Kaffir Lime Leaf

This tree gives two oils, one from the leaves and one from the knobbly peel, and they smell quite different. Leaf oil is up to four fifths citronellal, sharp and green, the smell of a Thai curry. Peel oil is led by pinene and sabinene, brighter and more like a lime. Citronellal makes the leaf oil an effective insect repellent, driving mosquitoes off at low concentrations in testing.^[1] It also works against Candida and the fungi behind athlete's foot.^[2]

Makrut Lime Leaf

Citrus hystrix

Also Known As: Kaffir Lime Leaf, Thai Lime Leaf
Family: Citrus
Perfumery Note: Top
Intensity: Medium
Extraction: Steam Distillation
Plant Parts: Leaves
Origins: Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia
Effect: Focus & Mental Clarity, Respiratory Support, Energy & Uplifting
Aroma: Citrus, Fresh, Zesty
Applications: Diffusing & Inhalation, Haircare, Cooking & Flavouring
Price: $$$$Leaves are steam-distilled in small batches in Southeast Asia; the limited scale of dedicated leaf distillation keeps it at a moderate price point

Makrut is the correct name for this leaf, and the older trade name for it is a racial slur in southern Africa. The oil is steam-distilled from the double-lobed leaves and is up to four fifths citronellal. That is what gives Thai cooking its sharp, green citrus lift, quite unlike the peel oil from the same tree. Citronellal repels insects, and in testing the leaf oil drove mosquitoes off at low concentrations.^[1] It also stopped Candida and skin fungi growing.^[2]

Combava

Citrus hystrix

Also Known As: Kaffir Lime Peel, Makrut Lime
Family: Citrus
Perfumery Note: Top
Intensity: Strong
Extraction: Cold Pressed
Plant Parts: Fruit peel
Origins: Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam
Effect: Focus & Mental Clarity, Respiratory Support, Energy & Uplifting
Aroma: Citrus, Intense, Zesty
Applications: Diffusing & Inhalation, Perfumery & Fragrance Making, Cooking & Flavouring
Price: $$$$The bumpy, low-juice fruit is less abundant than standard limes and requires specialized distillation batches.

Combava is the peel oil from the same tree that gives makrut lime leaves. It is a different oil entirely: beta-pinene, sabinene and limonene instead of the leaf's citronellal. That makes it sharp and zesty, much closer to an ordinary lime than the leaf oil is. In lab tests it held back multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus taken from patients.^[3] Work on New Caledonian material confirmed activity against a panel of food-poisoning bacteria.^[4]

Essential Nose

Kaffir Lime Leaf

Makrut Lime Leaf

Combava

References