Castor Kernel Carrier Oil

The wild cherry, Prunus avium, is a medium-sized deciduous tree with pure white flowers in spring, followed by small, red-purple cherries in summer. The fruits of Prunus avium are edible, but can be rather bitter, so opt for a cultivar if your main reason for growing it is to produce edible fruits.

P. avium originated in the area between the Black and Caspian seas of Asia Minor. Birds may have carried it to Europe prior to human civilization. Cultivation probably began with Greeks, and was perpetuated by Romans, where it was believed to be an essential part of the Legionnaire’s diet (this lead to the spread throughout Europe). Trees were planted along roadsides and were valued for their timber as well as their fruit. Sweet cherries came to the USA with English Colonists in 1629, and later were introduced to California by Spanish Missionaries. In the 1800’s sweet cherries were moved west by pioneers and fur traders to their major sites of production in Washington, Oregon, and California. Cultivars selected at that time still form the base of the industry today. There are less than 100 sweet cherry cultivars grown in the major production regions around the world today. ‘Bing’, ‘Napoleon’ (syn. ‘Royal Ann’), ‘Ranier’, and ‘Lambert’ are the most important cultivars in North America. Pollinizers for ‘Bing’ are often ‘Early Burlat’, ‘Black Tartarian’, and ‘Van’. There are a few self-compatible cultivars such as ‘Stella’ and ‘Lapins’, but they are of poorer quality than ‘Bing’ and others that form the basis of the industry.

Benefits:

Essential oils are distilled from the aromatic leaves, bark, and roots of plants. If applied to the skin directly, they can cause reactions, such as severe irritation, redness or burning.

Carrier oils and essential oils are made from plants. Carrier oils are used to dilute essential oils and “carry” them to skin. That’s because essential oils are potent and can cause irritation when applied directly to skin. Most carrier oils are unscented or lightly scented and don’t interfere with an essential oil’s therapeutic properties. They may be used alone or with other oils to nourish skin.

Carrier oils are used to dilute the essential oils and help “carry” them into the skin. Aloe vera gels and unscented body lotion are also sometimes used as carriers.

To be used in aromatherapy, it is recommended that the oil is obtained through cold pressing. In this process, the oil is extracted by crushing the plants. Users claim that the fragile nutrients in the oil can be damaged if they are extracted with heat. Venkatramna’s carrier Oils are extracted from the Cold Pressed method to retain their properties.

Common Usage: Aromatherapy