Silver fir needle oil
- Type
- Essential oil
- Botanical name
- Abies alba
How the oil is made
The oil is distilled from the needles alone or from twigs with needles; experiments have shown little difference between the two. It is a colourless or pale yellow, mobile liquid. In the 1960s, oils from Austria were known for their quality and fine scent.[1] In a study of trees from Albania, needles collected in winter gave more oil than needles collected in summer.[2]
Composition
The composition varies widely, even between trees from the same area. The leading components of oils from needles or twigs are limonene, beta-pinene, alpha-pinene, camphene, beta-phellandrene and bornyl acetate; in analysed samples, oils from Germany, Austria, France and Greece had limonene as the leading compound, at 34 to 55%, and oils from Serbia and Montenegro beta-pinene.[2]
Scent and uses
The oil belongs to the "low-ester", terpene-rich fir and spruce needle oils, yet it has great power, good stability and performance. It is used in perfumes for bath products, air fresheners, disinfectants, fougère colognes, soaps and detergents, and blends well with lavandin, rosemary oil, oakmoss and labdanum.[1]
In the past, silver fir needle oils were used for bruises, colds and coughs. In France, fir needle oil is used for colds and other respiratory complaints, as a balm, lotion or bath additive, often with other oils such as eucalyptus.[2]
Related oil
Templin oil, distilled from the crushed cones of the same tree, is a different oil: almost colourless, fresh and sweet, reminiscent at once of pine needles, balsam and sweet orange. In the 1960s it was produced only on a modest scale.[1]
Quality and adulteration
In the 1960s the oil was frequently and extensively cut or adulterated with pinene, isobornyl acetate, camphene, limonene and aldehydes, so reliable production figures were hard to obtain.[1]
Products containing it
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Steffen Arctander, Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, Elizabeth, NJ, 1960: Abies Alba; Templin Oil.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Robert Ancuceanu et al., Phytochemistry, Biological, and Pharmacological Properties of Abies alba Mill.. Plants 2023, 12(15), 2860, doi 10.3390/plants12152860.