Vietnamese balm essential oil
Elsholtzia ciliata
Kinh giới · Lamiaceae
Lemon, green, slightly pungent, on a warm herbal base. This is the smell of the plate of fresh herbs served with bún chả, only much stronger.
Vietnamese kinh giới is Elsholtzia ciliata, not the European marjoram or oregano that many sources mistranslate it as. The composition of its oil varies by region: in some places it leans heavily towards the compounds that give a lemon smell, in others towards a ketone peculiar to this genus, with a more pungent smell.
So the description above only holds for the lemony form, the one closest to the bunch of herbs at the market. A lot with a different composition will smell different, and its analysis will say so.
- Plant part
- Whole plant
- Vietnamese name
- Kinh giới
- Scent family
- Green
- Plant family
- Lamiaceae
- Lots published
- —
Published lots
No lots yet. When the first lot arrives, its GC/MS analysis will be published here — unedited, with the lot number printed on the bottle label.
Buy Vietnamese balm
This oil is in the catalogue but no lot has been brought in, so it is not on sale yet. Message us if you need it — what we stock next depends on what buyers ask for.
In the scent dictionary: Kinh giới — a description of the smell, the compounds behind it, and how to smell it for yourself.
Elsewhere in the catalogue
No lot of this oil yet. The oils below are close to it botanically or in how they are extracted — some of them already have lots.
Same plant family: Lamiaceae Bee balm · Hyssop ct 1,8-cineole · Indian patchouli · Lavender · Oregano · Perilla · Spearmint · Sweet marjoram
Also from the whole plant Basil ct linalool · Bergamot mint · Cornmint · Hyssop ct 1,8-cineole · Mugwort · Oregano · Sweet marjoram · Tarragon
Same method: direct steam distillation Amomum · Hyssop ct 1,8-cineole · Kunzea · Lemon verbena · Melissa · Opopanax · Oregano · Sweet marjoram