Artemisia Vulgaris Oil

#### Artemisia Vulgaris. The artemisia plants seem to have originated in Eastern Europe and Western Asia. Most of these species are found growing wild and abundantly all over the temperate and cold-temperate zones of the world. A very common weed in Central Europe, Southeastern Europe, India, China and Japan is the **Artemisia Vulgaris**. An essential oil is steam distilled from the dried herb in the South of France, in Morocco, Germany, Hungary, India, China and Japan. The French oil is known as "essence **d'Armoise**" The essential oil of **Artemisia Vulgaris **is a pale yellow or almost colorless liquid (as distinguished from the blue-green color of **Wormwood**** ****Oil**** **and of **Artemisia**** ****Alba**). The odor is powerful, fresh- camphoraceous, somewhat green and bitter-sweet, with a cedarleaf-like topnote and a sage-rosemary- like bodynote. The dryout is very pleasant, sweet herbaceous and tealike. The flavor of **Artemisia Vulgaris Oil **is warm, almost pungent, but also bitter-sweet, showing a slightly cooling effect in higher dilution. It should be kept in mind that there are numerous types of this oil on the market, and that wide variations in odor and flavor can be expected according to the origin of the oil. Infusions of the dried herb are used in Europe for gargles in the same way as, e.g., infusions of Dalmatian sage herb. The essential oil is used in perfumery to add freshness and warmth to lavender-colognes, chypres, fougères, pine fragrances, etc. **Artemisia Vulgaris Oil **blends excellently with oakmoss, patchouli, rosemary, lavandin, isobornylacetate, pine needle oils, sage clary, Spanish sage, coumarin, decylalcohol, etc. The oil shows great power and diffusiveness, and it is stable in soaps. The odor type is much more refined and balsamic than that of cedarleaf with which the above oil is sometimes compared. **Artemisia Vulgaris Oil **finds some use in flavors, although it is conceivable that its thujone content may one day prohibit its use in food. A suggested use level in flavors is about 1.00 to 2.00 mg%, and the **Minimum**** ****Perceptible**** **is about 0.20 to 0.40 mg%. It is not a very powerful flavor material. The herb is present in abundance, and the essential oil is available upon request in quite large quantities. The oil is not at all common, however, and it rarely appears in the commercial offers and price lists. The author believes that this oil deserves more attention from perfumers for its delightfully natural, herbal and refreshing notes.