Botanical Name: Salvia Hispanica Common name: Chia Read More
Botanical Name: |
Salvia Hispanica |
Common name: |
Chia |
Plant family: |
Lamiaceae |
Genus: |
Salvia |
Appearance/Color: |
Colorless to pale yellow |
Origin |
South America |
Source |
Seeds |
Method of Extraction |
Cold Pressed |
Salvia hispanica L., commonly known as chia, is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family of about 900 species of green plants, characterized by its high nutritional and therapeutically potential. Native to Central American countries such as Guatemala and Mexico, its possible development is guaranteed by warm temperatures of 15–30°C and high rainfall. The ancient indigenous Aztec civilization consumed chia seed roasted and grounded incorporated to many foods as a source of energy. The word chia derives from the Nahuatl word “chian” with means oily. The name Salvia hispanica was given by the Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus (1707–78), who confused the wild-growing plant coming from the New World with a native plant from Spain. The maximum height of the plant is 1 m with leaves of about 4–8 cm long and 3–6 cm wide. The flowers are white or purple containing oval seed mottle-colored with brown, gray, black, and white.
The culinary uses of chia seed have been as a whole seed, seed flour, seed mucilage, and seed oil.
Essential oils are distilled from the aromatic leaves, bark, and roots of plants. If applied to the skin directly, they can cause reactions, such as severe irritation, redness or burning.
Carrier oils and essential oils are made from plants. Carrier oils are used to dilute essential oils and “carry” them to skin. That’s because essential oils are potent and can cause irritation when applied directly to skin. Most carrier oils are unscented or lightly scented and don’t interfere with an essential oil’s therapeutic properties. They may be used alone or with other oils to nourish skin.
Carrier oils are used to dilute the essential oils and help “carry” them into the skin. Aloe vera gels and unscented body lotion are also sometimes used as carriers.
To be used in aromatherapy, it is recommended that the oil is obtained through cold pressing. In this process, the oil is extracted by crushing the plants. Users claim that the fragile nutrients in the oil can be damaged if they are extracted with heat. Venkatramna’s carrier Oils are extracted from the Cold Pressed method to retain their properties.
Common Usage: Aromatherapy
TOXICOLOGICAL INFORMATION
Safety summary
· Hazards: Non-Hazardous
Organ- specific effects
· Adverse skin reactions: No data Available.
Systemic effects
· Acute toxicity: Non-Toxic
· Carcinogenic/ anticarcinogenic potential: Not Carcinogenic
ECOLOGICAL INFORMATION
· Ecotoxicity: Non-Toxic to Environment
· Biodegradability: Biodegradable
· Bioaccumulation: No data available
· Mobility in soil: No data available
· Persistence and degradability: No data available
· PBT and vPvB assessment: No data available