Digging Deeper: Ylang Ylang

Digging Deeper: Ylang Ylang post thumbnail image

Who’s ready to dig deeper into Ylang Ylang?

Unless otherwise noted, the information provided comes from the appropriate product pages at Witchy Gypsy Oils. Please visit these pages by clicking on the pictures for more details and ordering information.

Don’t forget to scroll all the way to the bottom for an excerpt from our Oils for Romance Class all about Ylang Ylang and a DIY video.


Ylang Ylang

(Cananga odorata)

Ylang Ylang are night blooming, star-shaped flowers of the tropical Cananga odorata tree that is native to the lush, tropical rainforests of islands in the South Pacific and Asia. This tree can grow up to 40 feet tall and is from the Annonaceae family.

Ylang ylang flowers last for a long time, and change colour as they develop. They start out as a greenish yellow that blends into the tree and gradually turn a bright, lemony yellow. Flowers are about 5 cm (2 inches) across, with narrow, gracefully trailing petals.

Ylang ylang trees produce fruit, which turns black when ripe and provides a useful source of food for a wide variety of tropical birds and small mammals. In turn, the birds and other animals help scatter the seeds through their droppings. Moths pollinate the ylang ylang flowers, which release their strongest scent at night, to attract them.

THE USE OF YLANG YLANG IN AYURVEDA

In Ayurvedic tradition, ylang ylang essential oil is believed to have calming, cooling, uplifting and moisturizing tendencies. Ylang ylang essential oil can help vata imbalances by encouraging self-esteem, calm, relaxation, and sensuality. For those with pitta imbalances, the calm, cooling tendency of ylang ylang can help release anger and unwanted tension. Ylang ylang essential oil is suggested to soothe, tone and balance the skin and help moisturize hair, while the fragrance helps to relax and harmonize the mind and spirit, and encourage sensuality and love.

THE SYMBOLISM OF YLANG YLANG

Ylang ylang comes from the Tagalog word “ilang”, meaning wilderness. It may also be related to the term “ilang-ilan”, meaning rare. Ylang ylang is sometimes translated as “flower of flowers”.

According to Philippine myth, the lovely, flowering ylang ylang tree came about when Ilang, a beautiful girl, falls in love with a boy she is not supposed to marry. Before they can come together, she is transformed into a tree (directly, in some versions, and after her death in others), and her lover cries for her: “Ilang! Ilang!”.

In her travels through the South Pacific, anthropologist Margaret Mead noted that ylang ylang was commonly scattered on the beds of newlywed couples. It may not be coincidental that the aroma of ylang ylang is thought to be aphrodisiac in nature.

In the wiccan tradition, ylang ylang is associated with the planet Venus. Ylang ylang can be used as a love charm, and it is said that the aroma helps dispel fear and promote self-confidence. Because the fragrance is soothing and tension-taming, it is also used in spells that are thought to invoke a calm, meditative state. It is also believed to be helpful in dispelling negative thoughts and emotions. Combining its love-promoting and soothing properties, ylang ylang is also said to help promote self-acceptance and self-love.

Sourced from https://www.saje.com/ingredient-garden-ylang-ylang.html

Ylang Ylang flower oil
(Cananga odorata)

Most Young Living Ylang Ylang essential oil comes from Madagascar and Ecuador.

Ylang Ylang essential oil has a sweet, romantic aroma and moisturizing properties, making it a key ingredient in many luxury skin and hair products. It is often classified as a heart note because it emerges just as the top notes begin to dissipate.

AROMATIC PROFILE
Sweet, floral aroma

Features & Benefits

Topical and AromaticKey Constituents
Has a pleasant, floral aroma

Helps create a calming environment

Can help moisturize skin

Enhances the appearance of healthy-looking skin

Nourishes the hair and scalp
Germacrene D

(E,E)-alpha-farnesene

Benzyl acetate

Geranyl acetate

Beta-caryophyllene

Benzyl benzoate

Linalool

Para-cresyl methyl ether

Methyl benzoate

Benzyl salicylate

Medical Properties: Antispasmodic, vasodilating, antidiabetic, anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic, regulates heartbeat

Uses: Cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac problems, anxiety, hypertension, depression, hair loss, intestinal problems

Fragrant Influence: Balances male-female energies, enhances spiritual attunement, combats anger, combats low self-esteem, increases focus of thoughts, filters out negative energy, restores confidence and peace

Caution: Use sparingly if you have low blood pressure.

Excerpted from The Essential Oils Desk Reference, 7th Edition, page 141


Okay, but let’s get serious for a minute. We know an oil with such a sultry scent has to have some romantic properties, right? You know it does. Check out this excerpt from our Oils and Romance Class.

Have fun saying it… then have fun using it!

Ylang Ylang  is valued for the perfume extracted from its flowers.  It is actually an original ingredient in the perfume Chanel No. 5! Ylang Ylang is also known as the cananga tree, a tropical tree that originated in Indonesia but, in the early 19th century, spread to Malaysia and the Philippines. 

It has a very beautiful scent with a lot of depth as a romantic, floral smell.  The name Ylang Ylang (pronounced: ya-lang a-lang) is derived from the Tagalog term ilang-ilang for the tree that is a reduplicative form of the word ilang, meaning “wilderness”, alluding to the tree’s natural habitat. A common mistranslation is “flower of flowers”.

This honeymoon-esq scent is also found in Joy, Peace & Calming, and all Sensation-based products.

That’s all fun information, but why should you use Ylang Ylang? It is great to help your overall outlook on life. Iit may help balance your energy with your spouses, give feelings of confidence, and lower your self-doubt. It may also help enhance a healthy libido and restore inner peace.

You can start setting to mood by diffusing Ylang Ylang in your bedroom – start early and give the room a chance to fill up with this awesome aroma (at least an hour before you’re wanting the magic to happen!) This may help boost your connection to your spouse as the aroma fills the room (and filters through your house too!)

This is also a GREAT oil to use topically – especially in massage.  Sensation massage oil is great for this! You can also use Sensation massage oil as your own lubricant – YUP.  You’ll thank me later. 



Thank you for digging deeper into Ylang Ylang with me. I am very passionate about herbs, oils, and the education of their uses.

Please remember that essential oils are very concentrated products and should never be ingested unless specifically labeled for such use.

If you are not already a member of the Witchy Gypsy Oil Tribe, you can find out more information about the benefits and sign up by clicking HERE.

Also, be on the look out for future posts in this Digging Deeper Series. A great way to stay in touch is to hit the Follow button at the bottom of the page.

Finally, the obligatory disclaimer.

I am not a doctor. None of the statements included in this post have been approved by the FDA or any other cool acronym known agency. It is Young Living’s official stance that they and these products are not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure any specific disease or illness. Young Living Independent Distributor #14632733

1 thought on “Digging Deeper: Ylang Ylang”

Leave a Reply

Related Post