What Is Essential Oils?
Essential oils are so complex and magical that no one really knows what they are. Romantics and enthusiasts say they are the life force of a plant, similar to the human spirit.
Researchers say they are a mixture of organic compounds, such as ketones, terpenes, esters, alcohols, aldehydes, and hundreds of other molecules, many too small or complex to classify under a microscope.
What they do, rather than what they are, is much easier to understand. Because the molecules of essential oils are so minute and so quick to evaporate, they penetrate human skin and enter the bloodstream and organs, before eventually being excreted.
Scientists have found that the same oils gather in the same parts of the body time and time again, within a few hours of being massaged into skin. This is what makes them unique and so therapeutic, since very few things can actually penetrate human skin.
The fact that essential oils have healing properties is beyond doubt. Today, scientists studying botanicals find more and more vital ingredients in nature rather than in test-tubes. For instance the painkiller aspirin comes from the willow tree, the Australian tea-tree contains a germ-killer a dozen times more effective than carbolic, and good old carrots are full of beta-carotene, now shown to be an important weapon in the battle against cancer.
The more that researchers study plants and their properties, the more benefits they discover from every organic compound in nature. Everything, it seems, is there for a reason. The most interesting discovery of all though, is that the latest research confirms the herbal traditions healers have practiced for centuries.
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Choosing Essential Oils
Essential oils intended for therapeutic use should be pure and natural, extracted from organically grown plants whenever possible.
High-grade essential oils tend to be more expensive than those doctored with synthetic additives to make them smell attractive. However, many good quality essential oils are reasonably priced and can be recommended for everyday use.
Essential oil, the concentrated aromatic essence extracted from a plant, could be called the plant’s psyche, or its personality plus physicality. Essential oil is sometimes called the ’soul’ of an aromatic plant. This life-force substance is commonly more thin and watery than oily, making the name somewhat of a misnomer. Consistency aside, essences are highly concentrated and extremely volatile, often containing hundreds of organic components, sometimes only a few.
Essential oils include a variety of hormones, vitamins and chemicals needed to perform various plant functions. A flower’s essence, for example, attracts insects for pollination. In a shrub or tree, the essential oil becomes resin to heal wounds from severe weather damage. Essential oil regulates the water content in a plant and prevents evaporation. Or, a plant might produce chemicals to deter predators and warn other plants and trees. Often a plant produces a toxic substance against bacteria, virus or fungus. The essential oils of these highly complex organisms of the plant kingdom are one of nature’s many gifts to human beings. They’ve been used to freshen the atmosphere, enrich the food, and heal whatever ails the body, mind or spirit of mankind.