Essential Oil – Rosewood

Botanical name: Aniba rosaeodora

Color: Clear/very light yellow

Consistency: Thin

Perfumery note: Base/middle

Related Planets/Deities: Uranus/Aphrodite/Tara

Aroma: Floral, slightly fruity, rich, complex, intriguing

Energetic Properties: Compassionate, peaceful, calming, reassuring

Aromatherapy Properties: Rosewood is a relaxing oil with a beautiful woody, floral fragrance. The oil is a colorless to pale yellow liquid with a very sweet, woody-floral scent and a hint of spice. It blends well with most oils, but especially citruses, florals, and woody scents. When blended with these scents, Rosewood acts as a toner, helping to add body and round off sharp edges.

Spiritual Uses: Rosewood is useful for those meditating on compassion, empathy and understanding, as it is associated with the Crown chakra — the thousand-petaled lotus symbolizing enlightenment. It is also a good choice for those seeking to process and ultimately release pent-up emotions.

Blends well with: Most  Floral, Citrus, and Woody oils.

History: Some true Rosewoods, especially some Brazilian species, have been over-harvested for hundreds of years, placing them on the list of endangered woods. Unfortunately, there is still a thriving market for illegally-sourced rainforest Rosewoods. In fact, the Gibson guitar factory in Nashville, Tennessee was raided in 2009 under suspicion of using illegally-sourced Rosewood as a material in their instruments. Brazilian and other types of Rosewoods have long been sources of medicinal decoctions used in traditional medicines in South America.