Popularization
20 November 2018
Alexis St-Gelais, M. Sc., chimiste – Popularization Agarwood: one of the most prized, rare, and exotic essential oils. We have discussed on these pages earlier the most common problem encountered with this material on the market, that is, serial dilutions with carriers. But what is to be expected into agarwood oil itself? There have been
Activities and Events
21 September 2018
Laurie Caron, M.Sc. Chimiste In collaboration with Biopterre, the Institut de Recherche en Biologie Végétale and the University of Moncton, Phytochemia is proud to present a new research project on the identification of the pests ans diseases affecting the production of cannabis and hemp in Canada. The main objective of this project is to generate the
Research notes
4 September 2018
Here is the lecture that we have presented at Botanica 2018 : The aromatherapy industry interest in hydrosol has been growing in the recent years. As more practionners and enthousiast try to include them into their regiment, it gets more and more important to know their chemicals composition. Sadly, hydrosol did not get the same
Essential Oil Card
3 July 2018
By Benoit Roger, Ph. D. Always looking for a deeper knowledge of our surrounding plants, we recently distilled eastern teaberry or American wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) freshly harvested in our local boreal forest (Saguenay, QC, Canada). Leafs of wintergreen and beginning of the distillation The crushed leaves of eastern teaberry has an odor that is
Popularization
19 June 2018
Alexis St-Gelais, M. Sc., chimiste – Popularization Quality control of essential oils is an important issue in the worlds of flavour & fragrances and aromatherapy. But most of the time, these oils are not used pure. It is in fact recommended to dilute them prior to use, and a logical and popular solution to that
Summary of articles
5 June 2018
Sylvain Mercier, M. Sc., Chemist If you have already been interested in the anti-mosquito action of essential oils, you probably already know the potential effectiveness of citronella as a repellent against these insects that disturb our beautiful summer evenings. Different insects can be vectors of serious diseases such as Aedes sp. which carries dengue or
Popularization
17 May 2018
Sarah-Eve Tremblay, M. Sc. A., chimiste This week, we would like to talk about a very aromatic plant with a characteristic smell: dill (Anethum graveolens). This fragrant plant resembles the fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), and both plants present a strong scent. The two species are part of the Apiaceae family. Dill can reach a height of
Popularization
16 January 2018
Sarah-Eve Tremblay, M. Sc. A., chimiste Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) is part of the Zingiberaceae family, just like ginger, curcuma and plai. It is a perennial shrub that can reach a height of 2,5 meters with thick lateral roots on which the seeds grow. The cardamom seeds are harvested from a pod, from which they are
Popularization
20 December 2017
Sarah-Eve Tremblay, M. Sc. A., chimiste The fir is directly associated to the holidays frenzy. It is decorated with lights, garlands and, of course, a star on top. Often a small village is built at its foot. Its scent gives the house a festive and comforting smell. That is why, in this holiday season, we will
Essential Oil Card
7 December 2017
Benoit Roger, Ph. D., Alexis St-Gelais, Chemist Some aromatic plants are particularly associated with Christmas time. This week, we would like to talk about one of them which is used in mulled wine, in candied form and which even has given its name to a spiced bread we specially cook for Christmas: ginger (Zingiber officinale).