Essential Oil

Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Essential Oil shopping experience:

1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Essential Oil offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Essential Oil at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.

2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about

3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Essential Oil? Wrong! If the Essential Oil is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.

4. Questions - Got a question about Essential Oil then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....

5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Essential Oil? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Essential Oil and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.

6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Essential Oil wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.

7. Feedback - happy with your Essential Oil then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.

8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Essential Oil site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site

9. Contact - got a question about Essential Oil, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.

10. Payment - ready to pay for your Essential Oil, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.

An essential oil is any concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants, which are called aromatic herbs or aromatic plants. They are also known as volatile or ethereal oils, or simply as the "oil of" the plant material from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. The term essential indicates that the oil carries distinctive scent (essence) of the plant, not that it is an especially important or fundamental substance. Essential oils do not as a group need to have any specific chemical properties in common, beyond conveying characteristic fragrances. They are not to be confused with essential fatty acids.

Essential oils are generally extracted by distillation. Other processes include expression, or solvent extraction. They are used in perfumes and cosmetics, for flavoring food and drink, and for scenting incense and household :Category:Cleaning products.

Various essential oils have been used medicinally at different periods in history. Medicinal properties proposed by those who sell medicinal oils vary from skin treatments to remedies for cancer, and are often based on historical use of these oils for these purposes. Such claims are now subject to regulation in most countries, and have grown correspondingly more vague, to stay within these regulations.

Interest in essential oils has revived in recent decades, with the popularity of aromatherapy, a branch of alternative medicine which claims that the specific aromas carried by essential oils have curative effects. Oils are volatilized or diluted in a carrier oil and used in massage, or burned as incense, for example.

Production Distillation Today, most common essential oils, such as lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus, are distilled. Raw plant material, consisting of the flowers, leaf, wood, bark, roots, seeds, or peel (fruit), is put into an alembic (distillation apparatus) over water. As the water is heated the steam passes through the plant material, vaporizing the volatile compounds. The vapors flow through a coil where they condense back to liquid, which is then collected in the receiving vessel.

Most oils are distilled in a single process. One exception is Ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata), which takes 22 hours to complete through a Fractional distillation .

The water recondensed from the distillation process is referred to as a hydrosol, hydrolat, herbal distillate or plant water essence, which may be sold as another fragrant product. Popular hydrosols are rose water, lavender water, lemon balm, clary sage and orange blossom water. The use of herbal distillates in cosmetics is increasing. Some plant hydrosols have unpleasant smells and are therefore not sold.

Expression Most citrus peel oils are usually expressed mechanically, or cold-pressed. Due to the large quantities of oil in citrus peel and the relatively low cost to grow and harvest the raw materials, citrus-fruit oils are cheaper than most other essential oils. Lemon or sweet orange oils that are obtained as by-products of the commercial citrus industry are even cheaper.

Prior to the discovery of distillation, essential oils (EO) were extracted by pressing.

Solvent extraction Most flowers contain very little volatile oil to undergo expression and their chemical components are too delicate and easily denatured by the high heat used in steam distillation. Instead, a solvent such as hexane or supercritical carbon dioxide is used to extract the oils. Extracts from hexane and other hydrophobic solvent are called Concrete (perfumery)s, which is mixture of essential oil, waxes, resins, and other lipophilic (oil soluble) plant material.

Although highly fragrant, concretes contain large quantities of non-fragrant waxes and resins. As such another solvent, often ethanol, which only dissolves the fragrant low-molecular weight compounds, is used to extract the fragrant oil from the concrete. The alcohol is removed by a second distillation, leaving behind the Absolute (substance).

Supercritical carbon dioxide is used as a solvent in supercritical fluid extraction. This method has many benefits, including avoiding petrochemical residues in the product. It does not yield an absolute directly. The supercritical carbon dioxide will extract both the waxes and the essential oils that make up the concrete. Subsequent processing with liquid carbon dioxide, achieved in the same extractor by merely lowering the extraction temperature, will separate the waxes from the essential oils. This lower temperature process prevents the decomposition and denaturing of compounds and provides for a superior product. When the extraction is complete, the pressure is reduced to ambient and the carbon dioxide reverts back to a gas, leaving no residue. Although supercritical carbon dioxide is also used for making decaffeinated coffee, the actual process is different.

Production quantities Estimates of total production of essential oils are difficult to obtain. One estimate, compiled from data in 1989, 1990 and 1994 from various sources gives the following total production, in tonnes, of essential oils for which more than 1,000 tonnes were produced.{{cite web| url=http://isotc.iso.org/livelink/livelink/971087/ISO_TC_054__Essential_oils_.pdf | title=ISO TC 54 Business Plan — Essential oils | accessdate=2006-09-14 --> It is unclear from the source what period of time the quoted figures include.

{| class="wikitable" ! Oil !! Tonnes|-| Sweet orange ] || align="right" | 4,800|-| Peppermint ] || align="right" | 2,600|-| Lemon ] || align="right" | 2,070|-| Litsea cubeba ] (leaf) || align="right" | 2,000|-| Spearmint || align="right" | 1,300|}

Essential oil use in aromatherapy Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine, in which healing effects are ascribed to the aromatic compounds in essential oils and other plant extracts. Many common essential oils have medicinal properties that have been applied in folk medicine since ancient times and are still widely used today. For example, many essential oils have antiseptic properties, though some are stronger than others.. In addition, many are claimed to have an uplifting effect on the mind, though different essential oils have different properties. The claims are supported in some studies and unconfirmed in others.

Dilution Essential oils are usually lipophilic (literally: "oil-loving") compounds that usually are not miscible with water. Instead, they can be diluted in solvents like pure 100% ethanol (alcohol), polyethylene glycol, or oils.

== Raw Materials ==

Essential oils are derived from various sections of plants. Some, like Orange (fruit) oil, are derived from any of several sections of the plant.

{| class="wikitable" | | valign="top" |Berry

Allspice
Juniper

Seeds

Bark

Wood

Rhizome

Ginger

| valign="top" |Leaf

Basil
Bay leaf
Cinnamon
Common sage
Eucalyptus
Lemon grass
Melaleuca
Oregano
Patchouli
Peppermint
Pine
Rosemary
Spearmint
Tea tree
Thyme
Wintergreen

Resin

| valign="top" |Flowers

Chamomile
Clary sage
Clove
Geranium
Hyssop
Jasmine
Lavender
Manuka
Marjoram
Orange (fruit)
Rose
Ylang-ylang

Peel (fruit)

Bergamot orange
Grapefruit
Lemon
Lime (fruit)
Orange (fruit)
Tangerine

Root

Valerian (herb)

|}

Rose oil The most well-known essential oil is probably rose oil, produced from the petals of Rosa damascena and Rosa centifolia. Steam-distilled rose oil is known as "rose otto" while the solvent extracted product is known as "rose absolute".

Dangers Because of their concentrated nature, EOs generally should not be applied directly to the skin in their undiluted or "neat" form. Some can cause severe irritation or provoke an allergic reaction. Instead, essential oils should be blended with a vegetable carrier oil (also referred to as a base or "fixed" oil) before being applied. Common carrier oils include olive, almond, hazelnut and grapeseed. Common ratio of essential oil disbursed in a carrier oil is 0.5–3% (most less than 10%) and depends on its purpose. Some EO's including many of the citrus peel oils, are photosensitizers, increasing the skin's reaction to sunlight and making it more likely to burn.

Industrial users of essential oils should consult the material safety data sheets (MSDS) to determine the hazards and handling requirements of particular oils.

Gynaecomastia Some essential oils, particularly lavender and tea tree oil, have been implicated in causing gynaecomastia, an abnormal breast tissue growth in prepubescent boys. A child hormone specialist at the University of Cambridge claimed "... these oils can mimic oestrogens" and "people should be a little bit careful about using these products". {{cite news| url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/6318043.stm | publisher=BBC News | date=February 1, 2007 | accessdate=2007-09-09 | title=Oils make male breasts develop-->http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/356/5/479 N. Engl. J. Med. 356(5):479-85 (2007) ''Prepubertal gynecomastia linked to lavender and tea tree oils.'' PMID 17267908

Pesticide residues There is some concern about pesticide residues in EOs, particularly those used therapeutically. For this reason, many practitioners of aromatherapy choose to buy Organic farming produced oils.

Ingestion While some advocate the ingestion of essential oils for therapeutic purposes, this should never be done except under the supervision of a professional who is licensed to prescribe such treatment. Some very common EOs such as Eucalyptus are extremely toxic internally. Pharmacopoeia standards for medicinal oils should be heeded. EOs should always be kept out of the reach of children. Some oils can be toxic to some domestic animals, cats in particular. Owners must ensure that their pets do not come into contact with potentially harmful essential oils.

Smoke The smoke from burning essential oils may contain potential carcinogens, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Essential oils are naturally high in volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The internal use of essential oils should be fully avoided during pregnancy without consulting with a licensed professional, as some can be abortifacients in dose 0.5–10 ml.

Toxicology LD50 of most EO's or their main components are 0.5-10 g/kg (orally or skin test).

Media In 2006, the German movie Perfume: The Story of a Murderer was made on the subject of essential oils. The story takes place in France in the 1700's.

Notes and references

Additional references

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Alternative medicine
Aromatherapy
Enfleurage
Fragrance oil
List of essential oils
List of vegetable oils
Volatility (chemistry)

ca:Oli essencialcs:Siliceda:Æterisk oliede:Ätherisches Öles:Aceite esencial eo:Volatila oleo fr:Huile essentielle io:Esencala oleo id:Minyak atsiri it:Olio essenziale he:שמן אתריhu:Illóolajnl:Etherische olie ja:精油no:Eteriske oljerpl:Olejek eterycznypt:Óleo essencialru:Эфирные маслаsk:Éterický olejsl:Dišavna oljasr:Етерично уљеfi:Eteerinen öljy sv:Eteriska oljor uk:Ефірні олії zh:精油

An essential oil is any concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants, which are called aromatic herbs or aromatic plants. They are also known as volatile or ethereal oils, or simply as the "oil of" the plant material from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. The term essential indicates that the oil carries distinctive scent (essence) of the plant, not that it is an especially important or fundamental substance. Essential oils do not as a group need to have any specific chemical properties in common, beyond conveying characteristic fragrances. They are not to be confused with essential fatty acids.

Essential oils are generally extracted by distillation. Other processes include expression, or solvent extraction. They are used in perfumes and cosmetics, for flavoring food and drink, and for scenting incense and household :Category:Cleaning products.

Various essential oils have been used medicinally at different periods in history. Medicinal properties proposed by those who sell medicinal oils vary from skin treatments to remedies for cancer, and are often based on historical use of these oils for these purposes. Such claims are now subject to regulation in most countries, and have grown correspondingly more vague, to stay within these regulations.

Interest in essential oils has revived in recent decades, with the popularity of aromatherapy, a branch of alternative medicine which claims that the specific aromas carried by essential oils have curative effects. Oils are volatilized or diluted in a carrier oil and used in massage, or burned as incense, for example.

Production Distillation Today, most common essential oils, such as lavender, peppermint, and eucalyptus, are distilled. Raw plant material, consisting of the flowers, leaf, wood, bark, roots, seeds, or peel (fruit), is put into an alembic (distillation apparatus) over water. As the water is heated the steam passes through the plant material, vaporizing the volatile compounds. The vapors flow through a coil where they condense back to liquid, which is then collected in the receiving vessel.

Most oils are distilled in a single process. One exception is Ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata), which takes 22 hours to complete through a Fractional distillation .

The water recondensed from the distillation process is referred to as a hydrosol, hydrolat, herbal distillate or plant water essence, which may be sold as another fragrant product. Popular hydrosols are rose water, lavender water, lemon balm, clary sage and orange blossom water. The use of herbal distillates in cosmetics is increasing. Some plant hydrosols have unpleasant smells and are therefore not sold.

Expression Most citrus peel oils are usually expressed mechanically, or cold-pressed. Due to the large quantities of oil in citrus peel and the relatively low cost to grow and harvest the raw materials, citrus-fruit oils are cheaper than most other essential oils. Lemon or sweet orange oils that are obtained as by-products of the commercial citrus industry are even cheaper.

Prior to the discovery of distillation, essential oils (EO) were extracted by pressing.

Solvent extraction Most flowers contain very little volatile oil to undergo expression and their chemical components are too delicate and easily denatured by the high heat used in steam distillation. Instead, a solvent such as hexane or supercritical carbon dioxide is used to extract the oils. Extracts from hexane and other hydrophobic solvent are called Concrete (perfumery)s, which is mixture of essential oil, waxes, resins, and other lipophilic (oil soluble) plant material.

Although highly fragrant, concretes contain large quantities of non-fragrant waxes and resins. As such another solvent, often ethanol, which only dissolves the fragrant low-molecular weight compounds, is used to extract the fragrant oil from the concrete. The alcohol is removed by a second distillation, leaving behind the Absolute (substance).

Supercritical carbon dioxide is used as a solvent in supercritical fluid extraction. This method has many benefits, including avoiding petrochemical residues in the product. It does not yield an absolute directly. The supercritical carbon dioxide will extract both the waxes and the essential oils that make up the concrete. Subsequent processing with liquid carbon dioxide, achieved in the same extractor by merely lowering the extraction temperature, will separate the waxes from the essential oils. This lower temperature process prevents the decomposition and denaturing of compounds and provides for a superior product. When the extraction is complete, the pressure is reduced to ambient and the carbon dioxide reverts back to a gas, leaving no residue. Although supercritical carbon dioxide is also used for making decaffeinated coffee, the actual process is different.

Production quantities Estimates of total production of essential oils are difficult to obtain. One estimate, compiled from data in 1989, 1990 and 1994 from various sources gives the following total production, in tonnes, of essential oils for which more than 1,000 tonnes were produced.{{cite web| url=http://isotc.iso.org/livelink/livelink/971087/ISO_TC_054__Essential_oils_.pdf | title=ISO TC 54 Business Plan — Essential oils | accessdate=2006-09-14 --> It is unclear from the source what period of time the quoted figures include.

{| class="wikitable" ! Oil !! Tonnes|-| Sweet orange ] || align="right" | 4,800|-| Peppermint ] || align="right" | 2,600|-| Lemon ] || align="right" | 2,070|-| Litsea cubeba ] (leaf) || align="right" | 2,000|-| Spearmint || align="right" | 1,300|}

Essential oil use in aromatherapy Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine, in which healing effects are ascribed to the aromatic compounds in essential oils and other plant extracts. Many common essential oils have medicinal properties that have been applied in folk medicine since ancient times and are still widely used today. For example, many essential oils have antiseptic properties, though some are stronger than others.. In addition, many are claimed to have an uplifting effect on the mind, though different essential oils have different properties. The claims are supported in some studies and unconfirmed in others.

Dilution Essential oils are usually lipophilic (literally: "oil-loving") compounds that usually are not miscible with water. Instead, they can be diluted in solvents like pure 100% ethanol (alcohol), polyethylene glycol, or oils.

== Raw Materials ==

Essential oils are derived from various sections of plants. Some, like Orange (fruit) oil, are derived from any of several sections of the plant.

{| class="wikitable" | | valign="top" |Berry

Allspice
Juniper