Jasmine
| Botanical Name | Grandiflorum/Jasminum officinalis |
| Family | Oleaceae |
| Other Names | Common jasmine, jasmin, jessamin, jessamine, moonlight of the grove, queen of the night, poet’s jessamine |
| Description | Perennial, climbing evergreen shrub up to 10m/33ft, bright green leaves, star shaped white/pink flowers followed by black berries |
| Aroma | Sweet |
| Native to | Asia |
| Cultivation | Full sun, fertile well drained soil |
| Extraction | Solvent from flowers. Steam distillation |
| Actions | Analgesic, antidepressant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, carminative, cicatrisant, emollient, expectorant, galactagogue, parturient, sedative, tonic |
| Constituents | Benzyl acetate, linalol, phenylacetic acid, benzyl alcohol, farnesol, methyl anthranilate, cisjasmine, methyl jasmonate, geraniol, nerol, terpineol, eugenol |
| Combines with | Bergamot, frankincense, geranium, lime, rose, rosewood, sandalwood, ylang ylang |
| Note | Base |
| Part Used | Flowers |
| Circulatory, muscle joint | Sprains |
| Respiratory | Catarrh, coughs, laryngitis |
| Genito-urinary | Dysmenorrhoea, frigidity, labour |
| Nervous system | Depression, nervous exhaustion, stress |
| Other Notes | Flowers are picked only at night Used in India for ceremonial purposes. In Christian legend the star shaped blossoms mean heavenly felicity. It is said that many beautiful flowers died the night of the crucifixion however the jasmine which originally had pink flowers folded its petals and bore its suffering losing its colour In Arabic its name means despair and illusion It is a symbol of deep affection |
| Caution | Some people are allergic to it Do not use oil on children |