Pure Essential Oils are highly concentrated substances extracted from various parts of aromatic plants and trees. The aromatic substances from parts, such as petals, leaves, roots, barks, fruits, peels, roots or the whole plant are usually captured by steam distillation extraction method. The essence extracted from these parts are highly volatile and will evaporate quickly if left in the open air.
The chemistry components of pure essential oil is very complex. Most consist of hundreds of components, such as terpenes, alcohols, aldehydes and esters. For this reason, a single oil can help a wide variety of disorders. For instance, Lavender is endowed with antiseptic, anti-bacterial, antibiotic, anti-depressant, analgesic, decongestant and sedative property, while Geranium consists of Geranic Acid, geraniol, Citronellol, Linalool, Myrtenol, Terpineoll, Citral, Methone, Eugenol and Sabinene that offer the benefits of analgesic, anticoagulant, antidepressant, antiseptic, astringent, cicatrisant, cytophylatic and insecticide.
“Quite apart from their medicinal properties, just smelling an essential oil can uplift the spirits and make you feel better. This is because the sense of smell is an interrelated aspect of an area of the brain which is primarily concerned with emotion and memory.”
Moreover, due to their tiny molecular structure, essential oils applied to the skin can be absorbed into the bloodstream. They also reach the blood as a result of the aromatic molecules being inhaled. In the lungs, they pass through the tiny air sacs to the surrounding blood capillaries by the process of diffusion. Once in the bloodstream the aromatic molecules interact with the body’s chemistry. Quite apart from their medicinal properties, just smelling an essential oil can uplift the spirits and make you feel better. This is because the sense of smell is an interrelated aspect of an area of the brain which is primarily concerned with emotion and memory. Indeed, this influence of aroma on the psyche has led some aromatherapists to
practice what is now called ‘psycho-aromatherapy’, whereby oils are used solely as mood-enhancing substances.
The production of essential oils can be variable as plants are sensitive to the weather and soil conditions, their yield and quality varies from year to year and also depend on the place of grow & cultivation and the time of harvesting. Certain plants such as Jasmine Blossom are picked in the night while Ylang Ylang harvested in the morning for the strongest scent and the highest yield.