Essential oil of mandarin petit grain is anti-nausea, relaxant, sedative and slightly hypnotic. It moderates the central nervous system and reduces insomnia as well as anxiety. Mandarin essence fights against dyspepsia and gastralgia. (It also fights effectively sleep disorders in children as well as skin ageing).
Find all the virtues and uses of essential oils in our tips section.
Mandarin
Citrus reticulata
Mandarin (Citrus reticulata) is a small tree of the Rutaceae family, with lustrous leaves, native to South East Asia (China and Vietnam).
Its fruit, with a sweet and aromatic flesh, is one of the least acid citrus fruits and contains many seeds (unlike a clementine). It is divided in about ten quarters sometimes called "pigs". The species called "satsuma" (Citrus unshiu), called mikan in Japan, has two hundred cultivars. One of the best known is owari, whose fruit ripens in winter in the Northern hemisphere.
Main aromatic molecules: Monoterpenes (limonene, γ-terpinenes) monoterpenols (linalool, α-terpineol), terpene aldehydes.
Family: Rutaceae.
Productive organs: Zest (fruit pericarp).
Yield: 800g to 1.2kg of essence per 100kg of peel.
Equivalence: 1ml → 31 drops (dosage calculated for a calibrated dropper European Pharmacopoeia).
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Bath
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Skin application
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Oral route
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Respiratory route
Main properties
recipes
Anxiety (adults and children)
Take 1 to 2 drops of mandarin essence on a neutral tablet, a sugar lump or a spoonful of honey and allow to melt in the mouth. Repeat as necessary.
Sleep disturbance
4 drops of essential oil of bitter orange petit grain, 4 drops of mandarin essence. Diffuse the mixture in the room for an hour before going to bed. Place a few drops of mandarin essence on the pillow or on a handkerchief. 4 drops of essential oil of basil, 4 drops of essential oil of bergamot, 4 drops of mandarin essence, 4 drops of sweet orange essence. Mix the essential oils in a tablespoon of neutral base for the bath or powdered milk. Pour in a hot bath. Stay in the bath for twenty minutes, then go to bed without rinsing. Continue the treatment for fifteen days.
Take 1 to 2 drops of mandarin essence on a neutral tablet, a sugar lump or a spoonful of honey and allow to melt in the mouth. Repeat as necessary.
Sleep disturbance
4 drops of essential oil of bitter orange petit grain, 4 drops of mandarin essence. Diffuse the mixture in the room for an hour before going to bed. Place a few drops of mandarin essence on the pillow or on a handkerchief. 4 drops of essential oil of basil, 4 drops of essential oil of bergamot, 4 drops of mandarin essence, 4 drops of sweet orange essence. Mix the essential oils in a tablespoon of neutral base for the bath or powdered milk. Pour in a hot bath. Stay in the bath for twenty minutes, then go to bed without rinsing. Continue the treatment for fifteen days.
CULTIVATION AND PRODUCTION
Outside its Chinese base, mandarin trees are mainly cultivated in the Maghreb, Spain, the United States and Mexico. China produces almost half of the world production of mandarins, followed by Spain (approximately 10%). France has an insignificant production and imported four hundred twenty tonnes in 2010 and prefers clementines (nearly thirty four thousand tonnes).
FRAGRANCE
The fragrance of mandarin essence is refreshing, sweet and fruity.
EXTRACTION AND YIELD
Essence of mandarin is obtained by cold expression of the peel, with a yield of 0.8% to 1.2%, i.e. eight hundred grams to a kilogram two hundred grams of essential oil per hundred kilograms of plant. The essential oil obtained is red, yellow or green depending on the maturity of the fruit. The essential oil obtained by distillation of mandarin tree leaves gives essential oil of mandarin petit grain.
CHEMICAL FORMULA
The main constituents of mandarin essence are monoterpenes (limonene, 75% to 85%, gamma-terpinenes, approximately 10%), monoterpenols (linalool, alpha-terpineol), esters and aldehydes (decanal).
Precautions for use
Mandarin essence must not be used before exposure to the sun as it is phototoxic.
Do not use in: pregnant or breast-feeding women, children under the age of three years, persons allergic to one of the components (aldehydes, limonene), subjects with asthma without the advice of an allergologist before the first use, over a long period in persons with functional kidney failure (monoterpenes).
Warning! There is a risk of drug interference it the use exceeds more than a few days.
Do not use in: pregnant or breast-feeding women, children under the age of three years, persons allergic to one of the components (aldehydes, limonene), subjects with asthma without the advice of an allergologist before the first use, over a long period in persons with functional kidney failure (monoterpenes).
Warning! There is a risk of drug interference it the use exceeds more than a few days.
RELATED SPECIES
Red, yellow or green mandarins.
Is the name of the mandarin derived from the yellow coat of mandarins? That's what they say. However, it is certain that it has been known in China since thousand of years. The peel of a mandarin was? and still used ripe (chen pi) or unripe (ging pi) to treat stomach problems and gastric disorders. In the south of China, mandarins are given in the as presents in the New Year and if you receive you are supposed to give back two so as not to confiscate all good fortune. Mandarin trees arrived in Europe and America more than four hundred years after the orange tree. Great Britain imported the first trees in 1815; Provence did not see them before the beginning of the 19th century. They were cultivated in Algeria from 1850.
AROMATHERAPIA
Extracts from the book 'Aromatherapia - All about essential oils', by Isabelle Pacchioni, watercolors by Patrick MORIN, Aroma Thera Editions . Extracts from the book '41 essential oils essential for treating yourself differently' and '48 essential oils which every home needs to be healthy' by Isabelle Delaleu and Isabelle Pacchioni, Publications of the Mandadori France group. Botanical illustrations by Agathe Haevermans.
The properties, benefits and method of use are given for information; they cannot in any case constitute or replace medical information that only health professionals can provide. For any use of essential oils for therapeutic purposes, please consult your GP or pharmacist.
The properties, benefits and method of use are given for information; they cannot in any case constitute or replace medical information that only health professionals can provide. For any use of essential oils for therapeutic purposes, please consult your GP or pharmacist.
