Eugenia Essentials

Palmarosa, a splendorous grass

I love the Latin name of Palmarosa: Cymbogon martini! It sounds like a happy hour cocktail that Bilbo Baggins might order down at the local Shire pub. While definitely not a drink, the essential oil of this lemon grass species has a lot to make you smile.

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Break out the Eucalyptus during cold and flu season

With the cold and flu season upon us, now is the time to stock up on Eucalyptus.

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Ylang ylang (Cananga odorata)

While Jasmine and Rose are often referred to as the King and Queen of flowers, Ylang ylang should be called the Princess and an exotic one at that!  The blossoms yellow with long petals come from the cananga tree, native to the South Pacific, which can grow to over 60 feet. The essential oil is [...]

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Geranium, the balancer

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, [...]

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Rosemary is for remembrance

I spent this morning outside doing some due diligence among our plants, trimming, inspecting and weeding.  I’d been wondering what to write about for my next entry and as I ran my hands up the branches of the rosemary, marveling at the heady fragrance, I thought why not rosemary? Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is a perennial [...]

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