Organic Fresh Ginger Essential Oil

Our organic Fresh Ginger essential oil is made from newly harvested, rather than dried Ginger rhizomes, giving it a lively and intense, mouthwatering aroma. This oil is a superb choice for personal care, cosmetic and skin care applications, where the milder, distilled (essential) oils of Ginger are recommended, rather than the more pungent and very concentrated Ginger CO2 extracts.1 Approximately 1 kilo of essential oil is obtained from about 150 kilos of fresh rhizomes.2

The historical usage of this plant is geographically and culturally vast. According to Eyton Shalom, M.S., L. Ac., “Ginger is called Vishabhesaj in Ayurveda, which Ayurvedic physician Vasant Lad translates as Universal Medicine. That is because of its wide applicability, its common use in medicine and kitchen, and its value for promotion of health.”3 Like Cinnamon and Cardamom, Ginger is another well-known spice used extensively in food and beverage preparation, traditional and herbal medicine, as well as in aromatherapy and perfumery.

Zingiber officinale is native to the tropical coastal locales of India and is cultivated in most tropical and subtropical regions: Jamaica, southwest India, Indochina, Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon), West Africa, south China, south Japan, and Central America, with smaller crops grown in Madagascar, Zanzibar, Indonesia, northwest Australia, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Cuba, and other areas of the West Indies.5 It is considered one of the oldest and most important spices according to Ernest Guenther, who cites Friedrich Hoffmann6 when he states that it was “known to, and highly esteemed by, the ancient Greeks and Romans who obtained the spice from Arabian traders via the Red Sea.”7

Despite its long and storied history, Ginger Root essential oil has only more recently been included as a must-have in the collections of aromatherapists, natural perfumers and massage therapists alike. Many find it useful in massage formulas, both before and after exercise, and in cases of under or over exercise. But simply inhaling the aroma of Ginger seems to have a myriad of side benefits - it has been reported by ethnobotanists that “women in Senegal and Fouta-Djalon use the tubers [rhizomes] of the Ginger plant in the making of belts with the aim of arousing the dormant senses of their husbands.”8 Spicy ladies indeed!

For information regarding the aromatherapeutic attributes of Ginger essential oil, please see:

• L’Aromatherapie Exactement, Pierre Franchomme and Dr. Daniel Pénoël, 1990, p. 406.
• Aromatherapy Workbook (revised edition), Marcel Lavabre, 1997, pp. 79-80, 138.
• Medical Aromatherapy, Kurt Schnaubelt, 1999, p. 208.
• The Practice of Aromatherapy, Jean Valnet, M.D., revised ed. 1990, pp. 135-136.
• Essential Oils: A Handbook for Aromatherapy Practice, Jennifer Peace Rhind, 2012, pp. 230-231.
• "The essential oil of ginger, Zingiber officinale, and anaesthesia," JL Geiger, Int’l J Aromatherapy, December 2015, 15: 7-14, DOI: 10.1016/j.ijat.2004.12.002, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228633937_The_essential_
• oil_of_ginger_Zingiber_officinale_and_anaesthesia
• "Anti-Inflammatory Effects of the Essential Oils of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) in Experimental Rheumatoid Arthritis," JL Funk, JB Frye, et al., PharmaNutrition, July 2016, 4(3): 123-131, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5115784/
• "Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oil of Zingiber officinale Roscoe (Zingiberaceae)," EI Curiel López, MF Hernández Balcázar, et al., American Journal of Plant Sciences, June 2017, 8(7): 1511-1524, https://www.scirp.org/Journal/PaperInformation.aspx?PaperID=76848
• "Cytotoxicity Evaluation of Essential Oil and its Component from Zingiber officinale Roscoe,” Y Lee, Toxicol Res, July 2016, 32(3): 225-230, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4946420/

For information regarding the use of Ginger essential oil in perfumery, please see:

"Perfumer’s Nose: All the Notes of Ginger," Elise Pearlstine in Elise’s Blog, October 2014, http://tambela.com/blog/perfumers-nose-all-the-notes-of-ginger/

• Aromatic Profile: Warm, smooth, spicy-sweet, mouthwatering aroma of fresh cut ginger with a citrus-like topnote and woody undertones; distilled from fresh rather than dried ginger root.
• Appearance: Pale yellow, transparent, mobile liquid.
• Use: Aromatherapy / Natural Perfumery.
• Blending Suggestions: Dilute and add drop by drop to your blends until the desired effect is achieved. Should be used very sparingly due to its intense aroma strength.

Blends Well With: Anise (Star), Balsam of Peru, Bergamot and other Citrus oils, Black Pepper, Caraway, Cardamom, Cedarwood, Cinnamon, Cistus, Clary Sage, Clove, Cocoa, Coffee, Coriander, Cypress, Elemi, Eucalyptus, Frankincense, Galbanum, Labdanum, Lemon, Lime, Liquidambar (Styrax), Mandarin, Myrtle, Neroli, Nutmeg, Orange, Patchouli, Rose, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Spearmint, Turmeric, Vanilla, Verbena, Vetiver, Ylang Ylang, Yuzu. “Used in perfumery to introduce warmth and certain nuances of spicy sweetness which are often wanted in heavy Oriental bases and in a few floral fragrances.”9

Safety Considerations: None known; has GRAS status (Generally Recognized as Safe).10 Dilute before using. A patch test should be performed before use for those with sensitive skin.

1 Bowles, E. Joy. The Chemistry of Aromatherapeutic Oils, 3rd ed., 2003, pp. 168-9.

2 Naturals Compendium, International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc., 2009, p. 62.

3 Shalom, Eyton. “Ginger Root In Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine,” 2015, http://bodymindwellnesscenter.com/ginger-root-in-ayurveda-and-chinese-medicine/

4 Bowles, E. Joy. The Chemistry of Aromatherapeutic Oils, 3rd ed., 2003, pp. 168-9.

5 Arctander, Steffen. Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, 1960, p. 276.

6 Gildemeister, Eduard and Friedrich Hoffmann. Die Ätherischen Öle [The Volatile Oils], 3rd ed., Vol. I, 1956, p. 119.

7 Guenther, Ernest. The Essential Oils, Vol. V, 1952, pp. 106-7.

8 Valnet, M.D., Jean. The Practice of Aromatherapy, 1990, pp. 135-6.

9 Arctander, Steffen. Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, 1960, p. 278.

10 Tisserand, Robert and Rodney Young. Essential Oil Safety, 2nd ed., 2014, p. 295.

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