The Song of the Geranium Fairy
Red, red, vermilion red,
With buds and blooms in a glorious head!
There isn't a flower, the wide world through,
That glows with a brighter hue.
Her name ~ Geranium ~ ev'ryone knows;
She just as happy wherever she grows,
In an earthen pot or a garden bed
~ Cicely Mary Barker
With buds and blooms in a glorious head!
There isn't a flower, the wide world through,
That glows with a brighter hue.
Her name ~ Geranium ~ ev'ryone knows;
She just as happy wherever she grows,
In an earthen pot or a garden bed
~ Cicely Mary Barker
Essential Oil of Geranium
(Pelargonium graveolens)
(Pelargonium graveolens)
My personal relationship with Geranium:
I was born under the natal sign of Libra, and the signature essential oil for Libra is Geranium. There's a good reason for this. Libra, represented by the scales, is the sign of balance and there is no greater balancing oil than geranium (I explain why in the benefits section below).
sourceRed geraniums are far and away my favorite summer flower. Balconeys full of red geraniums still remain a strong image of Rome for me.
sourceTHE BASICS
Synonyms: Rose Geranium, Pelargonium
Synonyms: Rose Geranium, Pelargonium
Geographical Source: Native to South Africa. With regard to essential oil production, there are four main regions: Reunion (Bourbon), Egypt, Russia and China.
Extraction: The essential oil is steam-distilled from the leaves and branches of P. graveolens.
Extraction: The essential oil is steam-distilled from the leaves and branches of P. graveolens.
Characteristics: This oil has a greenish cast with a distinct green, rosy scent. It is watery in viscosity. Because of it's rose-like aroma, it is sometimes used to supplement or adulterate more expensive rose oils.
Principle Constituents: A-pinene, myrcene, limonene, menthone, linalool, geranyl acetate, citronellol, geraniol and geranyl butyrate.
Actions: antidepressant, antiseptic, astringent, cicatrisant, cytophylactic, diuretic, deodorant, haemostatic, styptic, tonic, vermifuge and vulnerary.
Benefits of Geranium: This oil is a great balancer - especially for women. If you're wound up she'll gently bring you down and if you're blue she can give you a lift. This fantastic dual balancing action is due to high amounts of stimulating alcohols and relaxing esters (Geranium is a complex oil with more than 250 different molecules belonging to many chemical families). Geranium is often described as an adaptogen, able to act as either a sedative or stimulant.
Geranium is an adrenal cortex stimulant and offers a regulating effect on hormonal systems of the body, - especially conditions where hormones fluctuate such as the menstrual cycle and menopause. Geranium is a fabulous diuretic and on more than one occasion I've put Geranium in the tub and after 20 minutes have had to jump out to pee.
If you make your own facial skin preparation, you probably already know that value of Geranium. It balances sebum secretions making it useful for both dry and oily skins.
PMS Recipe:
PMS Synergy (This will make you feel good even if you don't have PMS!)
Geranium 6 drops
Clary Sage 8 drops
Lavender 4 drops
1 ounce of vegetable oil (if using for massage)
Combine all ingredients in a small bottle or jar and mix well. Massage about 1 tsp of the blend into your chest, neck and shoulders.
Without the vegetable oil you can use this synergy in a diffuser.
Blends well with: Pretty much everything, but especially nice with lemon, lavender, peppermint, clarysage, cedarwood atlas, orange, cypress, bergamot, frankincense, sandalwood.
Safety: Geranium oil does not cause any side effects, since it is non-toxic, non-irritant and generally non-sensitizing, yet can cause sensitivity in some people and due to the fact that it balances the hormonal system, avoid in pregnancy.
Subtle Properties (vibrational and energetic): Geranium resonates with the Sacral (2nd) Chakra and is all about the feminine. It supports and nurtures feminine energy and nourishes creativity. This is a good oil to use if you wish to bring out your feminine side.
Ayurveyda: According to Ayurvedic Medicine, an ancient system of healing practiced in India, Geranium oil is ideal to regulate and pacify all three doshas: Vata, Pitta and Kapha.
My Geranium SoulCollage® Card:
I am one who embraces the feminine
I am one who is cottages and coziness
I am one who is nurturing
I am one who open your channels of creativity and allows the art to flow
I am one who restores your balance when you are unsteady
I am one who symbolizes the vivid color of a bright summer day
11 comments:
This was,as I'm coming to expect when I visit her, wonderful.
I have never been one to be attracted to geranium oil, but I think you get told things when they could be of most benefit...so I'm thinking I'll give it another chance.
Thanks Liz. You're a real healer.
Who couldn't use a little balance ~ any time of the month? I am learning so much from you! Now I just need to know how I can apply this. I do not have a tub and I do not picture myself sniffing a little bottle all day (we do live in a small valley that LOVES to talk!). You mentioned using as a massage oil. That's a start. Can I also make a hand lotion? I love to use a cream after washing my hands and then smelling it. Subtle infusions would probably do wonders for me...
Beautiful! And thanks for Kiki, I like that! Will try it on next time I go for a zip!
Ah lovely...just the thought of geraniums evokes 'that' smell...I love it. It reminds me of my childhood as geraniums were the one plant my mother couldn't kill (I got my rubbish green fingers from her).
We all need a little balance, that's for sure!
Great post as ever x
Update! Postman Andy just brought the last bits I need...hoorah. I will post it next week.
Wonderful - I am off to find my balance :0)
I'd never even think of geranium as an essential herb and had no idea it was balancing! I'm definitely going to try that blend you propose! Thanks!
every time i read one of these, i add another essential oil to my list...i think it's interesting that this one is made from the leaves and stems, not the flowers. i had a picture in my head of it being pinkish due to the red flowers. :-)
will definitely get some, because i can tell you that i am often in need of balance. ;-)
what's aries' essential oil?
i am always PMSing!! I will buy a gallon.
sorry but the plant you showed is not the "geranium" out of which the essential oil is made of as the strongly fragrant cousin of the balcony plant is actually a pelargonium and it's leaves and flowers look quite different. may I offer to send you a few photographs from some lovely pelargoniums? unfortunately the "fragrance modem" is not invented yet otherwise I would also send some molecules of the plant's great fragrance. here in Ireland near the sea the Pelargoniums can even survive the winters outside, in Germany they are indoor plants. Last weekend I guided a group of students through a Botanical Garden in Germany (from an universitity specialised on botany) and they had the opportunity to smell and compare different pelargoniums which was an amazing experience. they all smell so different: some of their leaves even smell like peaches or peppermint or nutmeg. cheers from Ireland Eliane
Elaine, I would love some photographs of the actual pelargonium graveolens from which the essential oil is extracted.
Please send me your email address also to thefragrantmuse@gmail.com.
Thank you.
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