Sugandha Bala Essential Oil

Posted on July 3, 2025 by AyurvedicOils

Flowering plants are always appealing and Sugandha Bala, scientifically known as Pavonia Odorata is even more interesting with its natural healing values. It is an offspring of the mallow family, Malvaceae. Known as Sugandha Bala in native Indian sub-tropical areas, the roots and shoots of this plant are extremely aromatic. Ayurveda, the oldest of all healing sciences has recorded the use of Sugandha Bala herb and its essential oil as a natural cooling agent with stomachic properties. The most popular Ayurvedic fever drink known as Shadanga Paniya has a major composition of Sugandha Bala in it. It has been said that this powerful herb is often used in combination with other herbs to treat hemorrhage of the internal organs, inflammation, digestive disorders and fever.

Purchase Sugandha Bala Essential Oil – Wholesale – CLICK HERE

Therapeutic properties: The antimicrobial properties of this essential oil has made its use inevitable in Ayurveda for treating dysentery, inflammation and certain other intestinal infections. Sugandha Bala essential oil has carminative, antimicrobial, demulcent, cooling, diuretic, antispasmodic, antiprotozoal, astringent and diaphoretic properties. This oil also has strong anthelmintic activity against roundworms and tapeworms.

Traditional home remedies suggest the use of 2 teaspoons of fresh juice of the leaves of this plant along with black pepper for treating dysentery of babies. These leaves also have emollient properties and the fresh juice extracted from the leaves of Sugandha Bala herb was used for soothing and softening the skin.

Ayurvedic health benefits of Sugandha Bala essential oil: Sugandha Bala is an erect glandular-pubescent annual herb that grows up to 1m tall. This herb is indigenous to India (Uttar Pradesh, Orissa and Bihar), which is the birthplace of the ancient healing wisdom known as Ayurveda. The word ‘Ayurveda’ stands for knowledge of life. What makes Ayurveda the mother of all medical sciences is its simplicity and understanding about human beings and their entire constitution, which is nothing but the combination of physical, mental and emotional attributes of an individual. The main aim of Ayurveda is to grant holistic healing that not only stops with treating the illnesses but travels a step ahead in preventing it in the future also.

Ayurvedic system considers human beings as a part of nature and believes that they are made up of the five elements of nature namely fire, water, earth, air and ether. Every individual is considered unique and is believed that every one of us are made up of a specific set of energy elements or doshas. They are vata, pitta and kapha. These doshas are a combination of the five vital elements of nature. It is for this special reason Ayurveda grants specific treatment for each individual even if they have a common illness.

This environmental art trusts on natural remedies like herbs, essential oils extracted from plants, yoga, meditation, physical exercises, and a healthy lifestyle comprising an Ayurvedic routine for a hale and hearty life assuring longevity and healthy aging. Exploring the remedial values of herbs and essential oils highly help in perceiving their ability in treating several health conditions. The major health benefits of Sugandha Bala essential oil are:

Anti-microbial: Sugandha Bala essential oil has strong anti-microbial properties that are effective against harmful bacteria, fungi and certain other microbes. A 1992 research on ‘Antimicrobial Activity of the Essential Oil of Pavonia Odorata Wild’ by Doctor Hari Singh Gour University, India proved the microbes fighting ability of this essential oil. This was substantiated after testing Sugandha Bala essential oil for antifungal and antibacterial activity against thirteen fungi and ten bacteria (4 gram positive bacteria and 6 gram negative bacteria) by means of paper disc agar diffusion technique.

The results of this research highly recommended the use of Sugandha Bala essential oil for inhibiting the growth of all the test fungi and bacteria while this oil was stated ‘excellent against Gram (+ve) bacterium Diplococcus pneumonia and Gram (-ve) bacterium E.coli’. This report disclosed that “The oil was also found to inhibit the growth of keratinophilic fungi Trichophyton mentagreophytes and Chrysosporium indicum along with Aspergillus sp., Botrydiplodia sp. Fusarium solani etc”.

It also depicted the effectiveness of this oil against the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus which is responsible for wound and infections getting septic. This property makes Sugandha Bala essential oil as a promising antiseptic for treating cuts, sores, abrasions and certain other skin problems.

Other pharmacological actions: The intense study on the ‘Pharmacological screening of essential oil of Pavonia Odorata’ revealed that this essential oil contains a series of interesting pharmacological actions based on various parameters. When tested on a choice of living organisms, this oil caused relaxation in the rabbit’s intestine, created fall in blood pressure in anaesthetized dog, lessened the spasmogenic effect of acetylcholine and potassium and produced cardiac inhibition in the isolated heart of a frog.

Applications: With its excellent therapeutic properties, Sugandha Bala essential oil is used as an important ingredient in cosmetics, shampoos, conditioners, pomades, hair tonics, massage oils for rheumatism and much more. You can use this essential oil as a gentle massaging oil after blending it with mild carrier oils like olive oil for treating digestive disorders, pain, inflammation, infections, skin problems and rheumatism. Adding 2 to 3 drops of this oil to your bath tub can also grant you similar health benefits and alleviate pain. Using it in diffusers, air fresheners, burners and vaporizers can protect you from the invasion of harmful micro-organisms.

Disclaimer: This article is only for information purpose and do not use it as a substitute for prescribed medicines or Professional advice. Essential oils are highly concentrated and do not use them directly on your skin (use it after blending with carrier oils). Do not ingest essential oils and consult your Ayurvedic Practitioner before using essential oils for treating your health conditions.

Thought for the day:

God sleeps in the minerals, awakens in plants, walks in animals, and thinks in man. -Arthur Young

Suggested Reading:

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils: The Complete Guide to the Use of Oils in Aromatherapy & Herbalism by Julia Lawless
The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy: Over 600 Natural, Non-Toxic and Fragrant Recipes to Create Health – Beauty – a Safe Home Environment by Valerie Ann Worwood
Major Herbs of Ayurveda, 1e by Elizabeth M. Williamson BSc (Pharm) PhD MRPharmS FLS

Reference Links:

Geraniol

Posted on July 1, 2025 by AyurvedicOils

Geraniol is a monoterpenoid with the molecular formula C₁₀H₁₈O. It is also known by other names such as lemonol, beta-geraniol and Guainol. It is a plant oil extracted from Geraniums and lemongrass.

Geraniol is the main constituent of rose oil, citronella oil and palmarosa oil. It is a phytonutrient present in lemon, bergamot, carrot, coriander, geranium oil, lavender oil, ylang ylang oil, nutmeg, orange, blueberries and black berries.

Attributes of Geraniol:

Geraniol is a pale yellow oily liquid. Pure Geraniol is a colorless liquid. It has sweet rose aroma. Because of its aroma, it is mainly used in perfumes, lotions, creams, detergents, after shave lotions and soaps and bathing products.

Due to its aroma and flavor, Geraniol is an important ingredient in a variety of consumer products made by the flavor and fragrance industries. It is used as a flavoring agent to reproduce the flavor in several fruits.

Geraniol is also used in flavors such as pineapple, peach, raspberry, grapefruit, red apple, plum, lime, orange, lemon, watermelon and blueberry. It is also used as a flavor enhancer in candies, ice creams and baked goods. . It is also used as an aroma additive in foods to enhance the smell of the foods. Thus, it serves as an important flavoring agent in food industries.

A study carried out in 1994 reported that Geraniol is listed by many cigarette manufacturing companies as one of the 599 additives that had been added to the cigarettes to improve their flavor.

The scent glands of honey bees also produce geraniol which helps them to identify the nectar bearing flowers and also the openings of their hives. Thus, geraniol attracts honeybees.

Further, it is a naturally occurring mosquito repellent that is extremely effective. It also repels a variety of insects including house flies, stable flies, horn flies, cockroaches, fire ants, fleas, gnats, dog ticks, lone star ticks, and no-see-ums.

Therapeutic attributes of Geraniol:

Geraniol serves as an analgesic to relieve the pain. It is also a topical drug enhancer. Apart from the above uses of Geraniol, it also has the following health benefits. Geraniol has antibacterial, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory properties.

As an anti-inflammatory:

Geraniol exhibits anti-inflammatory property. According to a study carried out on hamsters titled “Geraniol attenuates fibrosis and exerts anti-inflammatory effects on diet induced atherogenesis by NF-κB signaling pathway”, it had been reported that Tissue remodeling which plays an important role during the phase of inflammation and oxidative stress is greatly prevented by Geraniol by improving the free radical scavenging and anti-inflammatory effects.

As an anti-cancer agent:

Geraniol is a natural anti-oxidant and so it is useful in preventing various types of cancer. It is considered to be one of the cancer chemo preventive agents. Geraniol possess anti-cancer activities and so it inhibits the growth of destructive cancer cells in human cell cultures. Geraniol is used in the treatment of various types of cancers such as breast, lung, colon, hepatic, skin, prostrate and pancreatic cancer.

According to a study named “Geraniol, a Component of Plant Essential Oils, Inhibits Growth and Polyamine Biosynthesis in Human Colon Cancer Cells”, the effect of Geraniol on colon cancer cell was studied to find its anticancer activities and it was found that Geraniol reduced the growth of cancerous cells by 70%. It also inhibits the synthesis of DNA.

Anti-bacterial activity:

Geraniol exhibits anti-bacterial properties and so it helps to reduce the bacterial infections. According to a study titled “Microbiological Characterization of Pure Geraniol and Comparison with Bactericidal Activity of the Cinnamic Acid in Gram-Positive and Gram-Negative Bacteria”, it was found that Geraniol showed larger anti-bacterial activity against the bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella enterica..

Anti-fungal activity:

Geraniol also possesses anti-fungal properties. According to a research titled “Antifungal property of the essential oils and their constituents from Cinnamomum osmophloeum leaf against tree pathogenic fungi”, it was found that Geraniol present in Cinnamomum osmophloeum exhibited anti-fungal activity.

Further, Geraniol is a potential antifungal agent that exhibits antifungal activity against Candida albicans and non albican species of Candida. So Geraniol is used in the treatment of candida infections.

As an antiseptic:

Geraniol has strong antiseptic activity which is seven times stronger than that of phenol.

Reference Links:

Alpha-copaene

Posted on June 30, 2025 by AyurvedicOils

Alpha copaene is a hydrocarbon that is first extracted from the copaiba tree, copaiferalangsdorfii. It is the major constituent of the essential oils of rhizome, Piper boahmeriaefolium, leaves and resin of Canariumparvumleen, Croton Julocroton, etc.

It is also present in Angelica root and seed oil, Carrot seed and leaf oil, Basil oil, Bay leaf oil, Cananga leaf oil, Cajeput oil, Clary sage oil, Sweet orange oil, Grape fruit oil, etc.

It is a sesquiterpene hydrocarbon with the molecular formula C₁₅H₂₄. It is also referred by various other names such as copaene, aglaiene, a-copaene, (-)-a-copaene and so on.

Attributes of alpha-copaene:

It is a liquid which is colorless, clear and viscous in nature. It is characterized by a woody spicy honey aroma.

Antimicrobial activity:

In the study titled “Chemical Constituents and Evaluationof Antimicrobial and Cytotoxic Activities of Kielmeyeracoriacea Mart. & Zucc. Essential Oil” it is stated that Alpha copaene found in the inner bark essential oil of Kielmeyeracoriacea Mart. &Zucc. showed remarkable antimicrobial activity against gram positive and gram negative bacteria.

Further it was also found that the presence of high amount of sesquiterpenes namely alpha copaene, alpha-(E)-bergamotene and beta-bisabolene in the inner bark essential oil enable the oil to exhibit significant antimicrobial activity against the anaerobic bacteria Prevotellanigercens.

Anti-proliferative, antioxidant, anti-genotoxic and cytotoxic activities:

Alpha copaene possess antioxidant, cytotoxic and antigenotoxic properties. This is witnessed in the study “Cytotoxic and cytogenetic effects of α-copaene on rat neuron and N2a neuroblastoma cell lines”. In this study, the healthy neuron and N2a neuroblastoma cell cultures of a rat has been tested with alpha copaene concentrations. It was found that:

Alpha copaene significantly reduced the cell proliferation in the rat neurons and in N2a neuroblastoma cell cultures thus exhibiting anti–proliferative activity.
It increased the Total antioxidant capacity and at higher levels of concentrations, it also increased the total oxidation status in neuron N2a neuroblastoma cells, thus exhibiting antioxidant capacity.
It doesn’t show any genotoxic effect on both neurons and N2a neuroblastoma cell lines. Thus it owns antigenotoxic properties.
Mild cytotoxic effects were exhibited on N2a neuroblastoma cells.

Reference Links: