Origanum vulgare/Oregano

pH 4.2–4.4

Aroma and Taste Smells like a jar of good-quality dried oregano herb: a little sharp, slightly medicinal and pungent, strongly savory, with just a hint of sweetness. The taste is, again, very like the herb, not at all hot like the oil; it is still pungent and warm undiluted but becomes surprisingly sweet in dilution.

Stability and Shelf Life Quite stable. Lasts two years or more and is rare to bloom.

Properties and Applications The hydrosol is safer than the essential oil, as there is no risk of dermocausticity or damage to mucus membranes. Commercial oregano oils can cost as much as $75 for a bottle containing less than 5 percent essential oil . . . a $20 value. Despite the hype, oregano oil must be treated with real care and caution; it burns like hell both topically and internally. One drop on the tongue is like kissing a barbecue—this is no joke. Although the hydrosol has shown significant antiseptic and antifungal properties in practice, analysis of it by Dr. H. C. Baser in Turkey has shown that it contains little of the chemical functional group (phenols) associated with the effective “killing power” of the essential oil. A difference of in vitro versus in vivo, perhaps?

Specific for the digestive and intestinal tract, oregano has traditional use in Turkey, Lebanon, Greece, and other countries where the herb proliferates as a daily beverage for overall digestive health. You can go to a café and order a glass of oregano hydrosol as easily as a coffee in some of these places. Try an aperitif of oregano before your main meal of the day or before particularly rich foods. Internally combine it with juniper berry for urinary and renal-system infections and as a blood purifier. Combine it with bay laurel in treating lymphatic infections or immune-system weakness or to bolster the system in allergy season. A general health tonic, it supports weak or delicate systems too fragile to handle essential-oil treatments.

Oregano is very healing as a mouthwash or gargle for cankers, mouth sores, gum and tooth infections, and sore throats; use one tablespoon two or three times daily until symptoms clear up. Use in a sitz bath or douche for vaginitis, candidiasis, pruritus, and similar conditions; combine it with other appropriate hydrosols like lavender, rock rose, immortelle, or one of the chamomiles. It is useful in colonics, particularly as part of an antiparasite treatment; combine it with internal oral use daily for three weeks.

Oregano is indispensable in the kitchen for sauces, pasta, chicken, meat, even fish. It is a delicious daily beverage as part of an overall health-care program.

Note: Do not confuse oregano with Corydothymus capitatum, or Spanish oregano, and never use the essential oil in the manner described for the hydrosol.

Pelargonium X asperum/p. Roseat/p. Graveolens/Geranium/Rose Geranium

pH 4.9–5.2

Aroma and Taste A rich, luscious, floral, sweet fragrance with that wonderful roselike afternote. Smells remarkably similar to the essential oil. Undiluted, the flavor is overpoweringly floral, like drinking Chanel No. 5! Very cooling to the touch and in the mouth no matter what temperature the hydrosol. The flower power recedes dramatically when the hydrosol is diluted, making this a most palatable, sweet, and unusual beverage.

Stability and Shelf Life Moderately stable. African varieties usually last fourteen to sixteen months, and European varieties less. Geranium hydrosols will rapidly develop a very curious white, ball-like bloom shortly after contamination, so constant monitoring is very important to catch the signs and filter the hydrosol before the growth can take place.

Properties and Applications The favorite all-around skin-care water for everyone from the very young to the very old. Balancing and adaptogenic for oily, dry, acneic, and sensitive skin. On its own or in combination with other hydrosols it makes a magnificent addition to every kind of aesthetic product and treatment for face and body: lotions, potions, face masks, toners, moisturizers, cleansers—the works. Used daily as a compress over several weeks, it will combat rough and dry skin on elbows and knees and even calluses on hands or feet. Use it neat as a makeup remover. To repair the effects of the city environment, spray geranium directly on top of makeup throughout the day to refresh and rehydrate. Geranium hydrosol is a humectant, attracting moisture to and holding it in the skin, and may have microcluster properties similar to those of rock rose. Combine it with raw honey and use as a treatment for wind-damaged and overly dry skin or after a clay mask to give youthful dew to the face.

Anti-inflammatory and very cooling, geranium calms sunburns, rash, insect bites, and any topical conditions where heat is present. It is also effective on skin conditions with redness, such as broken capillaries, couperose skin, and rosacea, for which it can be combined with German chamomile, cornflower, or rock rose for dramatic results. Hemostatic, it slows or stops bleeding rapidly and can be used to clean wounds and cuts. Children like the smell, and it works wonders on things like scabby knees, stopping the itch and promoting healing of the new skin underneath.

Internally it combats heat and is commonly suggested as both a spritz and a beverage for menopausal hot flashes. It is adaptogenic and balancing to the emotions and the endocrine system. Geranium eases PMS, menopausal conditions, and hormone-related moodiness, especially when combined with omega-3 and -6 essential fatty acids or with internal use of the essential oil of Vitex agnus-castus or fleabane hydrosol.

Emotionally this is a feel-good hydrolate, balancing the twin spirits of male and female energy. On its own it makes a beautiful perfume or body spray and can be misted all over; try it directly through your stockings on tired legs! Combined with wild ginger, rock rose, yarrow, or German chamomile, it is an effective and astringent aftershave that appeals to men without being too floral.

It is delicious in sweets, with fruit, or in sauces, and it makes a marvelous martini.