Benefits of Amyris Essential Oil

What is Amyris Essential Oil?

Amyris essential oil is a relatively unknown oil but do not let that put you off. It comes with a variety of excellent health benefits including decongestant, antiseptic and sedative properties. This undervalued essential oil can help treat a variety of physical and emotional issues including respiratory issues, soothing the muscles and calming the mind. If you are looking to expand your collection of essential oils with a lesser known treasure, then read on to find out more about it.

Amyris essential oil is derived from the amyris tree known scientifically as Amyris balsamifera. The plant belongs to the same Rutaceae family as many citrus fruits. It also goes by the names West Indian sandalwood, Indies sandalwood. It originally comes from Haiti and some other parts of the West Indies. The plant grows to around 18 meters in height and bears white colored flowers which grow into edible dark blue fruits. These days, amyris is cultivated extensively in parts of the West Indies and in other parts of Central America.

The essential oil of amyris is extracted from the tree’s bark by a process of steam distillation. The fallen branches are used to extract the oil which takes around 3 days to extract. The oil is distilled with a steam boiler. Depending on the age, moisture content and part of the tree used, the yield can vary between 2 and 4 %. When fresh wood is used, the oil produced has a harsh type of odor. This odor improves significantly when the plant materials are stored for several months before the oil gets extracted.

Despite being referred to as West Indian sandalwood, it is in no way related to true sandalwood and its chemical constituents and uses are not the same. It also has a high content of oil and is also sometimes referred to as candlewood or torchwood because it ignites easily and is often used by fishermen at night while they are catching crabs on the shore. Traveling farmers also use it to light their way when traveling at night from one area to another.

Properties and Constituents of Amyris Essential Oil

The reason that amyris essential oil is so beneficial to your health comes from its chemical components including valerianol, elemol, gamma-eudesemol and beta-eudesamol. The oil has various medicinal properties including antioxidant, sedative, antiseptic, emollient and decongestant actions making it suitable for a good variety of physical and mental complaints.

The Health Benefits of Amyris Essential Oil

1) For Stress and Anxiety

Our modern lifestyles can be extremely stressful and emotional issues like anxiety and stress are a modern scourge. These emotional conditions can have a devastating effect on your day to day lives and can impact our physical health greatly. Many people continue to suffer seeing it as a sign of emotional weakness and others turn to powerful prescription medications for relief.

Fortunately, essential oils like amyris can be incredibly effective in easing the emotional load and putting your mind at ease. While scientific research into the effects of amyris essential oil is lacking, many people suffering with stress, anxiety and mild forms of depression have found that it can have a powerful, positive impact on their emotional well-being. The active compounds found in the oil can stimulate the brain’s limbic system, improve mood and relieve some of the symptoms associated with stress or anxiety.

Try diffusing this wonderful oil at home or in the office and hopefully, you will notice a difference. If you suffer from an anxiety related condition or are feeling stressed out from life, essential oils like amyris are certainly worth trying. When you use them correctly, essential oils have few known side effects nor do they bring the risk of dependency like prescription medications.

Not everyone will experience the same results and it may take a little trial and error with different essential oils before you find the one that benefits you personally.

2) For Insomnia

Millions of people find that their waking hours are badly affected by their inability to get to sleep or to stay asleep for long enough. Poor quality sleep can make your daily life extremely difficult causing problems with focus and concentration. It can also cause mood issues, daytime fatigue, relationship difficulties and eventually will affect your physical well-being.

Many people turn to powerful pharmaceutical medications to overcome their sleeping disorders but these drugs can cause nasty side effects and bring a risk of dependency. Fortunately, there are a number of alternative, natural remedies that you can try instead. Many people find herbal teas and certain essential oils extremely effective.

3) For Respiratory Health

Amyris essential oil is can also help treat respiratory issues and get you breathing more comfortably. It has good antibacterial properties which can help eliminate infections in the respiratory tract. It also has anti-inflammatory actions which can help to soothe swelling in the respiratory system while also helping to clear out the build up of phlegm and mucus.

Amyris essential oil can help you overcome many of the common symptoms of the flu or common cold and help you to breathe more comfortably. Not only does it treat your symptoms but it can also fight many underlying causes of your illness including respiratory infections.

4) Skin Health

Amyris essential oil can also be applied topically to give your skin a healthy treat. It has antioxidant properties that can help revitalize tired or wrinkled skin. Its anti-aging nature is the perfect tonic for your skin’s health and appearance. Amyris essential oil also acts as a natural emollient which will help your skin glow. The antibacterial properties of the oil also make it suitable for common skin complaints like acne, eczema and psoriasis.

5) To Repel Bugs

Amyris essential oil is not only useful for your health, it can also be used to keep unwanted critters at bay. In fact, it is commonly used as an insect repellent by people looking to keep the flies, mosquitoes and gnats away. Insects seem to find the scent of the oil very unappealing making amyris an effective repellent. Try diffusing the oil in and around your home or making a homemade insect spray by adding some oil to a spray bottle of water.

6) Household Uses

The antiseptic and antimcrobial properties of amyris essential oil give it plenty of uses around the home. It can be used to clean grime from kitchen surfaces, refrigerators and bathrooms. Not only does wiping the place over with amyris oil help kill off germs and bacteria but it also helps the home smell great. Diffusing the oil can also help neutralize the nasty odors caused by cooking or smoking.

How to Use Amyris Essential Oil

Inhalation : You can safely inhale amyris essential oil directly from the bottle or by diffusing it at home. Inhaling this oil is a great natural way to deal with stress, anxiety and insomnia and also your respiratory issues.
Massage : Amyris essential oil makes for a great massage oil when combined with a suitable carrier oil.
Bath Soak : Add 6-10 drops of amyris essential oil to your bathtub and allow its goodness to soak into your body.

Side Effects and Precautions

Amyris essential oil is regarded as safe and non-toxic provided it is used with care.
Do not ingest amyris essential oil. Essential oils like amyris are very powerful and taking them internally can cause severe side effects.
Always dilute your amyris essential oil with a suitable carrier oil before applying it to your skin. It is also good practice to perform a patch test before applying a larger dose.
Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers should stay on the side of caution and avoid topical use.