Chamomile Essential Oil - Roman and German

The two types of chamomile essential oil used in aromatherapy - Roman and German - have different chemical compositions and different properties. (You might hear of a Moroccan chamomile, but it's not true chamomile, according to Kurt Schnaubelt, Ph.D.)


German Chamomile
By H. Zell (Own work)
[CC-BY-SA-3.0] The common method of extraction for both essential oils is steam distillation of the plant's flowers. German chamomile oil is deep blue, while Roman chamomile oil is pale yellow occasionally tinged with blue.

Roman Chamomile Oil

Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) is a small perennial herb, with daisy-like flowers, that grows only 4 to 12 inches tall and has an apple-like scent. Roman chamomile essential oil contains about 80 percent esters, making it a gentle, calming oil, appropriate even for young children.

The Fragrant Heavens states that Roman chamomile encourages relaxation, stillness, calmness, softness, gentleness, serenity, spiritual awareness, emotional stability, inner peace, understanding, and cooperation.

Other possible uses for Roman chamomile essential oil include menstrual pain, menopause, PMS, stress, tension, and anxiety. Use it to make a relaxing bath or footbath or to make a massage oil blend.

Roman chamomile also soothes all types of skin, and may help skin conditions such as acne, dermatitis, and eczema.

German Chamomile Oil

German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) has smaller daisy-like flowers than Roman chamomile but is a larger plant, growing to 20 inches. The main chemical component is sesquiterpenes, which makes German chamomile an excellent essential oil for skin care. It may help most skin conditions.

Here's a skin care toner for normal skin:

6 drops lavender
1 drop clary sage
1 drop German chamomile
4 drops lemon
2 fluid ounces distilled water

Add essential oils to distilled water in a spray bottle. Essential oils and water will separate, so shake the bottle vigorously before spraying this blend onto clean skin. Source: Aromatherapy for Common Ailments.

German chamomile also helps fight inflammation. Possible uses include abscesses, boils, colic, cuts, cystitis, dermatitis, insect bites, sprains, strains, and wounds.

The Fragrant Heavens says that German chamomile encourages communication, relaxation, understanding, organizaation, empathy, patience, and calm.

You can get both German chamomile and Roman chamomile from Young Living. (To order, please use Sponsoring Distributor Member Number 1030500 or contact me for more information.)

Essential Oil Facial Masks for Oily Skin

I'm in the process of moving the content from this blog to my new website. The information from this post has moved to Essential Oils for Oily Skin.

Essential Oil Facial Masks for Dry Skin

I'm in the process of moving the content from this blog to my new website. The information from this post has moved to Essential Oils for Dry Skin.

Sacred Frankincense: Creating a Deeper Spiritual Connection

Frankincense essential oil is known for its uplifting and meditative properites. Most frankincense oil is Boswellia carteri; however, another species is Boswellia sacra, which Young Living offers under the name sacred frankincense.

Although some sources indicate that the two species are the same, research conducted by Young Living has shown that carteri and sacra are different. Researchers successfully used gas chromatography (GC) to separate the chiral molecules found in the two varieties of oil. The GC tests showed the two had different optical rotations (a measure of the way light deflects off of molecules).

Producing Sacred Frankincense

Boswellia sacra grows only in Oman. It's also known as Omani frankincense, and some sources believe it's the variety of frankincense that the Three Wisemen presented to the Christ child.

In modern times, Oman didn't export the frankincense, except to the Saudi royal family, until Gary Young negotiated with the Omani government and received permission to build a Young Living frankincense distillery in the country and to take the essential oil out of Oman.

Uses

Frankincense promotes healthy skin and has calming and balancing properties. Although you can use sacred frankincense for any of the reasons you would use Boswellia carteri frankincense, the primary recommended use of sacred frankincense is to create a heightened sense of spiritual awareness and connection. You can:

• Put a drop of oil in journals, books, or sacred texts to increase the sense of spirituality.
• Diffuse the oil using an aromatherapy diffuser for up to one hour, as often as three times a day. Diffusing during prayer, meditation, or yoga can deepen your experience and spiritual connection.
• Take as a dietary supplement: Put two drops in a capsule. Take three times daily or as needed.
• Apply 2 to 4 drops directly to your skin. Unless you have sensitive skin, dilution is not required (spot test if you are unsure). Use as needed.

Note: Sacred frankincense is recommended for adults 18 years or older. Consult a professonial if you are pregnant or have a serious medical condition.

Boswellia sacra has a lighter, sweeter scent than Boswellia carteri.

Buy sacred frankincense from Young Living. (To order, please use Sponsoring Distributor Member Number 1030500 or contact me for more information.)

Short video showing frankincense trees and the Young Living distillery:



More Information

Sacred Oman Frankincense - Frankincense research and more from the Sultanate of Oman

The Journey to Sacred Frankincense from Gary Young's blog

Frankincense: Could it be a cure for cancer? from BBC News



Young Living Essential Oils. (To order, please use Sponsoring Distributor Member Number 1030500 or contact me for more information.)