Vetiver Essential Oil
Even if you haven’t heard of vetiver essential oil you may have heard it by another name – Khus-Khus – the moniker by which it is known all throughout India. In that region, vetiver essential oil is a huge industrial product, and is added to all sorts of cosmetics and perfumes as well as food and drink. Vetiver essential oil is actually made from vetiver grass, which is often used in construction and that region. There are two different species of plant that are used to make essential oils: Vetiveria Zizanoides and Andropogon Muricatus. Vetiver essential oil has a number of physical and mental benefits that anyone can appreciate.
How is Vetiver Essential Oil Manufactured?
Like nearly all essential oils that are based upon plants, vetiver essential oil is manufactured through the process of steam distillation. The roots of the plant are where the effective ingredients are found, and so it is almost solely this particular part that the essential oils are made from. How it works is that the plants are removed from the ground with roots intact and then washed completely. Finally, they are allowed to dry out completely and then soaked in water before the distillation begins. Normally, the oil takes several months to cure before it is bottled and labeled for sale.
Types of Vetiver Essential Oil
The thing about this particular essential oil is that is really hard to pin down exactly what vetiver is and the varieties that exist because everywhere you go vetiver varieties are completely different. Breaking it down to the very basics may clarify things a little: vetiver essential oil is created from a tropical grass that is related to palmarosa and Lemongrass among others. Although it began in India, it is now found all over the world. It does come from a single species, Vetiveria zizanoides, but the environment creates different chemotypes that create entirely new types varieties of vetiver.
How to Use Vetiver Essential Oil
Vetiver essential oil can be used in all of the ways that essential oils are normally used – namely, through ingestion, through topical application and through inhalation. However, no matter how you are using vetiver Essential Oil, you should make sure that you dilute it with a carrier oil of some kind. Many people add this essential oil to their bathwater, to their pillows or just diffuse it in the air, sometimes alone and sometimes combined with other scents.
Composition of Vetiver Essential Oil
- alpha vetivone
- benzoic acid
- beta vetivone
- furfurol, vetiverol
- vetivene
- vetivenyl vetivenate
Aromatic Description of Vetiver Essential Oil
When it comes to the fragrance of vetiver essential oil, it is musky and earthy but it isn’t very strong. Also, the varieties of vetiver Essential Oil will smell differently based upon the area that they are grown in. The soil used is one of the key components in determining the aromatic profile. However, no matter which variety of vetiver essential oil you happen to procure, the resulting fragrance will always be rather woodsy and sweet.
Precautions & Side Effects of Vetiver Essential Oil
As always, you want to be cautious when using essential oils because they are heavily concentrated and some essential oils can be potentially harmful. However, this is one of the safest essential oils that are out there and although you should dilute it if you’re going to use it topically or ingested, this is a non-irritating and non-toxic essential oil that you should have no problems with. The standard precautions go for essential oils however: they should not be used by women who are pregnant or given to children without discussing it with the pediatrician beforehand.
Attributes of Vetiver Essential Oil
| Attribute | X | Definition |
| analgesic | Reduces pain in muscles and joints | |
| anti-arthritic | Reduces arthritis symptoms | |
| anti-infectious | Prevents infection | |
| anti-inflammatory | X | Reduces inflammation |
| antibiotic | Keeps biotic infections from developing | |
| antidepressant | Helps to alleviate depression | |
| antiemetic | Prevents nausea and vomiting | |
| anti-galactogogue | Reduces milk supply in the body | |
| antifungal | Kills harmful fungal life forms | |
| antimicrobial | Kills microbial life forms that cause disease | |
| anti-neuralgic | Counteracts nerve pain | |
| anti-rheumatic | Counteracts pain from rheumatism | |
| antiseborrhoeic | Keeps the body from making an unhealthy amount of sebum | |
| antiseptic | X | Prevents growth of organisms which cause disease |
| antispasmodic | Prevents spasms from occurring | |
| antiviral | Kills viral agents | |
| aperient | Relieves constipation | |
| aphrodisiac | X | Increases sexual desires |
| astringent | Causes skin tissue to contract – to counter lines and wrinkles | |
| bactericidal | Kills bacterial agents | |
| carminative | Prevents formation of gas in the GI tract | |
| cholagogue | Assists with the discharge of bile | |
| cicatrisant | X | Assists in the formation of healthy scar tissue |
| circulatory | Promotes healthy circulatory system function | |
| diaphoretic | Induces perspiration | |
| decongestant | Reduces or eliminates congestions of nasal cavities | |
| deodorant | Eliminates and prevents body odor | |
| depurative | Helps to detoxify the body | |
| Digestive | Helps with the digestion of food | |
| diuretic | Removes excess water from the body | |
| expectorant | Loosens mucous and helps clear it from the body | |
| emenagogue | Promotes healthy menstrual discharge | |
| febrifuge | Aids in the reduction of fever | |
| hepatic | Promotes healthy liver function | |
| hypotensive | Helps to lower blood pressure | |
| Insecticide | Kills certain types of insects or pests | |
| muscle relaxant | Relaxes tight muscles and prevents muscle spasms | |
| nervine | X | Reduces anxiety and calms the nerves |
| sedative | X | Aids in calming or induces sleepiness |
| stimulant | Increases physiological or nervous system activity | |
| stomachic | Aids in a healthy appetite or digestion | |
| sudorific | Promotes or aids in activation of sweat glands | |
| tonic | X | Tones the skin or muscles |
| vermifuge | Kills parasitic worms | |
| vulnerary | X | Promotes rapid healing of wounds |
What is Vetiver Essential Oil Used For?
There are a lot of things that vetiver essential oil is used for. There are also lots of health benefits that come from this essential oil starting with the anti-inflammatory properties that it contains. This helps with pain and boosts the health of the circulatory and nervous systems and can treat many different health conditions because of it. In addition, vetiver essential oil is cicatrisant, which is very useful because it promotes faster healing and helps scars and marks to fade more quickly. Right along with those other two properties is the benefit of the antiseptic property of vetiver essential oil, which can ensure that those same wounds don’t get infected as well.
Also, vetiver essential oil is an aphrodisiac and it is one of the most effective ones out there among essential oils. Aphrodisiacs can help with all sorts of sexual dysfunctions like impotence, underperformance and frigidity. Vetiver oil is also tonic which means that it tones up muscle tissue, something that is incredibly beneficial for just about every system in the body and even helps with cosmetic concerns such as fine lines and wrinkles. Those who have sciatica or other nerve problems will benefit from vetiver essential oil as well, because it is nervine and can deaden the nerves and help treat everything from Parkinson’s disease to epilepsy, reducing nerve pain altogether.
Vetiver oil is also very well-known for its sedative properties. This doesn’t just help you relax and reduces anxiety, although it does do that very effectively, it also helps with physical problems such as irritations and convulsions and can even give you double protection from epileptic seizures and treat conditions like restless leg syndrome or insomnia. Finally, vetiver essential oil helps to treat arthritis, muscle aches, skin dryness, rheumatism, gout and even helps wounds heal faster and scar tissue to form.
Recommended Combinations Involving Vetiver Essential Oil
With some essential oils, there is a whole list of other oils that they blend with but because of the unique fragrance of vetiver Essential Oil, there is only a few that this blends really well with, but you may be able to come up with your own fragrance combinations to create something pleasing for yourself. Here are some suggestions on what to blend vetiver Essential Oil with:
- benzoin
- grapefruit
- Jasmine
- lavender
- ylang-ylang
The Final Word on Vetiver Essential Oil
So, there are a lot of reasons that you may want to keep vetiver essential oil on hand. There are obviously many health benefits that are associated with vetiver oil as you can see from all of the attributes that make it up. There are a lot of reasons that you should have vetiver essential oil on hand that even though most of the attributes are shared with other essential oils, there are some unique things about vetiver that make it worth adding to your alternative health medicine cabinet.
