KRISHNA NATURAL TRADERS

Dharmapuri, Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu

Citronella is a grass native to India and Ceylon. Nicknamed citron grass or West Indian lemongrass because of the leaves powerful lemony scent, it is often confused with melissa or verbena. Citronella is an evergreen plant that forms dense tufts of smooth stems. The long, fragrant leaves are narrow, linear, and stiff. The essential oil is extracted from plants grown in Sri Lanka. They have a life expectancy of six to eight years and reach their maximum essential-oil yield the third and fourth years. Citronella plants are cut with a sickle and gathered in bundles before being transported to distilleries. The resulting essential oil has a fresh herbaceous fragrance with a citral-like note. Citronella grows in the tropical and semi-tropical regions of Asia, Africa, and America. It was imported into Europe in the 17th century by English, French, and Dutch navigators in the wake of perfumery materials with rose-like notes, like rose geranium and palmarosa. Its delicate citrus scent comes from the citral molecule, a substance also present in lemon zest. Citronella, used as an ingredient in Asian cuisine, compliments many traditional dishes from Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos. The plant became popular in these countries is because, in the past, real lemons were very hard to come by.

Palmarosa known by many common names worldwide, such as scented rush, geranium grass, rose grass belongs to the same botanical family as citronella and lemongrass. This grass, a native to India, forms a dense tuft of long, flat, green leaves. When rubbed, they release a powerful lemony odor and are used in so-called verbena teas. Palmarosa grows wild in India, the Radjmahal Mountains on the Afghan border, and in Himalayan subtropical regions. The above-ground plant parts are harvested by indigenous tribes, who have handed down their knowledge about this plant from generation to generation. The plants are then dried for a week to increase the essential oil yield. The oils fragrance is citral-like and herbaceous, with a strong rosy note.Cymbopogon martinii var. motia, a component of Ayurvedic medicine, is commonly called rusha, rosha, or rusa grass in India. The origins of its common name, palma rosa, are not confirmed. Palma could come from palm, a nod to the coconut vegetable fat used to extract its essence, or could be linked to the plants medicinal properties in treating ailments of the hand. The name Rosa is from palmarosas being used as a substitute for rose essential oil. Older names such as Indian geranium or Turkish geranium also refer to palmarosas rose-like note. Such nomenclature dates from the time the raw material was shipped from Bombay to the ports of the Red Sea, then to Constantinople and Bulgaria, to be added to rose oil.