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Aromatherapy Bible - Everything you need to know about Aromatherapy and ingredients!

 

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Ingredient's Glossary

Alpinia - This used to be used primarily as a food flavouring - rather spicy and ginger-like. The phyto-oestrogens in alpinia help older skin retain moisture longer.





Angelica Extract - Legend has it that this plant was revealed by an angel to a Benedictine monk to help counter the plague. I discovered its many uses when studying chinese herbalism in Malaysia. Used as an extract, Angelica promotes a healthy boodflow and helps skin regenerate.




Argan oil - This is used in Morrocco as a rich moisturiser on the skin. Women there have used it for centuries and when travelling there, I was impressed by how well it protected their skins. The oil is very rich in essential fatty acids and vitamin E, which is a powerful anti-oxidant, making it a protective as well as a restorative oil. It takes a while to sink in, which makes it perfect for the body as you can really massage it into skin.



Arnica Extract - Traditonally used to ease swelling and bruising, arnica has a long history in medicine and was particularly prized by medieval monks and grown in their herb gardens. I find arnica has soothing benefits even in a showergel, although to help with bruises I would use an arnica cream which I don't wash off.




Avocado oil - Avocado, with its high "good" fat content, vitamin C and easy to digest nature is a fantastic food and the oil is just as good for your skin. The Aztecs knew this centuries ago and people in Central America today still use avocado oil for skin and hair treatments. The oil penetrates the skin well and is very moisturising - excellent for keeping skin supple and elastic.




Baobab Seed Oil - Baobab was traditionally used as a medicine in India and East Africa to bring down swelling or even painful gums. It contains high levels of essential fatty acids, making it an excellent moisturiser for ageing skins, helping in cell regeneration and improving elasticity. It doesn't block pores but absorbs easily.




Basil - In India, Hindus believed that Basil offered protection to the soul. Its therapeutic properties will help soothe and calm. In Europe, Basil is also considered as a symbol of fertility. It helps to reduce nervous fatigue and can also act as an aphrodisiac.





Bay Leaves - The bay tree originated in South America but is now cultivated in the Antilles, Mexico and Barbados. The strong scented oil is a great antiseptic for the respiratory system and can help to restore energy. Bay belongs to the same plant family as cinnamon, clove and camphor.




(Beeswax - Natural beeswax is a far better ingredient than petroleum for chapped or dry skin. Petroleum simply forms a barrier on top of the lip, it doesn't sink in and moisturise. That's why after using lots of petroleum based lipbalms, your lips end up feeling just as dry. Ultra-moisturising, beeswax absorbs and strengthens the skin's barrier.




Black Pepper - is the fruit of a creeping perennial vine indigenous to the moist low-lying forests of monsoon Asia. Pepper has always been regarded as the most precious spice and was recorded as being more expensive than gold. Pepper oil has long been associated with the treatment of nervous conditions and aiding digestion. It is said that the Buddhist monks in the Himalayas take peppercorns with them on a long journey; they suck them from time to time to give them strength and to alleviate hunger pangs.


Blackcurrant Seed Oil - This oil contains two fatty acids, important in skin regeneration, which are very rarely found in the diet. It is a relatively new ingredient since the process of extracting the oil is an expensive one! This oil helps reduce fine lines and wrinkles, helping the skin retain moisture longer. I combine the oil with blackcurrant essential oil and absolut, which not only strengthens the properties but gives the seed oils the delicious tang of fresh blackcurrants.



Bois de Rose - Is derived from the Rose wood tree, which is grown in abundance in the Amazon forests. The scent is woody and warm, which helps to relieve wrinkles and scars from the skin, as well as being delightful to smell. Bois de Rose acts as an amplifier giving vitality to the other fragrances.




Borage Oil - Borage is a plant beloved by bees and grown easily. It has been used to flavour wines and cool drinks for centuries and to drive away melancholy when drunk. Borage oil is a potent concentration of an essential fatty acid, GLA, shown to protect against ageing and strengthen the skin’s protective barrier.




Cactus Extract - Aloe vera and other cactuses have an intensely hydrating and protective sap. In Mexico I used to watch people splitting the fleshy leaves and applying them directly to their skin to soothe sun or wind burn. Soothing and hydrating to skin.





Calendula - Calendula teas have often been used to soothe stomach problems and the flowers were grown in medieval herb gardens. The extract helps calm and soothe inflammation or swelling. Some Australian scientists are working on using the extracts to help with burns.




Cardamom - The flowers and the pods have a beautiful pungent fragrance. Commonly used for centuries in spice and medicinal treatment. It also has aphrodisiac properties. The oil is a great refresher and has effects to increase energy levels.





Carrot Oil or Carotene extract - The vegetable we know today as a carrot was in fact only developed in the seventeenth century. Wild carrots are small, whitish roots with a very pungent aroma. They were believed to be a blood cleanser and were grated for use on wounds. Because the oil is rich in so many complex vitamins and minerals, it is an excellent ingredient for almost all skin types. It helps prepare skin for the sun, clears up blemishes and assists elasticity.



Chamomile - A sacred flower in Egypt, it was offered to please the sun god, Ra, and used as a remedy for fever. A medicinal plant, it is a good tonic, digestive, sedative and antiseptic. It also soothes eczema and acne conditions and helps stings and bites, cystitis, coughs, migraine, asthma, bronchitis and the neuralgia of flu.




Chaulmoogra Oil - When I was studying in India, I found women had been using Chaulmoogra for centuries to brighten complexions. They were astonished that I didn't already use it. A rich oil to help skin regenerate and brighten tired complexions.





Cinnamon - Has played an important part in Chinese, Roman, Egyptian and Greek medicine for many generations. It is one of the oldest spices known and has a distinctive hot, peppery aroma and taste. It is a good remedy for flu, fatigue depression and an effective stimulant.




Clove - Discovered by the Arabs, spicy Clove is one of the most effective antiseptics known and is a good general tonic. It has beer recorded that Clove oil would warm people feeling cold and cool down those who felt hot.





Coconut Oil - One of the most well used oils in the world people use it on hair, nails and skin to protect from drying by wind and sun. Highly emollient this oil softens and soothes skin.





Cornflower - This has been a popular plant for soothing puffiness or reducing swelling. This works well with Calendula and peony to soothe tired eyes and is perfect for sensitive skin.





Evening Primrose Oil - Evening Primrose is a wonderful plant with anti-inflammatory properties which help relieve cramps and aches. The oil is extracted from the small seeds and has a range of benefits for the skin. The oil contains essential fatty acids which help the skin retain moisture longer by strengthening the skin's protective barrier. Excellent for dry, damaged or stressed skin.



Geranium - Originates from Africa and brought to Europe in 1690. The rich geranium flower plants are now a popular widely grown garden plant. The essential oil has a rich aroma of rose with a hint of fresh mint. It has healing properties and is used as a pick-rne up which helps to renew energy.




Ginger - A sacred oil to the natives of the Pacific island of Dohu where they used it as a magic ritual and for medicine due to its remarkable healing effects. A hot spicy root, renowned for its digestive properties, it also acts as a stimulant tonic.





Ginkgo Extract - Ginkgo has been used both as a food and a medicine for thousands of years. In Chinese medicine it acts as a tonic and dynamiser for the system, assiting with a host of ailments requiring a "yang" medicine. For skin I use it to help draw out impurities and kickstart other detoxifying ingredients and processes.




Ginseng - Records of the use of Ginseng date back almost 7000 years. In Chinese medicine it is used to balance the body, with different varieties promoting stimulation or relaxation. Here I'm using ginseng as a stimulant for an immediate lifting effect on the skin helping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.




Gold of Pleasure Oil - This plant is often found growing wild amongst flax and provides a rich oil when pressed. This oil is high in omega 3&6 renowned for their anti-ageing and protective qualities.





Grapefruit - High vitamin C content and detoxifying qualities make grapefruit excellent both as a fruit and an essential oil. Cleansing, stimulating and detoxifying grapefruit is excellent in all cleansers and mildly anti-septic products.





Jasmin - This is one of the most important plants for perfumery, and is cultivated in many countries with Egypt being the largest producer. It has been used for tea for centuries, which is helpful for migraine and has a calming effect. Jasmin is used in India all over the body and especially for the hair to promote beauty and well being.




Juniper - The berries have anti-septic and diuretic properties and in ancient times they were believed to ward off plague and sickness. The wood was also burned to keep the air healthy. The essential oil is revitalising and anti-septic in quality making it a very cleansing oil for use with oily skins or spots.




Lavender - Lavender has been beloved for centuries. The scent of the dried flowers was used to freshen clothes, rooms and its cleansing anti-bacterial properties made it excellent for soaps, cleansing waters, eau de colognes and perfumes. The oil itself was renowned for treating burns and skin diseases. In short, this is one of the most widely used and beloved plants int he herbal garden! Soothing and calming with anti-bacterial properties, I use the water as a natural astringent toner. The oil imparts a relaxing fragrance and can help reduce swelling.


Lemon - Lemon trees have the most exquisitely beautiful aroma that was first noted in 10 BC. The first Arabs referred to it as the medicinal apple while the Ancient Egyptians harnessed their power to protect against spells. Women in the Court of Louis XIV would use the acid in lemons in place of lipstick (they would bite of half a lemon throughout the day to keep their lips rosy). Lemon essential oil is a polyvalent or cure-all and as a result, is great for rejuvenation and general health. It has many restoring and healing properties and is also a wonderful antiseptic and bactericide.


Lemongrass - Lemongrass has been popular in Ayurvedic medicine for centuries where it was used ot treat fevers and to assist digestion. Highly anti-septic and stimulating, I use the oil to help cleanse and awaken the skin.





Liquorice Extract - In Chinese medicine, liquorice is thought to promote long-life and the tea is drunk as a tonic. It is now recognised as an anti-oxidant which helps protect against damaging free radicals. Since free radical damage is a major cause of skin ageing and wrinkles, the old traditions have a lot to recommend them.




Luffa Seed - These amazing gourds have been harvested and dried and used as stiff, natural sponges for many years. The seeds can also be pressed for an oil. Ground up luffa is an amazing exfoliator for the body - stiff, without being harsh or scratchy. The oil is rich in essential fatty acids, important for skin regeneration.




Mallow - The sweet we know today as marshmallow originated because mallow roots were used to soothe coughs and chest infections and someone had the bright idea of making a medicine that was sweet and tasty as well! Mallow has soothing, anti-inflammatry properties which hlp reduce puffiness.




Mandarin - The fruit is calming and good for stress. I often recommend pople drink it instead of orange juice. The essential oil has a very fresh smell - I find it both revitalising and calming together.





Mango Butter - Mangoes are one of my favourite fruits and when ripe are a wonderful source of beta-carotene. Beta-carotene is important for strengthening the skin and the rich quality of mango butter means I find this a wonderful ingredient for strengthening nails - making them less brittle and likely to tear.




Manuka Honey - New Zealand Bees feeding on the flowers of the manuka tree produce this wonderful honey which has antiseptic properties from the flowers as well as all of honey's traditional healing benefits. Indeed, the honey is used as a dressing in New Zealand hospitals for burns, which is where I first came across it. I use manuka honey in a range of products because it combines two essential benefits: anti-bacterial/ cleansing with hydrating/restoring. This makes it as valuable when cleansing as in moisturising.


Mint - Often used in teas for calming the stomach and assisting digestion, mint has long been a popular herb. I use it for tisanes, in cooking and distill the water for beauty preparations. The distilled herbal water is cooling and refreshing on the skin and has cleansing anti-bacterial properties.




Mulberry Extract - Mulberry was cultivated in such massive quantities because it acted as a habitat for breeding the silk worm, but lately we have come to discover other qualities in the plant. Mulberry affects skin tone, lightening or evening it out, which can reduce the appearance of age spots or skin redness over time. This makes it useful for spots, swellings, bruises and other marks on the skin.



Neroli - Obtained by distilling the fresh flowers of the bitter orange tree, it takes 1 ton of flowers to produce 2lbs of oil. It is highly beneficial to the nervous system, and effectively treats anxiety and nervous depression. It also acts as a natural tranquilliser and is used as a refresher for well-being and beauty.




Nutmeg - The rich trees that produce both nutmeg and mace are native to the Moluccas Island and are now grown in Grenada and the West Indies. This rich warm fragrance helps to calm and warm up your senses.





Oil of the Gods (Chia Oil) - This oil was highly prized by the Aztecs of Central America, so much so that it was reserved for the use of the emperor and his family alone. His anointment with this rich oil symbolised his godhead and eternal life. This is a very rich source of Omega 3 fatty acids which are shown to be essential in cell regeneration - perfect for helpign skin to recuperate and renew itself overnight.



Orange - Originating in China, the orange tree is remarkable because every part is utilised for essential oil. The leaves produce petit grain - one of the most important essential oils in aromatherapy. The beautifully scented flowers produce the essential oil of neroli and the skin of the oranges themselves become the essential oil of orange. It is the only tree that gives so many different types of essential oil.



Papaya Extract - A delicious fruit in its own right, it has long been known to have cleansing properties. People use the seeds for stomach upsets and make teas from the leaves and skin. Purifying and cleanisng, the essential oil and enzymes act as a natural exfoliator, helping skin renew itself.




Passion Fruit Seed Oil - Seed oils are excellent sources of fatty acids, but we tend not to absorb them too well when taken internally. I love fruit seed oils, even though they're rather expensive to obtain because they're so light and penetrate deep into the skin. Conditions and smoothes dry skin, easily penetrates skin for deep hydration.




Peony - Peony Flowers have been used as medicine since ancient times - there is evidence they were being used for their soothing and cooling properties as long as two thousand years ago. I find this a very gentle and soothing plant extract to help relieve tiredness or swelling.




Ravensare - Sometimes referred to as the ‘nutmeg of Madagascar’, Ravensare comes from a bush, rather like the laurel tree, with a red bark. The essential oil is obtained from the leaves and it has a very fresh smell, not dissimilar to that of rosemary. The people of Madagascar have used the oil for healing since Ancient times – I tried it for the first time in Mauritius when I got a sharp sea-urchin needle in my foot. I was in great pain but ravensare soothed the wound and helped to get the needle out. The essential oil has hardly any toxicity and can be applied neat, it is a great substitute for tea tree as it is just as antiseptic but a lot safer to use in pregnancy.

Red Grape Extract - In France people have always believed that a few glasses of red wine are part of the secret of a long and happy life. Now, we know that red grape extract is indeed an excellent source of anti-oxidants. A powerful anti-oxidant known to scavenge free radicals which cause skin damage and the signs of ageing.




Rose - Rose water and Rose essential oil are both favourite ingredients of mine. Roses have one of the most distinguished cosmetic histories. The Greeks and Romans used roses to adorn the statues of the gods and to embalm royalty. The sweetness of its scent is legendary and undoubtedly refershes the spirit as much as the oil can benefit the skin. Rose water has a toning effect, excellent for reducing puffiness and inflammation. The oil needs to be carefully combined with other ingredients to work at its best, but it has rejuvenating properties, lifting and brightening skin.


Rose Absolute -This is one of the most expensive of the essences. Rose is an effective aphrodisiac as well as being the most romantic of flowers and the symbol of passion! There are many hundreds of different varieties of rose and throughout history it has been the perfume of kings and pharaohs. It also acts as a general tonic and fortifier and is particularly effective on the nervous, circulatory and respiratory systems.



Sandalwood - The true sandalwood tree is an evergreen native to southern Asia, growing exceptionally well in the south Indian highlands. The oil was used in religious ritual, and many deities and temples are carved from its wood. The ancient Egyptians used sandalwood for medicine, embalming and ritual, burning it to venerate the gods. It is the main remedy used in the ayurvedic system of medicine to help reduce inflammation and is very good for relaxing and meditation.



Seaweeds: Sea Buckthorn, Kelp, Carrageenan - Recognising the extraordinary concentrations of minerals and trace elements of seaweed is a relatively new therapy, but coastal dwellers have often used seaweed not only in cookery and as medicine for themselves. Each type of seaweed has its own specific benefits, but in gerneral they are rich in minerals, trace elements and have smoothing, moisturising benefits that actually keep moisture in the skin longer. I am a huge fan, because they have a gelling quality as well, which means I can cut down on the number of emuldifiers that need to be used.


Sesame Seed Oil - Sesame seeds have long been a favourite food and flavouring - they are mentioned on Ancient Egyptian papyrus. One myth even states that the gods drank sesame flavoured wine before creating the world. An excellent source of vitamin B, rich in several minerals such as calcium and iron and anti-oxidants, sesame seed oil is excellent for skin.




Shea Butter - Shea butter from the African Shea nut is made up of an incredible range of vitamins and essential fatty acids. Shea Butter is a great moisturiser which even sensitive skin loves. Skin feels more supple and brighter.





Sweet Almond Oil - Produced from the almond and grown mainly in the meditteranean, this has been a popular oil since ancient times. Rich in oleic acid, almond oil is easily absorbed and smoothes and conditions skin at the surface.





Tamarind Extract - In the Caribbean I noticed women were crushing tamarind pods and putting the juice directly onto their skins. It was soothing and restorative after a long hard day in the sun. When I returned and began to examine the extract I found it was an extremely rich source of anti-oxidants. Tamarind promotes skin renewal and helps protects against damaging free radicals which cause signs of skin ageing.



Tuberose - Has a relaxing and sensuous profile, but its added dimension of sensuality takes Tuberose out of the strictly relaxing, stress-reducing category. It is classified as a sensuous fragrance and is regarded as a languorous and seductive fine scent, reinforcing its prominent, positive mood of happiness. It is a must in good perfume because of its positive notes and vibrances.




Vanilla Pods - The fragrance is extracted from the pods. Its wonderful fruity and exotic fragrance makes people happy and content. Unlike other fragrances, Vanilla increases relaxation and stimulation, heightened by a sense of calm as well increasing awareness, clarity and energy.




Verbena - A beautiful lemon scented slender shrub with long green pointed leaves and tubular purple flowers. A native of South America, Verbena has strong antiseptic properties for skin. It also helps to calm and relax.





Vetivert - This oil comes from the Vetiver grass, which is cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical climates, and the oil is extracted from the roots. It has a rich aromatic scent, which is widely used in perfumery. The oil helps to act as an energy booster.





Wheatgerm Oil - Using germinating wheat has grown in popularity in recent times as people begin to appreciate its many benefits. Incredibly high in Vitamin E (up to ten times more than other oils) and essential fatty acids, wheatgerm oil is one of my favourite ingredients for moisturising dry skin. Sometimes I use extracted wheat proteins instead of the oil.




White Clay - The clay from New Zealand is volcanic and has been used for body art and ceremony for centuries. The clay draws out impurities in the skin without scrubbing or squeezing which can damage skin! The volcanic clay is rich in the minerals that help skin stay supple.




Witch Hazel - The leaves and bark of witch hazel have been used for their astringent properties in traditional medicine. The branches were a favourite choice for a divinging stick - although whether it helped more than any other stick, I'm not sure I'd accept… The astringent anti-bacterial quality of the plant are perfect for helping with spots or oily skin.
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Ylang-Ylang - The essential oil is distilled from the fresh flowers of these trees and has an exquisite perfume. Most renowned for its aphrodisiac properties, Ylang Ylang has also been classified for centuries as a sexual stimulant.