The Chemistry of Essential Oils
by Alanda Mistrel
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 what is it that makes an essential oil different than
every other oil we're familiar with? They don't feel the
same, they don't act the same, and they certainly don't
smell the same. Essential oils and the so-called 'fixed'
oils (you may also know them as carrier or base oils - like
Sweet Almond, Apricot Kernel, Evening Primrose, etc) are
distinctly different in their molecular structure. While
both essential and fixed oils share common basic atomic
elements of Carbon and Hydrogen, that's really where the
similarity ends. Fixed oils are made of triglyceride
structures - three long chains of carbon atoms, with
hydrogens bonded at various places. The length of the chains
and the position and number of hydrogens define the nature
of the oil; if hydrogens are bonded to every available
location, the oil is 'saturated', for example. One missing
hydrogen is 'mono-unsaturated', more than one is
'poly-unsaturated'. The long chains and relative consistency
of the molecular structures makes fixed oils 'oily', and
does not allow them to evaporate quickly.
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.
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. Poorly
distilled oils may lose some of the secondary constituents
during production, and adulterated or synthetic oils may not
have some of the trace components at all, detectable by your
nose as a flat or uninteresting aroma.
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.
What does this mean to the lay-practitioner? That it's
important to find a nice smelling lavender oil! Each of the
individual chemicals has a distinct smell, talked about in
terms of 'notes' within the overall lavender aroma. Some of
these are sweet, some citrusy, some are herbaceous, and some
can be camphorous. A precise amount of each will create a
certain lavender aroma. Some lavenders are more sweet (and
therefore more relaxing), others are more herbaceous (and
more anti-microbial). Three important points should be noted
regarding selecting by aroma: First, there can be
significantly different aromas from the same species of
plant, even when the essential oils are of the highest
quality. You can often use your intuition to select the best
variety for your needs (as between the sweeter more
relaxing, or the herbaceous more 'medicinal' lavenders).
Sedond, some plants (e.g. Rosemary and Thyme) have
chemotypes - this specifies a predominant chemical in the
essential oil - each being used for a certain therapeutic
application. Know which chemotype is best suited to your
needs before making a selection. Finally, it is most often
the essential oil that smells the most 'true' to you that
will be the most beneficial. Your senses can naturally
detect what is good for you and what is not, if you're
willing to listen to them impartially.
All essential oils are subject to similar variations in
production methods or the manipulation of their molecular
make-ups through the addition of synthetic chemicals. For
the most therapeutic benefit, it is always best to use true,
carefully-made essential oils. To do this, find a source
that is dedicated to supplying only the highest grades of
oils. Examine their product's aromatic quality and business
practices and so that you are comfortable with their
dedication to your health, not just their bottom line.
Listen to your intuition and your own nose; they won't lie
to you! With experience, your ability to discern between
subtly different grades of oils will become more astute.
With even more education and skill, you'll start to
recognize individual chemicals within an oils aroma, and
make the best decisions as to which oils will have the most
profound therapeutic affects for you, your family, or in
your professional practice. - 15668
The author is a wellness director for
(http://www.anandaapothecary.com) Ananda Aromatherapy, found
at www.anandaapothecary.com. Find more resources are
available on (http://www.anandaapothecary.com) aromatherapy
and essential oil blends through the website.
---------------------------------
New Unique Article!
Title: The Chemistry of Essential Oils
Author: Alanda Mistrel
Email: article@anandaapothecary.com
Keywords: essential oils,aromatherapy,alternative health,natural health,alternative medicine,wellness,fitness,disease,illness,health,women,massage,therapy
Word Count: 1297
Category: Health & Fitness:Alternative Medicine
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