It seems like we find a new product or ingredient to love weekly and while that is only partially true, what is true is that nature has been supplying us with amazing gifts for thousands of years.
It seems that lately we have tripped and fell upon our ancestors ways of doing things and realized that technology is great but it cannot give us everything. Some things are just here for the taking supplied by good old mother nature.
She’s a gem and so are her treats and as we become more reacquainted with the power of her offerings. She is bountiful in her assets and it is just up to us to use them.
Two very special treasures both come from flowers and bring more than visual and fragrance beauty. They give healing and health to our skin and hair. The Cherry Blossom and the tea plant where Camellia oil comes from.
Cherry Blossom Oil
The Cherry Blossom is Japan’s unofficial national flower and while there are several varieties of the cherry blossom tree, some produce flowering branches of small pinkish-hued flowers, while others produce actual cherries.
The cherry blossom is part of the Rosaceae family, and considered one of the most beautiful flowers in the world. The bloom is bright colors, and they are in full bloom during the arrival of spring; a beautiful sight to behold.
There are thousands upon thousands of Cherry blossom trees in Japan and their significance is entwined with Japanese culture and goes back hundreds of years. They represent fragility and the beauty of life.
Through research it has been found that Cherry blossom extract can alleviate the inflammation of the skin and reduce the risk of long-term damage.
“Cherry blossom extract shows good anti-inflammatory effect in vitro and in vivo and represents a promising functional ingredient in soothing skincare product by reducing skin inflammation.”
Great for our skin but what about our strands? Sakura extract has been found to suppress the increase of the roughness of hair usually found after being washed several times.
The production of Sakura-cha includes the immersion of cherry blossom flowers in Japanese plum vinegar, and through this process, the byproduct (plum vinegar extract of cherry blossom) is obtained.
In this study, the antioxidant activity of the plum vinegar extract of cherry blossom was examined. The plum vinegar had a greater superoxide anion scavenging activity compared with red wine, which is a well-known strong antioxidant.
A 2008 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry suggests that the plum vinegar extract of cherry blossom is a rich source of caffeic acid and other phenolic antioxidant. Caffeic acid is a potent antioxidant wit anti-carcinogenic (inhibits the development of cancer) properties.
