In Indonesian villages, there is a special aroma, with a fresh herbal fragrance mixed with the sweetness of citrus. On summer nights, the breeze and aroma float, helping people to repel mosquitoes and insects, and guard the tranquility of this side.
Basal source plants
Alcella (Latin name: Cymbopogon nardus (Linn.) Rendle), belongs to the genus Lemongrass in the family Poaceae.
Origin distribution: native to tropical Asian regions, prefer warm, humid and rainy climate, grow better at an average annual temperature of 18 °C or more, and do not have strict soil requirements, with loose, fertile, moist, well-drained, neutral to slightly acidic soil growth is the best.
Morphological characteristics: densely clustered large herb; deep roots. The stalks are up to 2.5 m tall, 1-2 cm in diameter, upright or droopy, smooth, sometimes purple-red, and enlarged nodes. The leaf sheath is smooth and glabrous, with ears at the apex, the base leaf sheath is purple-red; the leaf tongue is papery and hairless, about 3 mm long; the leaf leaves are 30–80 cm long, the base is narrow, the triangular areas on both sides are hairy, slightly rough below, the edges are sparsely blunt teeth, the upper is smooth, the lateral veins are fine, and the dark green or dark brown when dry.
Extraction site: plant
Extraction method: distillation
Color and aroma characteristics: Lemongrass essential oil is a pale yellow oily liquid with a fresh and sweet herb aroma.
Main chemical components and efficacy
Citronellal, geraniol, citronellol, coronyl acetate, limonene
Ingredient efficacy analysis
1. Citronellose aldehyde in citronella essential oil can dilate vascular smooth muscle and reduce blood pressure, while citronellal can regulate the activity of serotonin and regulate bad mood.
2. Geraniol in citronella essential oil can inhibit the activity of tyrosinase in the skin, reduce the production of melanin, and help improve skin dullness.
3, citronellal, geraniol, citronellol can inhibit the growth of fungi, especially Candida albicans, can help improve the skin mucosal candidiasis, such as thrush, female vaginitis, male balanitis and so on.
4. It is reported that citronella oil has nematode activity against the second stage larvae of Toxocarpus canine (in the intestine), and the active ingredient is mainly citronellal.
Pharmacological activity of essential oils
Antibacterial, deodorant, sweating, diuretic, deworming
Comparison of three essential oils of the genus Citronella
The main chemical components of the following three essential oils of the genus Citronella are quite different:
Citronella essential oil (Cymbopogon nardus):
Citronelloll content is the first, followed by geraniol.
Lemongrass essential oil / lemongrass essential oil (Cymbopogon citratus):
Citral content is the first, followed by β- citral.
Rose lemongrass essential oil (Cymbopogon khasans):
Geraniol content is the first, followed by geraniol acetate.
Fields of application
Aromatherapy, skin care products, shampoos, mosquito repellent, agricultural insecticide, etc
Precautions
1. Do not take it orally.
2. Dilute before use.
3. Use with caution in pregnant or lactating women.
bibliography
[1] Bastos JF, Moreira IJ, Ribeiro TP, et al. Hypotensive and vasorelaxant effects of citronellol, a monoterpene alcohol, in rats. Basic Clin Pharmacol Toxicol. 2010;106(4):331-337. doi:10.1111/j.1742-7843.2009.00492.x
[2] Abouhosseini Tabari M, Hajizadeh Moghaddam A, Maggi F, Benelli G. Anxiolytic and antidepressant activities of Pelargonium roseum essential oil on Swiss albino mice: Possible involvement of serotonergic transmission. Phytother Res. 2018;32(6):1014-1022. doi:10.1002/ptr.6038
Xie Jing,Li Mingxiang,Gao Jianli,Du Zhizhi. Chemical Constituents in Rose and Its Mechanism of Action in Beauty and Skin Care[J].Natural Products Research and Development,2020,32(02):341-349.
[4] Silva D, Diniz-Neto H, Cordeiro L, et al. (R)-(+)-β-Citronellol and (S)-(-)-β-Citronellol in Combination with Amphotericin B against Candida Spp. Int J Mol Sci. 2020;21(5):1785. Published 2020 Mar 5. doi:10.3390/ijms21051785
[5] Singh S, Fatima Z, Hameed S. Citronellal-induced disruption of membrane homeostasis in Candida albicans and attenuation of its virulence attributes. Rev Soc Bras Med Trop. 2016;49(4):465-472. doi:10.1590/0037-8682-0190-2016
Wu Peiwen. Plant essential oil pesticides[J]. World Pesticides, 1999, 021(006):23-26.
Yang Shan. Study on insecticidal activity of fumigation of plant essential oils[D].Huazhong Agricultural University,2008.
Scientific review: Wang Jinjin, Wang Yumei, Lu Shaohua
Planner/Editor-in-Charge: Bean Ding
Illustration/cover image: Baidu image/bean diced
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Scientific review team
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