The following is a blog post prepared by Wendy Maddocks (Aromatic Adventures -www.aromaticadventures.com), from a 2012 Archived blog. Shared with permission please acknowledge Wendy if using this information
Petitgrain literally means ‘small fruit’, and is generally used to describe the essential oil obtained from the leaves and twigs from the bitter orange tree. All petitgrain oils are obtained by steam distillation of the leaves and twiglets from varieties of citrus trees from the rutaceae family. Often they are produced after fruit harvesting has finished and the trees have routine pruning. There are several types of ‘Petitgrain’ oils available. Most are only rarely offered on specialist aromatherapy price lists. If you do get the opportunity though, they are worth the investment for adding some unusual oils to your collection to use for blending. There are no known documented safety concerns for any of the petitgrain oils and can be used in usual aromatherapy concentrations. There are no blending ‘rules’ with the petitgrain oils and all blend well with each other and other citrus oils as well as florals and woods. I haven’t had much success with using herb oils in the blends. It would be great to hear of any successes or experiments you have had with using these oils. Another unusual oil is a co- distillation of petitgrain and neroli which makes for a delicious aroma. .
Petitgrain
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C. aurantium L. Subsp. amara Bigarade
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Countries
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Mainly Paraguay, also Italy, France, Northern India and Southern China, Haiti
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Description & Aroma
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Pale yellow to amber. It has a fresh, woody, sharp, citrus aroma, with a light floral note, middle note for blending sharp.
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Constituents %
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Linalool 19-27, Linalyl acetate 46-55%, Geraniol 2-4%, Myrcene 1-6%, Neryl acetate 2-3%, Alpha terpineol 4-8%
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Properties
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Anti septic, tonic, nervine, great in skincare, hair care
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History
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Widely used in perfumery- an original ingredient of ‘4711’ Eau de Cologne
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Aromatherapy details
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A great balancing oil - also good for oily skin. Often used for stress and anxiety. It blends well with all other citrus oils as well as most florals, sandalwood and patchouli. A solvent extracted oil is called bigaradier concrete and absolute which are mainly used in perfumery or to adulterate neroli oil.
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Suggested Blends
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Stress blend - petitgrain 3 drops, sandalwood Australian 2 drops, sweet orange 2 drops
PMT blend- Clary sage 2 drops, Petitgrain 2 drops, rose 1 drop, geranium bourbon 1 drop
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Bergamot Petitgrain
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Petitgrain-Essence de brouts de tialle du Bergamottier C. bergamia
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Country
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Italy
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Aroma
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Woody, light citrus fresh top note
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constituents %
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Mainly citral 45% (neral and geranial combined)+ linalyl acetate, linalool, limonene, a-terpineol, geranyl and neral acetate
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Therapeutic uses
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Calming, Anti-inflammatory, Antiseptic. It gives a lovely fresh note in perfumery blends
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| Kaffir* Lime |
Combava - Petitgrain C. hystrix |
| Main oil countries |
Combava is a rare fruit found in the rain forests of Madagascar. Native to South East Asia |
| Aroma |
Lemon like, sharp, fresh aroma |
| constituents % |
b-pinene, limonene, terpine - 4 - ol. The leaf oil has (-)S-citronellal The fruit peel oil also has sabinene. |
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| Therapeutic uses |
Believed to have an anti-oxidant action which would help to regenerate and stimulate the skin. It has been found to be effective against cockroaches and mosquitos. |
| History |
Kaffir lime leaves are widely used in Asian cooking, especially in coconut based dishes. The rind of the fruit is sometimes used in cooking as well. Little documented use of the essential oil. The juice is widely used medicinally as an expectorant, for gum disease and as a digestive.
*The origins of the naming of plant are controversial as the word ‘kaffir’ has been used as a derogatory term for Black people and has its origins in the Arabic word ‘kafir’ which means ‘infidel’ or non muslim. Other languages have variations meaning terms such as barbarian or backward. The more acceptable term now is Combava oil. |
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| Orange Petitgrain |
Sweet orange C. sinensis |
| Country |
Italy |
| Aroma and key constituents |
Sharp, sweet , woody. over 100 constituents identified. They can vary on the actual cultivar with sabinene being the most prominent at >38%. others include linalool (>6%); aldehydes (< 6%) and alcohols (12%) |
| Therapeutic uses |
Nil documented - analysis suggests antiseptic (linalool), gentle expectorant, soothing and balancing (terpenes), gentle anti- inflammatory (sesquiterpenes). |
| Aromatherapy details |
This oil is not generally available as it is considered to not have any commercial value. Despite this it has been widely analysed and different subspecies compared. When it is produced it appears to mainly be used as an adulterant for the more expensive Petitgrain brigadier. |
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Lemon Petitgrain
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Petitgrain-Citronnier C. limon
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Countries
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Morocco, Italy and Tunisia
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Aroma
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Similar to Petitgrain but has a more woody, lemon aroma
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Constituents
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Linalool 3.5%,Citronellol 2%, Isopulegol 2.5%, Citronellal 85%, geranial 8-23%, neral up to 17%, geraniol up to 6%,b pinene up to 18%
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| Aromatherapy details |
Anti-inflammatory, anti-rheumatic, sedative- anxiety and stress and neuralgia. Mainly produced for perfumery
Anti-anxiety blend: Citronnier 1 drop, Mandarinier 4 drops, lavender 5 drops.
Neuralgia blend: Citronnier 3 drops, eucalyptus citriodora 3 drops, roman chamomile 1 drop- add to 50 ml of a gel based neutral cream and apply to the affected area. |
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| Mandarin Petitgrain |
Petitgrain Mandarin- Mandarinier Citrus reticulata |
| Country |
Produced in very small amounts in Italy |
| Aroma and key constituents |
Sharp, woody, sweet, rich and deep, with a distinct musty undertone.
limonene 35%, mono terpene hydrocarbons up to 15%; sesquiterpene hydrocarbons up to 10%; linalool 21%; linalyl acetate 6% |
| Aromatherapy Uses |
Perfumery, insomnia, stress and anxiety |
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