Kathi KevilleA medieval European love potion, facial water and cordial called Huile de Venus, this “oil of love” toned muscles and softened complexions. It was also sipped to quell indigestion. Today caraway seeds are more likely to find their way...
Cardamom is a relative of ginger from the Middle and Far East, where it flavors Turkish coffee and East Indian chai tea. The seeds were a valued export item in ancient Greece. Family: Zingiberaceae Extraction: Distilled from the seed. Oleoresin. The...
The Arabs, who traded it for a frankincense substitute, called this Southeast Asia tree “incense of Java,” or luban jawi. The Europeans interpreted this as benjawi and pronounced it “benjamin,” then “benzoin.”...
The small green fruit produced by this Mediterranean citrus tree aren’t edible or pretty, but the smell they emit is wonderful! Unfortunately, you must live in a warm climate like California to grow them. First mentioned in the 17th century En...
This North American tree is the common source of Wintergreen oil, with which it shares similar chemistry, properties and fragrance. The formula for the popular 19th-century “Russian Leather” men’s fragrance (so named because it...
The oil is costly and almost never available commercially, so we plant the colorful flowers in our gardens and infuse them into an herbal oil to use as a base for essential oils. Since two different flowers are called marigold, calendula is often...
Carrot-seed oil is distilled in France for use in perfumes. It comes from wild Queen Anne’s lace, the ancestor of carrot. The carrot oil used in cosmetics is usually carrot root extracted into vegetable oil. Marigold (Tagetes) is sometimes...
See the section on Carrier Oils in Guidelines for Using Essential Oils and Herbs.
For more Essential Oils visit the Aromatherapy Materia Medica
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Mentioned in the Bible in the Song of Solomon, spikenard was used by the ancient Egyptians and the Romans for nardinum ointment. Spikenard is the same heady oil lavishly poured over the feet of Christ by Mary Magdalene. It remains very expensive...
This North American tree scents soap and cologne, although it has lost popularity since the 19th century, when even cedarwood “matches” were burned for their scent. The oil makes the wood resistant to wool moths and other insects...
