Essential Oils by Category

TCM Categories

• Virus – are often wind cold
• Bacteria – are often wind heat
• Fungus – are often wind damp

Five Elements: Excess & Deficiency

Safety

Skin Types

Major Chemical Constituents

Properties of the Chemical Families

Monoterpenes

• Found in almost all essential oils tend to be antiseptic, antibacterial
• Can be analgesic, mucolytic (expectorant)
• Are drying and will irritate the skin in high concentrations

Sesquiterpenes

• Tend to be antiseptic, antibacterial, and antiviral
• Concentrated mostly in roots & wood
• Can be anti-inflammatory, carminative (prevents or relieves flatulence), hypotensive, nervine, analgesic, antispasmodic

Diterpenes

• Rarely found in essential oils
• Tend to be antifungal, antiviral
• Can be expectorant, purgative
• Contains phytosteroids - hormonal balancing

Alcohols

• Generally non-toxic with no skin irritation
• Tend to be strong antibacterial/antiviral, anti-infectious
• Sesquiterpenols are especially noted for being tonifying and emotionally uplifting

Phenols

• Tend to be antiseptic, antibacterial
• Often irritate the skin (use low dilutions for short intervals) and can be toxic to the liver
• Modulate the immune system and are anti-depressants

Aldehydes

• Tend to be antiviral, anti-inflammatory
• Generally strong nervine, sedative, hypotensive
• Can reduce heat/fever and are vasodilators
• Often will irritate skin

Ketones

• Strong for breaking up fat (lipolytic) and phlegm (mucolytic)
• Can be analgesic, anti-coagulant, anti-inflammatory, vulnerary (used in the healing of wounds), digestant
• Are neurotoxic; use with great care during pregnancy

Esters (Acid+ Alcohol)

• Tend to be antifungal
• Considered one of the most balancing and harmonizing chemical reactions (user-friendly, except methyl salicylate)
• Can be anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory, vulnerary (used in the healing of wounds), nervine

Ethers

• Generally anti-spasmodic

Oxides

• Are mucolytic and serve as expectorants
• Can irritate skin and some are neurotoxic

Lactones

• Found in some absolute oils
• Considered the most powerful mucolytic,
• Can reduce body temperature
• Usually photosensitive and can be skin irritants

Coumarins

• Tend to be antiviral, antifungal
• Are anti-coagulants/blood-thinners
• Very good for balancing moods
• Photosensitive and can damage liver

Phenylpropane Derivatives

• Tend to be strong antiseptic, antifungal
• Many can cause skin sensitivity reactions

Acids

• Primarily in aromatic hydrosols (good for moisturizing)
• Tend to be antiseptic and anti-inflammatory

Top, Middle & Base Notes

Basics: Neat, Dilution, Formulas & Fixatives

In general

• All essential oils immediately affect the wei Qi, because we smell them and breathe them into the lung
• All the essential oils interact with the yuan Qi
• Also work well with the Divergent Channels, since they work with the conversation between wei qi and yuan qi

Neat

• Undiluted oil or combination of oils

Dilution

• Typically, 6% in carrier oils

Formula

• Typically, up to 5 oils

Fixatives

• Fixatives are substances that limit the volatility of fragrance components and prolong the life of a perfume's aroma.
• A fixative equalizes the vapor pressures, and thus the volatilities, of the raw materials in a perfume oil, and increases tenacity.

About Absolutes

Absolutes are highly concentrated aromatic oils extracted from plants using a solvent method. The multi-step process includes first extracting the aromatic oil from the plant material with a chemical solvent such as hexane. After the solvent is removed what is left behind is a waxy substance called a concrete. The aromatic oils are then extracted from the concrete with ethyl alcohol, and after the ethyl alcohol is removed, the remaining substance is an absolute – an oil with an aroma close to the plant from which it came. An absolute is the most concentrated form of fragrance and highly regarded in natural perfumery.

Absolutes differ from essential oils in that they contain not only essential oil, but also a higher density of coloring, waxes and other constituents from the plant. In addition, they usually contain a small percentage of alcohol remaining from the second phase of the extraction process (typically up to 2 or 3 percent).

Oils in this database also available as absolutes: Angelica, Atlas Cedar, Celery Seed, Jasmine, Lavender, Marigold, Mimosa, Narcissus, Oakmoss, Rose, Violet

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