Geranium

LATIN NAME:

Pelargonium graveolens

COMMON NAMES:

Sweet Scented Geranium, Pelargonium, cranesbills

FAMILY:

Flowers

NOTE:

Middle to top

PLANT PARTS USED:

Leaves and Tops

EXTRACTION METHOD:

Steam Distilled

ORIGIN:               

Geranium is native to South Africa and was introduced into Europe around 1690. This small shrub also grows widely on Reunion island, France; Spain, Italy; Morocco, Egypt and China. China iscurrently the largest producer of Geranium Essential Oil

THE PLANT:

Geraniums cover more than 400 different flowers and are prized for their beautiful flowers, but many of them are appreciated especially for their aromatic scents. Some of the fragrant geraniums are orange, apple, rose and mint-scented geranium. The colors of their blooms may vary from red, pink, magenta, and violet, to purple, but white colored and salmon flowers are the most common.

DOMINATING MOLECULE:

Geraniol, linalool, citronellol

CULTURAL MEANING:

According to an old Muslim legend, the geranium first grew when the Prophet Mohammed hung his shirt on a plant to dry in the sun. When he came to pick it up again, he found it covered with brightly colored fragrant flowers. Since antiquity, flower symbolism has been a significant part of all cultures. The color of the bloom of geranium determines the symbolical and even magical attributes of these plants. People of New England believed that snakes would not go near those places where wild geraniums grow. Similarly, if the blossom points downward, the flower is warning that you are stuck in the past and that constant reminiscing is stealing your future. Pink flowers of geranium are used in love spells, while red geraniums usually grow in a pot near a witch’s cottage.

SCENT DESCRIBTION:

Floral with very fresh, green, and soft yet penetrating, lemony/rose-like body notes

AROMATHERAPEUTIC EFFECTS:

Geranium Essential Oil is said to be uplifting and stabilizing. This is a lovely essential oil to use when looking to help manage situational anxiety and depression.

BLENDING RECOMMADATIONS:

Bergamot No. 06, Pink Grapefruit No. 33, Jasmine Sambac No. 19,   Lavender No. 21, Mandarin No. 24, Neroli No. 27, Rose Otto No. 35, Sandalwood No. 36