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Rosewood Oil: Health Benefits of Essential Oil of the Rosewood Tree

Updated on October 20, 2011

Introduction to rosewood oil

This mild oil, known as bois de rose, possesses a rich aroma and is used as an ingredient in expensive perfumes.

Rosewood essential oil has a slightly spicy, floral smell, which is captivating and rather special.

The oil is rich in linalool, a chemical used in fragrance industries, which helps give it the distinctive scent.

Since rosewood essential oil is often harvested from the Brazilian rain forest, environmental concerns have lessened the market for it in recent years.

When buying rosewood essential oil, or aromatherapy products which contain rosewood oil, checking the source is important, if possible.

This article is about rosewood - details about the plant, the health benefits associated with rosewood oil, and the aromatherapy products which make use of the oil's properties and fragrance.

Rosewood trees growing wild
Rosewood trees growing wild

Harvesting rosewood plant oil

Rosewood oil is obtained from wild, Amazonian species of the Anibarosenodora tree.

This beautiful Brazilian evergreen tree can grow up to 40 meters high. It has reddish bark and yellow flowers.

During the yearly flood season in the rain forest, huge rosewood tree trunks float downstream, headed for the distilleries. Rosewood plant oil is extracted from the wood chippings by steam distillation.

The wood of the Aniba tree is used for building, cabinet-making, carving, chopsticks, and of course, for essential oil.

So that the harvesting of rosewood trees does not lead to their extinction, new legislation requires companies to plant a new tree for each tree cut down.

One group of harvesters in the middle of the Amazon River began an effort to harvest rosewood on a more sustainable basis. Rather than cut down trees and haul away their trunks, the group decided to prune branches and leaves every five years or so, extending the usefulness of individual rosewood trees for decades. T

oday the project's members have planted more than 3,000 rosewood saplings in the heart of the jungle.

Health benefits of rosewood essential oil

Skin saver: A very mild essential oil, rosewood has been used for general skin care in all types of skin, but especially for dry, mature, sensitive, and wrinkled facial skin. It maintains a healthy epidermis layer and is said to be a cell stimulant and tissue regenerator.

Other rosewood oil benefits include preventing oily skin, and the oil acts as a perfect toner. It helps in reducing sebum formation and prevents breakouts such as pimples, boils, and blackheads.

Other skin problems the oil can soothe are irritation, dryness, and puffiness.

Antibacterial Wonder: The oil is antibacterial, antifungal and antimicrobial. It resists viruses as well.

Stress Relief: Rosewood is that it has an overall balancing effect. It helps when feeling depressed or tired by offering an uplifting and enlivening effect. The oil has been used for headaches and nervous tension.

Love Oil: Its aphrodisiac properties are useful in treating sexual problems such as impotence and frigidity.

Age Spots: Some skin creams contain a combination of essential rosewood oils and lavender oils to improve skin texture and remove dark spots. These creams also contain reflective pigments, which can lighten up your skin.

Rosy Scent: Although essential oils normally blend well with one another, rosewood essential oil blends especially well with all citrus and floral oils. A combination of jasmine, sage, basil, and rosewood in makes a wonderful daytime perfume.

Aromatherapy products and rosewood oil

Aromatherapy products often use rosewood oil, for both its essential oil properties and its wonderful scent.

You can buy aromatherapy products with rosewood already in them, or you can blend your own.

Here are some ways of producing your own rosewood-scented aromatherapy products for use at home:

Bath Time: Fill your tub with warm water. Add 10 drops of essential oil and stir for a refreshing soak. It is an excellent oil to use in baths since it rejuvenates dull, dry and oily skin.

Body Wrap: Eliminate body toxins with rosewood plant oil. Spray a towel with a mixture of rosewood oil and hot water. Wrap the towel around your body and cover with a blanket.

Burners and vaporizers: Vapor therapy with rosewood plant oil provides a wide range of benefits. Adding a few drops of oil to a vaporizer can help with colds, coughs, infections, headaches, nausea and stress-related problems, while lifting depression and helping to counter any sexual problems.

Massage Oil: Add 15 drops of rosewood essential oil to one ounce of carrier oil, such as jojoba oil of sweet almond oil, and shake to blend.

Body Lotion: Add 50 drops of essential oil to 16 ounces of unscented body lotion. Stir
to blend the essential oil into the lotion until smooth. As part of a lotion or cream, rosewood oil is most effective to stimulate cells and regenerate tissue, aiding rejuvenation of the skin and making it particularly attractive for those with more mature and wrinkled skin.

Liniment Rub: add 25 drops of rosewood essential oil to one ounce of as jojoba oil. Shake well to blend. Rub on sore areas, or use as a massage oil.

Sweet Smelling Liquid Soap: Add about 45 drops of essential oil to 8 ounces of unscented liquid hand soap or unscented body wash. Shake vigorously.

Shampoo/Conditioner
: Add 15 drops of essential oil to one ounce of unscented or mild
shampoo and conditioner. Shake well to blend.

Drawer Sachets: Add a few drops of rosewood oil to a cotton ball and place in drawers and linen closets.


Herbal Lore

Rosewood oil is distilled from the heartwood of the tree and is thought to be an aphrodisiac.

Cautions and side -effects of rosewood oil use

Rosewood essential oil is non-toxic and is generally regarded as safe, but it is best to avoid during pregnancy.

Always this dilute essential oil when using on the skin.

Do not ingest rosewood oil, it is for external, not internal use.

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