Earthy essential oil
Vetiver
Chrysopogon zizanioides
Vetiver oil is distilled from the roots of a tall tropical grass, Chrysopogon zizanioides (formerly Vetiveria zizanioides), mainly in Haiti, Indonesia and India. It is thick, dark and slow to pour, and its smoky, damp-earth scent is among the most grounding in aromatherapy. People often add a drop to sleep and calm blends to give them depth, and perfumers use it as a fixative because it slows the evaporation of lighter oils. It is strong, so start small. It is also one of the longest-lasting oils in the bottle, and warming the bottle in your hands helps it flow.
Safety at a glance
- Pregnancy Use with caution
- Children From age 2
- Dogs Generally well tolerated
- Cats Use with caution
- Sunlight Not phototoxic
- On skin Up to 15%
Reference
| Botanical name | Chrysopogon zizanioides |
|---|---|
| Plant family | Poaceae |
| Plant part | Roots |
| Extraction | steam distillation |
| Main origins | Haiti, Indonesia and India |
| Aroma family | Earthy |
| Note | Base note |
| Aroma | Smoky, deep root with a damp-soil note |
| Main constituents | khusimol, vetiselinenol, alpha-vetivone, beta-vetivone and isovalencenol |
| Common uses | sleep, grounding, calm and perfume |
| Suggested maximum on skin | 15% of the blend |
| Phototoxic | No |
| Shelf life once opened | 4 to 6 years |
| Pregnancy | Use with caution |
| Children | From age 2 |
| Dogs | Generally well tolerated |
| Cats | Use with caution |
| Safety notes | Tisserand and Young suggest up to 15% on skin, well above normal use. It is not on the IFPA list of oils used in pregnancy, so we mark it as a caution. Pet poison lines do not flag it. |
Blends well with
Used in: Essential Oil Blends for Sleep
Sources
- Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals, 2nd edition (Tisserand & Young), Churchill Livingstone / Elsevier
- Antibacterial, antiparasitic, and cytotoxic activities of chemical characterized essential oil of Chrysopogon zizanioides roots (2022), PubMed Central (NIH)