geranium
Meaning of geranium: The plant behind geranium oil is not a true geranium at all, a naming muddle that has followed it for centuries.
Definition of geranium
Geranium in aromatherapy refers to Pelargonium graveolens, a shrubby plant from southern Africa whose leaves yield a rose scented essential oil. The oil is steam distilled from the leaves and stems and is used in perfume, in insect repellents and as a scent in complementary practice. True geraniums belong to a different genus and are not the source of the oil.
Which plant is it actually?
| Pelargonium | Geranium | |
|---|---|---|
| Common name | Geranium, scented geranium | Cranesbill |
| Origin | Mostly southern Africa | Temperate regions worldwide |
| Flower | Two upper petals differ from the lower three | Five matching petals |
| Source of the oil | Yes | No |
The two once sat in a single genus and were separated by botanists long ago, but the old name stuck in gardening and in the fragrance trade. Bedding plants sold as geraniums in a garden center are almost always a pelargonium species.
What is in the oil?
Steam distillation of the leaves yields a pale oil dominated by two alcohols, citronellol and geraniol, together with linalool and a set of esters. Those same compounds appear in rose oil, which is why the scent is described as rose like and why geranium oil has long been used to stretch or imitate the far more expensive rose oil. Citronellol is also why the oil turns up in insect repellent products. The exact mixture varies with the cultivar, the growing region and the season, so two bottles can smell noticeably different.
What is it used for?
In aromatherapy the oil is inhaled from a diffuser or diluted in a carrier oil for massage, and practitioners describe it as balancing or calming and apply it to skin complaints. Laboratory work has shown activity against some bacteria and fungi in a dish. Evidence from trials in people is limited, and small studies of scent for anxiety or wellbeing are hard to blind, since participants can tell whether they smell anything at all. No established treatment role has been demonstrated.
What matters in handling it?
Essential oils are concentrated plant chemicals rather than gentle substances. Undiluted geranium oil can irritate skin, and allergic contact dermatitis to geraniol and citronellol is well described, which is why both appear on fragrance allergen labeling lists. Essential oils are also harmful if swallowed, particularly by young children, and the concentrated oil is a different product from the herbal teas made from other plants.
Also known as
Used in a sentence
The patch test panel included geraniol, a principal constituent of geranium oil.
Good to know
The plant supplying geranium oil is a pelargonium rather than a true geranium, and its two main constituents, geraniol and citronellol, are recognized fragrance allergens that appear on labeling lists for that reason.
Word origin
Where “geranium” comes from
Geranium comes from the Greek geranos, meaning crane, after the long beaked shape of the seed pod.