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Vietnamese Litsea Cubeba essential oil – Citral content from 70%

25/03/2024 vipsen

1. Overview of Vietnamese Litsea cubeba tree

1.1 Characteristics of Vietnamese Litsea cubeba tree

Mang Tang, also known as May Chang. The scientific name is Litsea Cubeba. is a species of flowering plant in the Lauraceae family.

Mang Tang is a small tree about 5-8m tall, with green bark and many small nodules. Old trees are gray-brown in color, with small, horizontal branches.

The leaves grow about 10cm long and 1.5-2.5cm wide. The upper surface of the leaf is dark green, the lower surface is gray-white. Leaf stalks are short, only about 1 – 1.2 cm. When crushed, the leaves smell of lemongrass.

The flowers are small, light yellow, grow in clusters. The fruits are round or egg-shaped, young are green, ripe are black like pepper, and have a very fragrant smell. The Mang Tang tree flowers from March to May, bears fruit and is harvested in July to August.

The fruit is round, succulent, green and turns black when ripe. The fruit produces good quality essential oil. The wood is used to make furniture and fine arts.

Litsea cubeba flowers and fruits profusely every year. Fully lit plants have more flowers and fruits than shaded plants. A plant can produce 3 – 3.5kg of fruit after 4-5 years old. The tree regenerates naturally mainly from seeds.

Lisea Cubeba

In Vietnam, Litsea cubeba is also known as Son Tieu. Because the fruit is used as a spice to replace pepper and lemongrass in cooking and preparing daily dishes. It is because Litsea cubeba fruit has a spicy taste and aroma like lemongrass. Besides, it is used as a medicine to treat bone and joint pain, reduce edema and intestinal diseases. Oriental medicine uses Litsea cubeba leaves as medicine, harvested in the summer, dried and used to treat boils, dermatitis and snakebites.

Vietnamese people often compare Litsea cubeba to the Forest Lemongrass tree. The scent is similar to lemongrass and has the effect of repelling mosquitoes, relieving colds, caring for the skin, and is good for the digestive system.

1.2 Litsea cubeba growing areas in Vietnam

Litsea Cubeba is popular in the southern provinces of China, Taiwan and many Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia…

In Vietnam, Litsea cubeba are distributed in almost all midland and mountainous provinces. The tree grows mainly in provinces along the northern border such as Quang Ninh, Cao Bang, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Son La and some other provinces such as Bac Can, Tuyen Quang, Yen Bai, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa. In the South of Vietnam, Litsea cubeba are abundant in Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Gia Lai, Kom Tum, Dak Lak, Lam Dong… Altitude ranges from a few tens of meters to 1600m, but the most common is from 500 to 1500m.

2. Litsea Cubeba essential oil

CAS-No: 68855–99- 2

Sense: Yellow liquid, characteristic aroma of fresh lemongrass

Density at 20oC: 0.86 – 0.91

Refractive index at 20oC: 1.47 – 1.49

Optical Rotation 20oC: +1 to +35

Identification: Citral > 70%

2.1 Constituents of Litsea Cubeba essential oil

The main constituents in Litsea Cubeba essential oil is Citral 70-85%. Besides, there are Limonene (~6%), Linalool (~2%), Citronellal (~4%), cis-Geraniol, Sabinene…

Citral, C₁₀H₁₆O, a natural monoterpene compound, when separated becomes a lemon-scented flavoring and has both bitter and sweet flavors. The active ingredient Citral is also known as Geranial or Neral or Geranialdehyde. In addition to Litsea Cubeba, Citral is found in many other plant essential oils such as lemon, orange, lemon or lemongrass.

Citral is used as an ingredient for many products such as cosmetics, personal care products, floor cleaners, laundry detergents, pharmaceuticals, food flavouring, functional foods, etc.

2.2 Distillation method of Litsea Cubeba essential oil.

The roots, branches, leaves and fruits of Mang Tang all contain essential oils. The fruit contains 3%-6% oil. Therefore, the fruit is the main raw material for distilling essential oils. The leaves can also be used as an ingredient, but the amount of essential oil is small and the product is not of high quality.

Litsea Cubeba essential oil is produced by steam distillation method.

Litsea Cubeba in the distilling pot

3. Uses of Litsea Cubeba essential oil

Litsea Cubeba essential oil is also used as a fragrance, soap, and perfume in industry. The citral ingredient extracted from litsea cubeba essential oil has a more pleasant aroma than that extracted from lemongrass. This is an important ingredient widely used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. In addition, Litsea cubeba essential oil is rich in citral, which is used in the pharmaceutical industry to synthesize vitamin A.

Other uses of neem essential oil include:

3.1 Diffusing aroma.

Thanks to its antibacterial and antifungal properties, the scent from Litsea Cubeba essential oil helps clean, deodorize, repel insects in the room, and help keep the air fresh. The cool scent helps refresh the spirit, relieve stress, and bring a fresh and pleasant living space.

3.2 Improve the respiratory system:

The antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic properties of Litsea cubeba essential oil have a positive impact on respiratory conditions, such as reducing the symptoms of asthma, bronchitis, colds, coughs and allergies. Additionally, the antimicrobial properties help fight harmful pathogens.

3.3 Prevent infection, protect healthy skin

Litsea Cubeba essential oil, mixed with carrier oil, has the effect of disinfecting wounds and quickly healing scars. It is also effective against acne, cleans pores and treats skin diseases.

Litsea Cubeba Essential Oil is widely used in cosmetics, thanks to its many active ingredients that are good for the skin, from removing excess sebum to cleaning pores, to treating diseases such as acne, eczema and Psoriasis. It is also a great natural deodorant and can reduce body odor without the use of other harmful chemicals.

Add a few drops of Litsea Cubeba Essential Oil to daily cleanser, moisturizer or carrier oil and use to help keep skin young, beautiful and healthy.

Lisea Cubeba oil has a protective effect on the skin

3.4 Aromatherapy, massage.

Using Moringa essential oil with carrier oil for massage helps increase blood circulation and relax the body. To relieve muscle pain, joint pain, shoulder pain, and neck pain, you can mix a few drops of Litsea Cubeba essential oil with carrier oil and gently rub on the painful area.

The scent helps relieve stress, treat depression and bring great energy in life.

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4. Litsea Cubeba essential oil produced at VIPSEN

VIPSEN is one of the leading researchers and producers of natural essential oils in Vietnam. Essential oil products are produced using advanced methods, achieving high quality with 100% natural ingredients, without additives or mixtures.

The Litsea Cubeba essential oil product is produced by VIPSEN from the raw material source of litsea cubeba fruit, selected from famous raw material growing areas in Vietnam such as Quang Binh, Cao Bang, Lang Son, Lao Cai… Production process from planting stage , harvesting raw materials to producing and preserving finished products is always closely monitored by a team of experienced experts and technicians. VIPSEN’s essential oil products are not only popular in Vietnam but are also exported to many countries around the world.