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Cistus Essential Oil
Cistus also known as the Gum Rockrose (Cistus ladanifer) is a species of flowering plant in the family Cistaceae. It is a native of the western Mediterranean region, growing wild from southern France to Portugal and in north-west Africa. It is a shrub growing 1-2.5 m tall and wide. The leaves are evergreen, lanceolate, 3-10 cm long and 1-2 cm broad, dark green above and paler underneath. The flowers are 5-8 cm diameter, with 5 papery white petals, usually with a red to maroon spot at the base, surrounding the yellow stamens and pistils. The whole plant is covered with the sticky exudate of fragrant resin. Cistus essential oil is mostly produced in Spain.
Labdanum Gum, which is extracted simply by boiling the whole plant material in water for an extended amount of time. Labdanum gum is the most natural form of this oleoresin. It is also the most difficult form of Labdanum to work with as it is a solid mass that must be heated in a water bath prior to pouring. It is not soluble in vegetable oils, yet quite soluble in alcohol. A small portion of Labdanum Gum can be burned on charcoal for incense, or mixed into incense formulas with other botanicals.
From Labdanum Gum, a variety of other Labdanum products are made. The most important for use in natural perfumery is Labdanum Absolute. Labdanum Absolute is refined from Labdanum Gum in a 2 step process. First a concrete is made using a solvent such as hexane or heptane. Next the Labdanam Absolute is extracted from the concrete using alcohol. Labdanum Absolutes can vary dramatically depending on how they are extracted and by which solvents are used during the refinement process.
The best Labdanum Absolutes are sometimes called Ambreine, they are lighter in color, more pourable, more soluble in fixed oils, and that they blend with other essential oils better than more common and lower quality Labdanum Absolutes.
There are also 2 essential oils produced primarily for use in aromatherapy, and perfumery, generally named 'Cistus", firstly steam distilled from the crude gum, and the second by steam distillation of the dried and fresh leaves and twigs. This latter oil produces a terpenelike odour and is of little value.
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| GRAS Status: | Labdanum (Cistus) essential oil has GRAS status FEMA & FDA (21 CFR 121.1163) |
Properties, Indications
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| Toxicity: | LD50 - (oral) rat 8.98g/kg; (dermal) rabbit >5g/kg. (a)
Irritation/Sensitisation - Nil @ 8% (Human) (a)
Phototoxicity - Nil reported |
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