What makes essential oils so unique - It's more thank you might think
Essential Oils Are So Much More Than Aroma
Understanding the nature, power and use of essential oils in our lives seems at times unfathomable. Every oil, its constituent parts, its benefits, uses, and warnings can at times seem too difficult to get a real handle on. What is it about each essential oil that makes it unique, enable it to to blend well with some and not so with others.
While we get that different oils are derived from different plant sources and parts, and that each oil has its own unique scent, what else is there that contributes to the beneficial nature of Essential Oils.
Broadly speaking, while essential oils can be divided into countless fragrance categories, we can in the more simple sense focus on 5 core fragrance groups that our most popular oils fit into: Citrus, Floral, Herbal, Spicy, and Woody.
Each essential oil will be produced from different plant components, like leaf, bark, stem, seed or flower. How the oil is extracted from these component depends on the best way to draw the oils out. it may be steam distillation, solvent extraction, cold pressed, maceration, water distillation, CO2 extraction, event enfleurage.
Main compounds found in essential oils
Essential oils are localized in the cytoplasm of certain plant cell secretions which lie in one or more organs of the plant; namely, the secretory hairs or trichomes, epidermal cells, internal secretory cells, or the secretory pockets. These oils are complex mixtures of volatile compounds, particularly in very aromatic plants, and of which we have identified over 300 different compounds. Essential oils are complex mixtures of volatile compounds.. They are mainly composed of terpenes – these volatile molecules include monoterpenes (hydrocarbon and oxygenated monoterpens), and also sesquiterpenes (hydrocarbon and oxygenated sesquiterpens). In addition to this group we find the second largest group Phenolic compounds. There are chemicals, such as Alcohols, Aldehydes, Ketones, Esters and Oxides. As complex as it may seem, it is thanks to their chemical composition that essential oils possess numerous biological actions such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties.
Have look through our pages to isolate the many articles that focus on the essential constituents of essential oils, and how this allows for the determination of appropriate use, including the blending of oils..
