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Article Series: Aromatherapy
Teach Me Some
Aromatherapy Benefits
What
Are Essential Oils in Aromatherapy?
Essential oils are used throughout
the various types of aromatherapy treatments. They have been
referred to
as the quintessence of a plant's being. The Oxford English
Dictionary defines quintessence as "An extract from anything,
containing in concentrated form its most essential principle." Essential
oils are concentrated aromatic liquids extracted from a variety
of aromatic plant material through the process of distillation. These natural organic substances are produced in various glands
and sacs within aromatic plants. Each essential oil is usually
produced in one part of the plant, except in a few cases. Where
a plant produces essential oils in more than one of its parts,
differences of odor and in chemical composition occur. For
example, the oil from the leaves of the cinnamon tree has a
cinnamon and clove like odor; where as the oil from the bark
has the characteristic ‘cinnamon’ odor. Another example is
from the bitter orange tree: Bitter orange oil is produced
from the peel, petitgrain from the leaf and neroli from the
blossom; all have different odors yet similar properties.
In traditional aromatherapy circles, Essential
oils are extracted from many different kinds of plants. They
can be extracted
from culinary herbal plants. Some examples of this can be seen
in basil, clary sage, rosemary, peppermint, and thyme. Essential
oils can also be extracted from various kinds of seeds. For
example, angelica, coriander, black pepper and cardamom all
have wonderful essential oils with a variety of different properties.
Fruits like lemon, mandarin, bergamot, grapefruit and lime
also have some great essential oils that are quite helpful
throughout the practice of aromatherapy. There are many flowers
like rose, ylang ylang, jasmine & lavender that have the
perfect essential oils for aromatherapy treatment procedures.
Some resins including frankincense, myrrh, benzoin and elemi
have essential oils that can be extracted for aromatherapy
purposes. Many of the woods from various kinds of trees make
excellent essential oils for aromatherapy. Some examples include
cedarwood, sandalwood, camphor and cinnamon. Wood, though,
isn't the only useful part of the tree in terms of essential
oils for aromatherapy purposes. Leaves and twigs can also be
quite helpful for this purpose. The leaves and twigs of tea
tree, eucalyptus, melissa, petitgrain and patchouli have been
found to be quite helpful in aromatherapy procedures. Some
grasses including lemon grass & palmarosa are used extensively
throughout aromatherapy. Roots, Rhizomes & Bulbs including
angelica, ginger, garlic & vetiver are also used in most
aromatherapy treatments.
Each plant contains a percentage (which varies between 5%
- .01%) of essential oil, and it is this fact that dictates
the amount of plant material needed for distillation to create
a specified amount of essential oil. For example, it takes
up to 100 kilos of rose petals to produce 1/2 liter of rose
whilst 100 kilos of lavender will yield approximately 3 liters
of lavender essential oil. The quantity of plant material needed
also dictates pricing of the individual essential oils.
The quality of an essential oil is influenced by a number
of factors, such as its geographical and botanical source,
the prevailing climate, the standards of local farming, the
time of harvesting and the skill of individual harvesters and
distillers. The essential oils used in aromatherapy are only
a small proportion compared with that of the food, pharmaceutical
and cosmetic trade. In the food trade, essential oils are used
as flavorings for many different dishes. In the pharmaceutical
industry, essential oils are used quite differently. In most
cases, they are used for medicines, toothpastes, gargles, cough
sweets and inhalations. Friar's Balsam and Vick's Vaporub is
a good example of products they are used in. Moreover, the
pharmaceutical industry uses a variety of essential oils in
various products. For example, clove oil is commonly used in
toothpaste. Peppermint oil is in many of the products you consume
for digestive disorders. Eucalyptus oil is commonly inhaled
to help deal with stuff noses and colds. Lavender oil is a
great remedy for insect repellent or after bite soothing lotion.
Tea tree oil is used throughout dentistry practices. The use
of essential oils, though, doesn't stop there. In the cosmetic
trade essential oils are used in face creams, make up and perfume.
Essential oils have many different uses in the world of aromatherapy
treatments.
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: 2006
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