Essential oil of EucalyptusA glass vial containing sandalwood oilDavana essential oilVial of Tanacetum annuum oil (blue tansy)
Essential oils are volatile and liquid aroma compounds from natural sources, usually plants. They 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. They are usually prepared by fragrance extraction techniques (such as distillation, cold pressing, or Solvent extraction). 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.
Agar oil or oodh, distilled from agarwood (Aquilaria malaccensis). Highly prized for its fragrance.[1]
Ajwain oil, distilled from the leaves of (Carum copticum). Oil contains 35–65% thymol.[2]
Blue tansy (Tanacetum annuum) for the color of its oil.
Buchu oil, made from the buchu shrub. Considered toxic and no longer widely used.[3] Formerly used medicinally.
Calamodin oil or calamansi essential oil comes from a citrus tree in the Philippines extracted via cold press or steam distillation.
Calamus oil Used in perfumery and formerly as a food additive
Camphor oil used in cosmetics and household cleaners.[4]
Cannabis flower essential oil, used as a flavoring in foods, primarily candy and beverages. Also used as a scent in perfumes, cosmetics, soaps, and candles.[5]
Caraway seed oil, used a flavoring in foods. Also used in mouthwashes, toothpastes, etc. as a flavoring agent.[6]
Cardamom seed oil, used in aromatherapy. Extracted from seeds of subspecies of Zingiberaceae (ginger). Also used as a fragrance in soaps, perfumes, etc.
Cedar oil (or cedarwood oil), primarily used in perfumes and fragrances.
Chamomile oil, there are many varieties of chamomile but only two are used in aromatherapy, Roman and German. German chamomile contains a higher level of the chemical azulene
Costmary oil (bible leaf oil), formerly used medicinally in Europe; still used as such in southwest Asia.[8] Discovered to contain up to 12.5% of the toxin β-thujone.[9]
Elemi oil, used as a perfume and fragrance ingredient. Comes from the oleoresins of Canarium luzonicum and Canarium ovatum which are common in the Philippines.
Geranium oil, also referred to as geranol. Used in herbal medicine, aromatherapy, and perfumery.[13]
Ginger oil, used medicinally in many cultures, and has been studied extensively as a nausea treatment, where it was found more effective than placebo.[14][15][16][17]
Goldenrod oil used in herbal medicine, including treatment of urological problems.[18]
Henna oil, used in body art. Known to be dangerous to people with certain enzyme deficiencies.[20] Pre-mixed pastes are considered dangerous, primarily due to adulterants.[21][22]
Orange oil, like lemon oil, cold pressed rather than distilled. Consists of 90% d-Limonene. Used as a fragrance, in cleaning products and in flavoring foods.
Orris oil is extracted from the roots of the Florentine iris (Iris florentina), Iris germanica and Iris pallida. It is used as a flavouring agent, in perfume, and medicinally.[23]
The spice star anise is distilled to make star anise oil
Sandalwood oil, used primarily as a fragrance, for its pleasant, woody fragrance.[24]
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 beer, inter alia. Sassafras oil is heavily regulated in the United States due to its high safrole content.[25]
Savory oil, from Satureja species. Used in aromatherapy, cosmetic and soap-making applications.
Star anise oil, highly fragrant oil using in cooking. Also used in perfumery and soaps, has been used in toothpastes, mouthwashes, and skin creams.[26] 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
Julia Lawless, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils: The Complete Guide to the Use of Oils in Aromatherapy and Herbalism (ISBN1852307218) 1995
The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy
↑Singh, Gurdip; Maurya, Sumitra; Catalan, C.; de Lampasona, M. P. (June 2004). "Chemical Constituents, Antifungal and Antioxidative Effects of Ajwain Essential Oil and Its Acetone Extract". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry52 (11): 3292–3296. doi:10.1021/jf035211c. PMID15161185.
↑Ernst, E.; Pittler, M.H. (1 March 2000). "Efficacy of ginger for nausea and vomiting: a systematic review of randomized clinical trials". British Journal of Anaesthesia84 (3): 367–371. doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.bja.a013442. PMID10793599.
↑"Allergies associated with body piercing and tattoos: a report of the Allergy Vigilance Network". European Annals of Allergy and Clinical Immunology39 (6): 189–92. June 2007. PMID17713170.