Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Sterrett
Hofstra College
The Nature of Essential Oils
Hempstead, N e w York
I. Production
The word "essential oils" undoubtedly The term production here refen to the various
originates from the Latin "quinta essentia" (quintes- methods of separation of essential oils from the aromatic
sence), the fifth element, the essence of things. Al- plant materials. These volatile oils are formed mostly
chemists believed essential, ethereal, or volatile oils to in the secretory cells or reservoirs, internal or external
be the most condensed form of the individual character- glands of flowers, leaves, bark, wood, root, or fruit of an
istics of the plant or drug. aromatic plant. Essential oils originate in practically
Since antiquity man has been mystified and intrigued every part of the world. Many are produced in remote
by essential oils and has made great efforts to obtain geographical areas under exceptionally primitive con-
them. Today as a result of many years of research ditions as an enterprise to supplement the family in-
these oils have become truly indispensable and essential come.
to our way of life. During the course of a single day,
from the first day of existence to the last, every living Table 1. Important Essential Oils
person in this country uses or consumes many of these Abies albh (pine) Labdanum Leaf
substances. They have a variety of applications in al- cone
leaf (needle)
Labdanum
Laurel Leaf
most all industrial and consumer products, from rubber Acacia flower
Ajowan
Lavandin
Lavender
baby pants, food and toilet preparations to embalming Ailsnioe
Almond (bitter)
Lemonerass
Lemon"'
fluids. Essential oils are used mostly for their sensory Ambretti seed' Lily (concrete and absolute)
Angdioa root Lime (distilled and oddpressed1
quality, but often also for their antibacterial and anti- Angelica seed Linaloe seed
Anyustors bark Lim.10e wood
fungicidal action. They are mainly of botanical origin,
composed of the organoleptic principles which contrib-
Anise seed
Arnica root
Balm
...-
Lovage root
xr"""uv
Mandarin
ute to the odor and flavor of the aromatic plant mate- Balsam (different typed
B a d (different tyge.)
Marjoram (a?&)
Marjoram (wrld)
rial; there are only very few exceptions of animal origin, Bayberry Mimosa Rawer
such as musk, civet, and ambergris.
Bay laurel
Bay leaf M".k;oot
..
Mint [different tvoesl
norgarnot mint Mustard seed
The term "oil" probably originated from observing Bergamot ..,....
M"rrh
that some of the glands or intercellular spaces in plant Birch (sweet) Myrtle
niroi, tar Ncroli bigarade
tissues are filled with oily droplets, similar to fatty or Bois de rose
Boineoeamphor
Nutmeg
oak moss (ooncrete and abeolute)
fixed oils. Essential oils and fixed oils have in common Buohu leaf
Cabreuva
Olibanum
Onion
the properties that they are nonmiscible with (and Cajunut 0pophne.x
Calhmus Orsnge (bitter) blossom
usually lighter than) water, and soluble in ether and Cslnphor (Neroli bisarade oil) ,
Carnnhor leaf Orange (bitter) leaf (Petltsrain)
many organic solvents. On the other hand, the compo- orange (bitter)
sition and properties of these volatile oils differ greatly Car&& seed or&"gcb e e t )
Carm.tion flower origsnum
from fixed or fatty oils, the former consisting of various Carrot seed
Cassia
orris root
Paimarosa
mixtures of different types of compounds, the latter Catni"
Cedar leaf
Parsley herb
Parsley seed
being for the most part glycerides of fatty acids or Cedarwood Patehouly
Celery seed Pennyroyal
paraffin oils. Essential oils are generally liquid (some- Cbhmomille (German and Roman) P,,,,,,i"t
Pepper bemy(different type4
Cirenopodiurn (American wormaeed
times semisolid or even solid) and, a t ordinary tem- oil) prtitzrain biaarade
perature, volatile. If a drop of essential oil and one of Cherry laurel Pin&ta ber&
Cinnamon bark pirnenta leaf
fatty acid are put on blotting paper, both a t first will Cinnamon leaf
Citronella
Pine needle (different types1
Pine root
leave an "oily" spot. The fatty-oil spot will remain CLsry sage
Clove (bud)
pinetar
Rose (distilled, also oonorete and
transparent to light, but the essential-oil spot will be- Clove l e d absolute)
Clove stem Roeemary
come almost invisible in a short time, retaining only Coriander seed Rosewood
costus root Rue
the non-volatile constituents which have an odor pecul- Cllmin seed Sage
iar to the particular ethereal oil applied. There exist CYP~~SP Sandalwood
Dill herb
in scientific literature many references to essential oils, Dill seed
Elomi
perfumes, and flavoring materials (1-10). Table 1 Ertragon
Eucalyptus (different types)
gives a list of the most important essential oils used Fennel seed
Fir (Siberian)
today. For the botanical classification of essential-oil Gariio
Geranium
plants, a list of plant families and genera is available Gingergrass
Ginper root
(11). Gramfruit
Hemlock
Honeysuckle (concrete s n d absolute)
This ia the firat of a two-part paper on essential oils. I n the next Hops
Horsemint
issue chemical constituents and analysis will be reported. Ae- EIorseradish
knowledgment is gratefully made to Dr. Ernest Guenther for Jasmine flower
Jonquil flower
valuable suggestions. Juniper berry