Boronia Health Dictionary

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Boronia: From 1 Different Sources

Boronia megastigma

FAMILY: Rutaceae

SYNONYM: Brown boronia.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: A bushy evergreen shrub, up to 2 metres high, which bears an abundance of fragrant, nodding flowers with an unusual colouring – the petals are brown on the outside, yellow on the inside. Often grown as an ornamental shrub in gardens.

DISTRIBUTION: Native to Western Australia; grows wild all over west and south west Australia.

OTHER SPECIES: There are over fifteen species of boronia found in Western Australia; B. megastigma is one of the most common and the only one used for its perfume; other types smell of sarsaparilla, lemons or roses! Boronia is botanically related to the citrus tree.

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION: ‘A botanist in the Victorian era suggested this species would be suitable for graveyard planting because of its dark flowers!’.

ACTIONS: Aromatic.

EXTRACTION: A concrete and absolute by the enfleurage method or petroleum-ether extraction, from the flowers. An essential oil is also produced in small quantities by steam distillation.

CHARACTERISTICS: The concrete is a dark green butterlike mass with a beautiful warm, woody-sweet fragrance; the absolute is a green viscous liquid with a fresh, fruity-spicy scent and a rich, tenacious, floral undertone. It blends well with clary sage, sandalwood, bergamot, violet, immortelle, costus, mimosa and other florals.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS: Notably ionone; also eugenol, triacontane, phenols, ethyl alcohol and ethyl formate, among others.

SAFETY DATA: Prohibitively expensive and therefore often adulterated.

AROMATHERAPY/HOME: USE Perfume

OTHER USES: The absolute is used in high-class perfumery work, especially florals. Used in specialized flavour work, especially rich fruit products.

Health Source: The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils
Author: Julia Lawless

Cedarwood, Atlas

Cedrus atlantica

FAMILY: Pinaceae

SYNONYMS: Atlantic cedar, Atlas cedar, African cedar, Moroccan cedarwood (oil), libanol (oil).

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: Pyramid-shaped evergreen tree with a majestic stature, up to 40 metres high. The wood itself is hard and strongly aromatic, due to the high percentage of essential oil which it contains.

DISTRIBUTION: Native to the Atlas mountains of Algeria; the oil is mainly produced in Morocco.

OTHER SPECIES: Believed to have originated from the famous Lebanon cedars (C. libani), which grow wild in Lebanon and on the island of Cyprus. It is also a close botanical relation to the Himalayan deodar cedarwood (C. deodora), which produces a very similar essential oil. (NB the oil is quite different from the Texas or Virginia cedarwood.)

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION: The oil from the Lebanon cedar was possibly the first to be extracted, it was used by the ancient Egyptians for embalming purposes, cosmetics and perfumery. The oil was one of the ingredients of ‘mithridat’, a renowned poison antidote that was used for centuries. The Lebanon cedar was prized as a building wood; its odour repelled ants, moths and other harmful insects, as does the oil from the Atlas cedar.

Traditionally, the oil was used in the East for bronchial and urinary tract infections, as a preservative and as an incense. It is still used as a temple incense by the Tibetans, and is employed in their traditional medicine.

ACTIONS: Antiseptic, antiputrescent, antiseborrheic, aphrodisiac, astringent, diuretic, expectorant, fungicidal, mucolytic, sedative (nervous), stimulant (circulatory), tonic.

EXTRACTION: Essential oil by steam distillation from the wood, stumps and sawdust. A resinoid and absolute are also produced in small quantities.

CHARACTERISTICS: A yellow, orange or deep amber viscous oil with a warm, camphoraceous top note and sweet tenacious, woody-balsamic undertone. It blends well with rosewood, bergamot, boronia, cypress, calamus, cassie, costus, jasmine, juniper, neroli, mimosa, labdanum, olibanum, clary sage, vetiver, rosemary, ylang ylang, oriental and floral bases.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS: Atlantone, caryophyllene, cedrol, cadinene, among others.

SAFETY DATA: Non-toxic, non-irritant, non-sensitizing. Best avoided during pregnancy.

AROMATHERAPY/HOME: USE

Skin Care: Acne, dandruff, dermatitis, eczema, fungal infections, greasy skin, hair loss, skin eruptions, ulcers.

Circulation Muscles And Joints: Arthritis, rheumatism.

Respiratory System: Bronchitis, catarrh, congestion, coughs.

Genito-Urinary System: Cystitis, leucorrhoea, pruritis.

Nervous System: Nervous tension and stress-related conditions.

OTHER USES: Fragrance component and fixative in cosmetics and household products, soaps, detergents, etc, as well as in perfumes, especially men’s fragrances.... cedarwood, atlas

Immortelle

Helichrysum angustifolium

FAMILY: Asteraceae (Compositae)

SYNONYMS: Helichrysum, everlasting, St John’s herb.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: A strongly aromatic herb, up to 0.6 metres high with a much-branched stem, woody at the base. The brightly coloured, daisy-like flowers become dry as the plant matures, yet retain their colour.

DISTRIBUTION: Native to the Mediterranean region, especially the eastern part and North Africa. It is cultivated mainly in Italy, Yugoslavia, Spain and France.

OTHER SPECIES: There are several other Helichrysum species such as H. arenarium found in florist shops and H. stoechas which is also used to produce an absolute. H. orientale is grown for its oil.

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION: In Europe it is used for respiratory complaints such as asthma, chronic bronchitis and whooping cough; also for headaches, migraine, liver ailments and skin conditions including burns, allergies and psoriasis. Usually taken in the form of a decoction or infusion.

ACTIONS: Anti-allergenic, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antitussive, antiseptic, astringent, cholagogue, cicatrisant, diuretic, expectorant, fungicidal, hepatic, nervine.

EXTRACTION: 1. Essential oil by steam distillation from the fresh flowers and flowering tops. 2. An absolute (and concrete) are also produced by solvent extraction.

CHARACTERISTICS: 1. A pale yellow to red oily liquid with a powerful, rich honeylike scent with a delicate tealike undertone. 2. A yellowy-brown viscous liquid with a rich, floral, tealike scent. It blends well with chamomile, boronia, labdanum, lavender, mimosa, oakmoss, geranium, clary sage, rose, Peru balsam, clove and citrus oils.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS: Nerol and neryl acetate (30–50 per cent), geraniol, pinene, linalol, isovaleric aldehyde, sesquiterpenes, furfurol and eugenol, among others.

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

Skin care: Abscess, acne, allergic conditions, boils, burns, cuts, dermatitis, eczema, inflammation, spots, wounds etc.

Circulation muscles and joints: Muscular aches and pains, rheumatism, sprains, strained muscles.

Respiratory system: Asthma, bronchitis, chronic coughs, whooping cough.

Digestive system: Liver congestion, spleen congestion.

Immune system: Bacterial infections, colds, ’flu, fever.

Nervous system: Depression, debility, lethargy, nervous exhaustion, neuralgia, stress-related conditions.

OTHER USES: Used as fixatives and fragrance components in soaps, cosmetics and perfumes. The absolute is used to flavour certain tobaccos; used for the isolation of natural anethole.... immortelle

Violet

Viola odorata

FAMILY: Violaceae

SYNONYMS: English violet, garden violet, blue violet, sweet-scented violet.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: A small, tender, perennial plant with dark green, heart-shaped leaves, fragrant violet-blue flowers and an oblique underground rhizome.

DISTRIBUTION: Native to Europe and parts of Asia; cultivated in gardens worldwide. It is mainly grown in southern France (Grasse) and to a lesser extent in Italy and China for perfumery use.

OTHER SPECIES: There are over 200 species of violet; the main types cultivated for aromatic extraction are the ‘Parma’ and the ‘Victoria’ violets.

HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION: Both the leaf and flowers have a long tradition of use in herbal medicine, mainly for congestive pulmonary conditions and sensitive skin conditions, including capillary fragility. The leaf has also been used to treat cystitis and as a mouthwash for infections of the mouth and throat. It is reported to have mild pain-killing properties, probably due to the presence of salicylic acid (as in ‘aspirin’).

The flowers are still used to make a ‘syrup of violet’ which is used as a laxative and colouring agent. The dried leaf and flowers are current in the British Herbal Pharmacopoeia as a specific for ‘eczema and skin eruptions with serious exudate, particularly when associated with rheumatic symptoms’.

ACTIONS: Analgesic (mild), anti-inflammatory, antirheumatic, antiseptic, decongestant (liver), diuretic, expectorant, laxative, soporific, stimulant (circulation).

EXTRACTION: A concrete and absolute from 1. fresh leaves, and 2. flowers.

CHARACTERISTICS: 1. The leaf absolute is an intense dark green viscous liquid with a strong green-leaf odour and a delicate floral undertone. 2. The flower absolute is a yellowish-green viscous liquid with a sweet, rich, floral fragrance, characteristic of the fresh flowers. It blends well with tuberose, clary sage, boronia, tarragon, cumin, hop, basil, hyacinth and other florals.

PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS: Both leaves and petals contain nonadienal, parmone, hexyl alcohol, benzyl alcohol, ionone and viola quercitin, among others.

SAFETY DATA: Non-toxic, non-irritant, possible sensitization in some individuals.

AROMATHERAPY/HOME: USE

Skin care: Acne, eczema, refines the pores, thread veins, wounds.

Circulation muscles and joints: Fibrosis, poor circulation, rheumatism.

Respiratory system: Bronchitis, catarrh, mouth and throat infections.

Nervous system: Dizziness, headaches, insomnia, nervous exhaustion – the scent was believed to ‘comfort and strengthen the heart’.

OTHER USES: Used in high-class perfumery work; occasionally used in flavouring, mainly confectionery.... violet


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