Essential oil / extract / oil-based Australian berry? I make my own cosmetics: shampoo, contidtioner, moisturizer, and so on. Right now I'm trying to find any kind of thing that I can put in my creams etc like Australia bays Bush or Bush Tucker.
They are full of antioxidants and are absolutely incredible in the reports I saw, but I can not find one I can make nothing but chutneys and juices.
If you have any ideas on what to look up or a website that I could go to ... even a book to buy, it would be really, really great.
The best I can think to get the essential oils from the berries is by steam distillation.
There are several ways to do it, but the easiest is to use a kit like the one presented here http://www.heartmagic.com/EssentialDisti ...
A good source of information on essential oils and distillation can be found here
http://oilganic.com/essential-oils-disti ...
In addition, if the oil content is low enough, you might consider drying raw berries.
The cause of the increasing amount of allergies, it might be preferable to rely on experience rather than testing folkmedicine unknown ingredients.
These books can help:
"Economic native plants of New Zealand" content information
"Known and potential uses of native plants of New Zealand"
http://www.springerlink.com/content/l8j3 ...
"A world's natural Tohunga: plants, gardening and food" by Paul Moon, ISBN-10: 1877378046
reports on "the healer tohunga therefore knows every plant and its value to the organization. In addition, a tohunga also know that each body part has a plant relevant to strengthen or help to heal"
These sites provide profiles factory incl. certain uses for skin (Fe Maori herb kava as cons eczema or swelling of face):
Healing plants shrubs, herbs used by early Maori and settlers
http://www.kawhia.maori.nz/14.html
http://www.nzamh.org.nz/herbs.html
Well known for dermatological Propeties (cure or antifungal or antibacterial etc.):
Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium), a native of Australia
http://www.aromansi.com/Producte 20info%. ...
Neem, Azadirachta indica, a stranger "
http://www.natural-health.net.au/article ...
Australian sandalwood, Santalum spicatum, known for its volatile oil (used in cosmetics)
http://www.ciao.com/Jurlique_Australian_ ...
Another area is the 201 "Bushflowers Australian", an alternative to English "Bach Flower", which is said to be good in cosmetic products too:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_ ...
Posted on January 11, 2010.
