The Essential oil reference article from the English Wikipedia on 24-Jul-2004 (provided by Fixed Reference: snapshots of Wikipedia from wikipedia.org)

Essential oil

An essential oil is a water-immiscible material produced by distillation from some plant material. The material (flowers, leaves, stems, or roots, depending on the plant) is put in an alembic over water, and the volatile compounds, which require less vapor pressure to evaporate with the presence of steam, distill into a receiving vessel. The upper portion is the oil, the lower being the hydrosol. They are drained with two spigots.

Most oils are distilled in a single process. The exception is ylang-ylang, which takes 22 hours to complete distillation. It is distilled fractionally, producing several grades.

Many vendors will sell fragrance oils which are not pure and often lack the effect of true essential oil. It is only recommended to use essential oils that have been stored in amber or dark glass, and are labeled 100% pure essential oil.

Essential oil should never be put on the skin undiluted, or it may cause irritation. Essential oil should be diluted with a carrier oil, the most commonly used ones are grapeseed oil and sweet almond oil.

Essential oils should not be ingested without proper instruction from a qualified aromatherapy practicioner.

Many essential oils have medicinal properties that have been applied in folk medicine since ancient times and are still widely used today. For example:

• clove oil is a powerful topical analgesic, especially useful in dentistry.
• Lavender oil is used for aromatherapy, as an antiseptic, and for a number of folk medicinal uses.
• Tea tree oil is a broad-spectrum antiseptic.

Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine, in which healing effects are ascribed to particular fragrances.

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