Marjoram EO

Latin name :

Origanum majorana

Botanical profile :

Marjoram is a plant of the Lamiaceae family (such as mint or patchouli) and of the genus Origanum.

Geographic origin :

Originally from the Mediterranean region, Marjoram is now mainly grown in France, Spain, Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt (main producer).

Chemotypes :

The genus oreganum is very largue, as it designates lots of species, belonging to various subgroups :
Origanum :
Origanum compactum : Oregano with compact inflorescence, found in Morocco and in the South-West of Spain, gives an oil rich in Carvacrol, Thymol, or both.
Origanum glaucum : Glaucous oregano of Afghanistan, containing Carvacrol and a small part of Thymol.
Origanum floribundum : Flower-bearing oregano, containing Carvacrol and a small part of Thymol.
Origanum vulgare : Common oregano - Oregano EO, to which belong two major species : var. macrostachyum (from Crete, a Carvacrol and Thymol chemotype) and var. virescens (containing Carvacrol and Terpineol or Thymol alone or Beta-Terpineol). Many sub-varieties also exist, but we are not explaining them in details here.
Majorana :
Origanum syriacum : Syrian Oregano (A thymol and a Carvacrol chemotype)
Origanum dubium
Origanum majoricum : Italian Oregano
Origanum majorana : Including Marjoram EO (Thujanols or Terpinen-4-ol chemotype)
Amaracus :
Origanum dictamnus : (rich in pulegone)

Extraction process :

The marjoram is a plant of 30 to 60 cm high with many leafy stems.
In Europe, the marjoram is an annual plant that has to be replanted each year as it does not survive the winter. It is a fragile plant and many factors can affect the quality of its essential oil. For example, the conditioning of seeds with gibberellic acid has a beneficial effect on the extraction yield, without affecting the composition of the essential oil. The extraction yield is also affected by the average temperature on the crop. The higher the temperature, the better the yield.
In Egypt, marjoram is grown from March to July. In France, it is from September to November. The cultivation should be done before the plants bloom and a second cut of the plants can be made two months after the first. The plants are cut 5 cm above the ground and the leaves are dried in the sun or in a ventilated room from a few hours to a few days. Storage is protected from light and moisture in a cold place. The dry leaves are hydro-distilled under pressure in a distillation tank for 1h30 to 3h. The essential oil is collected in a florentine vase by decantation, after refrigerating the water vapor.
The yield of the essential oil varies from 1 to 3 ‰. The first year is better compared to the following years. It is also optimal for the second cut of leaves.
Extraction is possible using supercritical CO₂ which gives a higher olfactory quality, slightly modifying the composition of the essential oil.

Major Components :

Terpinen-4-ol (14-22%)
Gamma-Terpinene (14-20%)
cis-4-Thujanol (4-10%)
Sabinene (2-10%)
Myrcene (1-9%)
Alpha-Terpinene (6-8%)
Linalool (2-5%)