Walnut Oil

Botanical Name:	Juglans Nigra
Aroma:	Nutty, delicate
Properties:	Dries quickly
Uses:	Culinary use, body massage, artistic use, medicinal use

Walnut oil makes a great carrier oil blend for the purpose of massaging the body. It is more often brought to use as base oil that is used in combination with one or the other essential oils. It is known for its soothing refreshing emollient qualities. Some people have a very sensitive skin and thus are allergic to the use of walnut oil. Thus, it must be used very cautiously. Walnut oil is preferred owing to its therapeutic properties. It is extremely useful in combating skin problems.

Talking about the culinary use, walnut oil is not that extensively used in the preparation of food due to its high cost. It has a soft and delicate aroma, which is also a bit nutty. The use of walnut oil is not preferred for high temperature cooking. This is due to the fact that excessive heating can cause slight bitterness in taste and also lead to loss of the oil's fragrance. It is instead used as salad dressing, which can be attributed to its refreshing fragrance. Walnut is chiefly produced in France. The other producing nations include Australia, New Zealand and California.

Walnut oil has been widely used by the painters during the Renaissance period. Amongst the various properties, walnut oil is known for its ability to dry quickly. It is owing to this quality that it serves as an excellent oil paint thinner and brush cleaner. However, as compared to the linseed oil, the paint layer produced by this oil is considered to be of inferior quality. Walnut oil is not used to a large extent for commercial purposes, since it becomes rancid pretty fast, if not properly maintained. For aesthetic appeal, the artists are instead going in for linseed oil, poppyseed oil, and safflower oil.