Apium graveolens (Plant Family: Apiaceae/Umbelliferae)
Type of plant: A wild celery with upright rosettes of green leaves on a tall flowering stem, producing small greenish-white flowers and tiny seeds
Part used: Seeds
Method of extraction: Steam distillation
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Data: Thought to originate in Europe, the plant naturally prefers growing in salt marshes or near coastlines. Widely cultivated as a vegetable, it’s now found growing throughout the world. It appears in many countries’ traditional herbals. The essential oil is distilled from wild celery. After harvest the plant needs threshing to release the seeds, which are crushed before distillation.
Principal places of production: India, France, United States, Hungary, Holland
When buying look for: A colorless to pale-yellow liquid with a deep aroma of celery. Not to be confused with celery leaf. If celery seed oil is not stored well it becomes oxidized and shouldn’t be used for therapeutic purposes.
Therapeutic properties: Antiseptic, calmative, circulatory, depurative, digestive, sedative
Therapeutic uses: Varicose veins, heavy legs, congestion, constipation, hemorrhoids, stress-related digestive conditions, nervousness, depression, detoxifying
Blends well with: Amyris, angelica root, basil tulsi, cedarwood, clove bud, coriander seed, cypress, fennel (sweet), geranium, ginger, grapefruit, greenland moss, ho wood, immortelle, juniper berry, lemon, lemongrass, myrtle, orange (sweet), petitgrain, rosemary, sage
Precautionary advice: No contraindications known.
