The Herbal Benefits of the Jasmine Flower

The name "Jasmine" is derived from the Persian "yasmin" which means "fragrant flower". There are more than 200 species of Jasmine but only about a dozen are harvested for essential oil. We will be focusing on two species, Jasmine Grandiflorum and Jasmine Officinale. There are varying opinions on the origin of Jasmine. The majority say it originated from China and Northern India. Today France, Italy, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey and Japan are producing the best essential oil.

The therapeutic properties of Jasmine are antidepressant, antiseptic, aphrodisiac, antispamotic, cicatrisant, expectorant, galactagogue, parturient, sedative and uterine. When used as a herbal tea, Jamine is therapeutic in many ways:

1. Weight Loss- Drinking Jasmine tea on a daily basis will increase metabolism and therfore burn more calories.

2. Infection- Rinse your mouth with Jasmine tea and prevent bad breath and tooth decay. It also helps to prevent flu.

3. Lowers blood pressure and helps to relax the nervous system.

4. It is said to reduce cholesterol by inhibiting the absorption of cholesterol from fatty foods taken into the body.

These are all great properties but I am only interested in the use of Jasmine in skin care and Aromatherapy. We will touch on aromatherpy in a later hub. Jasmine is good for all skin types but very good for dry skin. It also contains antioxidant properties. We will be using Jasmine in two types for today's receipe "Jasmine Foot Scrub Soap".

There is another ingredient that we will be using for the soap and that is Loofah. What do you know about loofah? Did you know that you can grow fresh loofah? I never knew that until I was shopping for loofah and came across "loofah seeds" , which I purchased and planted. Fresh grown loofah is awesome! Loofah requires a long, warm growing season. It kinda looks like a fat cucumber after it is grown. You don't need to grow your own loofah for this receipe because you can buy fresh loofah anywhere on the internet.

Loofah sponges exfoliate your skin by removing dead skin cells. It also increases circulation which is why we'll be using it in our foot soap. Feet need increased circulation to heal and and renew tough, callused skin. So, with all that said, here is our next receipe.

Here are the components you will need: A large pyrex mixing bowl, a microwave, a wooden spoon,round soap molds, several slices of fresh loofah ( these can't be sliced higher than the depth of your soap mold),Glycerin soap base, Jasmine essential oil, Jasmine grandiflorum flower wax and something to wrap the soap in. If you need sources for the above, just shoot me an email.

Soap base comes in 2 lb packages or larger. This is the best base soap for embedding items. You will need to cut your soap in cubes and place them in the pyrex bowl. Melt the cubes in the microwave for 2 minutes at a time until completely melted. Place one slice of loofah in each of your soap molds. When your soap is melted, add 1/4 oz of the Jasmine Flower wax and 5 drops of the Jasmine essential oil. You can add more oil if you like the aroma of jasmine but I prefer just a subtle aroma. Stir the soap until the wax is melted and then pour the soap gently into the molds, soaking the loofah as you go. Cool completely (not in fridge) and pop out to package. You can use this on your body too but the addition of the wax to the soap is intended to make the soap a little harder for use on the feet.

Next time we'll be making some lip balm and eye balm.