Allspice is an incredibly unique flavoring used in Caribbean jerk seasoning, chilis and desserts. Allspice essential oil is also incredibly unique. I mean it smells like a combination of cinnamon and clove. Just wonderful! Anyways, here's more about allspice essential oil.
Pros: Allspice essential oil may be antioxidant and is antibacterial, anti-fungal, insecticidal and acaricidal.
Cons: This essential oil can irritate your skin and mucous membranes like those in your nose and throat.
Precautions: Allspice essential oil should be used at very low concentrations. Avoid if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. And, as always, talk to your doctor before using this or any other essential oil.
Properties of Allspice Essential Oil
You will find some properties of allspice essential oil listed out below.
NameAllspice has a lot of botanical names. I mean a lot! The two main ones you will see are Pimenta officinalis and Pimenta dioica.
Other names include:- Caryophyllus pimenta
- Myrtus aromatica
- Myrtus pimenta
- Pimenta pimenta
- Eugenia pimenta
- Myrtus dioica
- Pimenta aromatica
- Pimenta vulgaris
Be sure to verify these names when buying allspice essential oil.
Color & ScentThe color of allspice essential oil varies from pale yellow to brown to slightly reddish brown. The smell of this essential oil is unique and amazing. It is spicy, sharp and sweet - very reminiscent to clove and cinnamon.
CompoundsThe compounds in allspice essential oil are pretty straight forward. The main compound is eugenol which can make up more than 75% of the essential oil. That explains why allspice smells so much like clove and cinnamon essential oils.
Other noteworthy compounds in this oil are methyl eugenol and beta-caryophyllene.
Benefits of Allspice Essential Oil
With the main compound being eugenol, we can expect allspice essential oil will have similar benefits to cinnamon and clove bud essential oils. And several studies prove this to be true! So here are the proven benefits of allspice essential oil.
1. It may have antioxidant benefits
Multiple studies have explored the free radical scavenging, antiradical, antioxidant benefits of allspice essential oil. Take for instance this 2011 study. It used several antioxidant tests to show the essential oil had "very high radical scavenging activities." And these effects were comparable with pure eugenol. That means eugenol is responsible for allspice's possible antioxidant benefits.
Similar findings were mentioned in this 2015 study. For this one, the antiradical properties of clove bud and allspice essential oils were compared. The results? Both essential oils had similar strong antioxidant effects.
So allspice essential oil may be antioxidant. I use may here intentionally because there isn't any concrete, clinical research showing the oil is free radical scavenging and antioxidant when used on our bodies.
2. It is antibacterial
Allspice is among the list of antibacterial essential oils. And this great 2002 study reaffirms this. The study explored the bactericidal activity of 96 essential oils including oregano, thyme, clove bud, bay, palmarosa, lemongrass, and marjoram against four bacteria species. Allspice was among the most active oils for two of the four bacterial species under investigation.
What does that mean? Allspice has great antibacterial benefits but it isn't one of the most powerful antibacterial oils out there.
3. Allspice essential oil is also anti-fungal
Yep! It's anti-fungal too according to this 2009 study.
The study tested 25 essential oils (like angelica, roman chamomile, Ceylon citronella, caraway, lavender, basil, marjoram, sandalwood, clary sage, thyme) against six pathogenic and toxic fungal species. These included Fusarium oxysporum, Fusarium verticillioides, Penicillium expansum, Penicillium brevicompactum, Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus fumigatus. The study proved allspice essential oil had the best anti-fungal effect on the species even at concentrations of one microliter per milliliter.
Those are incredible results! Allspice truly exhibited powerful anti-fungal benefits. Thyme is the only essential oil that came close allspice's effects. That's pretty impressive!
4. It is insecticidal
A 2009 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry looked at the insecticidal activities of 26 essential oils against the Japanese termite, Reticulitermes speratus Kolbe.
The findings showed the essential oils of ajowan, allspice, caraway, dill, geranium and litsea had the strongest insecticidal activity.
So... allspice essential oil has anti-termitic and insecticidal benefits.
5. It is acaricidal
Here's the final benefit of allspice essential oil. It can help kill spiders, mites, and ticks. And the proof comes from this 2011 study.
The study tested cumin, allspice, and basil essential oils on the larvae of cattle ticks (Rhipicephalus microplus). The concentrations of the oils ranged from 1.25% to 20%. While, cumin exhibited the best results, allspice essential oil still killed 100% of the larvae at higher concentrations. Therefore, allspice does have tick killing or acaricidal benefits.
That's it! The proven benefits of allspice essential oil.
Uses of Allspice Essential Oil
While the benefits of allspice essential oil are wonderful, you should use this oil with caution. Like all essential oils that contain high amounts of eugenol, this oil can irritate your skin and mucous membranes. So always dilute the oil properly.
It would be best if you do not use this oil on your skin. If you do decide to use it, then mix a blend with a dilution of 0.1%. That means you can add one drop to about one ounce (30 milliliters) of carrier oil.
You can also diffuse small quantities of this oil but remember it can irritate your nose, throat, and lungs. So use with caution.
Allspice essential oil blends well with other spicy oils too like black pepper, cinnamon, clove bud, geranium, patchouli, and ylang ylang.
Finally, avoid this oil if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. And always talk to your doctor before using this or any other essential oil.
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