June 4, 2008
Essential Oil Recipes
The word essential is used to indicate that oils have a scent (essence) that sets it apart even if such scent is not very important, or a fundamental matter. In its basic form, essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid that contains aroma compounds derived from plants.
Sometimes it is better to use a synergistic blend of organic essential oils to get relief from symptoms rather than use a single essential oil. Some of these synergistic oils include Spikenard, Rosemary Blue Tansy, and Lemongrass.
Essential Oils Are Made With The Help Of Distillation As Well As Solvent Extraction
Essential oils are not known as a group to have any specific chemical properties that are common to the group other than the fragrance. To make them, use is made of distillation as well as solvent extraction. Organic Essential Oils are often used in perfumes as well as cosmetics, and also to add flavor to foods and drinks as well as for giving incenses more scents as too are used in cleaning products used in homes.
Essential oils are obtained from many different parts of certain plants and there are some such as orange oil that can be derived from different parts of the plant. Other plants include allspice, Juniper, Almond, Basil, Chamomile, Cinnamon, Camphor, Peppermint, Rose, Bergamot, Thyme and a lot more.
Organic Essential Oils have been used throughout history for their medicinal benefits such as skin treatment and also providing relief from cancer. Of late, there has been growing interest in pure essential oils usage, especially because of the increased popularity of aromatherapy, which is an offshoot of alternative medicine that claims that different aromas contained in essential oils can be used for their curative properties.
However, one should not apply these aromatherapy essential oils directly to the skin because it has a concentrated nature that can cause severe irritation or even cause an allergic reaction if used in undiluted form. It would be better to blend them with a base or “fixed” oil before applying it, and some of the common base oils include olive, hazelnut, almond as well as grape seed.
Those who use essential oils in an industry should read up their material safety data sheets to get to know the different hazards as well as how to properly handle the particular oils. Concern has also been voiced regarding the pesticide residues found in these oils, and more particularly in those that are used for therapeutic purposes. It is thus more advisable to use organic essential oils.
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