Wild Harvest/Thialand
Botanical name Zingiber cassumunar /Steam Distilled-rhizome
Thai massage therapists have long been regarding Plai Essential Oil as one of those oils necessary to successfully rejuvenate and restore joint and muscle imbalances. Although Plai is in the same family as ginger, Plai's properties are more intense, thereby the ease of pain and suffering may be profound. Plai is said to be the only essential oil known to relieve pain in and of itself.
Plai essential oil stands out from other members of the ginger family because it’s cooling (not warming, like other ginger oils).
The essential oil of Zingiber cassumunar (Plai oil) has been shown to exhibit antimicrobial activity against a wide range of Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, dermatophytes and yeasts. Plai is of the same family as ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) but has different properties and more intense actions. Native to Thailand, Indonesia and India, the pale amber oil is steam distilled from the fresh rhizome. It has a cool, green peppery aroma (not unlike Tea Tree) with a touch of bite. The main active chemical constituents of the oil are sabinene (27-34%), g-terpinene (6-8%), a-terpinene (4-5%), terpinen-4-ol (30-35%), and (E)-1-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)butadiene (DMPBD) (12-19%).
Considered analgesic, anti-neuralgic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitoxic, anti-viral, carminative, digestive, diuretic, febrifugal, laxative, rubefacient, stimulant, tonic and vermifuge, it has been used for aches and pains, asthma, catarrh, chronic colds, colic, constipation, diarrhoea, fevers, flatulence, heartburn, immune problems, inflammation, influenza, joint problems, muscle spasms, nausea, respiratory problems, sprains and strains, torn muscles and ligaments.
