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Ylang Ylang

 
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Ylang-ylang
 
 
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Ylang-ylang (ee-lang ee-lang) Cananga odorata, is a small flower of the cananga tree. It is a fast-growing tree that exceeds 5 meters per year and attains an average height of 12 meters. It grows in full or partial sun, and prefers the acidic soils of its native rainforest habitat. The leaves are long, smooth and glossy. The flower is greenish yellow (rarely pink), curly like a sea star
Sea star

Sea stars, also known as starfish, are echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. The names "sea star" and "starfish" are sometimes differentiated, with "starfish" used in a broader sense to include the closely related brittle stars, which make up the class Ophiuroidea, as well as excluding sea stars which do not have five ar...
, and yields a highly fragrant essential oil
Essential oil

An essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. They are also known as volatile or ethereal oils, or simply as the "oil of" the plant material from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove....
.






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Ylang-ylang (ee-lang ee-lang) Cananga odorata, is a small flower of the cananga tree. It is a fast-growing tree that exceeds 5 meters per year and attains an average height of 12 meters. It grows in full or partial sun, and prefers the acidic soils of its native rainforest habitat. The leaves are long, smooth and glossy. The flower is greenish yellow (rarely pink), curly like a sea star
Sea star

Sea stars, also known as starfish, are echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. The names "sea star" and "starfish" are sometimes differentiated, with "starfish" used in a broader sense to include the closely related brittle stars, which make up the class Ophiuroidea, as well as excluding sea stars which do not have five ar...
, and yields a highly fragrant essential oil
Essential oil

An essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. They are also known as volatile or ethereal oils, or simply as the "oil of" the plant material from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove....
. A related species is Cananga fruticosa, which is a dwarf ylang-ylang that grows as small tree or compact shrub with highly scented flowers. Ylang-ylang has been cultivated in temperate climates under conservatory conditions. Its fruit are an important food item for birds, such as the Collared Imperial-pigeon
Collared Imperial-pigeon

The Collared Imperial-pigeon, , is a large pigeon with grey upperparts and largely grey-pink underparts, distinguished by a striking and diagnostic complete black collar against an otherwise white throat....
, Purple-tailed Imperial-pigeon
Purple-tailed Imperial-pigeon

The Purple-tailed Imperial-pigeon is a species of bird in the Columbidae family. It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
, Zoe's Imperial-pigeon, Superb Fruit-dove
Superb Fruit-Dove

The Superb Fruit-dove , also known as the Purple-crowned Fruit-dove , is a medium-sized , colourful fruit-dove in the family Columbidae....
, Pink-spotted Fruit-dove
Pink-spotted Fruit-dove

The Pink-spotted Fruit-dove is a species of bird in the Columbidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
, Coroneted Fruit-dove
Coroneted Fruit-dove

The Coroneted Fruit-dove is a species of bird in the Columbidae family.It is found in Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests....
, Orange-bellied Fruit-dove
Orange-bellied Fruit-Dove

The Orange-bellied Fruit-Dove, Ptilinopus iozonus, is a small pigeon with mainly green plumage, distinguished by a large orange patch on the lower breast and belly, a small lilac shoulder patch, pale yellow undertail coverts, and a grey terminal band on the tail....
, and Wompoo Fruit-dove
Wompoo Fruit-Dove

The Wompoo Fruit-dove , also known as Magnificent Fruit-dove or Purple-breasted Fruit-dove, is the largest of fruit-doves native to New Guinea and Australia....
 (Frith et al. 1976).

Etymology

The name ylang-ylang is derived from Tagalog
Tagalog language

Tagalog is one of the major languages used in the Philippines. It is a basis for the Filipino language, which is the principal language of the national television and radio, though broadsheet newspapers are almost completely in English....
, either from the word ilang, meaning "wilderness", alluding to its natural habitat, or the word ilang-ilan, meaning "rare", suggestive of its exceptionally delicate scent. The plant is native to the Philippines
Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
 and Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
 and is commonly grown in Polynesia
Polynesia

Polynesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising a large grouping of over 1,000 islands scattered over the central and southern Pacific Ocean....
, Melanesia
Melanesia

Melanesia literally means "islands of the black-skinned people". It is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western side of the West Pacific to the Arafura Sea, north and northeast of Australia....
 and Micronesia
Micronesia

Micronesia , from the Greek language mikros and nesos , is a subregion of Oceania, comprising hundreds of small islands in the Pacific Ocean....
.

Characteristics

The fragrance of ylang-ylang is rich and deep with notes of rubber
Rubber

Natural rubber is an elastomer?an Elasticity_ hydrocarbon polymer?that was originally derived from a milky colloidal suspension, or latex , found in the sap of some plants....
 and custard
Custard

Custard is a range of preparations based on milk and Egg s, thickened with heat. Most commonly, custard refers to a dessert or dessert sauce, but custard bases are also used for quiches and other savoury foods....
, and bright with hints of jasmine
Jasmine

Jasmine is a genus of shrubs and vines in the olive family ,with about 200 species, native to tropical and warm temperate regions of the Old World....
 and neroli
Neroli

File:Koeh-042.jpgNeroli oil is a plant oil similar in scent to Bergamot orange produced from the blossom of the bitter orange tree .The blossoms are gathered, usually by hand, in late April to early May....
. The essential oil
Essential oil

An essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. They are also known as volatile or ethereal oils, or simply as the "oil of" the plant material from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove....
 of the flower is obtained through steam distillation of the flowers and separated into different grades (extra; 1; 2; 3) according to when the distillates are obtained. The main aromatic components of ylang-ylang oil are benzyl acetate
Benzyl acetate

Benzyl acetate is an organic compound with the molecular formula C9H10O2. It is the ester formed by condensation of benzyl alcohol and acetic acid....
, linalool
Linalool

Linalool is a naturally-occurring terpene alcohol chemical found in many flowers and spice plants with many commercial applications, the majority of which are based on its pleasant scent ....
 and p-cresyl methyl ether and methyl benzoate
Methyl benzoate

Methyl benzoate is an ester with the chemical formula C6H5COOCH3. It is formed by the condensation of methanol and benzoic acid....
, responsible for its characteristic odor.

Uses

The essential oil
Essential oil

An essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. They are also known as volatile or ethereal oils, or simply as the "oil of" the plant material from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove....
 of ylang-ylang is used in aromatherapy
Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses volatile liquid plant materials, known as essential oils , and other aromatic compounds from plants for the purpose of affecting a person's mood or health....
. It is believed to relieve high blood pressure, normalize sebum secretion for skin problems, and is considered to be an aphrodisiac
Aphrodisiac

An aphrodisiac is a substance which is used in the belief that it increases sexual desire. The name comes from Aphrodite, the Greek mythology of sensuality....
. According to Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead

Margaret Mead was an United States cultural anthropology, who was frequently a featured writer and speaker in the mass media throughout the 1960s and 1970s....
, it was used as such by South Pacific natives such as the Solomons
Solomon Islands

For the group of islands rather than the nation, see Solomon Islands .The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands....
 where she did much of her research. The oil from ylang-ylang is widely used in perfume
Perfume

Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces a pleasant smell....
ry for oriental or floral themed perfumes (like Chanel No. 5
Chanel No. 5

Chanel No. 5 was the first fragrance from Parisian Haute couture Coco Chanel, and has been on sale continually since its introduction in 1921. It has been described as "the world's most legendary fragrance", and remains the company's most famous perfume....
). Ylang-ylang blends well with most floral, fruit and wood smells. In Indonesia
Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia , is a transcontinental country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Comprising Islands of Indonesia, it is the world's largest Archipelago state....
, ylang-ylang flowers are spread on the bed of newlywed
Marriage

Marriage is a social, spirituality, or law union of individuals. This union may also be called matrimony, while the ceremony that marks its beginning is usually called a wedding and the married status created is sometimes called wedlock....
 couples. In the Philippines
Philippines

The Philippines, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
, its flowers, together with the flowers of the sampaguita, are strung into a necklace and worn by women and used to adorn religious images.

Ylang-ylang's essential oil makes up 29% of the Comoros
Comoros

The Comoros , officially the Union of the Comoros is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, located off the eastern coast of Africa on the northern end of the Mozambique Channel between northern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique....
' annual export (1998).

Medicinal uses

Ylang Ylang is a common ingredient in the motion sickness
Motion sickness

Motion sickness or kinetosis is a condition in which a disagreement exists between visually perceived movement and the vestibular system's sense of movement....
 medicine, MotionEaze.

See also

  • Macassar oil
    Macassar oil

    Macassar oil is a compounded Vegetable fats and oils used primarily by men in Victorian era and Edwardian times as a hair oil.Macassar oil is often made with coconut oil or palm oil combined with ylang-ylang oil and other fragrant oils....