NEROLI. Essential Oil/Hydrosol Profile
By Jeanne Rose ~ June 2019
Neroli. ~ A description
of Bitter Orange/Neroli flower, country of origin, characteristics, Jeanne Rose
skin care, formulas and recipes on how to use this famous, important oil
Pretty Neroli oil — hydro-steam distilled – Eden Botanicals Essential Oil
Neroli. Common Name/Latin Binomial ~ Citrus x aurantium L, also called C. amara, C. aurantium ssp. Amara, C. iyo. It Is a cross between Citron and of C. reticulata (Mandarin) + C. maxima (Pomelo) as the female parent. The ‘x’ in the middle of any Latin binomial simply means that the plant is a cross and in this case several types of Citrus were crossed to eventually become “Bitter Orange”. There are many backcrosses in this group of Bitter Orange/Neroli. To see a chart of the five pure origin Citrus genus, please see the Mandarin Jeanne-blog post.
Family
~ Rutaceae, the Citrus family
•
Neroli LimerickThere is a citrus flower NeroiIt is grown in the Garden FiloliIt rings all my bellsWith such heavenly smellsAnd sure, makes me feel all holy! … JeanneRose2012
•
Neroli. History & Countries of Origin ~ Native to Europe and Siberia naturalized
worldwide.
It seems that the bitter or sour orange
is a native of China in the southeastern part of Asia. From there it spread out
to India and Iran. The Romans did not know it and it was introduced to the
Mediterranean area around 1000 A.D. by
the Arabs and this bitter Orange was the only one known for about 500 years.
Did those expert distillers and alchemists, the Moors, distill bitter Orange to
get the water or the essential oil? We
don’t know. The lovely Neroli oil was first mentioned by J.B. della Porta in
1563 for the Princess of Neroli.
Neroli
Naming History ~ Who is Neroli? “By the end of
the 17th century, Anne Marie Orsini, the princess of Nerola, Italy, introduced
the essence of bitter Orange tree as a fashionable fragrance by using it
to perfume her gloves and her bath. Since then, the term “neroli”
has been used to describe this essence.”
Bitter Orange flower
Neroli.
Bitter Orange. General description of plant, habitat & growth ~
The bitter Orange tree that produces Neroli essential oil is very close in
appearance to the sweet Orange. However, they may look similar but the fruit
they produce is different. Bitter Orange produces a bitter flesh and pungent
sweet essential oil (called Neroli) while
sweet Orange has a sweet flesh and markedly different essential oil (called
sweet Orange oil). This orange is used as a rootstock in
groves of sweet orange and if the sweet Orange can go wild, the bitter Orange
rootstock will often take over and the subsequent fruit will be sour and the
flowers sweet like Neroli. The tree has a long-life span, up to 100 years. They are propagated by seed
and/or grafting onto a disease-resistant rootstock; the young trees are planted
out in April-May; they are well taken care of throughout their life and early
evening or nighttime irrigation is most important in the early years to set
good roots. The flowers are harvested from late April to June when the buds
just begin to open and in their early years were done according to herbal
principals, “harvest in the morning when the dew is dry but before the sun
is high”. Now harvesting often goes on until noon particularly on warm
sunny days. If the flowers are picked when closed, the odor of the oil is
‘green’, but these yield a strong Neroli water.
•
Portion
of plant used in distillation, how distilled, extraction methods & yield ~ Bud
blossoms of the true bitter (sour) orange tree, Citrus x aurantium Linnaeus, (subsp. Amara) L., on being distilled
yield Neroli bigarade oil. If, on the other hand, the leaves and petioles (leaf
stalk) are distilled, oil and hydrosol of Petitgrain Bigarade is obtained. Flowers of Bitter orange must not be mixed
with the flowers of sweet Orange as the
properties , specific gravity and chemistry are different.
THE
flowers are harvested from March to May and hydro-distilled for the Neroli oil
and hydrosol. > The flowers are hydro-distilled not steam-distilled and
must float freely in the distillation waters (just like Roses and
Ylang-Ylang).< Annually 2-3 tons
is produced, mainly in North Africa such as Morocco and Tunisia.
In
North Africa, the bulk of the flower harvest is hydro-distilled, and the
balance extracted with volatile solvents which yields concrete and absolute of
orange flowers as well as a floral wax.
Neroli floral wax
YIELD ~ 850 kg of carefully picked Orange flowers yields 1 kg of Neroli oil after steam distillation. Or 1 kg of Orange blossoms yields about 1 g. of Neroli oil and this oil is affected by the atmospheric conditions when it is distilled. The small, white, waxy flowers from the citrus tree are hydro-steam distilled. Yield: 0.8-1.0%.
2003. Harvesting Neroli flowers near Fresno at Olsen Organic Farm
•
Neroli Oil . ORGANOLEPTIC CHARACTERISTICS
4 Neroli oils compared
Neroli Odor Description ~ Neroli has a
refreshing and distinctive, strong floral aroma with powdery and aldehydic
notes, very fresh with a warm base note
that resembles freshly dried hay. Because
of the high price of Neroli it is ever more frequently diluted or adulterated
with aromatic isolates, and synthetic odors or with Petitgrain. It can somewhat resemble Petitgrain in its
odor as often Petitgrain is used to adulterate Neroli oil. (see Odor Snapshots at the end of the
article).
•
CHEMICAL
COMPONENTS ~ Neroli contains l-linalyl
acetate and l-linalool as well as nerolidol and indole. Ocimenes, limonene, linaloöl and linalyl
acetate are higher in Neroli than Petitgrain. Indole which possesses a powerful
exotic floral note at high dilution and a somewhat fresh breast-fed baby shit
odor when not diluted separates and differentiates Neroli from Petitgrain. This indole odor is sometimes very prevalent
in the Neroli hydrosol. Methoxypyrazine contributes to a green character, which
also is the interesting green note in Galbanum and Green Peppers. Nootkatone is not present in either Petitgrain
or in Neroli.
In
the citrus peels, Limonene, a compound
of the terpene family, is present in the essential oil of citrus peel.
The limonene structure
has a chiral center, and thus it is found in nature as a mirror-image, two
enantiomers the (R)- and (S)-limonene. Isomer (R)- has the characteristic sweet smell of oranges, while the
(S)- smells like the sour of lemons or bitter Orange. (R) is clockwise or
right hand and (S) is counterclockwise or sinistral- left hand.
Solubility ~ The essential oil is soluble in 1-2 volumes of 80%
alcohol and gets hazy to turbid if you add more.
•
HISTORICAL USES ~ This tree, Citrus
x aurantium, the bitter orange tree produces three different essential oils
and a precious hydrosol. Bitter Orange oil comes from the peel of the ripe
fruit, Petitgrain oil is distilled from the leaves and twigs, and Neroli oil is
hydro-distilled from the flowers of the tree and the precious orange-flower
water or Neroli hydrosol is the water of the distillation.
The bitter peel is preserved in
sugar and eaten as a sweet with coffee.
Bitter Orange Peel as a sweet
The famous eau de cologne was made by Italian perfumer J.M. Farina of Cologne, Germany, who created a blend of essential oils inspired by the princess of Nerola. The blend included Bergamot, Lemon, Bitter Bigarade, Neroli and Rosemary. Cologne water of the most superior and incomparable quality is made by first dissolving the essential oils in the alcohols and then distilling it, then adding the Rosemary and Neroli (water) to the distillate.
Neroli flower
INTERESTING FACTS ~ “Neroli was employed as a scent by the
prostitutes of Madrid, so they would be recognized by its aroma. On the other hand, the blossoms were worn as
a bridal headdress and carried as a bouquet, symbolizing purity and
virginity. Together with Lavender, Bergamot,
Lemon, and Rosemary oils, Neroli was a key constituent of the classic toilet
water eau-de-Cologne” Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit, p.100.
• Fine perfumes can only be made with freshly
distilled 70-95% neutral grape spirits.
All the older perfumes were diluted down with neutral grape spirits.
Originally, they were considered medicines and were taken internally by the
drop. After the introduction of synthetics, around 1850, perfumes were made
with chemicalized ingredients and were no longer edible. However, even today certain uplifting
‘spirits’ are sold in Europe as a tonic against seasickness, carsickness and
all sorts of nausea.
•
Neroli so special and sweetIt doesn’t smell like a beetWhen I’m nervous or sadAnd don’t want to feel badI diffuse it and jump to my feet. —jeannerose
•
NEROLI PROPERTIES
The
properties of Neroli include a quieting calming sedative effect upon
inhalation, adding the hydrosol in coffee is calming to the caffeine feeling
upon ingestion and the EO used externally in skin-care products is used to
soften or as skin-healing scar-reducing
tonic use.
Neroli
~ Physical Uses & How used
Application: On hemorrhoids, in skin care, in perfumery. It is especially useful in skin-care products for acne, anti-aging with Galbanum and Elemi, and applied for under-eye circles. The Neroli floral wax is added to creams where it aids in blocking, removing harmful UV rays, has antioxidant properties, is calming and soothing to the skin, helps eliminate dead skin cells, helps reduce the look of fine lines and wrinkles, softens skin, tones and soothes sensitive skin and it contains carotenoids and is rich in Vitamin E. Use this floral wax in skin care products such as lotions, creams, sunscreen, balms and for all your anti-aging formulas. There are 1250 flowers = 1 gram of wax.
Ingestion: Take a scant drop in your tea for Insomnia, or for diarrhea. Put a scant drop in a bottle of champagne as an aphrodisiac. Neroli water is used for nervous dyspepsia, abdominal spasm, and colic. Neroli water is good for cranky children when mixed with Orange honey and warm water and drunk.
Inhalation: The oil is inhaled for fatigue, birthing, palpitations, and cardiac spasms.
Neroli ~ Emotional Uses Application: Apply in a balm on the wrists or back of neck for nervous depression
Inhalation: Inhale the scent for depression, or as a mild sedative that is both joyous and uplifting. It is stabilizing and grounding, soothing, calming and sedating and can alleviate insomnia, PMS, and soothe fever.
Neroli ~ Energetic Uses Inhalation: It is used for shock, grief, and depression. It is used in blends to increase concentration, to ease the pain of emotional abuse, to ease shocking news, with Frankincense at the death of a loved one, for manic depression of fear of personal change and feelings, for loneliness and grief. The essential oil is truly a friend of the fearful and depressed.•
DIFFUSE/DIFFUSION ~ May be diffused in a child’s room for reducing a temper tantrum, relaxing and assisting in sleep or a ½
teaspoon of the Neroli hydrosol given for insomnia.
All the parts of the bitter Orange – EO and Hydrosol
HYDROSOL (Orange Flower WATER) & BITTER ORANGE PEEL Uses ) ~ Neroli hydrosol/water is one of the most important herbal products used in the Middle Eastern world. True Neroli hydrosol is used in Spain and Tunisia in foods as a flavoring agent particularly in baked goods, confectionary and in drinks and it is the hydrosol that is taken for insomnia. The bitter Orange peel is also used as a sweet in Greece and Turkey and is a delicious addition to a variety of desserts such as ice-cream.
•
JeanneRose distilling Orange flowers at Olsen Organic Farm – 2003
•
NEROLI DISTILLATION TALE
NEROLI HYDROSOL ~ In March 2003, I had the opportunity to
distill 5 pounds of organic Orange flowers for sweet Neroli Hydrosol obtained
from a sweet naval Orange, variety Atwood in Lindsay, CA. from the Olsen
Organic Farm. The balance of the leaves and flowers that we picked was then sent to anther
distiller for the Orange Flower and Petitgrain hydrosol. As follows.
The trees were
grown in the foothills edging the great central valley of California near the
town of Lindsay. The trees are grown organically, at 500 feet with a west
exposure in full sun and the area is certified organic. The area is irrigated
via the San Joaquin River. The soil is USDA Porterville cobbly clay. There is
about 12 inches of rainfall per year. The harvest was on Wednesday 3/25/03 from
about 15 trees. Harvest weather was overcast to full sun, about 75°F with 30% humidity. It took 6 hours for two persons to fill 13
five-gallon buckets with twigs and flowers. This was transported to San
Francisco and arrived on Thursday. Each tree produced about 1 bucket (3.3 lbs./bucket)
of easily available twigs with flowers.
This effectively gently pruned the tree of excess flowers and will leave
it able to produce more and tastier Oranges.
At the farm on
the following Saturday, we started with 43 pounds of twiglets that had blossoms
and buds attached. It took 3-man hours (1 hour for 3 persons) to pick off the
flowers and to accumulate the 5 pounds of just-opened flowers. The fragrance was sweet, intense, floral and
fruity with some green back notes. We assembled the 25-liter copper alembic still
and loaded it at 2 pm with 5 lbs. of morning picked flowers and 3 gallons of
spring water. The flowers were kept above the bottom of the pot with a grid and
freely floating in the boiling water. Distillation ran very well, and the
distillate began to run at about 2:15 p.m. We continued the distillation until
5:45 pm at which time 1.5 gallons of Orange flower hydrosol had been
accumulated. The pH changed from 6.1 at 2:25 pm to 5.3 at 2:45 pm and continued
at 5.3 until the end. The heads (scent) had an odor of fruit, green and floral,
the body (scent) was floral, fruity and citrus. Distillation was discontinued
when the odor began to get green with no floral or citrus notes.
The balance of
the leaves and flowers (38 pounds) that had been picked was sent to the larger stainless-steel
unit, 1-hour north. A 4-inch copper tube was added to the gooseneck. Two hours
of distillation produced 12 gallons of hydrosol. pH began at 5, the scent being
green and citrus and as the distillation continued, pH became more acid to 4.4,
the scent becoming more rich, citrus and spicy. 3 ml of essential oil was
produced from the 38 pounds of twigs and flowers.
Neroli
Hydrosol Use – 2003. This
was a wonderful hydrosol, very fragrant and sweet. It was used in skin care products and simply
as a mister. Several misting products
were produced using the hydrosol. Mixed 50/50 with Spearmint hydrosol produced
a very refreshing and fragrant fruity, citrus mint hydrosol. Fabulous…oh how
I wish I had some now.f
There
are many Neroli hydrosol/Orange flower water products on the market. Many are available in
your nearby liquor/bottle store as an addition to beverages. Others are
available through your herbal/aromatic stores.
photo of Neroli Hydrosol courtesy of Nature’s Gift
•
In the book, Harvest to Hydrosol, is a GC-MS of a Neroli
from Canada, 2013, that shows sorbic acid -a natural preservative, and a large
amount of a-terpineol and an even larger amount of linalool. What I found most
interesting however, was a tiny amount of the unpleasant greasy smelling
aldehyde nonanal and may be what makes Neroli excellent for perfumery but not
in a deodorant.
•
Key Use ~ Neroli is inhaled
for depression and fatigue and used extensively in fine perfumery and the
hydrosol taken for insomnia.
Rising Up
Neroli. Blending & Perfumery
Formulas
Read the Perfumery blog to understand some of the nuances of Perfumery.
BLENDING ~Neroli blends
well with just about any oil and especially with other citrus such as
Grapefruit and Bergamot; and deeply floral odors such as Champaca, Osmanthus;
with woody odors such as all the different Sandalwoods or Tonka bean; seed
odors such as Coriander; spicy odors like Cardamom, Nutmeg and Styrax; the
resin odors of Frankincense, Galbanum, Balsam of Peru/Tolu;
Neroli
is one of the classic ingredients in Eaux de Cologne.
1st Method: “Cologne water of the most superior and incomparable quality is made by dissolving the essential oils in the alcohols* and then distilling it, then adding the Rosemary oil and Neroli oil to the distillate. The classic eau de cologne contained Bergamot, Lemon, Bitter Bigarade + grape alcohol, Neroli water and either Rosemary hydrosol or Neroli essential oil.”*This refers only to neutral grape spirits
2nd
Method: Dissolve the aromatics in 95% neutral grape spirits — distill — add
the Neroli and the Rosemary. Effect the dilution required with Orange flower
water or Rose water by adding up to 8-10
quarts or if the original formula is divided by 10 use 3-4 cups of the floral
water.
It is not the number of oils that determines the fineness of a perfume, but the manner in which certain odors are combined — George Askinson
•
Maia’s FLORAL-WOODY SCENTTOP – Neroli 5 – 10 drop HEART – Rose Bourbonia 10 dropsBASE – Sandalwood Hawaiian 10 dropsDiluent – Cane Alcohol 50 drops
•
BROWN SUGAR FORMULA. The essence of brown sugar; sweet and
fortifying, uplifting and refreshing. Use as an inhalant or in blends —
aftershave, astringent tonics, face wash or a sweet massage.
Smell
brown sugar first to establish the scent in your mind and then start blending.
Mix together, Lemon, Neroli, Patchouli, Tangerine. Mix these basic scents together in the
combination that will most resemble brown sugar.
•
FLORAL-FLORAL PERFUME – 9/25/13 (JR)
(the numbers are in drops, by volume not weight)
Top Note – 20 of Lavender abs + 20 of Neroli absolutebridge to heart note – 2 of BergamotHeart Note – 10 of Champaca + 5 of Orange + 20 of Jasmine absbridge to the base note – 1 of CardamomBase Note – 6 of Patchouli + 6 of SpikenardFixative Note of Ambergris (1•100) Make a dilution first and use 1-drop of the Ambergris dilutionTo Finish – Add 100-200 drops of grape spirits to dilute. You want the perfume at 25-50%
•
NEROLI. JEANNE ROSE EXPERIENCE WITH THIS SCENT. Here is a lovely Perfume with Amber essence that I call
“My Love” Perfume Formula
To
make this lovely perfume, mix each note separately and let them age for a week.
After a week mix the main notes together and then let that age. Then in the 3rd
week, start adding the bridge — all of it or part of it, however you like. Now
let that age again. Then add an equal amount of carrier (200 drops). I prefer
neutral grape spirits, but you can use a carrier oil if you wish. It just makes
a different smelling perfume. Age again and then finally after a month or 5
weeks you will have a fabulous perfume at 50%. You may wish to dilute to 25%.
•
a single blosssom
NEROLI • A
Favorite Tomato Tale from 1994
At the age of seven, Gloria
Rawlinson (1918–1995), the poet, was afflicted with polio. She had been
born in Tonga and raised in New Zealand. She was hospitalized for four years as
a result of the polio and was bedridden or confined to a wheelchair for the
rest of her life. She became a poet of significant achievement, eventually to
be crowned the “the child poet of New Zealand” and later to become a
biographer of other significant authors. She wrote the Perfume Vendor in
1935, a book of poems heavily influenced
with the exotic scents of Tonga and New Zealand. I heard of this talented poet towards
the end of her life, about 1990 and was given her book as a gift by a friend.
The book is fantastical, child-like, original
and a lovely fragrant read. I
included her poem of the same name, The Perfume Vendor” in my own book
called The Aromatherapy Book that was published in 1992. Around this time, maybe 1993, I was invited
to a formal event at the New Zealand Embassy here in San Francisco where I met
the Consul General. I had wanted to write a thank-you note to Gloria Rawlinson
for the hours of enjoyable reading and I mentioned this to him. We spoke for a
moment and he said he would see if her address was available. Several days
after the event, I received Ms. Rawlinson address in the mail and promptly
wrote her a letter. I am hoping that she received the letter and knew that
there were still fans of hers in the United States. She had suffered ill-health
for years and died in 1995.
Here is a small part of a poem from the Perfume Vendor …
OH! My place is taken I see—The other vendors envy me,The perfume-merchant, Neroli. …..I am come homeTo my scent bazaar,With the rhizomeOf Iris florentina,(You call it orris-root)—Gum-resins, myrrh, opopanax,Tolu, and sandal-wood, storaxAnd fifteen ounces of oil of cedar to boot— ……“Ben Neroli—Ben Neroli—Will you please allow me?To dipMy little finger-tipIn the Jasmine bowl?”
Neroli flower
SCIENCE ARTICLE: NEROLI – PAIN REDUCING. J. Nat Med.. 2015 Jul;69(3):324-31. doi: 10.1007/s11418-015-0896-6. Epub 2015 Mar 12.Analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of Citrus aurantium L. blossoms essential oil (neroli): involvement of the nitric oxide/cyclic-guanosine monophosphate pathway.
Abstract. The analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties of Citrus aurantium L. blossoms essential oil (neroli) were investigated in mice and rats. The analgesic activity of neroli was assessed … while acute and chronic anti-inflammatory effects were investigated …. Neroli significantly decreased the number of acetic acid-induced writhes in mice compared to animals that received vehicle only. Also, it exhibited a central analgesic effect, as evidenced by a significant increase in reaction time in the hot plate method. The oil also significantly reduced carrageenan-induced paw edema in rats. …. Neroli was analyzed by gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and twenty-three constituents, representing 91.0 % of the oil, were identified. The major components of neroli were characterized as linalool (28.5 %), linalyl acetate (19.6 %), nerolidol (9.1 %), E,E-farnesol (9.1 %), α-terpineol (4.9 %), and limonene (4.6 %), which might be responsible for these observed activities. The results suggest that neroli possesses biologically active constituent(s) that have significant activity against acute and especially chronic inflammation and have central and peripheral antinociceptive effects which support the ethnomedicinal claims of the use of the plant in the management of pain and inflammation.
•
References: Guenther, Ernest. The Essential Oils. Krieger Publishing Company, FL. 1974Harman, Ann. Harvest to Hydrosol, 1st edition, 2015, IAG Botanics]. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25762161Mabberley, D.J., Mabberley’s Plant Book, 2008 3rd Edition 2014 updates, Cambridge University PressOhloff, Günther. Scent and Fragrances, The Fascination of Odors. Springer-Verlag. Rawlinson, Gloria. The Perfume Vendor. Hutchinson & Co. 1937.Rose, Jeanne. 375 Essential Oils and Hydrosols.Rose, Jeanne. Natural Botanical Perfumery. Available from the author at /
•
•
Safety Precautions
Orange flowers – 2003
