A Wisdom Archive on Essential Oils

An essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aromatic compounds extracted from plants. It may be produced by distillation, expression, or solvent extraction. Essential oils are used in perfumery, aromatherapy, cosmetics, incense, medicine, household cleaning products, and for flavoring food and drink. They are valuable commodities in the fragrance and food industries. Essential oil is also known as volatile oil and ethereal oil. It may also be referred to as "oil of" the raw plant mat ... Including:

• Essential oil - Production
• Essential oil - Perfumery
• Essential oil - Aromatherapy
• Essential oil - Popular uses
• Essential oil - Dangers
• Essential oil - Raw Materials

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essential oil: Essential oils are created by distillation; plant material is heated, and the molecules that evaporate into steam are captured. These oils are mixed, blended in a base of vegetable oil, and rubbed onto the body or added to ritual baths for magical purposes.
 
Also See: essential oils

 
(See also: essential oil, Magic, Shamanism, Paganism, Wicca )

For more dictionary entries, see » Essential Oils Dictionary

Yarrow essential oil is a volatile oil including a chemical called proazulenes. The dark blue essential oil, extracted by steam distillation of the flowers, is generally used as an anti-inflammatory or in chest rubs for colds and influenza. Massage oil for inflamed joints, dilute 5-10 drops yarrow oil in 25ml infused St. John's wort oil. A chest rub can be made for chesty colds and influenza, combine with eucalyptus, peppermint, hyssop, or thyme oils, diluting a total of ...

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An antimicrobial is a substance that kills or slows the growth of microbes like bacteria (antibacterial activity), fungi (antifungal activity), viruses (antiviral activity), or parasites (antiparasitic activity). Antibiotics are one class of antibacterial and antifungal antimicrobials that can potentially be used as medicinal drugs to treat infections because of their low toxicity for humans or animals. The term originally described only those formulations derived from living organisms but is now applied also to ... Including:

• Antimicrobial - Essential oils

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Absolutes are similar to essential oils and are used in aromatherapy. The difference is that where essential oils are created through a process of distillation absolutes are extracted with the use of chemical solvents. Absolutes may be more concentrated than essential oils but can sometimes contain traces of the solvents used. This is in stark contrast to the idea of purity generally associated with aromatherapy. Absolutes are more commonly used in perfumery applications, since, if both an essential oil and an absolute o ...

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Citronella oil is one of the important essential oils obtained from different species of Cymbopogon. The oil is used extensively as a source of important perfumery chemicals like citronellal, citronellol and geraniol, which find extensive use in soap, perfumery, cosmetic and flavouring industries throughout the world. Citronella oil is classified in trade into two types: Ceylon citronella oil, obtained from Cymbopogon nardus Rendle, is the inferior type, while Java Type citronella oil obtained from Cymbo ...

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Caryophyllene, or (−)-β-caryophyllene, is a natural bicyclic sesquiterpene that is a constituent of some essential oils, especially clove oil and the oil from the stems and flowers of Syzygium aromaticum. It is usually found as a mixture with isocaryophyllene (the cis double bond isomer) and α-humulene (obsolete name: α-caryophyllene), a ring-opened isomer. Caryophyllene is notable for having a cyclobutane ring, a rarity in nature. Caryophyllene is one of the chemical compound ...

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