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Osmanthus oil is a rich source of polyphenols and has been used to relieve stress, depression, and fatigue. But osmanthus oil benefits aren’t limited to these. There are various other uses that not many people are aware of.
The aroma of osmanthus is so soothing and sweet that it is often used in established aromatherapy centers to reduce body stress and calm down muscles & nerves.
Let’s understand this essential oil in detail.
What is Osmanthus Oil?
Osmanthus essential oil is extracted from the osmanthus flowers through the process of steam distillation.
The extracted oil has multiple health benefits. A few drops of osmanthus essential oil can be diffused using a diffuser to improve concentration, calm the nerves, relieve stress, and relax from chronic depression.
The oil can also be massaged (but diluted with a carrier oil) gently on the back for 15 minutes to uplift your mood. It eliminates unwanted toxins from the body and excretes uric acid as well as bile. Besides these, it is also great for your skin.
About the plant:
Osmanthus fragrans belongs to the family Oleaceae. The plant of osmanthus is considered as an evergreen plant or evergreen shrub. It is small and grows to a height of 3-12 meters.
The leaves of osmanthus are 7-15 cm long and 2.6 -5 cm broad with fine margins. The flowers are yellowish to white or orange-yellow, measuring about 1 cm in length.
The corolla of osmanthus flowers are 5 mm in diameter and grow in small clusters. They have a strong fragrance and bloom in late autumn & summer.
Fact: The fruits of the osmanthus plants are purple-black and drupe-shaped, measuring 10-15 mm in length and have hard shells on their seeds. The fruits mature in spring, after 6 months of flowering.
History of Osmanthus Oil
Fact: Osmanthus holds a special place in Chinese medicine. Traditionally, the Chinese consumed osmanthus tea to treat irregular menstruation. Also, the extracts from its dried flowers demonstrated neuroprotective, antioxidative, and free-radical scavenging effects.
Osmanthus has been cultivated and well-known as ornamental plants in gardens of Europe, Asia, North America, and any place in the world that carry the scents of ripe apricots or peaches.
Within Japan, the subspecies of osmanthus with white & orange blossoms are categorized as:
- • Kinmokusei (or gold osmanthus)
- • Ginmokusei (or silver osmanthus)
The common names of osmanthus are sweet osmanthus, tea olive, sweet olive, and fragrant olive.
Osmanthus is native to Asia and is especially found in the Himalayas. They spread from South China to Taiwan, Japan, Southeast Asia, Cambodia, Thailand.
Fact: Osmanthus cakes are pretty popular in China and has been prepared for 300 years.
Color, Consistency, and Smell of Osmanthus Oil
- • The color of osmanthus oil is greenish to a golden brown.
- • The consistency of osmanthus oil is thick & sticky.
- • The smell of osmanthus oil is sweet and aromatic.
Properties of Osmanthus Essential Oil
The well-known properties of osmanthus oil include:
- • Antioxidant - Scavenges free radicals
- • Expectoran - Relaxes cough and cold
- • Emmenagogue - Relax muscular spasms
- • Antidiabetic - Prevents diabetes
- • Analgesic - Reduces pain
- • Anti-inflammatory - Reduces inflammation
- • Anti-rheumatic - Fights rheumatism
- • Skin rejuvenator - Removes wrinkles
- • Anti-allergic - Sublimates allergy
- • Detoxifier - Removes toxins
- • Anti-cancerous - Fights cancer
- • Antibacterial - Fights bacterial infections
Health Benefits of Osmanthus Oil
Though osmanthus oil benefits are abundant, the most important ones that research has proved in recent years are:
- • Aids in weight loss
- • Eases menstrual cramps
- • Reduces diabetes risk in children
- • Rich source of vitamin A & E
- • Prevents fatigue
- • Fortified with antioxidants
- • Fights allergens & prevents allergies
- • Excellent detoxifying agent
- • Effective against cancerous cells
- • Treats the pain from rheumatoid arthritis
1. Aids in weight loss
Osmanthus tea is one of the best herbal teas that most aromatherapists recommend to suppress the appetite. It is an integral part of the Chinese traditional medicinal systems and is something that is consumed even today.
Besides consuming it as a herbal tea, inhaling the scents of osmanthus kills the sensation of hunger by suppressing the hormones that are responsible for increased appetite.
2.Eases menstrual cramps
Osmanthus essential oil is considered as an emmenagogue and is highly effective in easing menstrual cramps in women.
This is mainly due to the presence of phenolic compounds in them, which also treat other associated symptoms like vomiting, pain, slight fever, swelling in back, and legs.
3. Reduces diabetes risk in children
Osmanthus essential oil is found effective in reducing the chances of diabetes type I, otherwise known as insulin deficiency diabetes.
Type 1 diabetes usually appears in children where the cells of the pancreas (islets of Langerhans) are not capable of producing an adequate amount of insulin to utilize sugar moiety present in the blood after food intake.
Physicians recommend taking insulin injections so that the sugar moiety may get utilized and the body regains its energy.
Osmanthus essential oil is a rich source of vitamin B3 or niacinamide. Vitamin B3 is responsible for healing diabetes type 1. It is also believed that niacinamide can help in protecting insulin-producing cells and has also been found helpful in the treatment of diabetes incipedous.
4. Rich source of vitamin A & E
Osmanthus oil is a rich source of vitamin A & vitamin E. It helps in improving your eyesight and maintaining a good moisture level in the skin. This, in turn, makes it look fresh and lively.
It also reduces dead skin cells, and therefore, is most often used in the cosmetic industry for manufacturing different skincare products.
5. Prevents fatigue
Osmanthus essential oil eliminates muscular fatigue and drowsiness. It is a rich source of selenium, magnesium, cobalt, trans beta carotene, neo beta carotene, molybdenum, and trans-alpha-carotene.
All these micronutrients play an important role in maintaining proper function of your body.
6. Fortified with antioxidants
Osmanthus essential oil is a rich source of antioxidants. It has abundant amounts of phenolic acid, which naturally helps in eliminating the free radicals from the body.
Free radicals are free oxygen species that form as a byproduct after multiple metabolic reactions.
These free radicals are capable of:
- • Causing various harms to your body tissues
- • Can alter the structure of hormones
- • Participate in rupturing the cell walls
- • Causing cataract and cardiovascular diseases
- • Causing chronic inflammations
The antioxidants in your diet help in scavenging these free radicals and reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
The compounds phillyrin and salidroside in osmanthus essential oil have been attributed to its antioxidant property. Oleoside-7,11-dimethyl ester is also a potent antioxidant compound in it.
7. Fights allergens & prevents allergies
Osmanthus essential oil is a strong anti-allergic drug and is used in different marketed formulations to help ease allergies.
An allergy can occur due to any substance. However, the phenolics present in osmanthus essential oil are found effective to works as anti-allergic.
The oil can also be inhaled by adding 2-4 drops in a diffuser to sublimate any allergy in the respiratory tract like asthma and eosinophilia.
For skin allergies, the oil can be applied topically on the affected area by blending a few drops of it with a carrier oil.
For internal allergies, the oil of osmanthus is used in drugs and can help in sublimating the allergic reactions.
8. Excellent detoxifying agent
Osmanthus oil works as a potent detoxifier. It removes all the toxins from the body via perspiration and excretion.
These harmful substances include excess salt, urea, feces, and metabolic wastes, which only when are excreted, it helps in maintaining a healthy water balance in the body. For this activity, osmanthus tea does a great deed.
9. Effective against cancerous cells
Osmanthus oil has strong anti-cancerous properties. During a study, osmanthus has found to have strong anti-tumor activities and further, help in inhibiting the process of tumorigenesis.
It has been found effective on p53 gene – a gene that is considered as a tumor-suppressive protein and participates in the mutation of wild type p5 activity.
Geraniol and eugenol present in osmanthus oil show its effects on tumor progression, apoptosis, glioma, melanoma, and pancreatic cancer.
These components suppress MAPK1 & MAPK3, which participate in MAPK signaling pathway. EFGR is also a protein formed during the tumor genesis and its progression. It is usually targeted in chemotherapy.
However, the essential oil of osmanthus is found effective on bladder cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and endometrial cancer.
10. Treats the pain from rheumatoid arthritis
Osmanthus is an effective anti-rheumatic remedy. It is a strong analgesic agent and has been found helpful in reducing joint pain.
It is also a potent detoxifier and helps in removing excess uric acid from the body via urine. When uric acid deposits in joints, it causes rheumatism.
The deposition of crystals of uric acid in joints reduces the layer that protects the fluid filled between the joints. This, in turn, causes severe pain in joints.
However, osmanthus oil prevents platelet aggregation and reduces the harshness of arthritis.
What Blends with Osmanthus Oil?
Osmanthus essential oil blends the best with:
- • Coconut oil
- • Jojoba oil
- • Sandalwood oil
- • Jasmine oil
- • Rosemary oil
How To Use Osmanthus Oil?
- Osmanthus tea: Osmanthus is usually consumed in the form of herbal tea. To prepare this, take some dry flowers of osmanthus and mix it with honey. Boil them with water. Strain it and drink it. Another way to prepare this tea is to put dry flowers in a cup, add boiling water, and let the flowers stay immersed in water for 2-3 minutes. Strain it and consume the tea.
- Topical Application: Mix 3-4 drops of osmanthus oil with 2 tablespoons of almond oil or coconut oil. Use this mixture to massage your body. Doing this helps in calming the nerves and relieves stress.
- Ingestion: Osmanthus essential oil is not recommended for oral intake.
- Aromatherapy: Diffuse 2 drops of osmanthus oil and 2 drops of sandalwood oil in a diffuser. Inhale its aromatic compounds for 10-15 minutes.
Side Effects of Osmanthus Oil
Osmanthus oil is a strong oil. Therefore, it should not be used during:
In case of allergy, the oil can cause skin irritation and inflammation. The oil must also not be applied to the skin of toddlers and infants because they have soft and sensitive skin.