Posted: 02/09/2007--25/11/2008 || Rate this Article: 3 || Views|| Sign In || Register ||Hello Guest
An essential oil is a type of liquid that contains many essential ingredients of a plan of flower. It has a strong odor and is used in alternative treatment. It is extracted from the plant or flower through the process of distillation. Essential oils are used in a variety of things including aromatherapy, cleaning, relaxation techniques, flavoring for food and drink, perfumery and cosmetics. It is known as the oil of the plant or flower as it is primarily the essence of it, which is the concentrated goodness in a liquid or oil-based form. Use of oils from vegetables is very common for cooking and similarly oils from flowers and plants are used for alternative medicinal purposes. Medical properties of essential oils has long been in practice, especially in eastern countries and societies and has recently enjoyed a revival in popularity since westerners are now looking into alternative therapies for healing processes.
Eucalyptus, lavender and peppermint oils are distilled and most oils are distilled in a single process. What is left over from the distillation process is known as plant water essence, which is often sold as another fragrant product, mostly in the cosmetic industry. Such plant water extracts include rose water, lavender water and lemon balm.
Many citrus peel oils such as orange or lemon peel oil are extracted in a cold press fashion. It is generally a cheaper process because there is a lot of oil that can be found in citrus fruit peel and they are relatively cheap to produce. In fact, essential oils were extracted in a cold press fashion as well before distillation was discovered.
Aromatherapy is a popular form of alternative therapy that is used for healing purposes. The benefits of this include a natural approach and some positive results. Many essential oils have antiseptic properties and can be used against cuts and grazes and possible prevention of infection. In ancient history, this was the most common form of preventing outspread of infection on ones body and is still used today in some societies.
Essential oils tend to be highly potent as they are very concentrated and therefore must be taken in extremely small doses. This generally means a few drops here and there to achieve positive results. There is always a risk of side effects and one must be careful to follow instructions to prevent skin disorders, illness, or other bad side effects. Generally essential oils come from many different parts of a plant. The goodness of the plant is then extracted via distillation and concentrated into small bottles of essential oils. Rose oil is probably the most famous of essential oils. It is produced from different parts of a rose and used in a variety of different treatments for different purposes.
Carrier oils such as hazelnut, grape seed and olive. As mentioned before, oils tend to be highly potent and therefore should be treated with care. Those that work in the manufacturing plants of the essential oils are at greatest risk mainly due to over exposure and are therefore highly skilled, trained professionals.
Some oils that are beneficial for humans may not be so beneficial for pets. Even more so, some of them may be toxic, especially with cats and dogs. It is therefore advised to keep animals away from such liquids. It is also advisable to take care when burning some essential oils, as the smoke produced can be harmful in certain situations.
In conclusion, many health benefits exist from using essential oils, but it is also recommended to use them with care as they are highly potent and used incorrectly can cause harmful side effects.
Print article ||Send to friend ||Publish this Article ||Author feedback || Add new Comment ||Article Comments
