Vanilla is such an alluring and playful scent, and is fact one of the world's most popular aromas. It evokes memories of peace, happiness, and comfort. For some, it reminds them of cleaning as many people in the past used vanilla extract to clean their whitegoods. For others it reminds them of baking and cooking. But for many, the scent of vanilla evokes feelings of love and passion, so during...

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which form the foundation of essential oils, can be found in seeds, flowers, stems, bark, leaves and other parts of plants. As a general rule, usually one essential oil is extracted from one plant. However, some exceptions are worth mentioning, such as cinnamon, whose essential oil is extracted from both the bark and the leaves. Cinnamon essential oil is...

Holiday season is fast approaching! It’s the time of the year many of us look forward to. While this can be a period of relaxation, being carefree, and celebrating with your loved ones, for other people, it can be quite the opposite, and stress levels may be at their highest. Now is the time to start building — and using — your aromatic support toolkit.

According to data from...

What is the first thing you thought about when you saw the word manuka? Manuka honey, perhaps? Although manuka honey has many health benefits, it often overshadows the amazing properties of manuka essential oil.

Manuka, sometimes referred to as New Zealand Tea Tree, actually has many of the same benefits as Australian tea tree essential oil.

Manuka is a small evergreen tree which grows to a...

Mandarin Essential Oil
Citrus reticulata Blanco (C. nobilis)
Family Rutaceae

If you are seeking an essential oil that is chock-full of benefits, is sustainable, and has no contraindications, mandarin essential oil is a great choice.

Background

The mandarin is a small evergreen tree which is native to southern China. It is approximately 6 m (20 ft) tall, and has glossy leaves and fragrant flowers....

Ghandi Root

Ghandi Root (Homalomena aromatica), an evergreen perennial, belongs to the Family Araceae, which is the most diverse plant family in the New World Tropics!

This essential oil-bearing plant’s native range occupies the tropical and subtropical forests from Assam to China.

Ghandi Root is identifiable by its heart-shaped leaves and orange yellow berries (Kew RBC, 2020) (Figure...

Aniseed essential oil 

Essential oil of aniseed (Pimpinella anisum) is not usually among those that we select when  requiring an uplifting, antidepressive effect. We might think instead of essential oils such as lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), bergamot (Citrus bergamia) and sandalwood (Santalum spp.), all of which have shown beneficial effects in clinical trials on mood parameters...