Chemistry. Already getting nervous? The chemistry chapters of essential oil texts are the most frequently skipped, even by natural health professionals. But it can be fun and useful...really! Knowing what essential oils are made of, and how this affects their aroma and therapeutic value can have a big impact on the efficacy of your aromatherapy practice. Understanding the basics can help you make better choices in essential oils, and better choices in their application. Plus, this can give you the foundation for further understanding of true 'medical aromatherapy', as practiced in much of the rest of the world. So here's a primer on the chemistry of essential oils, with some common examples and important tips to help you grow as a holistic medicine practitioner.
So, why are essential oils called 'oils' anyway? They don't feel greasy, and they tend to evaporate completely, unlike common 'fixed' oils (such as olive, grapeseed, hazelnut and the like). Essential oils and fixed oils share a similar chemical foundation: their structures are based on the linking of carbon and hydrogen atoms in various configurations. But this is really where the similarity ends. Fixed oils are made up of molecules comprised of three long chains of carbon atoms bound together at one end, called a triglyceride. Every fixed oil is made up of just a few different triglyceride arrangements - olive oil, for example, is primarily made up of oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids (the names of particular carbon-hydrogen chains forming the triglycerides). Their long-chain shape holds them in a liquid state which does not easily evaporate.
Essential oils are 'volatile' oils - oils that DO easily evaporate. Their chains of carbon atoms to which the hydrogens attach are not as long or heavy, and are much more complex. Many essential oil structures are not really chains, but ring, or multi-ringed shapes with diverse sub-units - called 'functional groups' - sticking out in various directions. Like their fixed oil counterparts, essential oils are lipophillic - meaning 'fat liking'. The fat-liking nature of both fixed and essential oils makes them easily absorbed by our bodies. Because of their typically smaller structures however, essential oils are absorbed more rapidly than fixed oils, and can easily penetrate deep into the body. Despite their plant origins, this lipophillic nature of essential oils makes their profound healing action on the human body possible.
The therapeutic action of an essential oil is primarily determined by the functional groups found in the molecules that make up that oil (here, many folks might be responding with "Say what?!?"). An essential oil is actually made up of many liquid chemicals; sometimes more than one hundred distinct chemicals are found in one pure essential oil. Each of these chemicals is formed of a carbon-hydrogen structure with a functional group attached - it is the combination of the base structure AND the attached functional group that makes a single, unique molecule. And MANY of these unique molecules combine to form ONE essential oil.
The extremely complex nature of essential oils becomes apparent from this description. There are an almost infinite number of molecular combinations that can be formed from the building blocks of chains, rings and functional groups. And any SINGLE essential oil is made of many, sometimes even hundreds of these molecular combinations. Yet while this may sound complex, you needn't know ALL the chemical details to use oils therapeutically. It IS helpful to know that each oil is made of many molecular forms, that all the molecules within each oil exert some biologic effect, and that it is the SYNERGY of ALL these molecules together that create the sum total of an oil's therapeutic action AND its aroma. Nearly every laboratory study comparing complete, pure essential oils to one singled-out molecule that was thought the 'active ingredient' shows the essential oil to be more active.
The best natural, undiluted, properly distilled essential oils with all the major and minor chemical constituents will have the finest aromas AND the most potent therapeutic action. Many factors in an essential oil's production affect the total number and relative amounts of individual chemicals found in the final product. These include where the plant was grown, soil and climate conditions, time of harvest, distillation equipment, plus the time, temperature and pressure of distillation. This can give you an idea as to why two varieties of the same oil can smell so different: The full, beautiful bouquet of a fine essential oil will contain a myriad of notes, telling you that all natural components are present and in balanced amounts.
To best understand this, we'll examine Lavender essential oil; more than fifty individual molecules have been identified in pure lavender essential oil. The aromatherapist must remember that ALL of these chemicals found in pure and natural lavender oil work together to produce a therapeutic effect. For example, the linalool molecule is antiviral and antibacterial; the linalyl acetate is emotionally calming; other major components including cineol, limonene, pinene and others are all noted for specific biologic and aromatic activity. It is the combined, balanced, synergistic action of these chemicals that make pure, high-quality lavender such a great healer. No one chemical can be singled out and used to give the same profound results as the complete pure essential oil.
So how is this synergy reflected in Lavender's aroma? Each of these chemicals has a unique smell; some are sweet, some are camphorous, some citrusy and some herbaceous. It is all these chemicals together, a precise amount of each, that gives each lavender variety its distinct aroma. And your nose knows this! One can tell the difference between a well-made, complex lavender oil with many notes within the aroma, and one that is flat or plain, which may be chemically imbalanced or missing some trace constituents. One can easily tell the difference, for example, between common Lavendula officinalis, and the finer Lavendula angustifolia, which contains a higher proportion of sweet-smelling linalyl acetate and less sharp-smelling camphor. Further, lower quality lavender plants may occasionally be sprayed with linalool before harvest to enhance the production of linalyl acetate by the flowers. While the end-product may smell sweeter, the process actually creates an imbalance in the overall healing synergy of the primary and trace molecules. All these oils will be labeled 'Lavender' on the store shelf, yet the finer, natural lavender will have a more beautiful, balanced aromatic bouquet, and is considered the most holistically healing variety by the world's leading aromatherapy practitioners.
A balanced approach in aromatherapy, as in all of natural medicine, is best. The most effective practitioner will have a well-developed 'internal pendulum' combined with a solid education. Significant variations exist in the quality of essential oils; it is really cost effective to buy the higher grades of oil, as their synergy of expertly distilled chemicals will have the greater therapeutic action. Use your nose, knowledge and intuition to find a source you trust, that delivers consistently high-grade oils for a reasonable cost. Use these same faculties to skillfully select and apply the appropriate oil for each circumstance. Essential oils are complex by nature; at the same time, they have an exceptionally broad scope of therapeutic applications. Hopefully, this little bit of aromatherapy chemistry will enrich your ability to support your own health, and the health of those around you. - 14130
So, why are essential oils called 'oils' anyway? They don't feel greasy, and they tend to evaporate completely, unlike common 'fixed' oils (such as olive, grapeseed, hazelnut and the like). Essential oils and fixed oils share a similar chemical foundation: their structures are based on the linking of carbon and hydrogen atoms in various configurations. But this is really where the similarity ends. Fixed oils are made up of molecules comprised of three long chains of carbon atoms bound together at one end, called a triglyceride. Every fixed oil is made up of just a few different triglyceride arrangements - olive oil, for example, is primarily made up of oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids (the names of particular carbon-hydrogen chains forming the triglycerides). Their long-chain shape holds them in a liquid state which does not easily evaporate.
Essential oils are 'volatile' oils - oils that DO easily evaporate. Their chains of carbon atoms to which the hydrogens attach are not as long or heavy, and are much more complex. Many essential oil structures are not really chains, but ring, or multi-ringed shapes with diverse sub-units - called 'functional groups' - sticking out in various directions. Like their fixed oil counterparts, essential oils are lipophillic - meaning 'fat liking'. The fat-liking nature of both fixed and essential oils makes them easily absorbed by our bodies. Because of their typically smaller structures however, essential oils are absorbed more rapidly than fixed oils, and can easily penetrate deep into the body. Despite their plant origins, this lipophillic nature of essential oils makes their profound healing action on the human body possible.
The therapeutic action of an essential oil is primarily determined by the functional groups found in the molecules that make up that oil (here, many folks might be responding with "Say what?!?"). An essential oil is actually made up of many liquid chemicals; sometimes more than one hundred distinct chemicals are found in one pure essential oil. Each of these chemicals is formed of a carbon-hydrogen structure with a functional group attached - it is the combination of the base structure AND the attached functional group that makes a single, unique molecule. And MANY of these unique molecules combine to form ONE essential oil.
The extremely complex nature of essential oils becomes apparent from this description. There are an almost infinite number of molecular combinations that can be formed from the building blocks of chains, rings and functional groups. And any SINGLE essential oil is made of many, sometimes even hundreds of these molecular combinations. Yet while this may sound complex, you needn't know ALL the chemical details to use oils therapeutically. It IS helpful to know that each oil is made of many molecular forms, that all the molecules within each oil exert some biologic effect, and that it is the SYNERGY of ALL these molecules together that create the sum total of an oil's therapeutic action AND its aroma. Nearly every laboratory study comparing complete, pure essential oils to one singled-out molecule that was thought the 'active ingredient' shows the essential oil to be more active.
The best natural, undiluted, properly distilled essential oils with all the major and minor chemical constituents will have the finest aromas AND the most potent therapeutic action. Many factors in an essential oil's production affect the total number and relative amounts of individual chemicals found in the final product. These include where the plant was grown, soil and climate conditions, time of harvest, distillation equipment, plus the time, temperature and pressure of distillation. This can give you an idea as to why two varieties of the same oil can smell so different: The full, beautiful bouquet of a fine essential oil will contain a myriad of notes, telling you that all natural components are present and in balanced amounts.
To best understand this, we'll examine Lavender essential oil; more than fifty individual molecules have been identified in pure lavender essential oil. The aromatherapist must remember that ALL of these chemicals found in pure and natural lavender oil work together to produce a therapeutic effect. For example, the linalool molecule is antiviral and antibacterial; the linalyl acetate is emotionally calming; other major components including cineol, limonene, pinene and others are all noted for specific biologic and aromatic activity. It is the combined, balanced, synergistic action of these chemicals that make pure, high-quality lavender such a great healer. No one chemical can be singled out and used to give the same profound results as the complete pure essential oil.
So how is this synergy reflected in Lavender's aroma? Each of these chemicals has a unique smell; some are sweet, some are camphorous, some citrusy and some herbaceous. It is all these chemicals together, a precise amount of each, that gives each lavender variety its distinct aroma. And your nose knows this! One can tell the difference between a well-made, complex lavender oil with many notes within the aroma, and one that is flat or plain, which may be chemically imbalanced or missing some trace constituents. One can easily tell the difference, for example, between common Lavendula officinalis, and the finer Lavendula angustifolia, which contains a higher proportion of sweet-smelling linalyl acetate and less sharp-smelling camphor. Further, lower quality lavender plants may occasionally be sprayed with linalool before harvest to enhance the production of linalyl acetate by the flowers. While the end-product may smell sweeter, the process actually creates an imbalance in the overall healing synergy of the primary and trace molecules. All these oils will be labeled 'Lavender' on the store shelf, yet the finer, natural lavender will have a more beautiful, balanced aromatic bouquet, and is considered the most holistically healing variety by the world's leading aromatherapy practitioners.
A balanced approach in aromatherapy, as in all of natural medicine, is best. The most effective practitioner will have a well-developed 'internal pendulum' combined with a solid education. Significant variations exist in the quality of essential oils; it is really cost effective to buy the higher grades of oil, as their synergy of expertly distilled chemicals will have the greater therapeutic action. Use your nose, knowledge and intuition to find a source you trust, that delivers consistently high-grade oils for a reasonable cost. Use these same faculties to skillfully select and apply the appropriate oil for each circumstance. Essential oils are complex by nature; at the same time, they have an exceptionally broad scope of therapeutic applications. Hopefully, this little bit of aromatherapy chemistry will enrich your ability to support your own health, and the health of those around you. - 14130
About the Author:
The author regularly employs pure aromatherapy essential oils and Bach flowers therapy in her practice.
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