GREEK MASTIHA ESSENTIAL OIL
Regular price $98.00Essential Oil
Botanical: Pistacia lentiscus
Harvest: Organically grown and cultivated
Plant Part: Oleo gum resin
Source: Greece
Extraction: Steam distillation, Stainless steel
A luxury of antiquity whispers a scented breeze across millennia.
Pistacia lentiscus is a botanical wonder that grows wild throughout the Mediterranean. However, it is only on one Greek island that these trees are known to produce resin from their bark, where they can be found growing alongside flowery meadows and fragrant orange groves. Growers attribute this phenomenon to the healthy symbiotic relationship that has been cultivated for over 2,500 years between the trees, humankind, and the island’s special microclimate.
Each year the Mastiha harvest takes place and great care is required to obtain its precious resin. Small incisions made in the bark of the tree, giving way to crystal clear tears of ambrosial balsam that dry and set with contact to air. Provided that there is no rainfall, the fallen pieces of resin are collected, sorted, and cleaned piece by piece. Traditional songs in Greek rhythmically accompany the sorting of these precious tears, and a small distillation of essential oil can take place. Mastiha essential oil is savory and sweet, redolent with the softness of pine and cedar and the opulence of vanilla. It is balsamic, green and fresh. Weather dependent, we can expect the same production next year. Our Greek Mastiha essential oil is identified as a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) product.
Usage
The first recorded promotion of greek Mastiha was by Dioscorides, a physician and botanist who lived in the first century AD. In his classical treatise on herbal medicine De Materia Medica, he recommends it to soothe coughing and stomach ailments, to sweeten the breath, and for facial masks. It has also been said to aid in the inflammation of the stomach, intestines, and liver.
Bio Alchemy Olfactive Mastiha is recommended for use in balms and salves or in a diffuser. It can also be diluted in a carrier oil for beauty treatments or in water for oral care.
Shop the pure resin of Mastiha here
5ml
To maximize the longevity of our essential oils please store away from direct sunlight and heat. Please use with care and dilute properly. Avoid contact with eyes, keep out of reach of children, do not take internally.
A collaboration with nature
We believe in fostering curiosity and reverence for nature’s biodiversity, employing a scientific and holistic approach to our creations that inspires a reconnection with our most primordial sense and elicits a shift in consciousness.
Nature is our ultimate guide
With profound admiration for botanical species native to climate zones across the world, we strive to spread awareness about the need to conserve the beautiful lands that allow these plants to thrive while giving back to local and indigenous communities that have cultivated them for centuries.
Conscious sourcing
To ensure efficacy and an experience of the highest quality Bio Alchemy Olfactive travels the world to source each botanical ingredient and offering, working closely with farmers, ethnobotanists, harvesters, distillers, and surrounding communities.
Traceability and sustainability are integral to our work. The botanical materials that make up our collection are sourced with an eye towards sustainable growth practices, mindful cultivation and extraction, and reverence for the cultural traditions that have dictated their use for centuries.
All products are formulated in Bio Alchemy Olfactive’s private lab with exclusively sourced ingredients. Each bottle is hand poured, labeled and packaged. Our packaging, from shipping boxes, water activated tape, and protective wrap to shipping labels are plastic free and made from 100% post consumer waste with recycled ink, making them fully recyclable and naturally biodegradable. No forests are damaged in production.
Products packaged in glass vials are intended for reuse and are tied with hand spun natural Peruvian alpaca twine from the women of a small community with whom we work.
We prioritize eco-friendly and responsibly sourced packaging materials in effort to keep our carbon footprint as small as possible.