wood oil is mainly produced in Mexico, the seed (and husk) oil in India.

OTHER SPECIES There are several species which are all known simply as linaloe: see Botanical Classification section. West Indian elemi
(B. simaruba)
is a close relative, as are myrrh and frankincense.

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION The seed oil is known in India as ‘Indian lavender oil’ and used chiefly as a local perfume ingredient and in soaps by the cosmetics industry of Mysore state. It is not much found outside India. In Mexico the wood oil is used in a similar fashion to rosewood, which contains similar constituents.

ACTIONS Anticonvulsant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, bactericidal, deodorant, gentle tonic.

EXTRACTION Essential oil by steam distillation from the 1. Wood, and 2. Seed and husk. (An essential oil is also occasionally produced from the leaves and twigs.)

CHARACTERISTICS 1. A pale yellow liquid with a sweet-woody, floral scent, similar to rosewood. It blends well with rose, sandalwood, cedarwood, rosewood, frankincense, floral and woody fragrances. 2. A colourless liquid with a terpene-like odour, harsher than the wood oil.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS 1. Mainly linalol, some linalyl acetate. 2. Mainly linalyl acetate, some linalol.

SAFETY DATA Non-toxic, non-irritant, non-sensitizing.

AROMATHERAPY/HOME USE

SKIN CARE
: Acne, cuts, dermatitis, wounds, etc., all skin types.

NERVOUS SYSTEM
: Nervous tension and stress-related conditions.

OTHER USES The wood oil is used in soaps, toiletries and perfumes. It is also used for the production of natural linalol, although this is increasingly being replaced by synthetic linalol.

Tilia vulgaris

FAMILY Tiliaceae

SYNONYMS
T. europaea
, lime tree, common lime, lyne, tillet, tilea.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION A tall graceful tree up to 30 metres high with a smooth bark, spreading branches and bright green, heart-shaped leaves. It has yellowy-white flowers borne in clusters which have a very powerful scent.

DISTRIBUTION Native to Europe and the northern hemisphere. Common in England, France, Holland, etc.

OTHER SPECIES Several related types such as the broad-leaved lime
(T. platyphylla)
and the small-leaved lime
(T. cordata).

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION Linden tea, known as ‘tilleul’, is drunk a great deal on the Continent, especially in France, as a general relaxant. The flowers are also used for indigestion, palpitations, nausea, hysteria and catarrhal symptoms following a cold. The honey from the flowers is highly regarded, and used in medicines and liqueurs. According to Culpeper the flowers are a ‘good cephalic and
nervine, excellent for apoplexy, epilepsy, vertigo and palpitation of the heart.’
⁵⁰
Lime flowers are current in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, indicated for migraine, hysteria, arteriosclerotic hypertension and feverish colds.

ACTIONS Astringent (mild), antispasmodic, bechic, carminative, cephalic, diaphoretic, diuretic, emollient, nervine, sedative, tonic.

EXTRACTION A concrete and absolute by solvent extraction from the dried flowers.

CHARACTERISTICS The concrete is a hard, brittle, dark green mass with a herbaceous, dry, haylike odour. The absolute is a yellow semi-solid mass with a green-herbaceous, dry, characteristic odour.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS Mainly farnesol – the concrete is very rich in waxes.

SAFETY DATA Most products are adulterated or synthetic. No safety data available at present.

AROMATHERAPY/HOME USE

DIGESTIVE SYSTEM
: Cramps, indigestion, liver pains.

NERVOUS SYSTEM
: Headaches, insomnia, migraine, nervous tension and stress-related conditions.

OTHER USES Occasionally used in high class perfumery.

Litsea cubeba

FAMILY Lauraceae

SYNONYMS
L. citrata
, ‘may chang’, exotic verbena, tropical verbena.