Saturday 3 September 2011

Wikipedia - Essential oils


Essential oils are volatile and liquid aroma compounds from natural sources, usually plants. Essential oils are not oils in a strict sense, but often share with oils a poor solubility in water. Essential oils often have an odor and are therefore used in food flavoring and perfumery. Essential oils are usually prepared byfragrance extraction techniques such as distillation (including steam distillation), cold pressing, or extraction (maceration). Essential oils are distinguished from aroma oils (essential oils and aroma compounds in an oily solvent), infusions in a vegetable oil, absolutes, and concretes. Typically, essential oils are highly complex mixtures of often hundreds of individual aroma compounds.
The spice star anise is distilled to makestar anise oil
  • Sandalwood oil, used primarily as a fragrance, for its pleasant, woody fragrance.[27]
  • Sassafras oil, from sassafras root bark. Used in aromatherapy, soap-making, perfumes, and the like. Formerly used as a spice, and as the primary flavoring of root beerinter alia.
  • Savory oil, from Satureja species. Used in aromatherapy, cosmetic and soap-making applications.
  • Schisandra oil, from Schisandra chinensis, used medicinally.
  • Spearmint oil, often used in flavoring mouthwash and chewing gum, among other applications.
  • Spikenard, used medicinally.
  • Spruce has calming and elevating properties. It can be used as a topical application for muscular aches and pains, poor circulation, and rheumatism. Spruce Oil has also been used to improve breathing conditions of asthma, bronchitis, coughs, and general weakness. [2]
  • Star anise oil, highly fragrant oil using in cooking. Also used in perfumery and soaps, has been used in toothpastes, mouthwashes, and skin creams.[28]90% of the world's star anise crop is used in the manufacture of Tamiflu, a drug used to treat influenza, and is hoped to be useful for avian flu
  • Tangerine
  • Tarragon oil, distilled from Artemisia dracunculus, used medicinally.
  • Tea tree oil, distilled from Melaleuca alternifolia, used medicinally. Being a powerful antiseptic, antibacterial, and antiviral agent, tea tree's ability to fight infection is second to none.
  • Thyme oil, used medicinally.
  • Tsuga belongs to the pine tree family. It is used as analgesic, antirheumatic, blood cleanser, and stimulant. It treats cough, respiratory conditions, kidney ailments, urinary infections. [3]
  • Turmeric, used medicinally and to flavor food
  • Valerian is used for insomnia, migraines, nervous dyspepsia, and dandruff.
  • Vetiver oil (khus oil) a thick, amber oil, primarily from India. Used as a fixative in perfumery, and in aromatherapy
  • Western red cedar
  • Wintergreen can be used as an analgesic, anodyne, anti rheumatic & anti arthritic, anti spasmodic, anti septic, aromatic, astringent, carminative, diuretic, emenagogue and stimulant [4]
  • Yarrow oil is used medicinally, to relieve joint pain
  • Ylang-ylang is used for calming, antiseptic, and aphrodisiac purposes, as well as hypertension and skin diseases. [5]
  • Zedoary, used medicinally and to flavor food

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