Maria explores the botanical parentage of geranium oil and its

I varying componsn ts.

wlp is ofte11 a great deal of rdw~ L’Herit. The well-known

T confiwion
geranium
point of~inv
as to the origin
oil, both fi-om the
of the plant species and
of geranium
R&mion
pro&red
has
from
oil “Bourbon”
bern shown
the culti~ar
from
IO be
R0s2,
the countl~ of p“oduction. In tact bhirh is 21 hybrid of F! d~~!F s l!
geranium oil is derived fi-om various cnf,itn/rtrrt
(Demarne and Wilt,
Pel;qonitm~ species atld thcil 1989) The grranimn oil produced
hylxicls and cldti\ars. in otliei- parts of lhr worltl, cg Egypt
ancl (Zhina, fol- instance ma\
origi~iatc from different species.
<hina oil is very similar to Bowboll,
l\.hilc Egypt oil is Tel? different.
The scrntrd pelargoniwn
culti\;~rs used in the prodtictioll of
geranium oil arc lqc busll-like plants
with a rc,a! ildlorrscrllcc and pinnat?,
rounded to pointed scented leaves
approxilnatdy 5cm long. The oil is
plvclucetl mainly by steam distillation of
tlw lraws and Wins cluiing flowering, as
the mow mint\ fi-agrance turns to a nwct
sincll I-emilliscent ol~rc~crs.

C;uani~nn is an excellent relaxant for

nervous tension. colds, bronchitis,
laynigitis, PMT ancl 111e110pausa1
pl-oblems. It is rxtwrnel~ good in baths
and humcrs fbr relaxation. Both the
scented arid unscented species TV~IPused
in South Atiica a_\ folk medicines by the
Sothu, Xhosa, Hottentotc and Zulus (Watt
and Bre~el--Bl-~nd~lijk), At thr tulm of the

crnnu); the Dutch settlers also used some

of the tidk mrcticinrs and C’VC’exported
II
them back to HolBnd. The essential oi spasmogenic and antispasmodic, that is there is widespread adulteration of
and water soluble extracts of one species, 1 initially spasmogenic followed by commercial geranium oil. There is
~~t~~.~~Iurioidps,
a strdggling plant with tin! spasmolytic activity(Lis-Balchin, et al., for instance the question of how the
lea\ressmelling of coconut and exotic fruit 1992) (Lis-Balchin et al., 1996). amount of Bourbon oil could have
caused an isokdted rat uterus to contrac t In other words there is a relaxing increased over the years in such dramatic
and so may be an abortifacient (Lis action but with some counteractive proportions, as the volcanic island of
Balchin and Hart 1994a). It was wide]; stimulation. Mhen a large number of Reunion where the plants are grown
used by the locals and Dutch. commercial geranium oil samples were could only expand into the sea. Could the
tested by the author, only a spasmolytic explanation be the import of Chinese
effect was noted, but the strength of this geranium oil into France and the sudden
relaxant aCti was very 1rdtidble (LiS- metamorphosis of China oil into
I
Balchin, et al., 1994b) (Lis-Balchin, 1995). Bourbon geranium oil?
Aromatherapy books carry a latge number r There was no correlation between activity
of misnomers for the pelargonium! i and the major components.
producing commercial geranium oil. The The South Africans also used various
commonest of these is P grr~&~~ (whick species of pelargoniums as an astringent
could make up part of the parentage, bu for wounds, for abscesses, fever reduction, 0 Dale, D. and Sarddamttid, K. (1982).
probably not exclusively, in Egypt). P colic, nephritis and suppression of urine, The antifeedant action of some essential
totally wrong parent is p o&ir~tissimum for colds and sore throats, haemorrhoids, oils. Pddes 15: 21-22.
sometimes misspelt tl odorclntirrinr~nI gonorrhoea, stimulating milk-production, 0 Derndrne, F & van der Walt, .J:J.A.
(meaning very odiierous), which is a tin; J treating infection with worms and as an (1989). Origin of the rose-scented
straggling plant smelling of apples. insecticide. Pelzargonium grown on Reunion Islrrnd.
Some of the worst misnomers arc The ability of Pelargoniums to help S. AJ%-,j&t.55: 184191.
Geranium ruberlianum, G. macdatrun or G in wound healing may be largely due to 0 Iis-Balchin, M. (1995). Amm*r~cie~~ce.
mmnnhizum. The confusion arose due tc their profound antimicrobial action. The Amber-wood Publishing I&l.
the initial taxonomy by Limlaeus in hi: antimicrobial a&it): of 16 different 0 Lis-Balchin, M. et al (1992).
massive work Species Plantanmr ( 1737 ant commercial samples of geranium oil, Agrorhemirnl nml Medirinnl usage of essential
1753), where he combined al1 the genes lzdbelled as Bourbon, China, E<gypt or oils 01 r~nwen tatiw cp&c a[ th Geraniarew.
of the family Cerdnidcede together. The Moroccan was very variable: 8 to I9 0~11of Paper presented at 12th International
genera were later separated, initially b; the possible 25 different bacterial species Congress on Flavours, Fragrances 8c
L’Heritier in his Ceraniologia (1797) intc had their <growthinhibited, and 3 to 14 out Essential Oils, henna, Austria, act 48.
Erodiums, Gzrdniums, Pelargoniums ant of 20 Lit&& tr~nocplo~f~3 vdrie ties tvere 0 Lis-Balchin, M. & Hart, S. (1994a). A
later two more genera were added similarly affected (Lis-Balchin et al., Pharmacological Appraisal of the Folk
Monsonid and Sarcocaulon. 1994b) (Liz+Balchin, 1995). In the same Medicinal Usage of Pelargonium
One of the possible correct name: i study, there was overall good, but variable, grossularioides and Erodium cicutarium
would be Pelargonium cv. ‘Rod’. activity against 3 filamentous fungi. The (Gerdnidceae) ,@nnl off lr,,',.r,S/km mrl
antimicrobial activity of pelargonium oils Mdicind I’lm7t.r Z(3): 4148.
from difIerent scented leaf species was in 0 Lis-Balchin, M., et al (1994b).
many cases in excess of that of commercial Rionctivi~y ?f &anium oils jkm dijiient
I
geranium oil (Lis-Balchin et al., 1992). .sowr~s. 25th International Symposium on
The main use of Pelargoniums in the pas t The insecticidal properties of Essential oils, Crasse, France, Sept. 5-7.
was in diarrhoea and dysentery. (These twc, geranium oil and some of its components ?? Li&alchin, et al (1996) Potential
complaints were of the utmost importance like citronellol and geraniol are well- Agrochemical & medicinal usage of
as they can kill patients, especially children documented (Dale and Saradamma, essential oils of Pelargonium species.
in a very short time in a hot climate.) ‘Ihi 1982) (Wirtz and Turrentine, 1980). Journul oJ1 Herbs, Spices and Medicinul
indicated a possible anti-spasmodic acticit Further work done by the author in PLavts, S(2): 1 l-22.
on smooth muscle. This possibility wa collaboration with Kew Gardens (Lis- 0 M’att, ,J.M. and Breyei--Brandwijk,
researched over the last five years by the Brrlchin et al., 1992) ha\ shown that a large M.C. (1962). 7%~ Mdkinal 1’lant.r oJ
author, using isoidted ileum and other number of pelargonium species have an Sotcthew f&-a. Edinburgh: Livingstone
muscle preparations. Many differen antifeedant action on insects so that when Ltd.
species were studied - some fcere scented extrdcls were sprayed onto vegetation, ?? Mirtz, R.A. and Turrentine, ,J.D.
leaf and others not. The results sugges insect larvae very rapidly stopped eating (1980). Mosquito area repellent:
that there is a distinct antispasmodic action and died. Iaboratoty testing of candidate materials
in some fi-actions. However, manv essentia The results of the recent s~ut~eysinto against Aedes ae,gypti. Mmqr~itoMwc 40,
oil fractions from various species were commercial essential oils suggest that 4‘
.324’19.
.