Essential oils
The American Heritage Dictionary defines essential oil as:
A volatile oil, usually having the characteristic odor or flavor of the plant from which it is obtained, used to make perfumes and flavorings.[1]
Familiar examples of essential oils include those extracted from species of citrus, lavender, seeds of celery and pumpkin, eucalyptus, and rosewood.
In addition to their use in perfumes and flavorings, essential oils have been used in complementary and alternative medicine as antimicrobials. Microbiologists Hammer and colleagues studied the in vitro antimicrobial activity of 52 essential oils, reporting as follows:
In summary, this study confirms that many essential oils and plant extracts possess in vitro antibacterial and antifungal activity. However, if plant oils and extracts are to be used for food preservation or medicinal purposes, issues of safety and toxicity will need to be addressed.[2]
Production
Distillation
- See also: Distillation
Some common essential oils, such as lavender, peppermint, tea-tree and eucalyptus, are distilled. Raw plant material, consisting of the flowers, leaves, wood, bark, roots, seeds, or peel, 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.
Aromatherapy
Raw materials
Notes and references
- ↑ The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright© 2006, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
- ↑ Hammer KA, Carson CF, Riley TV. (1999) Antimicrobial activity of essential oils and other plant extracts. J Appl Microbiol 86:985-90. PMID 10438227