|
Volatile Oils
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing Volatility (chemistry), volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the oil of the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. An essential oil is essential in the sense that it contains the essence of the plant's fragrance—the characteristic fragrance of the plant from which it is derived. The term "essential" used here does ''not'' mean indispensable or usable by the human body, as with the terms essential amino acid or essential fatty acid, which are so called because they are nutritionally required by a living organism. Essential oils are generally extracted by distillation, often steam distillation, by using steam. Other processes include Ram press (food), expression, Liquid-liquid extraction, solvent extraction, ''sfumatura'', Absolute (perfumery), absolute oil ext ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sandalwood Oil
Sandalwood oil is an essential oil obtained from the steam distillation of chips and billets cut from the heartwood of various species of sandalwood trees, mainly ''Santalum album'' (Indian sandalwood) and ''Santalum spicatum'' (Australian sandalwood). Sandalwood oil is used in perfumes, cosmetics, sacred unguents, and as a mild food flavouring. Main constituents Sandalwood oil contains more than 90% sesquiterpenic alcohols of which 50–60% is the tricyclic α-santalol. β-Santalol comprises 20–25%. The composition of the oil will depend on the species, region grown, age of tree, and possibly the season of harvest and details of the extraction process used. Current International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards for ''S. album'' oil are 41–55% α-santalol and 16–24% β–santalol (ISO 3518: 2002E). Traditional uses Due to its highly coveted fragrance, the essential oil produced from sandalwood is often used in aromatherapy, and is also added to soaps a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
