Eugenia Essentials

If lavender is my first favorite essential oil, then geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) is my second.

I love it for its fresh, spicy- rose aroma. Geranium is native to Africa and has about 700 varieties, but only 10 supply essential oil. The oil is distilled from the leaves and shoots. Depending on when it was harvested, the resulting scent can range from lemony to rosy.

Geranium is a wonderful balancer, particularly for women experiencing PMS and menopausal mood swings or depression. For me one whiff of it instantly elevates my emotional outlook! I love to add geranium to blends for the skin to help against extremes such as excessive oiliness or dryness. It’s good for broken capillaries and redness, acne, eczema, burns, fungus and warts. I also like it in bath salts to help with poor circulation, and excess fluid retention, resulting in firmer skin. As I’ve mentioned before in a previous post, I find taking a bath to be a great stress reliever in its self and the addition of salts with geranium during bouts with PMS or painful menstruation cycles can be really helpful. Geranium is also a tonic for the liver and kidneys, and is good for times of congestion, colds, flu, and fever.

Geranium blends well with many other essentials oils such as cedar, rosemary, and rose to name a few. I wouldn’t be without geranium in my essential oil arsenal.