Uplifting Jasmine for Spring

A couple of weeks ago, I caught it: that first whiff of jasmine in the air — one of Spring’s early warning signals, and one of those we recommended over here with other floral essential oils for diffusing.

Let’s celebrate the beauty of this intoxicating flower by paying respect to what goes into capturing its essence within one small, amber glass bottle.

Firstly, there’s the process involved. Steam distillation can’t be used to capture the fragrance and therapeutic benefits of jasmine flowers. Technically jasmine is an absolute, which means it’s an essence rather than an essential oil. For some botanicals, the fragrance and therapeutic parts of the plant can only be unlocked using solvents. The oils extracted this way are called ‘absolutes’. Absolutes are obtained from the grain alcohol extraction of a concrete, which is the solid waxy residue derived from the extraction of plant materials — usually flower petals.

Then, there’s the quantity needed.

3.6 million fresh jasmine blossoms produce less than 500 grams of jasmine essence (very roughly half a pound.)  Sure, they are tiny flowers — but that’s a jaw-dropping figure.

Next, if you want to help with collecting the blossoms, I hope you’re an early riser as you need to be at it and finished before the sun gets up or much of the fragrance will have evaporated by then!

And you need to be light-fingered and delicate, as crushing the petals is a no-no.

As you can imagine, all of this accounts for the price of genuine, authentic jasmine absolute. When you see a cheap bottle of jasmine oil, common sense says it must be a synthetic imitation. It might not smell too bad, but will have none of the therapeutic benefits.

True jasmine is traditionally used if someone is experiencing crankiness, hopelessness and upsets.

Its fragrance is considered seductive and it can overcome apathy and indifference, so if you wouldn’t mind some help in the romance department, wearing jasmine as a perfume might be something you’ll enjoy. It’s included in some gorgeous Young Living blends commonly worn as fragrances: Awaken™, Harmony™, Joy™ and Sensation™.

Do natural skin care products feature in your bathroom cabinet? You might have noticed Jasminum officinale cropping up in many ingredient lists, owing to its known benefits for the appearance of the skin. (And as you might have guessed, Young Living does include jasmine in a number of its skin care products, including their advanced A·R·T Creme Masque and Renewal Serum.)

I’d rather break open the seal on a bottle of genuine jasmine absolute than grow 3.6 million blossoms to enjoy the benefits, that’s for sure!  It would really stretch my green thumb.   How about yours?

Enjoy the good oil daily.

The information on this site does not constitute advice. Please consult with your health practitioner. When using any of the products mentioned throughout this site, please be sure to read the labels and follow their suggestions for safe use.