Spiral Spa @ Bloo, Padang Bai, Bali:
Apricot Kernel Oil: For massage an excellent choice to Sweet Almond
Dear all, in
this Blog Spiral Spa @ Bloo, Padang Bai, Bali wants to introduce you
to Apricot Kernel oil, as a base oil in massage.
The apricot
was known in Armenia during ancient times, and has been cultivated there for so
long, it is often thought to have originated there. Its scientific name Prunus
armeniaca (Armenian plum) derives from that assumption. For example, De Poerderlé,
writing in the 18th century, asserted, "Cet arbre tire son nom de
l'Arménie, province d'Asie, d'où il est originaire et d'où il fut porté en
Europe ..." ("this tree takes its name from Armenia, province of
Asia, where it is native, and whence it was brought to Europe ..."). An
archaeological excavation at Garni in
Armenia found apricot seeds in an Eneolithic-era site. Despite the great number
of varieties of apricots that are grown in Armenia today (about 50), according
to Vavilov, a popular russian botanist and geneticists, its center of origin
center of would be the Chinese region, where the domestication of apricot would
have taken place. Other sources say that the apricot was first cultivated in
India in about 3000 BC.
Regarding the
quality of the oil, cold pressed oil represents the highest quality that
could be used in massage.
At this
moment we would like to introduce you to an method of oil instruction we found in a document of the Indian Journal of
Traditional Knowledge.
1.Step :
Fruits will be collected and separated from the seed.
2. Step : The
hard seed is softened by immersing in water for 10-20 minutes to ease breaking
the hard shell. The broken shell is used as firewood during the subsequent oil extraction process.
3. Step: A
handful of the hard shell seed is placed on a flat stone and the shell is
broken with a stone which fits into the palm. Then the Kernel is separated from
the broken shell.
4. Step: In
the next step the Kernel is crushed to powder using pestle and mortar.
5. Step: Now
you have to continue crushing it until you get a paste, for that a slightly
curved stone of hard stone of approximately 60 x 30 cm, locally known as
Tal-tsig , is used. A palm fitting stone is used to grind the crushed apricot
kernel into a paste form.
6.Step: Now
the paste will be moved to another curved stone, called Ton-tsig having a cup
shape groove at one end and the stone will be heated by fire. The temperature
of Ton-tsig is maintained so that the bare hand can be touched without burning
sensation. The temperature is regulated either by slowing the fire or by using
stones. The ground paste is doughed thoroughly with bare hand on the heat
stone. During the process, a handful of water is sprinkled on the dough which
enables easy extraction of oil. The
extracted oil gets collected in the
cup shaped groove at the opposite end of the Ton-tsig which is transferred to a
vessel with a spoon.
The whole
process can be repeated twice and on average 1kg of apricot kernel brings a yield of 350ml oil.
This traditional
method of extraction is practiced in Ladkah a region in India and produces an
oil of excellent quality.
Apricot Kernel is pale yellow oil with a smell of bitter almond. Its light texture is especially suitable for
facial massage blends. Good for the more
mature, dry, sensitive or inflamed skin. It is said to have the effect of
balancing the pancreas and the thyroid and helps the gall bladder. This oil is excellent for restoring a glow
to devitalized complexions. It heals scar tissue, especially when mixed with
wheat germ oil. An expensive oil to use on its own so blend with
almond, grapeseed, jojoba or other base oils.
Its moisturizing, revitalizing properties are also popular in many cosmetics
for dry or aged skin. Stores well under any conditions but heat will lessen the
shelf life. Further it is rich on vitamin A and E and absorbed very easily by
the skin, what makes it an optimal choice for aromatherapy massage.
We hope you
enjoyed reading
Your Spiral Spa & Bloo, Padang Bai, Bali
