Balsam Fir Needle Essential Oil from Canada

Balsam Fir Needle Essential Oil from Canada

Batch: BF2023001B

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BALSAM FIR NEEDLE

Other common names: Canadian fir needle, balsam fir, fir balsam

Botanical name: Abies balsamea

Botanical family: Pinaceae

Method of extraction: Steam distillation

Plant part used to extract the oil: needles and brunches

Cultivation method: wild 

Area of origin: Canada

Historical notes:

Indigenous to North America where it is also cultivated and sold for Christmas. It is said that balsam fir was used six times for the US Capitol Christmas Tree between 1964 and 2019.

Native Americans used Balsam fir for medicinal and therapeutic purposes for thousands of years.

It is listed as endangered in Connecticut, US, but this status applies to native Balsam fir populations only.

Biochemical group: Monoterpene

Main chemical compounds: β-pinene, δ-3-carene, α-pinene, limonene, bornyl acetate,β-phellandrene, camphene,β-myrcene,terpinolene, trans-β-caryophyllene,α-humulene, others

Colour: clear

Consistency: thin

Aroma strength: medium

Perfumery note: top

Aroma: balsamic, sweet, fresh, vibrant coniferous, piney, soft, woodsy with fruity nuisances

Traditional aromatherapy uses:

• Traditionally in aromatherapy treatments balsam fir needles essential oil is associated with the following therapeutic properties:

analgesic, anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory, astringent,anti-septic, anti-spasmodic, anti-tussive, cicatrisant, expectorant, sedative, tonic, vulnerary

• Qualified aromatherapists may use balsam fir needle essential oil for common complaints such as:

• skin / hair conditions: minor cuts and wounds
• respiratory conditions: bronchitis, catarrh, chronic cough, sore throat
• cardiovascular system: haemorrhoids
• genito-urinary system: cystitis
• nervous system: stress, anxiety, depression, nervous tension, mental clarity
• emotional: uplifting, relaxing without affecting alertness

• How we use it:

Please, also see our How to Use Essential Oils Safely page for more information.

• For respiratory infections –inhale on its own or blended depending on the condition, we like it blended with some Lemon essential oils.
• To assist with studying, focusing– vapourise a drop perhaps with some Lemon essential oil or apply a drop to a tissue and inhale
• For stress, anxiety, depression and/or nervous tension try vapourising a couple of drops with bergamot or other citrus peel oils of your preference. Lavender could be tried too. Blends can be used in personal inhalers.

Safety considerations:

Tisserand and Young do not indicate any special hazards when using silver fir needle Essential Oil, however they warn that oxidised oil should be avoided as it may cause skin sensitization. Reading Tisserand and Young's full profile is recommended. [Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, Essential Oil Safety (Second Edition. United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2014), p.282]

Please, also see our How to Use Essential Oils Safely page for more information.

Research and studies:

• Composition and antibacterial activity of Abies balsamea essential oil

https://eurekamag.com/research/004/410/004410092.php

• Composition and antibacterial activity of Abies balsamea essential oil

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16619365/

• Antitumor activity of balsam fir oil: production of reactive oxygen species induced by alpha-humulene as possible mechanism of action

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12802719/

• Essential Oil Analysis of Balsam Fir Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10412905.1994.9698369