Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
Pelargonium graveolens is a scented-leaf plant from southern Africa. Crush a leaf and it smells of rose, mint and lemon. It is grown mainly for its essential oil.
The oil is steam distilled from the leaves and stems. Most of it goes into perfume, soap and food flavouring. Aromatherapy sellers also offer it as "rose geranium" or "Bourbon geranium" oil.
Despite the common name, this is not a true geranium. It is also not Pelargonium sidoides, a different root sold for coughs and colds. Evidence for one plant does not carry over to the other.
Here is the honest verdict. Human evidence for geranium oil is thin. A few small aromatherapy trials hint at mild calming effects, and little else is settled.
Long use in perfume and folk practice is not proof that it works. It is also not proof that it is safe. Those are two separate questions, and this page keeps them apart.
One label warning matters before you shop. Some sports supplements list "geranium extract" or "geranium oil". In the past these often contained DMAA, a banned stimulant drug that has nothing to do with this plant.
No one has shown clearly how geranium oil acts in the body. Almost every claim comes from test tubes and animals.
In laboratory tests, the oil slows some bacteria and yeasts, including Candida. Whether that happens on human skin at safe strengths has not been shown.
Scent may work mostly through smell and mood. Pleasant aromas can shift how relaxed people say they feel. Expectation and simple enjoyment of the smell likely play a large part.
Two of its main parts, citronellol and geraniol, repel mosquitoes in lab and field tests. Protection usually fades faster than with standard repellents such as DEET.
In rodents, geranium oil lowered blood sugar and some markers of swelling (inflammation). The doses were high. These results have not been repeated in people.
For skin, the oil is often sold as "balancing" for oily or dry faces. There is no good human trial behind that word. It is marketing language, not a finding.
Geranium is sold in a few clear forms.
Essential oil in a small dark glass bottle, meant for diluting.
Pre-diluted roll-ons and massage blends, already mixed into a carrier oil.
Hydrosol, also called floral water, the mild watery by-product of distilling.
Soaps, creams, shampoos and perfumes that list it as a fragrance.
Dried or fresh leaves, used in tea, potpourri and as a flavouring.
Insect repellent sprays and candles, often blended with citronella.
Avoid capsules or powders labelled "geranium extract" for energy or weight loss. These have a history of hiding banned stimulants.
Scented pelargoniums reached Europe from the Cape in the 1600s. Gardeners grew them for the leaves, not the small flowers.
French perfumers took up the oil in the 1800s. They used it around Grasse as a cheaper stand-in for rose oil. Plantations later spread to Algeria, Egypt and the island of Réunion, which gave the "Bourbon" name.
Folk use was mostly domestic. Leaves were steeped in tea for upset stomachs, laid on cuts, and added to baths. Victorian cooks scented jellies, sugar and cakes with them.
Twentieth-century aromatherapy adopted the oil for stress, skin care and women's complaints. That is a recent tradition, not an ancient one. It was built on scent and theory rather than on testing.
Stop using it and see a doctor if you get a rash, blisters, swelling or itching that spreads or lasts more than a day or two.
Get urgent medical help if you have trouble breathing, a swollen face or lips, or a widespread rash. These can be signs of a serious allergic reaction.
Call your local poison centre or emergency number at once if anyone swallows the oil. Do not make the person vomit, because inhaled oil can damage the lungs.
Also see a doctor if a skin infection you have been treating at home gets hotter, more painful or starts to spread.
In the United States, geranium oil is listed by the FDA as generally recognised as safe for use as a food flavouring. In the EU and UK it is a legal cosmetic ingredient, and its allergens geraniol and citronellol must be named on labels above set limits.
It is not approved as a medicine anywhere for any condition. Separately, DMAA sold as "geranium extract" is banned in supplements in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
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