| PLANT | PLANT DESCRIPTION | CHEMISTRY | BENEFITS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rosemary | A member of the mint family, Rosmarinus officinalis is a highly aromatic shrub that is most widely known for its use in traditional dishes like chicken, lamb, potatoes, turkey, and more. Ancient people like the Greeks, Romans, Hebrews, and Egyptians considered rosemary to be sacred, and it was quite often used by healers in these early cultures. Native to the Mediterranean areas, this fragrant plant produces leaves from which Rosemary oil is extracted. | Main Chemical Components: Camphor, 1,8-Cineole and a-pinene. Rosemary oil includes the constituents alpha pinene and 1,8 Cineole, which are generally known for their renewing properties. The chemical makeup of Rosemary oil contributes to its ability to affect mood and repel insects. Camphor and pinene are the monoterpenes responsible for Rosemary oil’s ability to deter insects. These chemicals are also what make Rosemary oil so stimulating – allowing it to have an enhancing effect on mood. Much like the oil’s uses, the chemical profile of Rosemary oil is extremely diverse. |
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| PLANT | PLANT DESCRIPTION | CHEMISTRY | BENEFITS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ginger | Zingiber officinale has been cultivated for culinary and medicinal purposes since earliest times. In fact, it was listed as a taxable commodity by the Romans in AD200, and first mentioned in Chinese medical literature during the later Han dynasty (AD25-220). Extracted from the underground stem of the ginger plant, ginger oil has warming and soothing properties that make it useful in everyday life. | Main Chemical Components: Ginger contains a variety of pungent and biologically active compounds such as phenolics, flavonoids, gingerol, shogaol and zingerone responsible for its therapeutic actions. Of the 115 different chemical components found in ginger root, the therapeutic benefits come from gingerols, the oily resin from the root that acts as a highly potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agent. Ginger essential oil is also made up of around 90% sesquiterpenes, which are defensive agents that have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. |
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| PLANT | PLANT DESCRIPTION | CHEMISTRY | BENEFITS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Seed | Nigella Sativa (also called black seed or black cumin) is an annual flowering plant in the family Ranunculaceae and is native to Western Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. It is widely grown for its flavourful seeds and leaves, where it has a long history of use in diverse culinary and medicinal traditions, and is highly esteemed as a herbal remedy for a wide variety of ailments. Black seed oil can be taken internally or applied topically to benefit the skin. It is also added to massage oils, shampoos, skin care products and fragrances. | Main Chemical Components: Among the many complex chemical constituents that makeup black seed, its primary components are Thymoquinone, p-cymene, camphene and β-pinene. Although the beneficial activity of black seed has been linked to its content of thymoquinone, which is one of the most effective substances in these seeds; black seeds also contain other compounds, such as carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, fixed oil, volatile oil, saponins, and alkaloids, which can all contribute to its therapeutic effects. |
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| PLANT | PLANT DESCRIPTION | CHEMISTRY | BENEFITS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amber | Amber is the fossilized tree resin from ancient forests that hardens and is harvested from deposits in the ground. The essential oil is made by heating up the solid resin to a temperature of over 200°C until it dissolves and becomes a liquid. Amber has been used since Neolithic times (around 12,000 years ago). It has been used in decorations, perfumes, medicines and jewellery. It has a warm, smoky scent with undertones of floral citrus. | Main Chemical Components: The composition of amber essential oil is complex and may include dozens of different terpenes and other hydrocarbon compounds. Among them are fencol, isolongifolol, borneol, aromadendrene, caparratriene, azulene, longipinene, camphor, thunbergol and other terpenes and terpene derivatives. Some of those are responsible for anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects of amber oil. Some components of coal tar are also obtained when amber is melted. |
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| PLANT | PLANT DESCRIPTION | CHEMISTRY | BENEFITS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pomegranate | Punica granatum L. (Pomegranate) is a long-lived and drought tolerant plant. They are widely cultivated in Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt, Morocco and Spain as well as India and Iran. It is one of the world’s most ancient fruits and has a long and fascinating history. The fruit is eaten fresh, and the juice is used in flavourings and liqueurs as well as being the source of grenadine syrup. Pomegranate is high in in vitamin K, vitamin C, folic acid and dietary fibre. An Ancient Egyptian proverb states “Eat a pomegranate and visit a bath; your youth will haste back.” | Main Chemical Components: Pomegranates contain two main plant compounds that are responsible for its powerful medicinal properties. Punicalagins and Punicic acid. Punicalagins are powerful antioxidants contained in the juice and peel of this fruit. They have also been found to have three times the antioxidant activity of green tea and red wine. Punicic acid is found mainly in the seeds of the pomegranate fruit, it displays strong biological properties and is a remarkable anti-inflammatory conjugated linoleic acid that is prized for its therapeutic abilities. |
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| PLANT | PLANT DESCRIPTION | CHEMISTRY | BENEFITS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bay Laurel | Bay laurel or noble laurel (Laurus nobilis) is an upright, hardy evergreen tree that is particularly common in the Mediterranean regions and can grow up to 10 metres tall. It is used as bay leaf in cooking for a distinctive savoury flavour or fragrance for meats, soups and stews, and even as an ingredient in cosmetics, soaps, detergents and a cologne known as bay rum. It is also well known as a potent medicine and offers some impressive health benefits; in fact, the Ancient Greeks believed it was capable of protecting them against plague and various disease. | Main Chemical Components: Bay leaves have many volatile active components such as a-pinene, β-pinene, chavicol, acetate, geranyl acetate, a-terpineol, neral, mycene, linalool, limonene and eugenol. The compounds are known to have strong antiseptic, antioxidant, digestive, and thought to also have anti-cancer properties. Energizing laurel oil has a sweet, herbaceous, slightly spicy scent. Laurel oil is an antibacterial oil, specifically recommended in a steam inhalation for tonsilitis or added to any cold and flu blend. It is said to be strongly anti-viral as well. |
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| PLANT | PLANT DESCRIPTION | CHEMISTRY | BENEFITS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olive | Olea Europaea, also known as the ‘tree of eternity’ or Fruiting Olive is a long lived, evergreen tree with beautiful silvery grey / green foliage and a naturally slight weeping habit. It ranges in height from 3 to 12 metres and its wood is resistant to decay. Not only does it bear fruit that creates award winning olive oil, it also has an interesting history. It’s speculated that the first Olive trees appeared in the Middle East and people began cultivating them around 7,000 years ago. Olive oil has long been considered sacred and holy and the olive branch has often been a symbol of abundance, glory and peace. | Main Chemical Components: The main chemical component of extra virgin olive oil is fatty acids namely oleic acid, a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid and linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid. Historically the benefit of extra virgin olive oil was attributed to these two fatty acids which have been shown to have beneficial cardiovascular effects. It is also now recognised that many of the beneficial effects of extra virgin olive oil may be due to the unique minor compounds, including the flavonoids, lignans, secoiridoids and their hydrolysis products. |
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