Ylang Ylang

Ylang ylang (Cananga odorata) is a tropical tree valued for the perfume extracted from its green or yellow flowers, called ylang-ylang (a name also sometimes used for the tree itself), which is an essential oil used in aromatherapy and as a component in many perfumes and soaps.
The name ylang-ylang is derived from the Philippine term for the tree, ilang-ilang - a reduplicative form of the word ilang, that means "wilderness", alluding to the tree's natural habitat. A common mistranslation is "flower of flowers".
The essential oil is used in aromatherapy to relieve high blood pressure and anxiety, to normalize sebum secretion for skin problems and is widely used in perfumery for oriental or floral themed perfumes (such as Chanel No. 5).
Many phytochemical studies have identified the constituents present in the essential oil of C. odorata.
Recent studies have shown a wide variety of bioactivities exhibited by the essential oil and the extracts of C. odorata, including antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, insect-repellent, antidiabetic, and antifertility activities.
Madagascar is famous for the production of fragrant ylang-ylang oil: it is concentrated on the island of Nosy Be to the north-east of the main island. Madagascar produces around 60 tons of ylang-ylang essential oil annually and it is responsible for more than 25% of world production. Driven by demand, this production has an increasing trend.
The plants are grown in plantations all over Nosy Be and even on Nosy Sakatia, it is possible to admire ylang ylang trees and flowers on an island walk. The trees make flowers all year round, in particular during the rainy season (from November to March). The trees can reach up to 30 m in height but for ease of harvesting, they are kept to 2-3 m and pruned into low, rather grotesque shapes. The harvesting is generally done by Malagasy women in the early morning, to better preserve the flower fragrancy. Each tree can produce from 3 to 4 kg of flowers per day. Distillation takes place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday year-round, or daily in the rainy season (January to March), at the large ylang-ylang distillery at Lemuria Land, in Nosy Be.