NIAOULI – breathe and protect with motherly care

The name “Niaouli” is derived from Nyelayu, a New Caledonian language, translated into Niaouli in French. The botanical name is Melaleuca viridiflora or Melaleuca quinquenervia, commonly known as Niaouli or “broad-leaved paperbark”. The genus name “Melaleuca” means “black and white” – referring to the colour of the bark which resembles the bark of the birch tree. And “quinquenervia” meaning “five lines” refers to the lanceolate shaped leaves with their five nerve fibres. “Viridiflora” means “green flowered”. The flowers are typical for Melaleuca: roundish-spike shaped. The tree, being similar to Eucalyptus in appearance and aroma, has a pliable trunk and a…

GERANIUM – animate, uplift, relax

Geranium oil – with its Latin genus name Pelargonium – belongs to the Geraniaceae plant family. The beautiful plant has its origin in South Africa. Today it occurs in many different species, most of which grow in North Africa, East Africa, Egypt, and Middle East regions, but it is also abundantly found in the gardens of Southern Europe. Most Geranium species are cultivated for decorative purposes, only a few like Pelargonium roseum, Pelargonium graveolens, Pelargonium asperum, Pelargonium tomentosum and Geranium macrorrhizum are used for the production of essential oils. The high-quality oil from the Bourbon Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) is especially…

Lemongrass – a Power Grass and much more…

One of the most anti-microbial oils so far known is distilled from Lemongrass oil. This oil is derived from a highly fragrant tropical grass belonging to the Poaceae family, the same family as our barley or wheat. The essential oil in Lemongrass is gained by steam-distillation resulting in a watery liquid of dark yellow colour with an intense fragrance due to the main component, the aldehyde “citral”. The higher the portion of the citral the more potent the desired effects of the essence will be. There are two main members of the Lemongrass family which have been used for centuries…