Discovering the Wonderful Essential Oils of Latin America!
This past September, I had the pleasure of attending the 2018 International Federation of Essential Oils and Aroma Trades (IFEAT) Conference in vibrant Cartagena, Colombia. I absolutely adore bright colors, both in what I wear and my environment. Living for a week in the historic part of Cartagena was such a delight—every house is painted in cheerful hues, and many are adorned with stunning bougainvillea that brighten up the streets, like in the picture below.
In this lively city, the IFEAT Conference was a wonderful gathering where folks came together to celebrate the unique essential oils that Latin America has to offer. Argentina and Brazil are actually the top producers of lemon and orange essential oils in the world. However, they've been facing challenges due to citrus greening disease, a serious bacterial issue spread by the invasive Asian citrus psyllid. This disease impacts fruit quality and slowly causes citrus trees to decline and eventually die. Since there's no current cure, the main ways to protect the crops are through preventive measures, controlling the pests, and catching the disease early. Because of this, fruit and essential oil production has has been greatly impacted. Additionally, economic difficulties in Argentina have made citrus oils less available, leading to significant price hikes.
On a brighter note, other Latin American countries like Colombia, Peru, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras rely on their local native plants to produce these valuable essential oils, showcasing their rich botanical resources.
For Colombia, producing essential oils is especially exciting—it’s opening a new chapter in Colombian agriculture and showing great promise for the future.
Here's a list of essential oils from Colombia, featuring some well-known plants and a few that are unique to the region:
- Ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata)
- Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii)
- Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus)
- Cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum)
- White Verbena (Lippia alba) - Carvona
- White Verbena (Lippia alba) - Citral
- Mexican Oregano (Lippia origonoides) - Thimol
- Basil (Ocimum basilicum)
- Jamaican Mint (Satureja viminea)
- Tabog (Swinglea glutinosa)
- Mexican Tarragon (Tagetes lucida)
- Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanoides)
Other interesting facts are that El Salvador is famous for it's production of Peru Balsam. Additionally, Paraguay is recognized as a primary producer of several high-quality products such as Guaiacwood oil, Cabreuva, Vetiver, Petitgrain (Citrus aurantium), and Guayul acetate.
In the Amazon region of Peru, reforestation efforts for Rosewood have been underway for several years. Currently, the essential oil is distilled from the leaves and branches of trees aged 3 to 5 years, ensuring sustainable harvesting practices without the need to remove the entire plant.
Peru also produces valuable oils, including Palo Santo (Bursera graveolens), Arrayán (Luma chequen), and Pink Pepper (Shinus molle).
The conference was both informative and a valuable opportunity for networking. If you would like to learn more about Latin American essential oils or wish to request a quote or sample of any of our products, please contact us at the following email address: contactus@plantspower.ca
