Cananga odorata, Flowers, Steam distilled, from Madagascar

Aroma: Ylang Ylang essential oil has a delicate, sweet, exotic, fresh, floral, slightly fruity, slightly spicy scent that is one of the most sought after aromas.

History: Ylang ylang is often referred to as "poor man's jasmine". In Indonesia, Ylang ylang flower petals are strewn upon the bed of newlywed couples. Ylang ylang was a popular ingredient of hair preparations in Europe and was known as Macassar oil.

Description: Ylang Ylang (mean Flower of Flowers) oil is distilled from the cananga tree's greenish-yellow, starfish-shaped flowers, produced year-round. There are nine grades of ylang ylang essential oil which are extracted at different times during the flower's lengthy distillation. These grades are referred to as extra, I, II, & III. The ylang ylang extra is drawn off during the first phase and is generally considered the best quality for aromatherapy and perfumery.

Colour: Pale Yellow to Golden

Common Uses: Due to its ability to anchor perfumes and blend with a variety of other scents, ylang ylang oil is primarily used by fragrance manufactures today. In aromatherapy, ylang ylang is considered to be an aphrodisiac and is often used as a substitute for the more expensive jasmine. It also evokes feelings of deep, languid calm that melt away anxiety, tension and stress. Ylang tends to predominate, so it should be used in small amounts on its own or when blending with other oils.

Possible Uses: Anxiety, depression, frigidity, hypertension, palpitations, stress. [Julia Lawless, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (Rockport, MA: Element Books, 1995), 61-67.]

Consistency: Light

Note: Base to Middle

Strength of Aroma: Medium

Constituents: Linalol, Farnesol, Geraniol, Geranial, Benzyl Acetate, Geranyl Acetate, Eugenol, Methyl Chavicol, Pinene*Beta-Caryophyllene, Farnasene [Shirley Price, The Aromatherapy Workbook (Hammersmith, London: Thorsons, 1993), 54-5.]

Safety Information: Possible sensitization. [Robert Tisserand, Essential Oil Safety (United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone, 1995), 211.]

Ylang Ylang can cause sensitivity on some people and excessive use of it may lead to headaches and nausea.
[Julia Lawless, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (Rockport, MA: Element Books, 1995), 104.]

Photo thanks to Wikipedia and Prenn / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)