What are Essential Oils?
Os essencial oils – OE – They have been used by mankind for centuries. Baths, beauty rituals and even religious rituals; their applications have been very varied. Later, essential oils also began to be used as a natural therapeutic source for healing and relieving pain and illness.
Essential oils are aromatic and volatile compounds that can be extracted from roots, stems, leaves, flowers or other parts of aromatic plants. These extractions can occur by steam distillation, which is the most commonly used technique, plant compression or the use of suitable solvents.
Why is Essential Oil Called That?
Its main characteristic is the volatility. This is what sets it apart from fixed oils, also known as vegetable oils. Some examples are jojoba, avocado, macadamia oils, among others..
They have a complex chemical composition and, in relation to vegetable oils, they have adaptive advantages in the environment in which they are found. This chemical composition of volatile oils varies between species and parts of the same plant.
The same botanical species can be affected by the place of cultivation, collection, stabilization and storage conditions, in addition to climatic factors. Its main constituents are mainly terpene derivatives, such as mono and sesquiterpenes and phenylpropanoids, which give it its organoleptic characteristics, such as its characteristic odor.
The Possibilities of Essential Oils Are Many
Essential oils are generally used as fragrances. – or fragrance fixatives – in pharmaceutical compositions and marketed in their raw or processed form, providing purified substances such as limonene, citral, citronellal, eugenol, menthol and safrole.
There are around 300 essential oils of commercial importance in the world and Brazil is a leading producer, alongside India, China and Indonesia, which are considered the world's four largest producers. Brazil's position is particularly due to citrus fruits, which are byproducts of the juice industry.
The growing interest of consumers in functional ingredients from natural sources is allowing the application of essential oils in the food, beverage, personal hygiene and cosmetics industries, with emphasis on their application in the area of trichology and aesthetics.
Essential Care When Choosing Essential Oil
Among the natural products used in therapeutic approaches, these oils are frequently used in aromatherapy and are described as products with great therapeutic and pharmacological potential. Because they are highly concentrated in various chemical substances, should not be applied directly to the skin. It is important to use vegetable carrier oils to dilute them. Direct use on the skin may cause allergies, stains and lesions..
This type of oil may present quality problems due to the variability of its composition, environmental conditions and adulteration. Adulteration, for example, may occur through the addition of synthetic compounds or essential oils of lower value or even the complete falsification of the oil, with the mixture of synthetic substances dissolved in an inert vehicle. Therefore, it is essential to purchase products from a good source, so that their therapeutic effectiveness is guaranteed.
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