Basil,

Basil

Sweet Basil Ocimum basilicum essential oil.

Its aroma is both inspiring and balancing, akin to lavender oil but more energizing than relaxing.

It is a delightfully sweet and delicate essential oil with a bold aroma, it is spicy-sweet, and has a slight anise-like undertone. A suggestion of camphor and spice swings through its fragrance.

There seems to be a hint of seduction with this oil. Let your emotions run with the mood that is induced.

You may enjoy the heat of the summer afternoon a little more.

Summer??

What is wrong with being in front of an open log fire in winter while you take in a well deserved massage? Okay so this essential oil works in summer and winter. Ummy!

This little surprise package can work wonders on the failing male libido.

Blend fresh leaves of the plant through a light evening meal. Women respond well to its enticing powers given to them from the Love Goddess, Venus.

This little wonder is an herbaceous member of the mint family.

Often associated with Italian cuisine, the plant is native to the region surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.

It is popular as a seasoning and it is easy to grow, the plant is cultivated and used throughout the world and will flourish in most gardens.

You can snip fresh leaves into a pasta dish or salad and have your aromatherapy and eat it too!

In addition to its culinary use, it has a long history as a medicinal herb.

The Greek physician Dioscorides prescribed it as a headache cure.

The Roman scholar Pliny, thought of Basil as an aphrodisiac; his contemporaries fed it to horses during the breeding season.

In modern aromatherapy, the Basil essential oil is often blended into a massage oil or diffused in an oil burner. It is used to cheer the heart and mind. The sweet, energizing aroma seems to help relieve depression, anxiety and sorrow.

The varieties of the plant are easily hybridized, producing many different kinds of plants with different essential oil constituents and compositions. There are cinnamon, lemon, clove and liquorice scented varieties.

Dwarf bush types with tiny leaves are grown as ornamental plants.

The two most popular varieties used in the extraction of essential oil on a large scale are the European variety and the Reunion Island, or Exotic.

The European variety which is themore popular of the two because of its 'softer' essential oil was originally grown and distilled in southern France but is now cultivated in many other countries.

The constituents that give the aroma and flavour are linalool which is also found in lavender and clary sage; methyl chavicol, which is found in tarragon; and eugenol which is found in clove and allspice.

Reunion Island, orExotic basil, was originally grown and distilled on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.

But the Reunion Island oil contains camphor and has little or no linalool.

Because of its harsher, woody aroma the Reunion Island variety is cheaper.

The essential oil from the Reunion Island plant is often combined with other oils that contain linalool including lavender, bergamot, clary sage and geranium, to take advantage of its mildly energizing, uplifting, refreshing qualities.

In Australia we have managed to grow each of the popular varieties with great success.

Despite Australia’s success in growing both varieties of the plant a large volume of the essential oil is still imported.

Caution Some people are sensitive to the methyl chavicol in the oil and may experience redness or burning if the oil isn't properly diluted before being applied to the skin. (2 parts basil oil to 98 parts carrier such as organic jojoba oil is often recommended).

Basil oil is not recommended for use by pregnant women.

Essential Oils Page

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