Botanical name Tanacetum annum
Family Asteraceae
Source Flowers
Origin India
Processing Method Steam Distillation
Color/Consistency A bluish to green liquid with a medium viscosity.
Aromatic Summary / Note / Strength of Aroma A strong middle note, this Chamomile has a sweetish, warm and spicy herbaceous scent.
Blends With Bergamot, Clary Sage, Lavender, Geranium, Jasmine, Neroli, Patchouli, Tea Tree, Rose, lemon and Ylang-Ylang.
Product Abstract
Moroccan Chamomile is a member of the Tansy botanical family and is like German chamomile due to the fact that they both produce a deep, ink-blue color when in the form of an essential oil. Out of the two varieties, Moroccan chamomile has the highest levels of chamazulene; however there are some chamomiles that have the name Moroccan Chamomile that are not blue in color. They are appelled Moroccan chamomile because they are a variety of chamomile that is grown in Morocco. True Tanacetum annuum is blue and contains the highest levels of chamazulene; however, there is some concern with Tanacetum annum, also called blue tansy oil.
History
Moroccan Chamomile is mainly grown in England, and there are some areas in continental Europe and the United States that also distill the oil. In 1785, Carlo Allioni, an Italian botanist, placed what we know as Chamomile in the genus Chamaemelum, naming Anthemis nobilis as Chamaemelum nobile, thus furthering the confusion about chamomiles.
Common Usage
Caution
There are no specific risks of using either of the oils that have been widely displayed, except that it should be avoided if someone has a direct allergy to Chamomile or to any other members of the Ragweed family, to which Chamomile belongs.
Key constituents
Santolina alcohol 29.0%
a-Pinene 12.0%
Germacrene 7.0%
(E)-Pinocarveol 2.0%
Bisabolene 2.8%
Yomogi alcohol 1.9%
Artemisia alcohol 2.13%
Bornyl acetate 02.12%
b-Caryophyllene 02.9%
Bornyl butyrate 2.3%
Borneol 3.0%
b-Myrcene 1.0%