Himalayan Juniper Essential Oil from Bhutan
In 2021, we were honored to support the establishment of a small-scale distillery that has now produced the world’s first Bhutanese jatamansi oil, — both species of that exist of Bhutanese juniper oils from sustainably wild-harvested plants growing in the high alpine regions.
We’re excited to partner with Karma, a trailblazing ethical distiller bringing fresh, economic opportunities to Bhutan’s local communities, and respecting the valuable ecosystems supplying these incredible botanicals.
Karma pays fair and equitable wages to the harvesters, who carefully prune branches of juniper, prolific in the remote Himalayan mountains and valleys. They carefully transport the fresh botanicals through the rugged landscape via horseback.
The shrubs, wild and abundant, aren’t endangered, and aren’t harmed by the pruning. However, the government still manages the harvesting of juniper through licensing, to ensure responsible sourcing of the plant.
This process of responsible and ethical hand-harvesting, transportation, and distilling are significant to the remote and rugged region, providing economic opportunities, supporting ecosystem conservation, and producing high quality, ethically sourced oils.
Karma is one of just two distillers in Bhutan to distill Bhutanese juniper — it’s cultivated using a small-batch distillery technique that makes it a truly rare, high-quality artisanal oil.
This slightly fruity juniper is packed with benefits and supports several systems of the body for all-around wellbeing and health:
- Circulatory
- Respiratory
- Musculoskeletal
- Nervous
- Energetic
Bhutan Himalayan Juniper Essential Oil is also a potent oil for atmospheric purification. It’s antimicrobial, and a powerful decongestant.
It’s softer, milder, and sweeter, too — with more peppery and minty notes than traditional junipers.
To learn more about this powerful, boutique essential oil from Karma’s distillery in Bhutan, visit our blog post: Bhutan Himalayan Juniper Essential Oil: A Sustainable, Multi-faceted, Therapeutic Botanical. Note: Himalayan Juniper is now exclusively available in our Three Nectars Blend products.
We are happy to announce that our newest Bhutanese Juniper, Black Juniper, is superior in scent to any other Juniper. We've decided to bottle and sell this oil as our exclusive Bhutanese Juniper because of the superior olfactory qualities of the oil. In addition, the distiller pays additional money for the branches of this tree that go directly into a forestry fund used to provide micro-loans members of the local community.
As our fast-growing distillation partner continues to support and invest in the local communities in Bhutan, greater economic opportunities to cultivate, harvest, and distill a variety of unique Bhutanese botanicals are sure to be on the horizon. Check out our Bhutan Eco-Project to learn about the other boutique oils Karma is distilling with the help of his community.
As always, thank you for supporting this eco-project!
