Mandarin Essential Oil

Mandarin Essential Oil is expressed from mandarin peels through the process called cold-pressing. Also known for its binomial name Citrus reticulata, mandarin is one of the many varieties of citrus fruits produced from trees similar to other oranges. Available in the local market, mandarins are small and slightly deflated type of citrus fruit that has a thin layer of peelings and tastes a lot sweeter than the usual oranges.

The Mandarin tree easily adapts to tropical and subtropical climates. It is grown and cultivated in areas like: Southeastern Asia, Philippines, Japan, Southern China, East India and Eastern Indies. Aside from serving its medicinal purpose, Mandarin Essential Oil is also used as a flavoring agent to food and beverages. It is also mixed with different cosmetic products, soaps and perfumes.

Mandarin Essential Oil alongside with other organic oils, also has several medicinal properties that aids in fast healing of wounds, helps boosts the body’s immunity, rejuvenates the skin and other health-related benefits. Known for its sweet fragrance, it also has a calming effect to people who undergo stress and anxiety through aromatherapy.

It undergoes the process of cold-pressing to fully extract the natural oil from fruit peelings. It is sometimes interchanged with tangerine essential oil that is somehow different but with some similarities due to its same citrus origin.

Mandarin Essential Oil has active compounds that includes: Limonene, gamma-Terpinene, a-Pinene, B-Pinene and B-Myrecene that releases the medicinal effects of the oil for health and healing purposes. It effectively blends with other essential oils like basil, chamomile roman, black pepper, cinnamon leaf, lavender, marjoram sweet, clove bud, neroli, palmarosa, rose, nutmeg, petitgrain, and other citrus oils.

Benefits of Mandarin Essential Oil

Here are the following benefits of Mandarin Essential Oil:

  • Improves blood circulation and helps boost the immune system
  • Removes unwanted and toxic substances from the body through excretion
  • Facilitates proper digestion and stimulates one’s appetite
  • A natural antiseptic that prevents further wound infection
  • Provides relief and alleviates pain caused by spasms
  • Has a sedative effect that helps relieve stress and anxiety
  • It aids in the growth and formation of new cells and tissues for faster wound healing

Mandarin Essential Oil Uses

  1. Mandarin Essential Oil as Antispasmodic: Using only a few drops of this oil, you can easily find immediate cure and fast relief from painful muscular spasms usually noted in the respiratory, digestive and nervous system.
  2. Mandarin Essential Oil as Antiseptic: Having antibacterial and antifungal components, this oil provides a protective effect from further wound infection. It facilitates the collection of blood platelets and leukocytes that aids in providing a protective layer from the affected wound site.
  3. Mandarin Essential Oil as a Sedative: Also known as a nervous relaxant, this oil has sedative and calming properties that aids in providing relief from stress and anxiety. It can also lessen the occurrence of epileptic episodes, calms hysteria and convulsions.
  4. Mandarin Essential Oil as Cytophylactic: This oil is known to speed up wound healing through the formation and growth of new cells and tissues on the affected wound site.
  5. Mandarin Essential Oil as an Immune Booster: Known as a tonic, this oil promotes proper growth and function of the bodily systems. It tones up the body and boosts the overall function of the immune system.
  6. Mandarin Essential Oil as Depurative: This oil facilitates the removal of unwanted and toxic substances in the body. It also aids in purifying the blood through the process of excretion from either urine, sweat or fecal matter.
  7. Mandarin Essential Oil as Stomachic: This type of essential oil is known to combat various stomach infections and preserve the normal acid-base balance in the stomach to avoid the formation of ulcers and other gastric disorders.

Side Effects of Mandarin Essential Oil

Mandarin Essential Oil is considered non-toxic and is safe to use, however, it is best to consult a medical practitioner before using Mandarin Essential Oil for selective treatment of specific illness. Mandarin Essential Oil has the following precautions to watch out for:

  • Photo-toxicity: Upon the application of Mandarin Essential Oil on the skin, you should avoid sun exposure for 24 hours. Due to its phototoxic properties, this oil can cause further skin damage when exposed to UV light.
  • Skin Irritation: For some skin types, topical application of Mandarin Essential Oil can cause skin irritation especially when it is improperly used.

How to Use Mandarin Essential Oil

Here are some ways to maximize the use Mandarin Essential Oil:

  1. For Aromatherapy. You can use a few drops of Mandarin Essential Oil through aerial diffusion or direct inhalation to release the calming and relaxing effect of the oil that improves one’s mood and reduces tension, stress and anxiety.
  2. For Topical Application. Using only a few drops of Mandarin Essential Oil, you can apply the oil on the specific body part and gently massage the affected area to relieve tension, stress and muscle spasms. It is also applied on the skin to help reduce the appearance of scars and stretch marks.

How to Make Mandarin Essential Oil

Mandarin Essential Oil is extracted from mandarin fruit peelings through the process called cold-pressing. This method of extraction is considered the best way to express essential oils from organic raw materials like mandarin.

To begin with, this delicate citrus fruit is harvested by hand to avoid bruising and spoilage. The rind of the fruit is pressed to allow the juice to come out, it is then followed by a separation process through centrifugation which allows the essential oils from the juice to arise. It is then collected and placed in containers for proper storage and safekeeping.

Mandarin Essential Oil Recipe

If you are interested in making your own Mandarin Essential Oil at home, you can try this simple recipe. You need the following: mandarin rind, grain alcohol or vodka, trays or cookie sheets, coffee filters, two jars with airtight lids and a knife.

Procedure:

  1. Lay the mandarin peels on the trays or cookie sheet and allow the peels to air dry for at least a week to make them rock solid.
  2. Cut the dried peels into pieces and place the chopped peels inside the jar and add grain alcohol or vodka then seal the jar with an airtight lid.
  3. Shake the jar filled with mandarin peels and alcohol several times for a few days.
  4. With the use of a coffee filter strain the produced liquid unto the second jar. Place another coffee filter on top of the jar and allow the alcohol to evaporate. After a week, you can transfer and strain the oil in an amber glass container for efficient storage and is ready to use.    

Where to Buy Mandarin Essential Oil

Mandarin Essential Oil is available in the local market, often found in health and wellness shops worldwide. You can also browse the Internet for fast, hassle-free and easy access in making purchases of this type of essential oil at your own convenience. They usually comes in different sizes and are stored in tinted glass containers to guard its potency and effectivity.

More information on Mandarin Essential Oil

  • It helps prevent the formation of diseases caused by the accumulation of unwanted body toxins such as boils, abscess, gout, acne, arthritis, rheumatism and the like.
  • It aids in proper blood circulation thus making the skin look young, vibrant and rejuvenated.
  • With proper moisture balance in the skin, this oil allows scars, stretch marks and fat cracks on the skin to subside.
  • Mandarin Essential Oil is often confused with Tangerine Essential Oil a citrus by-product similar to mandarin.
  • Mandarin Essential Oil is considered the sweetest and most relaxing type of essential oils available in the market.
  • Mandarin Essential Oil should not be given to pregnant women and nursing mothers, patients with epilepsy, liver damage and any medical-related problems.