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).
Plant card
20 June 2017
Alexis St-Gelais, M. Sc., chimiste Mandarin fruit (Citrus nobilis) essential oil is an aromatic delicacy. By experience, we observe that it regularly is either adulterated or confused with other citruses. Chemically, there are a few good keypoints to look for that will tell if a mandarin oil is genuine. We also provide an annotated typical
Plant card
18 April 2017
Alexis St-Gelais, M. Sc., chimiste Boswellia serrata grows in India, as opposed to most other commonly sold frankincense species which rather grow in the Horn of Africa and the southern Arabic peninsula. Frankincense serrata is not only segregated from a geographical point of view, but also differs from the other frankincenses chemically. This is reflected in