AKA Mānuka myrtle, New Zealand tea tree, Broom tea-tree, Manuka bush

When people hear you say the word ‘Manuka’ many tend to automatically assume you are referring to Manuka Honey, that’s my experience when teaching my essential oil classes. Manuka honey is well known for its wound health abilities, and is produced when bees collect the manuka tree’s nectar.   The essential oil of Manuka with its powerful skin healing abilities is produced via steam distillation of the leaf & twigs.  1 tonne of foliage can produce between 2 to 3 litres of pure manuka oil.

Manuka is part of the same family as tea tree and eucalyptus.  Most notably Native to New Zealand, the manuka tree is also native to some parts of Australia. A plant well used in Maori culture, Maori folklore attributes the manuka as being the ‘female’ tree and the kanuka, (another related NZ native) as being the ‘male’ tree.  I wonder if it is due to the Kanuka being tall, and the manuka being a short shrub…

A versatile oil, with a warm earthy spicy aroma, manuka offers purification & cleansing on all levels.  What a wonderful oil to work with during Spring, a motivator for spring cleaning of our internal and external  environments.

Perfumery: Although not commonly used in perfumery, I consider it a Middle note for the purpose of blending.  I couldn’t think of a single essential oil you could not blend it with successfully.

Dosha: Balances Kapha- Uplifting and energising

Chakras (Pranic system):  Although, as with jasmine and jatamansi I believe that manuka has the ability to affect all chakras positively, the primary chakras are as follows:

Forehead ~ clear & focuses the mind,

Throat ~ calming & clearing,

Spleen ~ energising & strengthening,

Solar plexus ~ gives strength & confidence

Physically manuka, improves energy levels & combats fatigue, relieves coughs and colds, sooths inflammation, and improves muscle and joint pain.

In skincare it is used to treat ringworm, calm insect bites, clear athlete’s foot & acne, heal cuts & wounds. It promotes wound healing through its many actions. Manuka reduces the appearance of blemishes, wrinkles, UV damage & rosacea.

It is protective energetically on the nervous system; calming & stabilising, it balances the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves.  Energetically & emotionally manuka can help promote feelings of relaxation and dispels depression. You can use manuka essential oil to help ground and centre your energies in preparation for deep meditation or any other activity requiring you to be totally present . Energetically Strengthening & supporting, it is the perfect oil for soft empathic souls.

Cleansing and Clearing, manuka is purifying, odour neutralising, thus the perfect Spring clean motivating aroma when diffused or used in home cleaning solutions, making it a versatile addition to every household.

Actions: Potent Anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, analgesic, anti-spasmodic, anti-photoaging (UV protective), anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, deodorant and expectorant.

Make your own Cleansing & Clearing Room Spray.

In a 100ml spray bottle

• Add 40 drops of one of the below essential oil combinations
• Add 50ml of Perfume base. Screw the spray top on the bottle and shake well.
• Add 50ml of warm purified water. Screw the spray top on the bottle and shake well.
• Label and date. This spray should last at least 2 years when stored out of in a cool location out of direct sunlight

Combination 1: 20 drops of manuka, 10 drops of fragonia, 10 drops of palo santo.

Combination 2: 10 drops of manuka, 20 drops of sandalwood, 10 drops of lavender.

Combination 3: 20 drops of manuka. 7 drops of white sage, 13 drops of lemon myrtle.

Manuka 100% essential oil

Manuka & Oregano Throat Spray 25ml