Ajwain seeds have a small amount of oil in them known as ajwain oil. The oil contains thymol, a phenol that gives the fruit its thyme-like smell. Thymol is commonly used to treat digestive problems. It also has antifungal and antibacterial properties.
Anise star (or star anise as it is otherwise known) has stimulating and energising properties having a particularly refreshing and stimulating action on the digestive and respiratory system when used in massage. It also has emotionally uplifting properties. Anise star essential oil has a strong, sweet, and powerful scent, which smells just like black licorice. Star anise contains anethole, the same ingredient which gives the unrelated anise its flavour.
Black pepper essential oil has a warm, fresh and spicy aroma. Black pepper essential oil is warming, stimulating, revitalising and a general tonic in maintaining healthy circulation. Used in massage, black pepper essential oil is known to relax tired muscles and ease muscular stiffness after exercise. Black pepper is produced from the still-green unripe berries of the pepper plant. The berries are cooked briefly in hot water, both to clean them and to prepare them for drying. The heat ruptures cell walls in the pepper, speeding the work of browning enzymes during drying. The berries are dried in the sun or by machine for several days, during which the pepper around the seed shrinks and darkens into a thin, wrinkled black layer. Once dried, the spice is called black peppercorn.
Basil essential oil has been used for many years in herbal remedies and medicines. Basil essential oil has a warm, spicy-sweet aroma. The wonderfully reviving fragrance of basil essential oil gives the mind strength and clarity whilst helping to combat fatigue. It is liberating, clearing, strengthening and uplifting. Basil contains vitamin A and C, and calcium and iron. Recently, there has been much research into the health benefits conferred by the essential oils found in basil. Scientific studies have established that compounds in basil oil have potent antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-viral, and anti-microbial properties.
Bergamot essential oil has antibacterial, deodorising, refreshing, soothing, and uplifting properties which make it excellent for body skincare preparations, for ensuring healthy and vital skin. Bergamot essential oil has a fresh, citrus and slightly spicy aroma and is powerfully refreshing, uplifting and invigorating and helps maintain a balanced mood. Dr Nicholas Monardes who wrote a book about the plants of America in 1569, named the plant Bergamot because the scent of its leaves resembled the Italian Bergamot Orange, Citrus Bergamia from which an essential oil is made.
Cajeput (Melaleuca leucadendron cajaputi) oil is a versatile antiseptic and clearing essential oil that can also be used effectively as an inhalant during the cold season. Cajeput essential oil has a fresh, camphoraceous-medicinal aroma with a fruity body note and is very similar to eucalyptus, but softer with a hint of herb. This oil has the odor of a mixture of turpentine and camphor. It consists mainly of cineol (see terpenes), from which cajuputene, having a hyacinth-like odor, can be obtained by distillation with phosphorus pentoxide.
Camphor essential oil has antiseptic properties. It is particularly useful for oily skin types or in blends for muscular aches and pains. There are anti-itch gel and cooling gels with camphor as the active ingredient. Camphor is an active ingredient (along with menthol) in vapor-steam products, such as Vicks VapoRub. It is also found in clarifying masks used for skin. Camphor is a waxy, white or transparent solid with a strong, aromatic odor. It is a terpenoid with the chemical formula C10H16O. It is found in wood of the camphor laurel (Cinnamomum camphora), a large evergreen tree found in Asia (particularly in Borneo and Taiwan, hence its alternate name).
Cardamom oil has a spicy, fruity, warm and balsamic aroma. It is clear to pale yellow in color and slightly watery in viscosity. A perennial, reed-like herb, Cardamom grows wild and is cultivated in India and Ceylon. It grows up to 4 meters (13 feet) high and has long, green silky blades, small yellowy flowers with a violet tip and a large fleshy rhizome, similar to ginger. Oblong gray fruits follow the flowers, each containing many seeds. Cardamom was well known in ancient times and the Egyptians used it in perfumes and incense and chewed it to whiten their teeth, while the Romans used it for their stomachs when they over-indulged. The Arabs ground it to use their coffee and It is an important ingredient in Asian cooking.
Carrot essential oil is warming and reviving. It is good for problem skin, including overheated and irritated skin and also the best essential oil known for caring for mature skinmature skin. Carrot seed essential oil does not have an especially pleasant scent and is therefore best blended with other more acceptable oils such as Frankincense or Neroli. It is believed to stimulate the red blood cells, adding tone and elasticity to the skin. It is also known for its regenerative powers after severe burns.
Cedarwood (cedrus atlantica) essential oil is uplifting and reviving. Cedarwood atlas essential oil has a warm, sweet and camphoraceous aroma with a woody-balsamic undertone. It is useful for everyday stresses and strains. It is also known to be an aphrodisiac.
Chamomile essential oil (Anthemis nobilis Flower Oil) is both soothing and for the mind and body. Chamomile essential oil is very relaxing and its anti-bacterial properties make it an excellent essential oil for use in body skincare to soothe sensitive and itchy skin.
Cinnamon BARK essential oil (Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Oil) is a strong antiseptic and has a cleansing effect. It has anti-fungal, anti-viral, bactericidal, warming, stimulating, energising and uplifting properties. Cinnamon BARK essential oil has a warm, spicy, oriental and somewhat harsh odour. Cinnamon BARK essential oil makes a lovely room fragrance, especially at Christmas – cinnamon, clove and orange oil together make a lovely festive fragrance.
Citronella oil has antiseptic, soothing and deodorising properties. Citronella has been used for years in outdoor body sprays and lotions. It has a fresh, powerful, lemony, and grass-like aroma.
Clary sage essential oil has soothing, uplifting, comforting and deeply relaxing properties which make this essential oil balancing for the emotions of everyday life. The europhoric properties of clary sage essential oil induce a sense of well-being and are often used to heighten sensual pleasures. It has a warm and nutty aroma.
Clove bud essential oil (Eugenia Caryophyllus Bud Oil) or oil of the clove as it is often referred to is highly antiseptic and piercing. Clove bud essential oil is both uplifting and stimulating. It soothes and relaxes the digestive system when used to massage the abdomen. It is a natural analgaesic and antiseptic used primarily in dentistry for its main ingredient eugenol. It has a spicy and slightly fruity aroma. The various basils have such different scents because the herb has a number of different essential oils which come together in different proportions for various breeds.
Cumin essential oil (Cuminum Cyminum (Cumin) Seed Oil) has stimulating, anti-oxidant and antiseptic properties and is a tonic. Cumin essential oil is also useful as a warming oil (helping to relieve muscular and joint pains) and as an aid for the stresses and strains of everyday life. Cumin essential oil is clear to pale yellow with a characteristic spicy, penetrating scent.
Cypress essential oil is a wonderful essential oil for overheated skin and maintaining a healthy circulation. The astringent and toning properties of Cypress essential oil support areas under constant pressure such as the legs. It is refreshing and a natural deodorant. It is useful for visible veins and cellulite and in optimising a healthy immune system. Cypress essential oil is an excellent womens oil, especially during menstruation and the menopause. It has a sweet, warm and woody aroma.
Dill seed essential oil has stimulating, revitalising, restoring, purifying, balancing and cleansing properties. It has a fresh, herbaceous scent that is gentle, warm, and spicy.
