Benzoin Essential Oil has a rich, sweet aroma. It has a deeply warm character that is both resinous and balsamic. It has a calming, relaxing effect. Benzoin essential oil is also uplifting and refreshing, instilling a sense of optimism.
Benzoin essential oil is derived from the plants of the Styrax genus. The species most commonly used for the creation of benzoin essential oil include Styrax benzoin – Sumatra benzoin, Styrax tonkinesis – Siam benzoin, and Styrax benzoides.
Styrax trees, also known as storax and snowbell, grow natively in the temperate and tropical regions, usually in eastern and southeastern Asia. They can grow to be up to 46 feet tall, and produce leaves that can be evergreen or deciduous. The snowbell’s flowers are white.
The essential oil of benzoin is steam distilled from benzoin resin. The resin is produced by the tree when its bark is wounded.
Benzoin Essential Oil Can Help Relieve Anxieties Caused By:
- Overthinking and worry
- Feeling overlooked or forgotten
- Emotional and/or physical disorder
- Inability to focus
Blending Benzoin Essential Oil for Additional Anxieties:
- Juniper and Cypress: Instability: fear of change
- Pettigrain and Lemon Nurturing: fear of loneliness
- Neroli and Tangerine: Nervous anxiety and debilitation
Uses of Benzoin Essential Oil for the Body
Benzoin essential oil can be useful for the body in several ways. It has disinfectant and antiseptic properties. Historically, healers used it to treat open wounds and prevent infections.
The essential oil of benzoin also has astringent properties, which make it a popular choice for skin care products. It tightens the skin, tones the muscles, and prevents bacterial and fungal infections.
Benzoin oil has an anti-inflammatory effect, and it can reduce rheumatic and arthritic pain.
In the digestive system, the essential oil of benzoin helps with reduction of flatulence and helps with digestion. It also acts as a diuretic, which can help remove toxins from the organism and reduce swelling.
Benzoin oil acts as an expectorant, reducing cough.
Uses of Benzoin Essential Oil for the Mind
Using benzoin essential oil when there’s a need to be alert would not be a good idea. It has a tranquilizing effect, and it will calm and relax people with anxiety or under stress. It can also boost the mood and have an uplifting effect.
Benzoin in Ancient History
Benzoin has a long history of use in religious ceremonies of different cultures. The ancient Greeks used it as incense offering. The ancient Egyptians used it as one of the ingredients used for mummification.
Discovery of ancient uses of benzoin can be difficult. A plant commonly known as Turkish sweetgum produces a similar resin also called “storax.” This is why there is some degree of confusion about the use of benzoin in ancient European cultures. We do know, however, that the ancient Phoenicians traded in it, and that the Greeks knew of different kinds of storax.
Benzoin in Modern History
Benzoin was available during the Middle Ages and widely used as a fixative in perfumes. However, the botanists of the time didn’t have access to the plant itself. It wasn’t until the late eighteenth century that botanists described the plant according to the scientific standards of the time.
In his 1852 book An Encyclopaedia of Useful and Ornamental Plants, Gilbert Thomas Burnett described the view on benzoin in the mid-nineteenth century:
“This balsam was formerly considered to be expectorant and was esteemed for its virtues in asthma and other pulmonary affections; it is now, however, little used in practice, and is chiefly valued as yielding the benzoic acid which is somewhat stimulating, and imparts a pleasant flavour to other medicines.”
He also gave a description of one of the common uses of benzoin:
“Benzoin is also used in the preparation of what is called court planter, which it sometimes renders too irritating. The mode of making it is as follows:-Five ounces of isinglass are dissolved in a pint of water. A quantity of thin black sarcenet being stretched on a frame, this solution is applied warm with a brush equally over the surface; and, when dry, the process is repeated a second or third time. It is finally brushed over with weak solution of benzoin in spirits of wine, which communicates to it a pleasant aromatic smell.”
Benzoin Essential Oil Cautions:
Benzoin essential oil should not be used during pregnancy or when breastfeeding. Skin sensitivity to the essential oil of benzoin is also a possibility. Avoid using benzoin essential oil on irritated or sensitized skin.
