May Chang Essential Oil

May Chang is steam distilled from the small berry-like fruit of Litsea cubeba, a tree in the Laurel family. The batches we bring in come from China and India, organically grown or certified organic.

The aroma is fresh and lemony, and the chemistry tells you why. Two aldehydes, geranial (typically 18-38% in our batches) and neral (typically 13-31%), together make up citral. Aldehydes run around 53% of the oil overall, with monoterpenes like d-limonene and delta-3-carene filling in behind them. May Chang is valued in aromatherapy for its antimicrobial, antispasmodic, and calming character. One teaching note: citral-rich oils can be irritating to skin, so keep your dilutions low.

Every batch is independently GC-MS tested, and each batch's full report lives right here on this page.