Plant description

History and Origin

 White pine is a tall tree measuring between 30 and 35 meters in height. It is one of our most precious commercial tree. White pine grows rapidly and sometimes reaches extraordinary dimensions (90 m. in height and 250 cm in diameter). Its height, resistance to decomposition, the lightness and homogeneity of its wood, the quality of its grain, its easy use and the quality it has not to bend or crackle when it dries make it a very useful tree. White pine played an important economic role in the French Canada. It was notably used to build ships, in a time when St. Lawrence River was the main traffic lane. The Royal Navy used to select standing trees needed to build the Royal float. But the time of the White pine is over and well. Indeed, the intensive harvesting made during the XIXth century to feed the Canadian market and extensively provide the United-States with low cost material as well as a parasitic disease largely affected the populations. White pine used to be a monument in our forests.

In the Native herbal tradition, White pine is notably used to treat cough, colds, cuts and wounds, inflammation, kidney problems and respiratory disorders.

Plant Description

History and Origin

Daucus carota, originally from Eurasia, is present in undulating lands of South-Western Quebec. It doesn’t reach further North because of the drop in temperatures. Wild carrot is a pubescent herbaceous plant with umbels of white flowers. In Native herbalism, an infusion of the full-blooming blossoms is taken for diabetes. The decoction of the roots is taken by men to treat blood disorders, pimples, paleness and loss of appetite. In women, it is used to treat fallen womb. Besides, the decoction is used for urine stoppage.

Plant Description

History and Origin

Our Northern wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) likes to grow in coniferous regions; and it grows better in sandy soils. Its generic name has been given for Jean-François Gaulthier (1708-1756), botanist and King’s physician in Quebec. He was the one who communicated the existence of the plant to Linné through Pier Kalm. Wintergreen grows as a shrub below 20 cm tall and bears between June and July white flowers that transform into tiny red fruits. Its leaves are evergreen, and that is where its common name came from “Wintergreen”. Wintergreen is present in Canada, Asia and Central America, where it grows much taller. For distillation, it would not be wise to collect the resource here, since it is so reduced in size. That is why the essential oil is imported from Nepal, where it grows abundantly in the wild and in altitude

Plant Description

History and Origin

Yarrow is a perennial plant largely distributed in Quebec's dry lands such as fields, shores and seaside rocks. It was named after the famous character, Achilles, who used it to heal the wounds of his soldiers during the Trojan War. As you can see, yarrow has thousands of years of experience in terms of healing the wounds of humans. It is so ancient in medicinal use that traces of yarrow were found in Neanderthal burials. Yarrow stands among the most versatile plants on Earth, and its highly complex chemical composition is an indicator of its numerous functions.

Used all over the world, it is also one of the most important medicinal plants of Amerindians, who use it as a cold remedy, febrifuge, analgesic, dermatological and respiratory aid, diuretic, gastrointestinal aid, and a relief for different hormonal disorders for women .

Plant Description

History and Origin

This essential oil is extracted from a small tree that comes from Indo-Malaysian tropical areas. Subsequently, the tree was naturalized by the European explorers in most of the tropical islands of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Ocean. The Latin name of ylang-ylang « Cananga » is simply derived from the original name of the plant in Malay (Kananga ou Kénanga).

The distillation of ylang is special. The first tests were recorded in 1860 by a sailor named Albert Schwenger. The delicate fragrance began to be used in the perfumery field and a unique extraction method was developed. The essential oil is collected in several steps during the distillation process, that is why we can find the names totum, complete (12 to 24 hours of distillation continuously), extra (first hour of distillation), no 2 and no 3.