Black Spruce Essential Oil
Picea mariana
Description
Aromatically, Black Spruce Essential Oil is one that I love to work with year round. Its crisp, fresh forest-like aroma blends so nicely with many other essential oils. It's easy to think "Christmas" and "Winter" when first smelling a spruce essential oil, but the aromatic beauty and versatility of Black Spruce Essential Oil spans well beyond chilly seasons and the holidays.
Black Spruce Essential Oil is abundant in monoterpenes and esters, making it antiseptic and helpful for respiratory issues and muscular aches and pains. For additional uses and benefits, refer to the "Black Spruce Essential Oil Uses" section.
I resonate so well with spruce essential oils. Emotionally, I find Black Spruce Essential Oil to be energizing and stimulating when I feel lethargic, but as with Hemlock Spruce Essential Oil, I don't find it to be over stimulating. I like (and personally agree!) with how Robbie Zeck describes Black Spruce: "Spruce adds a depth of insight previously unknown and has the capacity to shift you from feelings of defeat to feeling refreshed and motivated." [Robbi Zeck, ND, The Blossoming Heart: Aromatherapy for Healing and Transformation (Victoria, Australia: Aroma Tours, 2008), 116.]
For more information about spruce and conifer oils, read AromaWeb's Guide to Coniferous Essential Oils.
Black Spruce Essential Oil Benefits and Uses
- Respiratory Support
- Clearing Mucus And Congestion
- Calming Inflammation
- Soothing Sore Muscles
- Calming Muscle Spasms Including Coughs
- Immune Support
- Arthritis
- Rheumatism
- Gout
- Over-exercised Muscles
- Joint Stiffness
- Muscular Strain
- Tendonitis
- Cellulite
Sources: Andrea Butje, The Heart of Aromatherapy (Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, Inc., 2017), 39. Valerie Ann Worwood, The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy, 25th Anniversary Edition (Novato, CA: New World Library, 2016, 624.
Botanical Name of Black Spruce Essential Oil
Plant Family
Common Method of Extraction
Steam Distilled
Plant Part Typically Used
Color
Clear to Pale Yellow
Consistency
Thin
Perfumery Note
Top
Strength of Initial Aroma
Medium - Strong
Aromatic Description
Black Spruce Essential Oil smells fresh, crisp, woody and earthy.
Sustainability and Conservation Status
Least Concern
Source: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/42328/2972877
To learn more about the conservation status of essential oil bearing plants and how to use the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, please refer to AromaWeb's Guide to Essential Oils and Sustainability.
Major Constituents
- Bornyl Acetate
- B-Pinene
- a-Pinene
- Camphene
- (+)-Limonene
- Camphor
Source: Private Communication: Rondeau, 1999. Source cited in Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, Essential Oil Safety (Second Edition. United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2014), 429.
Black Spruce Essential Oil Safety Information
Tisserand and Young do not indicate any special precautions when using Black Spruce Essential Oil. However, they precaution to avoid use of the oil if it has oxidized. Reading Tisserand and Young's full profile is recommended. [Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, Essential Oil Safety (Second Edition. United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2014), 429.]
General Safety Information
Do not take any oils internally and do not apply undiluted essential oils, absolutes, CO2s or other concentrated essences onto the skin without advanced essential oil knowledge or consultation from a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. For general dilution information, read AromaWeb's Guide to Diluting Essential Oils. If you are pregnant, epileptic, have liver damage, have cancer, or have any other medical problem, use oils only under the proper guidance of a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. Use extreme caution when using oils with children and be sure to first read the recommended dilution ratios for children. Consult a qualified aromatherapy practitioner before using oils with children, the elderly, if you have medical issues or are taking medications. Before using this or any essential oil, carefully read AromaWeb's Essential Oil Safety Information page. For in-depth information on oil safety issues, read Essential Oil Safety by Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young.
Shelf Life
Important Information About the Profiles
The essential oil information provided on AromaWeb is intended for basic educational purposes only. The references to safety information, test results, constituents and percentages is generalized information. Essential oils can vary greatly in composition. The data is not necessary complete and is not guaranteed to be accurate. The essential oil photos are intended to represent the typical and approximate color of each essential oil. However, essential oil composition and color can vary based on harvesting, distillation, age of the essential oil and other factors. Profiles for several CO2 Extracts and absolutes are included within the directory, and are denoted as such.
