Plai (Zingiber cassumnar)

One of my favourite oils, and one of my most used essential oils in my gels, especially the Joint Gel and   Cooling Foot Gel, why? Well Plai has long been regarded by Thai massage therapists as one of those oils necessary to have in their kit to combat joint and muscle problems and although Plai is of the same family as ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) it has different properties and more intense actions. Ginger has a warming action, whereas Plai gives this wonderful coolness that makes it one of the best oils for soothing inflammation of the joints especially for a bursitis condition

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), its  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%).

As well as being considered as an analgesic, anti-inflammatory, & antispasmodic when combined with Laurel Leaf (Laurus nobilis) and Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis) this combination provides a great deal of relief for IBS sufferers especially when mixed with a gel and massaged over the stomach area.