Citronella Essential Oil – Organic

About The Plant

A tall, aromatic, perennial grass originally native to Sri Lanka, the winterianus varietal is cultivated for essential oil production in many tropical climates such as Africa, Argentina, and Vietnam.

About The Oil

Citronella Essential Oil is commonly known for its natural insect repellent properties, though it has many other uses in aromatherapy. Our Citronella is steam distilled and is known as Java Citronella. It has a fresh, powerful, lemon-like scent and is higher in citronellal and citronellol than the Ceylon or nardus variety. This means that the antiseptic and antimicrobial actions will be more powerful and therefore the deodorizing effects will also be more effective.

Of Interest

Citronella is the key ingredient for many insect repellents as it kills and keeps away insects including lice, fleas, and ticks. It has been found particularly effective on a species of mosquito, called Aedes aegypti whose bite causes Yellow Fever.

In Chinese medicine it is considered to have warming and 'activating' qualities on both mental and physical levels.

THERAPEUTICS DESCRIBED BY AROMATHERAPY SPECIALISTS

From Salvatore Battaglia’s The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy¹:

Antiseptic
Bactericidal
Deodorant
Insecticide
Tonic
Fresh & invigorating
Alleviates anxiety & fatigue

From Erich Keller’s Aromatherapy Handbook for Beauty, Hair, and Skin Care²:

Fungicidal
Antibacterial
Refreshing
Facial Toner
Insect repellent

PROPERTIES OF CITRONELLA REPORTED IN PEER-REVIEWED RESEARCH

Antibacterial³
Anti-acne³
Pain-relieving^4,5
Anti-inflammatory⁴
Antioxidant^4,5
Sedative⁶
Anti-cancer⁷
Antifungal⁸
Mosquito repellent⁹

SUMMARY OF RESEARCH STUDIES

Citronella essential oil was found to have significant antibacterial activity in vitro against Propionibacterium acnes, the bacteria that contributes to acne.³
Citronella was found to have pain-blocking and anti-inflammatory properties when tested on mice and also showed significant antioxidant activity in vitro.⁴
Citronella exhibited a sedative effect on mice, reducing locomotor activity and increasing the overall duration of sleeping time.⁶
Citronellal, the primary constituent of citronella essential oil was found to reduce the growth of liver cancer cells in vitro.⁷
Citronellal exhibited significant fungicidal activity in vitro.⁸
Citronellal was tested against live mosquitoes and found to be an effective mosquito repellent.⁹

INHALATION

Direct inhalation, diffuser, oil vaporizer
Use Citronella in a diffuser or sprinkle a few drops on tissue paper and place by a window as an insect repellent.
Diffuse for mental balance and clarifying. Citronella uplifts the spirit while purifying the atmosphere and energy of any space. it gives relief from sadness and negativity by inducing a fresh, happy, hopeful feeling.

TOPICAL

Massage, bath, skin care
Citronella may help with oily skin and excessive perspiration.
Add a few drops to a teaspoon of carrier oil and rub into sore joints and muscles.
Citronella can be stimulating, clarifying and balancing for the mind.

INGESTION

Minor internal infections (respiratory, urinary) can be quelled with a diluted ingestion on a daily basis.

Citronella's fresh lemon-grass top note gives way to a minty middle note and deep, medicinal and herbaceous undertones.

It uplifts the spirit while purifying the atmosphere and energy of a space. Combining Citronella with Lemon essential oil can bring even more of a mentally uplifting effect and equally enhances the effectiveness against mosquitoes.

Eucalyptus can be added to enhance the warming effect, or Lavender can be added to bring a soothing balance.

A non-toxic, non-irritant, Citronella can cause dermatitis in some cases, so it is recommended to test a small patch of skin before applying liberally.

Always test a small amount of essential oil first for sensitivity or allergic reaction. If pregnant, use under a doctor's care.

1. Battaglia, Salvatore. The Complete Guide to Aromatherapy. International Centre of Holystic Aromatherapy, 2003.

2. Keller, Erich. Aromatherapy Handbook for Beauty, Hair, and Skin Care. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co, 1999.

3. Lertsatitthanakorn, P., et al. “In Vitro Bioactivities of Essential Oils Used for Acne Control.” International Journal of Aromatherapy, vol. 16, no. 1, 2006, pp. 43–49., doi:10.1016/j.ijat.2006.01.006.

4. Leite, Bárbara L. S., et al. “Assessment of Antinociceptive, Anti-Inflammatory and Antioxidant Properties of Cymbopogon Winterianus Leaf Essential Oil.” Pharmaceutical Biology, vol. 48, no. 10, 2010, pp. 1164–1169., doi:10.3109/13880200903280000.

5. Quintans-Júnior, Lucindo, et al. “Antinociceptive Action and Redox Properties of Citronellal, an Essential Oil Present in Lemongrass.” Journal of Medicinal Food, vol. 14, no. 6, 2011, pp. 630–639., doi:10.1089/jmf.2010.0125.

6. Leite, Bárbara L. S., et al. “Volatile Constituents and Behavioral Change Induced by Cymbopogon Winterianus Leaf Essential Oil in Rodents.” African Journal of Biotechnology, vol. 10, no. 42, 2011, pp. 8312–8319., doi:10.5897/ajb10.509.

7. Maßberg, Désirée, et al. “Monoterpene (−)-Citronellal Affects Hepatocarcinoma Cell Signaling via an Olfactory Receptor.” Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, vol. 566, 15 Jan. 2015, pp. 100–109., doi:10.1016/j.abb.2014.12.004.

8. Ramézani, Hamidréza, et al. “Fungicidal Effect of Volatile Oils from Eucalyptus Citriodora and Its Major Constituent Citronellal.” New Zealand Plant Protection, vol. 55, 2002, pp. 327–330.

9. Kim, Jeong-Kyu, et al. “Evaluation of Repellency Effect of Two Natural Aroma Mosquito Repellent Compounds, Citronella and Citronellal.” Entomological Research, vol. 35, no. 2, 2005, pp. 117–120., doi:10.1111/j.1748-5967.2005.tb00146.x.