Aromatherapy essential oils are made up of different chemical groups and elements. The main elements are carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The main element is oxygen, but the chemical structure is more complicated. See below the main compounds in order of bactericidal activity.
Phenols Phenols have a great antibacterial and stimulant capacity, but can sometimes irritate the skin. The most common phenols are eugenol (found in cloves), thymol (found in thyme), and carvacrol (found in marjoram and savory).
Aldehydes Citronella, citral, and minerals are the main aldehydes that can be found in most lemon-flavored oils such as lemongrass, lemon balm, lemon eucalyptus, and lemon verbena oils. All have a great sedative effect and citral also has valuable antiseptic properties.
Alcohols This group of compounds has high antiviral and antibacterial properties. The alcohols that are included in the oils are not toxic. Some of the best known are linalol (lavender and rosewood), geraniol (palmarosa), citronellol (geranium, lemon, rose and eucalyptus). Others are menthol, borneol, terpineol, farnesol, and neroli.
Esters These compounds can be found in almost all essential oils and have great anti-stress and anti-fungal effects. Linaline acetate and geranyl acetate are the most common esters that can be found in lavender, sage, and bergamot oils.
Terpenes They are well known for their antibacterial effect and anti-inflammatory properties. They can generally be found in almost all citrus essential oils, and the main terpenes you might be dealing with are limonene, dipentin, pinene, fellandrin, and terpenine.
Ketones You shouldn’t be surprised, but ketones are toxic. Its present is most evident in the essential oil of fennel, hyssop, jasmine and sage. The good news is that they are not dangerous to your health. They are used in the treatment of many respiratory diseases and greatly improve blood and fluid circulation in the body. Some of the ketones you may find are aphids and thujone.
Oxides Many oxides can be found, but the most valuable is cineole oxide. It is one of the main ingredients in eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil, and rosemary oil. They have a great expectorant capacity and are widely used by many people with respiratory problems.
These are some of the main components that you should know about. But you must remember that each different oil has its own chemical structure. The amount of components in each oil is different and there are many that have more than 700 different components. All are very useful for health and are excellent against many diseases. Its power to cure different diseases depends on many factors such as the density of the components and what is the main chemical component. That is why their aromas and abilities vary greatly.
