Litsea…know what it is?
Also called May Chang
Origin: China, Indonesia
Aromatic Description: Sharp, with a complex lemony aroma. It has been compared to lemon grass and lemon verbena. It is considered sweeter and softer than lemon grass and a possible fragrance alternative to the costly lemon verbena, though it should be used as an alternative in terms of therapeutic potential.
Litsea is a deciduous shrub growing to 7m. The flowers, leaves and fruit walls are used for extracting an essential oil rich in citral which is used as a perfume and in medicine. The fruit core contains 61.8% of oil which is used for industry. The wood is used for general furniture and construction, etc.
The roots and stems have been used for centuries by the Chinese to treat indigestion, lower back pains, chills, headaches and travel sickness. Modern research has shown that it may be useful in treating cardiac arrhythmia. (perhaps not in topical form use such as soap) Litsea cubeba essential oil has been used historically in Japan and Taiwan also.
This oil is helpful for general skin cleansing due to its antiseptic properties. It is also beneficial to the aromatherapy treatment of oily, acne infected skin areas. It has also been found to aid in treatment of fatigue, lethargy, insomnia, anxiety and depression.
Other therapeutic uses often found with litsea cubeba include as an astringent, antiseptic, insecticide, hypotensive, stimulant and tonic. According to studies presented at the 2007 Botany and Plant Biology Joint Conference, litsea essential oils have antifungal properties against molds.
Not only does this essential oil smell good and hold up to the cold process method of soap making, but the healing properties speak for themselves. Welcome to Relaxation… now you know why! 
Click here to order Dr. Flower’s Essentials, Inc. ‘s Citrus Blend soap
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litsea_cubeba
http://www.newdirectionsaromatics.com
2 Comments
Jennifer Lancey
Hello there. I was sent a link to your blog by a friend a while ago. I have been reading a long for a while now. Just wanted to say HI. Thanks for putting in all the hard work.
Jennifer Lancey
Marla Bosworth
Regina ~ Thanks for the great information! I love the fragrance of litsea and didn’t know about its antifungal properties. Sounds as if it would make a great addition to natural cleaning products!