Lallemantia iberica Lallemantia iberica Lallemantia iberica, known commonly as dragon's head, is a species of flowering plant in the mint family, Lamiaceae. The plant has been cultivated for its seeds in southwestern Asia and southeastern Europe since prehistoric times. Its vernacular name in Iran is balangu shahri. The seeds contain the edible oil known as lallemantia oil. The oil content of the seeds is about 30%, sometimes reaching up to 38%. The oil is used as a substitute for linseed oil in the production of varnish, furniture polish, ink, paint, soap, and linoleum. Balangu plant (Lallemantia iberica F. & C. M.),classified in
Essential oil Essential oil An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (defined as "the tendency of a substance to vaporize") aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetherolea, or simply as the oil of the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. An essential oil is "essential" in the sense that it contains the "essence of" the plant's fragrance—the characteristic fragrance of the plant from which it is derived. The term essential used here does not mean indispensable as with the terms essential amino acid or essential fatty