February 3, 2017
HOW TO DISTILL TANGERINE PEEL
The main method for extracting Tangerine essential oil, as it is for other members of the genus Citrus, is certainly cold pressing. This is because the essence contained in the peel is sufficiently high, that it is enough to …
December 29, 2016
YLANG YLANG ESSENTIAL OIL: USES AND PROPERTIES
The name probably comes from the Filipino expression “Alang –Alang” which means “hanging, floating”, to describe the big, pendulous flowers from which the essential oil is extracted. In the second half of the 18th century this big tropical tree, …
November 15, 2016
AROMATIC AND MEDICINAL PLANTS: CONSERVATION
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about the various details that characterize the proper preparation of medicinal plants for household use. We started with a series of suggestions for safe and sustainable harvesting, then moved on to the …
October 13, 2016
AROMATIC AND MEDICINAL PLANTS: DRYING TECHNIQUES
Are you drawn to the idea of making your own selection of culinary herbs, herbal teas, and medicinal plants? Then, don’t miss the first part of this guide to preserving wild plants: harvesting. If you are ready for the …
September 19, 2016
AROMATIC AND MEDICINAL PLANTS: HARVESTING
Wild harvesting: choice of plants and recognition whit all the advices for sustainable and safe harvesting In Italy, as well as in other countries of the Mediterranean area, it is possible to identify, without too many difficulties, several …
June 28, 2016
NEEM OIL, FROM THE PLANT OF GOOD HEALTH
Azadirachta indicates A. Juss., known as Neem, is an ancient plant, used for centuries in India as fertilizer and insecticide. In Sanskrit, it is referred to by the name of Nimba, that is “who gives good health”. Just think that …
February 23, 2015
HERBAL TEAS, INFUSIONS AND DECOCTIONS: THE DIFFERENCES AND METHODS OF PREPARATION
Herbal teas are herbal products based on water and medicinal plants. They belong to the category of plant extracts called hydrolytes or plant extracts dried by means of water. Until a hundred years ago, herbal teas were the main means …
January 16, 2015
ROSEMARY ESSENTIAL OIL: USES AND PROPERTIES
The name comes from the Latin “ros marinus” meaning “sea dew”, because this shrub grows spontaneously along the coasts of the Mediterranean sea. In ancient times it was often used as a substitute for incense that was too expensive, thanks …
December 4, 2014
HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE ESSENTIAL OILS
Essential oils, the set of aromatic substances responsible for the scent of plants, are known and have been used since ancient times. Over the centuries there is an alternation of glory and oblivion, the latter essentially following the progress …