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What are essential oils?
Of the 800,000 known plant species on Earth, only 10% of the plants are Aromatic plants capable of producing an essence. These plants, held to be the most highly evolved, are rich in characteristic aromatic molecules whose biochemical composition will determine their therapeutic or toxic properties.
A large number of aromatic plants are hardly ever used, owing to their toxicity or lack of therapeutic value. Other plants contain quantities which are so small, it is impossible to distill them with steam in order to extract essence.
Some of the major aromatic plants are Lavender, Thyme, Rosemary, Mint, Eucalyptus, Cloves, Cinnamon, Rosewood, Chamomile, Helichrysum, Anise, Fennel, Citronella, Palmarose, Cypress and many more.
All these plants belong to different botanical families which are categorized based on essence-secreting glands situated in the plant’s organs (like flowers, leaves etc.). The essence in these plants is present in various organs but some organs will have a more concentrated essence. It's these parts of the plants with a higher proportion of essence that are harvested and then put through the distillation process to get the Essential Oils.
The reason behind this is that the part of the plant targeted for distillation is particularly crucial, since it affects the biochemical composition, which in turn influences therapeutic properties.
Once the plant and its part that is to be harvested is identified, it is then taken through an extraction process. There are two processes for extraction, Cold Expression and Steam Distillation. The first one is the simplest method but also limited in its use. Steam Distillation is the most widely used extraction process, wherein the aromatic plant goes through a scientific process which uses water, pressure and steam. (Please click here______ to read in-depth about the write-up on the Distillation Process.) This process leads to the extraction of 100% pure essential oil.
Point to note, the Aromatic Plants have very low yield. Higher proportions do not equate to high yield. To get an idea, for making 1 Kg of Essential Oil:
- 4,000 Kg of Damask rose petals must be distilled
- 150 kg of True Lavender must be distilled
- 5,000 to 10,000 kg of True Citronella balm must be distilled
- 50 Kg of Lavandin heads must be distilled
- 7 Kg of dried Clove buds must be distilled
Let’s understand another aspect of the essential oils. Essential oils, which are the true quintessence of the plant, are so complex, concentrated and powerful on different therapeutic, energetic and aesthetic levels that using these products without precise knowledge of their characteristics would create undoubted risks.
To cite a few examples:
- A young child suffers from tonsillitis. Local application of the essence of thyme is recommended (without further precision). Following application, deep reddening appears around the neck. Further investigations reveal the use of thymol thyme (caustic on skin) where a thujanol thyme (which is not harmful to skin) should have been used.
- Hyssop essential oil is used by a pregnant woman. The medicinal variety produces a neurotoxic oil (toxic for the cells of the brain); the sub-species hysssopus decumbens is entirely free of toxicity.
These two examples (amongst many others) illustrate how crucial it is to state the chemotype (or chemical variety) of the essential oil. This provides highly specific information on the composition of the aromatic molecules, full understanding of which will result in highly powerful, effective therapy.
In nature, you do not find only a single type of lavender, thyme or rosemary, there are a number of different varieties. Each species (chemotype) which evolves in its biotope will produce an essential oil whose molecular structure is unique to it, since it will be a product of the soil type, the altitude, the amount of sunshine and even of neighboring plants.
By specifying the family, the genus, the species and the subspecies, it is possible to define a variety which is quite different from another which shares some of the same genetic characteristics. If a lack of precision and ignorance can lead to serious problems, it is no less important to be sure of the ability of the essential oils, which are all too often adulterated or produced by chemical synthesis.
Given the therapeutic power of essential oils, which will surely form the basis of natural medicine in the year 2000, research based not only on knowledge but also on practice should permit optimum use and eliminate risk. To do this, there needs to be a sophisticated methods of analysis:
Gas phase Chromotography uses sophisticated apparatus which enables each of the aromatic components of an essential oil - of which there are often a large number - to be identified (up-to 450 aromatic molecules in essential oil of clary) sage.
Mass Spectrometry coupled with this apparatus and its powerful software will reveal the quantity (%) of each of the molecules identified. This technique offers the guarantee of an organic natural product, since any dishonesty (synthetic product, contaminants: fertilizers, pesticides, etc) can be detected.
The cost and rarity of some of these plants and the need for long and difficult processes in order to obtain them, often leads to unscrupulous producers. This is why an essential pharmaceutical quality must be subjected to regular, in-depth check (gas chromatography for each batch).