Myrtle essential oil has fresh, fruity, sweet herbaceous aroma similar to Eucalyptus. It is a mild oil and one of the best oils to use on children. It is known for its benefits to respiratory problems and evening out oily, combination or problem skin.
- Latin Name
- Myrtus Communis
- Family
- Myrtaceae
- Note
- Middle
- Extraction
- Essential oil by steam distillation from leaves, twigs and sometimes the flowers.
- Constituents
- Cineol, myrtenol, pinene, geraniol, linalol, camphene among others.
- Origin
- Europe
This evergreen small tree can grow up to 5 metres in height, has frangrant green leaves and frangant star-like white flowers. The berries are blue-black in colour and contain several seeds, the flowers are pollinated by insects, the seeds dispersed by birds that feed on the berries
History
Was known as an effective versatile mild cleansing and antiseptic oil. Was also used for colds and flu, diarrhoea, dysentery and bladder infections. The leaves and flowers were a major ingredient of “Angle Water”, a sixteenth-centuary skin care lotion.
