By Jeanne Rose ~ February MMXX
Synopsis ~ the blue oils are nine or more essential oils from several botanical groups that when distilled produce a blue-colored oil. They are all anti-inflammatory and very-helpful to skin health.
Many thanks to Eden Botanicals for supplying these lovely oils to photograph – Jeanne Rose photo
Part 2
includes properties, uses, how to use the oil, chemistry,
Blue oil tomato tales, history,
references, precautions, blending and formulas for health and
well-being.
•
Part 1 included naming, botany, taxonomy, and organoleptics.
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WHY DO WE CALL THEM THE ‘BLUE
OILS’ ~ We call them ‘blue oils’ because they are blue in color. Yes, essential
oils have color. These colors include a pale sky blue such as in Roman
Chamomile although it seems to quickly lose that color), the cobalt–colored Blue Sage (Artemisia
douglasiana) or the navy-colored oils such as Blue Chamomile (Matricaria
chamomilla) and azure-blue Blue Tansy (Tanacetum annuum) and the
viscous indigo-colored oil from Blue Artemis (Artemisia arborescens) and
sapphire-Blue Cypress (Callitris intratropica). Some of these plants are
related and some are not.
The molecule called azulene is a dark blue color. It is composed of two terpenoids; vetivazulene a derivative of Vetivert and guaiazulene (also called azulon) mainly from guaiac and chamomile oil. This molecule is also found in some of the pigments of mushrooms, plants like guaiac wood oil and also in marine invertebrates, such as jellyfish and corals. Azulenes, although usually shades of blue, can also be green, violet, blue/violet, and red/violet. It is a brilliant rainbow of color due to its chemical structure. 12
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HISTORICAL USES ~ Historically, the Noble Chamomile called the Roman Chamomile, is often a double flower. It was grown interspersed with lawn plants as a ground cover that provided fragrance when being walked upon. Wet laundry, especially sheets were laid down on this fragrant cover plant, to dry, and while drying, to pick up the sweet apple-scent of the plants. In the past when I could grow large amounts of this plant, I have been able to place my clean washed cashmere sweaters out to dry and they would come back to me with the calming scent of chamomile.
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INTERESTING FACTS ~ “It has been demonstrated that sensory perception has an impact on aging in species that are unconnected by millions of years through evolution. This suggests that comparable effects might be seen in human beings as well. For human beings, it might not be the smell…. it might be our perception of danger or food. In this case, a smart program where we control our perceptions might form the foundation of an easy yet powerful program to prevent disease and promote healthy aging.” from AntiAging Forum. OUR sensory perceptions include — these perceptions include what we see, what we hear, what we smell, what we taste and what we feel. The five senses are sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch.
THE BEAUTIFUL COLORS AND USES OF
THE BLUE OILS.
Fig. 2
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There are two major varieties of Chamomile that are used as herbal
home remedies and for essential oils: Chamaemelum
nobile or Anthemis nobilis, also known as Roman or English chamomile,
and Matricaria chamomilla,
also known as German or Hungarian chamomile. Today, they are two of the most
widely used medicinal herbs in the world.
These two close herbal relatives are different plants of the same
plant family – Asteraceae [Compositae]. Both varieties have an aromatic scent
and bear small, daisy-like blossoms that are about one inch in diameter. They
have similar properties, and many herbalists use them interchangeably in herbal
remedies. However, they do have some distinct differences, and one is a
perennial, while the other is an annual.
The one that is often most desired as a fragrant lawn substitute is the perennial double Chamomile of Chamaemelum nobile ‘Flore Pleno’. This is an old selection that is been in use for hundreds of years. It forms a low evergreen mat with ferny leaves and fluffy white flowers in early summer. The flowers can be dried and used for tea or mowed, dried and used for fragrant potpourri.
Double ‘Flore Pleno perennial Chamomile fig. 3
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GENERAL
PROPERTIES OF THE BLUE OILS
The main property of any of the blue oils is as an anti-inflammatory, to control inflammation, usually of the skin and on some occasions, when taken internally, to control inner inflammation.
Use
them by AP=application, IG=ingestion or IN=inhalation.
Application:
•Roman chamomile oil is used
as a tea for its internal as well as external properties, as an antispasmodic,
anti-inflammatory and to relieve gastro-intestinal associations of distress. Both
the flowers and the essential oil is used in skincare as an anti-inflammatory
and Shirley Price has said that it is the best of all essential oils to use.
Ingestion:
•Blue Sage Tea (Artemisia douglasiana) “has been shown to help decrease the ill effects of lipid peroxides (rancid fats) on the liver. In dealing with the American diet and our strange reliance on processed foods, you must remember that fat and oil preservatives and antioxidants don’t change the existing rancidity, they just prevent more from happening and your finely tuned nose from detecting what has already happened.” (Moore, Medicinal Plants of the Desert and Canyon West 20).
•It is the Blue Tansy EO (Tanacetum annuum) with Ammi visnaga, which is used in capsules to treat wheezing and asthma. There are three excellent formulas for these issues at the end of my article on asthma. See http:///articles/asthma_bronchitis.html
Inhalation:
•The blue oils have many uses in blends and are used via inhalation or in the blends used in inhalers. Roman Chamomile is most easily obtainable and can be used in an inhaler, salt inhaler, mixed with Eucalyptus radiata and rubbed on the chest for inhalation uses to relieve the breathing.
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PHYSICAL
USES & HOW USED (IG OR AP)
APPLICATION ~ The blue oils with the component of azulene
are anti-inflammatory, analgesic
and antibacterial and especially the chamomiles and blue Cypress are considered
as being exceptional plants and oil in the skincare.
• Blue Chamomile CO2 from Matricaria chamomilla CO2is a dark greenish-brown, an opaque, thick and viscous product of carbon dioxide extraction. It retains more of the natural floral odor of the flower and is a strong anti-inflammatory when added to any skincare product. Use it by taking a bit and working it well into some of your skin cream or lotion and then add more lotion until all is incorporated. In commercial products when Chamomile CO2 is used it is normally around 0.2±% of the total.
CO2 extracts are closer in composition to the oil as it occurs in the plant and has better solubility in the product. A wonderful fruity-scented healing addition to any skincare application.
German Chamomile CO2 – EO ~ Color and Viscosity Fig. 4
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Blue Chamomile EO from Matricaria chamomilla is mentioned in P. Davis book, “use of German Blue Chamomile can be
especially helpful where skin conditions may be aggravated by stress, and
indeed where stress may be the underlying cause.” The two key constituents,
(-)-alpha-bisabolol and chamazulene both of which are anti-inflammatory,
account for 50-65 percent of total volatile oil content.
The Benefits
of Azulene in Chamomile Essential
Oil. The use of chamomile is increasing as the knowledge of azulene
(chamazulene) grows. Azulene occurs in significant amounts in Matricaria
chamomilla, (Matricaria recutita) and the use of this herb has surpassed
even its cousin Roman Chamomile as the essential oil to use for skincare.
Azulene and bisabolol are both in the GCMS of the deep blue essential oil. Both
are powerfully anti-inflammatory. ”In one study on albino rats, German
Chamomile was found to heal wound burning significantly compared to topical
olive oil. Bisabolol itself has been studied and shown to be non-toxic and non-sensitizing,
even when taken internally in large doses. The bisabolol offers rosacea
sufferers an opportunity to alleviate itching and irritation, but azulene also
goes a long way towards reducing rosacea’s redness by soothing inflamed
capillaries.”
•
Roman chamomile tea and EO –
The herb tea
is anti-allergenic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, bitter tonic
tea, carminative tea, digestive tea, emmenagogue tea (promotes menstrual flow),
nervine, sedative-calming, and stomachic.
The EO is inhaled for asthma, used orally and is best for all
uses.
Roman
chamomile EO is insoluble in
glycerin. “Upon exposure to air and
light and on prolonged standing the light blue color of the oil changes first
to green and later to yellow-brown. This
oil presents one of the highest ester value of all essential oils, from 272 to
293.5” World of Aromatherapy,
p. 203. Esters are used in skincare.
Roman chamomile has little chamazulene, and thus has gentler anti-inflammatory properties. It also has a higher alcohol content than its German Chamomile. It is the better choice for skin conditions and other topical applications. It is used in skin diseases, acne, chilblains (painful inflamed skin patches from the cold), and all skin irritations, applied as a compress for menstrual problems, neuritis (pins and needles in the limbs), neuralgia (sharp nerve pain), surgical intervention and pain relief, and used in perfumery. I have used in massage blends for relaxation. Rub a bit on the gums for teething pain.
• Achillea millefolium – Yarrow tea is aromatic, bitter, astringent, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, it relieves indigestion, increases perspiration; the herb tea is drunk or the EO is applied for feverish illnesses like colds, measles, and influenza; also, for cuts, bruises, ulcerous skin sores, hemorrhages, varicose veins, headaches, hypertension. The essential oils and hydrosol can be used directly on the skin for burns or scalds.
The scent of the essential oil is herbal and woody, and it is used externally for muscular aches and pains or in skincare for severe rashes and wounds that are difficult to heal. The herbal tea is used in skincare as well. Yarrow is used reducing the look of varicose veins and reduce scars. For formulas for hemorrhoids and varicose veins see http:///articles/varicose_veins.html
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Fig. 5 … Blue Tansy EO
• Tanacetum annuum-Blue Tansy EO uses ~ Active principles include monoterpenes with limonene as a major component, sesquiterpenes of chamazulene up to 30% and dihydrochamazulene. “The properties are anti-inflammatory, antihistamine when taken with Ammi visnaga, anti-itch, pain-relieving, soothing to the nerves when the plant oil is inhaled, hypotensive, possibly thymus stimulating and hormone-like.
I have used it in capsules for asthmatic crises (as it supplies a theophylline-type component which is a bronchodilator) along with Ammi visnaga), emphysema; in blends for irritating skin problems in adults, abnormal reddening of the skin and couperose skin problems, in skincare, arthritis, neuritis, sciatica, muscular rheumatism, hypertension, and varicose veins. Contra-indications: among certain women with endocrine imbalances.”7
Tanacetum
annuum chemistry. Chemical Composition and Antifungal Properties of the
Essential Oil of Tanacetum annuum in Blue tansy, aka Moroccan Tansy. Shoot oil of Tanacetum annuum was examined
by GC and GC/MS and found to contain sabinene (22.3%) and camphor (13.2%) as
major constituents. This oil was screened for its antifungal activity against Botrytis
cinerea, Helminthosporium oryzae, Alternaria solani, Piricularia oryzae and
Verticillium dahliae. T. annuum oil exhibited the strongest fungitoxicity by
completely inhibiting the mycelial growth of each of the fungi at 5000
ppm…. J. Essent. oil Tes., 12, 122-124 (Jan/Feb 2000).
• Blue Cypress (Callitris intratropica) is considered an all-around first-aid remedy in the same way that Tea tree oil is used. And it has a considerably more pleasant odor.
• Artemisia arborescens – Blue Artemis used in salves and lotions is very effective for all sorts of skincare issues. Eatwell Farm makes a fabulous salve with the herbs they grow.
Fig. 6
EMOTIONAL/ENERGETIC USES (AP OR IN): Inhalation of Roman Chamomile – Nervous tics, asthma, insomnia, headache, depression, and nervousness. It is very useful for hysteria, anger and child tantrums.
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A MINOR
CHAMOMILE TOMATO TALE
Years ago, when my boy was about 8 years old, we were all gathered together around the dining room table, friends and family, having a glass of wine and chatting. We live in the city and up two flights of stairs from the street. The boys, my son and his friend were on their BMX bikes riding up and down the length of the hall and creating a tremendous cacophony. It was very noisy. I quietly got up, put some Roman Chamomile into a diffuser, aimed the nozzle towards the hall and diffused this essential oil into the atmosphere. It was only minutes before the noise died off and quiet reigned in the house. Too quiet, actually. I got up and went into the bedroom and now the boys were having a great time smoothing Vaseline into their hair and trying to get it to stand up in greasy peaks for that fashionable punk look. My son was laughing and enjoying the mess. Getting that Vaseline out-of-the-hair is another story.
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DIFFUSE/DIFFUSION
~ Use these rare blue oils in
moderation. If the herb works, use that first before the essential oil. They
can be blended with just about any selection of oil to suit your purposes. I
have a favorite at my desk of Eucalyptus smithii + Chamaemelum nobile in
a small bottle that I use to inhale periodically when I am working at the
computer.
EMOTIONAL/RITUAL USE ~ Many sources list a litany of magical and spiritual traditions for the Roman Chamomile. These sources list its use in spells for peace, love, tranquility, and purification. Teddy Fearnhamm, an aromatherapy teacher says, “a cascade of Roman Chamomile and you immediately feel loved”. In ritual, it is used to instill stillness, become spiritually aware, give inner peace and to become emotionally stable. These are all attributes we can use.
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BLENDING
~ The Chamomiles can be blended with
just about any herb or citrus or wood or resin. It works well with flowers,
barks, and spices. Arctander states that Roman Chamomile is used as a trace
additive [and] imparts a warm, yet fresh note and a natural depth which is
difficult to obtain by other means.
•Blue Chamomile is used in very small amounts to give a soft blue note to blends and perfumes and warmth and softness to the scent.
•Use Blue
Tansy in moderation, it has better uses than being an addition to a perfume
or diffusion blend.
•Blue Cypress added to a perfume or blend, does some miraculous scent-changing. I found it excellent to alter the slight fishy scent of the Australian Sandalwood (Santalum spicatum) when I was making deodorant. I have experimented with this oil and found a simple and easy Deodorant formula. First, I add 5% Blue Cypress to the Sandalwood oil. This deepens the scent and gives it an invisible deeper woody odor. Then I add 95% neutral grape spirits to 5-10% of the essential oils. And don’t worry about the alcohol in the formula. You only use a short spray under each armpit (less than a drop), the Sandalwood plus the alcohol kills the odor-causing bacteria. [The organism that is apparent in human body odor, Corynebacterium xerosis is strongly inhibited by Australian Sandalwood and thus would be useful in deodorant formulas. With all bacteria except the enterobacteria, Sandalwood oil demonstrated significantly greater antimicrobial efficacy than terpinene-4-ol, the main component of Tea tree oil.]
JeanneRose Deodorant Formula:In a 100 ml bottle (3.5 oz) with a spray top190 drops of Sandalwood oil10 drops of Blue CypressThis is about 6 ml. totalFill the bottle with 95% neutral grape spirits (do not use vodka unless it is at 150 proof, do not use rubbing alcohol, use only real neutral grain or grape spirits (Everclear works also). The essential oils are at 6% and may need to be increased up to 10% depending on the level of scent that you want. At 6%, this formula kills the human body odor, leaving little to no odor of itself behind.
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SOME
OTHER FORMULAS
Azulene in Blue Chamomile Essential Oil Can Calm Rosacea – Matricaria recutita extract is used in thousands of skincare products. Always be sure to dilute down to at least 1% concentration when used topically, and even half of that is enough to turn your base cream, oil or tonic serum a bright blue. Caution should be taken if you have any allergies since azulene in chamomile has been known to induce an allergic reaction.
•Rosacea is a chronic, inflammatory skin condition that principally affects the face. Rosacea causes facial redness and produces small, red, pus-filled pustules (bumps). Rosacea worsens with time if left untreated.
•Rosacea Formula is 20 drops of Calophyllum, 10 drops of Helichrysum, 2 drops or a tiny glob of Blue Chamomile CO2 or West Coast Blue Artemis, , .5 oz Aloe vera gel, 1 scoop Oat beta-glucan, and up to 1 oz. Calendula infused oil. Mix these all together, and thin with Calendula oil to your desire. Apply twice daily. Store in the refrigerator.
• Clay-Mask for Delicate, Inflamed Skin ~ https://jeanne-blog.com/clays-and-muds/
Make a paste of white clay and water (or flower water). Add 1 drop of Matricaria recutita. Apply to clean face and let dry up to 15 minutes. Rinse off carefully and spray with hydrosol of Lavender or any others you might have.
• Neuritis and neuralgia and a Shingles remedy. – The formula of Essential Oils at 8% includes Helichrysum, Rosemary verbenone, Ravensara, and Roman Chamomile. Add 42% of the total in Calophyllum, and Calendula infused oil for the balance of the formula at 50%. If possible, make this formula by weight not volume. Shingles are very painful, a viral condition from old chickenpox stored in your body. I do not believe that essential oils can ‘cure’ it, but they can help ease the pain. There is a long article on my website about this. See http:///articles/shingles.html
A Formula for
neuritis. Get a 1-oz bottle, add 30 drops Roman Chamomile, 20 drops of
Rosemary verbenone and 10 drops Ravensara. Then fill with a carrier oil. I
prefer to use a cold-pressed Olive oil that has been also pressed with Lavender
flowers [see Sciabica Olive Oil]. Shake
vigorously and label and use at will.
• Sunburn/Damaged Skin61% Artemisia arborescens EO99% Aloe vera gel in solutionApply as needed.
Fig. 7
HYDROSOL
~ Any of the hydrosols obtained while distilling plants will be acidic in
nature and skin-loving for you. In particular, the plants that are mentioned in
these two parts of “The Blue Oils” all produce quite effective hydrosols. The
EO is only blue if the plants are picked in the morning ‘when the dew is dry
but the sun not yet high’, and if mature flowers rather than leaves are
picked. The waters are anti-inflammatory and can be added to any lotion or
cream that you have. If you add them when the blue is still in the waters, that
means that the essential oil has not quite settled out. These products need to
be refrigerated.
I
grew several of these plants for the hydrosol, especially the Artemisia arborescens, the blue Artemis, in my
garden for years. The hydrosol was good for skincare and skin issues of all
types. We like to mix it with seaweed gel for acne, rosacea, and skin
irritations. I personally found the hydrosol to be more useful than the
essential oil and so much easier to use, although slightly fungal in scent.
•Blue Chamomile and Roman Chamomile hydrosol. Eden Botanicals offers an organic Blue Chamomile hydrosol that they write is energetic and yet calming and
comforting. They describe it as green, herbal, cool – like the scent of the
tea. It is used as a gentle spray directly on the skin for compromised skin
conditions, either combined with Witch hazel distillate or undiluted. Blue
Chamomile hydrosol contains high amounts of bisabolol which is
anti-inflammatory. A wonderful distillation water to use for all of your skin
and bathing needs.
Fig. 7b
I adore Roman Chamomile hydrosol. I use it in the bath, as a facial toner and to spray my sheets for sleeping. Ann Harman found that in testing Roman Chamomile hydrosol there was 0.0042% of EO in it and the hydrosol was composed of 61 components, mainly sorbic acid, trans-pinocarveol and lesser amounts of ketones, acids, and other components.
See
https://jeanne-blog.com/chamomile-roman-eo-profile/ and https://jeanne-blog.com/cypress-and-blue-cypress-eo/
•Blue Sage hydrosol, Artemisia douglasiana, The hydrosol has been found to be very effective against predations of snail populations. When I was able to obtain a gallon of the hydrosol (2000), I sprayed my San Francisco garden at the start of the spring and summer season, once again the following year and from that time to the present have not been bothered by the ubiquitous San Francisco snail brought here, in the 1800s to feed the hordes of gold miners or that is the gossip as to why we have so many. This was a great boon to the garden.
•Blue Yarrow hydrosol. There is a blue Yarrow hydrosol, although I have not had the opportunity to use it. Here is a photo of hydrosol produced by Tracy Stringfellow, who is a rancher, farmer, distiller of many lovely plants and their products. “Yarrow hydrosol is a great first aid for wounds. Wash a wound with the hydrosol to help stop the bleeding. Use it in daily treatments for wounds that will not heal. Compresses of Yarrow hydrosol on varicose veins and couperose (reddened, rough) skin will aid the healing. Use in a sitz bath for hemorrhoids and after childbirth. For digestion and hormone balancing, add a tablespoon a day to a glass of water as a drink for your diet and/or to spray lightly face or body.” —from Hydrosols & Aromatic Waters by Jeanne Rose
Blue Yarrow Hydrosol by Tracy StringfellowFig. 7c
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HERBAL USES ~ Chamazulene itself does not occur in the plant but
is formed from a sesquiterpene lactone called matricine during the steam
distillation process. So, don’t expect to make herbal remedies with plants
that produce blue oils and have a blue product. These plants should be
carefully distilled from the freshly picked top of the plants and the hydrosol
immediately frozen (to preserve the blue color) and the essential oil collected
and stored in the freezer to preserve it from oxidation.
•“California Mugwort, Artemisia douglasiana (Blue Sage as an oil), is a traditional medicine of the Chumash Indians of California and is used in the treatment of menopausal symptoms, premenstrual syndrome and dysmenorrhea. “The traditional treatment for menopause is a mild, A. douglasiana tea. This tea is much milder than the European A. vulgaris tea. A. douglasiana tea is made by placing a fresh or dried leaf in 300 ml of water. The mixture is warmed until it starts to boil at which time it is removed from the heat. The tea is allowed to steep for a few minutes prior [Copyright © 2012 SciRes. CM J. D. ADAMS ET AL. 119] to drinking. Sugar, honey or other sweeteners are not added. Anxiety is a learned disorder that must be unlearned. It is treated, in part, with A. douglasiana. People with anxiety attacks are treated once with sagebrush tea in the evening and then as needed.
A. douglasiana is also called
dream sage (sagebrush) by Chumash Healers. To induce dreams, place the stems
and leaves, under a pillow and sleep on the pillow. The fragrance helps with
dreaming. When the plant dries, strip the leaves and stuff them into a small
pillow. Place this under the regular pillow and continue sleeping on both
pillows. This is a traditional use of A. douglasiana especially in very
ill or aged people who cannot dream. Dreaming is considered an essential part
of life and healing.
Thujone in A. douglasiana
does not come over in the tea but it does in the alcohol extract.
“Gabapentin activates presynaptic
GABAB heteroreceptors on glutamatergic neurons resulting in less release of
glutamate. How this mechanism decreases hot flashes is not known. Gabapentin
has adverse drug effects including seizures and sudden unexplained death. A.
douglasiana is much safer therapy for menopausal symptoms than these drugs.”15
•When taking Matricaria
chamomillaas a tea for stomach ache, sleep tea and any
inflammatory issue, the dosage is “In adults, oral administration for
traditional uses are generally as follows: (1) dried flower heads: 2-8 g as an
infusion three times daily; (2) liquid extract/ tincture: 1-6 mL up to three
times daily of 1:1 potency; 7-15 mL up to three times daily of 1:5 potency”
see. Alternative
Medicine Review Volume 13, Number 1 2008
•When using Yarrow, Achillea millefolium, the blooms have stronger medicinal properties than the leaves. Use the flowers as a tea to treat colds, fevers and to improve digestion and circulation. It is also a valuable tonic for the liver and kidneys. Yarrow flowers as tea can aid in increasing appetite and digestion. When used for the common cold it can help the body remove toxins. It can also aid the symptoms of PMS. It also stimulates the kidneys and urinary tract as an antiseptic. It is traditionally thought to relieve the symptoms of stomach cramps, rheumatism, hypertension, etc. or as a general tonic. Topically, it can treat (the flower tea) wounds, cuts, rashes, and burns. The leaves can be crushed and used to stop bleeding. Hemorrhoids can be eased by some Yarrow flowers added to a cool bath.
•
KEY USE ~ Use the Blue Oils to relieve inflammation and some relieve asthma.
§
Fig. 8
MORE ON THE CHAMOMILE TYPES
Chemotypes investigation of essential oils of Chamomile herbs : A short review — Plants named “Chamomile”, in Arabic “babounj”, belong to the genus Anthemis, Chamaemelum, Cladanthus and Matricaria (Asteraceae). Chamomile has been recommended for a variety of healing applications and is included in the FDA’s (US Food and Drug Administration) GRAS (generally recognized as safe) list. There has been an increasing interest in the use of natural substances instead of synthetic chemicals, due to the fact that many herbal medicines are free from side effects and seen as “green” so that it is advisable to cultivate medicinal plants because of the possibility to better control quality of the target bioactive components. The species Matricaria chamomilla (German chamomile), and Anthemis nobilis syn. Chamaemelum nobilis (Roman chamomile) and Cladanthus mixtus (Moroccan Chamomile) are usually referred to as the common name “Chamomile”. Nowadays, chamomile is a highly favored and much-used medicinal plant in folk medicine throughout the world as an antispasmodic. Essential oils of chamomile herbs have been reported for their anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, healing, stimulative, carminative, spasmolytic and sedative activities. In continuation of our works on Asteraceae, we report here an investigation of the chemotypes of essential oils of “Chamomile” herbs from the Asteraceae family. … J. Mater. Environ. Sci. 7 (4) (2016) 1229-1235
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OTHER BLUE
OILS Discussed by the APP (Aromatic Plant Project)
During this investigation of “The Blue Oils” and because I was involved in organizing the growing of essential oil plants in the Pacific Northwest, specifically California, for the express purpose of encouraging distillation here of aromatic plants as an industry; I was able to look at and smell many oils that had been distilled in Oregon. I went into detail about their naming and uses in part I and will only briefly name a few of these oils here in part 2. The Aromatic Plant Project (APP) was a non-profit educational organization whose mission statement is here given. >MISSION. The mission of the APP is to support local and organic production of aromatic plants; to provide resources for growers and distillers; to ensure high-quality aromatherapy products and to educate consumers as to the appropriate and beneficial uses of these aromatic products. The MISSION STATEMENT is: Cultivating today for a fragrant tomorrow.
Blue Artemis – Fig. 9
•ARTEMISIA ARBORESCENS (Blue Artemis) is a luscious deep-blue, indigo-colored oil with the characteristic scent of thujone but no thujone is contained in the plants that grow in the NW part of the USA. Oregon oil has camphor but no thujone while the Moroccan oil has thujone and little camphor. There are different uses for each of these oils. This USA sample had been analyzed as having a 20% – 40% azulene content.
•ARTEMISIA DOUGLASIANA (A heterophylla) essential oil is a clear royal blue, with a sweet sage-like odor, called Blue Sage. With this color of azulene and knowing the Native American uses of the plant, I would think that this California and Pacific Northwest species will ultimately find wonderful uses in the body-care industry especially for serious skin conditions and external applications for rheumatism or headache. There is also a CT (chemotype) of this plant with green oil.
•TANACETUM
VULGARE
cv Goldsticks. This essential oil is a
very pale sky blue with a hint of thujone odor.
I do not feel that it has any external applications in the body-care
industry or use in aromatherapy.
•ARTEMISIA LUDOVICIANA var. latiloba CT esters (White Mugwort) is a watery blue in color, very perky and fruity-scented with sage and eucalyptus overtones. According to the Native Americans, the herb was used as an herbal tea to expel a dead fetus among many uses and externally to remove tumors. This was developed by a particular distiller in Oregon from only personally picked, fruity-scented types of A. ludoviciana and though the plant exists today (2020) in the wild, it no longer exists as the chemotype described as ‘esters’. That plant has died out.
•Two other oils with pale blue color were Daucus carota, which is commonly called Queen Ann’s Lace (Wild Carrot) and Chinese Celery. The oil of Aralia californica of leaves and flowers and Conioselinum pacificum with their pale colors, almost green in hue do not fall within this short article.
•I
have also distilled a variety of Pelargonium graveolens called Mabel
Gray that produces a pale blue oil and hydrosol. There is a picture of this on
my website. http://www.aromaticplantproject.com/hydrosols.html
§
THE NASTY
TOMATO TALE OF OXIDIZED BLUE CHAMOMILE
I enjoy telling my stories because it helps people, students, and teachers alike, to understand what sometimes happens when you use essential oils and what is being sold in the retail market.
A few years ago, I was in Hopland,
CA at a store that sold equipment to save energy in the household. They had a
small counter of ‘organic’ skincare and some essential oils. And one of the
essential oils was Blue Chamomile in 15 ml-size brown glass bottles and it was
listed at a truly small and ridiculous price for the amount of oil. This piqued
my interest and I asked the saleslady if I could smell this oil and look at the
color. The
smell was truly awful – like rotten vegetation and spoiled cabbage. The color
was even worse a ripening brown that looked like runny feces and together with
the scent, one wondered what was in that bottle. A bit had gotten on my fingers
and I was repulsed and ran to their bathroom to wash my hands, but no amount of
soap was going to remove that putrid odor. At that moment, I might have chosen
to remove the finger to get rid of the scent.
I informed the salesperson that they were selling a truly awful, out-of-date, old and rancid, oxidized Blue Chamomile. They left it on the shelf. When I got home, I wrote the store manager as well. Their response? “well the consumer is getting a good price”. Then I found and called the distributor in Florida and they were very dismissive, saying that they had gotten a really good deal on this oil and were doing the consumer a favor by making it available.
Truly, those who are reading this — This is NOT a favor to you to save money but to purchase something rotten and loathsome. Would you be pleased to buy an old rotten zucchini if it were a price reduction? My point is that you should get to know what you want, what it should look like including color, what it should smell like and make sure you do not waste your money on a bad product. This is one of the downsides of brown glass bottles. You can not see what you are purchasing. Color is important – if it is a blue essential oil it should be a blue color if it is a CO2 extraction it will be greenish-brown. Remember that!
§
Fig. 10
The blue color is the sesquiterpene AZULENE and all essential oils containing azulene are anti-inflammatory as a property both by inhalation and by application and occurs in EO, not in the plant (matricine).
**Oxidation changes the chemical composition of the essential oil. If any of these oils are greenish-black or brown when they should be deep blue, it indicates oxidation, age, and the existence of free radicals, and they should not be used for therapy. Furthermore, if the clear to yellow oils appear deep yellow to deep brown, they too have oxidized and are too old to use therapeutically.
© The above table, fig 10 is copyrighted and may not be used without the express permission of Jeanne Rose Aromatherapy •219 Carl St. • San Francisco, CA
94117; ph. 415/564-6337; info@jeannerose.net or
§
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Fig. 11
SCIENCE ARTICLE ~ Final Report on the Safety Assessment of Azulene ..F. Alan Andersen, First Published April 1, 1999 Research Article
Abstract ..Azulene is an extract from the volatile oil of several perennial herbs and is detected in tobacco smoke. It functions as a skin conditioning agent in cosmetic formulations, including hair dyes. Azulene is reported to be used in a wide range of cosmetic formulations, but these reported uses are likely to be uses of guaiazulene, a chemically related colorant because there are currently no suppliers of azulene to the cosmetics industry. The anti-inflammatory action of azulene has been demonstrated in several animal studies. Effects at the cellular level are reported to include inhibition of respiration and growth, but no effect on ciliary activity or membrane permeability. Relatively low oral toxicity was seen in acute animal studies. Azulene was not mutagenic in an Ames test, with and without metabolic activation. An allergic response to azulene was noted in one case report. These data were clearly insufficient to support the safety of azulene in cosmetics. Additional data needed to make a safety assessment include methods of manufacture and impurities, especially naphthalene; current concentration of use; skin penetration, if there is significant skin penetration, then both a 28-day dermal toxicity study to assess general skin and systemic toxicity and a reproductive and developmental toxicity study are needed; one genotoxicity study in a mammalian system, if positive, then a 2-year dermal carcinogenesis study using National Toxicology Program methods is needed; skin irritation and sensitization in animals or humans; and ocular toxicity.
‡
NOTES TO TEXT & BIBLIOGRAPHY1. Parsons, Pamela. “Chamomile”. The Aromatic “Thymes“. (Spring 1994) 2:2.2. Arctander, Steffen. Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin. (Elizabeth, NJ: Steffen Arctander, 1960.)3. Franchomme, P. and Penoel, Docteur D. L’Aromatherapie Exactement. (Limoges, France: Roger Jollois Editeur, 1990.)4. Guenther, Ernest, Ph.D. The Essential Oils. (Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing Company 1976.) (original edition 1952.) (in VI volumes)5. Parry, Ernest J. Parry’s Cyclopedia of Perfumery. Philadelphia, PA: P. Blakisont’s Son & Co., 1925.) (in II volumes)6. Rose, Jeanne. The Aromatherapy Book: Applications & Inhalations. (Berkeley, CA: North Atlantic Books, 3rd edition, 1994.) Available from /books.html7. Rose, Jeanne. 375 Essential Oils and Hydrosols. (San Francisco, CA: Jeanne Rose Aromatherapy, 3rd edition, 1994.) Available from /books.html8. Tutin, Heywood, Burges, Moore, Valentine, Walters and Webb, Editors. Flora Europaea, Vol. 4. (Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 1976.)9. Mabberley, D.J. The Plant Book. (Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, corrected reprint, 1989.)10. Lewis, Walter H. “Notes on Economic Plants.” Economic Botany. 46(4) pp. 426-430. (1992.)11. Bailey, L.H., staff of. Hortus Third. (Cornell, New York: Hortorium, Cornell University, 1977.)12. http://www.aromaticplantproject.com/articles_archive/azulene_chamomile.html13. The Blue Oils. By Jeanne Rose. Published in “The Aromatic Plant Project” from archives •199414. http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/Plant15 Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris, Artemisia douglasiana, Artemisia argyi) in the Treatment of Menopause, Premenstrual Syndrome, Dysmenorrhea and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder by James David Adams, Cecilia Garcia, Garima Garg University of Southern California, School of Pharmacy, Los Angeles, USA, 201216. Yield and chemical composition of the essential oil of Moroccan chamomile [Cladanthus mixtus (L.) Chevall.] growing wild at different sites in Morocco. A Elouaddari, A El Amrani, JJ Eddine… – Flavour and …, 2013 – Wiley Online Library
References: Arctander, Steffen. . Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin. (Elizabeth, NJ: Steffen Arctander, 1960.)Harman, Ann. Harvest to HydrosolMabberley, D.J., Mabberley’s Plant Book, 2008 Third Edition with 2014 updates, Cambridge University PressRose, Jeanne. 375 Essential Oils and Hydrosols.Rose, Jeanne. The Aromatherapy Book, Applications & Inhalations.Rose, Jeanne. Hydrosols & Aromatic Waters. /books.htmlWorwood, Susan & Valerie Ann. Aromatherapy.
Fig 12. A field of Artemisia arborescens in California
