May Chang essential oil is also commonly referred to by the tree's botanical name: Litsea. The essential oil is steam distilled from the seeds of a small tropical tree native to eastern Asia. Also known as mountain pepper, exotic verbena, and tropical verbena, the tree is known for its scented flowers and foliage, and small berries shaped like peppers. The aroma is often compared to Lemongrass, though it is considered by many to be finer, and may be the better choice from a purely aromatic standpoint.

May Chang may be a real treasure, and significantly underused. Its antimicrobial properties are easily employed in blends for oily skin and acne care: use up to 5% in an astringent carrier oil such as Hazelnut or Grapeseed. It has a gentle cooling effect, and acts as an excellent overall skin tonic.

Other uses include support of digestion and reducing flatulence; a low concentration belly-massage formula in any carrier may be an effective means for utilization. The essential oil is also thought to help with excessive persipiration

The calming effects of May Chang may be helpful for those in need of deep sleep. The oil can blend well with Roman Chamomile and Lavender essential oils for this purpose. This blend can be massaged on the feet, used in a bath or in a diffuser. Interestingly, the oil has been found to lessen heart arrhythmia -- both of these aspects correlate with its potential to lower stress levels.

May Chang / Litsea molecular constituents have been shown effective in inducing death and halting proliferation of non-small cell lung cancer. Published October 12th, 2012 in the peer-reviewed PLoS One journal was a study titled: "Vapor of volatile oils from Litsea cubeba seed induces apoptosis and causes cell cycle arrest in lung cancer cells."

Researchers seperated four individual compounds from the 'crude' essential oil, and tested each for their cytotoxic properties on cancerous cells. Three of the four compounds showed cyctotoxic properties, resulting in cancer cell death. Importantly, these compounds at the concentrations tested did not adversely affect healthy lung cells in any way. Further, it was noted that a combination of the components was more effective that any single constituent. This supports the aroma-therapeutic principal that a whole, natural essential oil will be the best choice for virtually any given health-supporting application.

The list of essential oils showing this ability continues to grow, with Frankincense being the most thoroughly-researched aromatic thus far. In the conclusion of the research abstract, researchers note the important point (which we've known all along from our experience with essential oil diffusers): "In addition, it has another crucial advantage: VCO could be directly delivered to lung cancer tissue through inhalation."