Nature's Pharmacy
As the pharmaceutical companies churn out millions of pills and potions to alter the body behaviour and the mood of our mind, the science of smell has emerged as a new medical frontier, providing a direct gateway into the mood centers of the brain. Best of all, it does so without any negative side effects.
Escents is a pioneer in aromatherapy and the use of essential oils. We have designed innovative products that use our proprietary aroma formulas to safely deliver them to where they will most affect your mood and well-being. Delivered directly to the smell receptors in our nose, the aromas found in essential oils have a powerful effect on behaviour.
See Using Essential Oils for information on the pathways of essential oils into the body and for directions on how to apply and potential contraindications.
What Are Essential Oils?
Essential oils are the concentrated essence of the plant. They are extracted from varied parts of the plant: the root, seed, trunk, and leaf, fruit and / or flower. Each essential oil has a unique chemical composition consisting of botanical vitamins, hormones and antiseptics. Escents has leaned about the properties of the many available essential oils to make them available to treat a wide range of conditions, from headaches and muscular pains to depression, insomnia and stress. Essential oils provide very effective solutions to many different physical and emotional ailments.
All of Escents Wellness Products are safe, non-toxic and have no side effects.
Imagine using products that use nature to help get rid of headaches, alleviate muscle and arthritis, insomnia, combat nasal congestion, naturally prevent bug bites, and much more. Great natural solutions are available in Escents Wellness ollection of aromatherapy products.
Character of Escents 100% Pure Essential Oils
"Blood of Plants", "Spirit of Leaves", "Soul of Flowers" - since the beginning of time, man has used the beneficial essences or essential oils of plants and flowers for medicinal as well as emotional purposes.
- only the highest, therapeutic grade essential oils are used
- although called "oils", the consistency is more like water; they mix with vegetable oils however, and do not emulsify in water
- essential oils are volatile, meaning that their molecule size is small enough to evaporate if left uncovered
- each essential oil has its own volatility rate, measured on a scale of 1-100 (1 meaning that the oil evaporates very rapidly); citrus oils have the fastest evaporation rate
- easily absorbed into the bloodstream via inhalation and topical application due to small molecular size
- anti-septic to varying degrees; some have antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial properties
- come in many different colors and viscosities
- some have stronger scents than others do, e.g. chamomile blue (blue, very liquid, with a very strong scent) vs. sandalwood (light amber, very thick, very mild scent)
- come from all over the globe – like wine, some regions grow superior crops; weather, soil, pollution, and production method also affect quality
- very different from herbs – essential oils are the concentrated essence derived when herbs are steam distilled
- essential oils are approximately 100 times stronger than the dried herb from which it came, which is why they irritate the skin
- cannot be applied directly to the skin, and must be diluted before use (with the exception of two, lavender and tea tree)
- each has their own specific safety data and contraindications; make sure to read what they are before using
Extraction Methods
Steam Distillation
True essential oils are those that are extracted through steam distillation. This is where the plant material is placed on a grid with hot water underneath. The steam draws out the essential oils from the plant material. These tiny molecules evaporate with the water and then go through a cooling system where they end up back in liquid form. Here the essential oils are either floating on top of the water or settled on the bottom depending on the density of the oil. Then the essential oils are separated from the water, leaving the floral waters, called hydrosols, which still retain some of the therapeutic properties. This form of extraction is the most common method for most essential oils.
Expression
Citrus oils are extracted through expression. Here, the rind of the fruit is pressed between two blocks of wood with one side having a sponge. The little sacs are squeezed so that the essential oils saturate the sponge. The essential oil or essence is then squeezed out of the sponge. Often rind particles find their way into the essential oils and it is not uncommon to see floating bits or sediment. When this process is used, the proper name for the resulting liquid is an "essence"; however, most people simply refer to the liquid as essential oils. Essences are very vaporous and will evaporate quickly if left uncapped or in the heat.
Solvent Extraction - Resinoids
Resins are the solid or semi-solid substances exuded from the bark of trees or bushes when wounded. The gum-like substance produced does not exist in the tree beforehand but is produced pathologically, solely as a result of the incision, and hardens on exposure to air. Various solvents can be used to extract the aromatic molecules from the resins; the most frequently used being hydrocarbons (e.g. benzene, hexane) or alcohols, with each solvent type extracting different molecules. The solvents are filtered off and afterwards removed by distillation to leave either resinoids (from hydrocarbon solvents) or absolute resins (from alcohol solvents).
Solvent Extraction – Concretes
The extraction of concretes is similar to that of resinoids; hydrocarbons are used as solvents. For concretes however, plant material (leaves, flowers, roots, etc.) is used instead of resin – this is the main difference. Most concretes are solid wax-like substances and are often used in food flavourings.
Solvent Extraction – Absolutes
An absolute is prepared from a concrete, by adding an alcohol to extract the aromatic (alcohol-soluble) molecules. The alcohol is then evaporated off gently under a vacuum, leaving the absolute, which is a thick, coloured liquid. The absolute method is typically used for are and very delicate flower petals because steam distillation is too harsh, and no essential oils can usually be derived from such delicate petals. Absolutes of jasmine, tuberose and vanilla are achieved using this process
Absolutes and resins are much used in the perfumery world, and although they can be useful in some applications of aromatherapy, it must be appreciated that they always retain a small percentage of the solvents used in their production. Luckily, very small quantities of the absolute are used for each aromatherapy application so the risk is negligible.
CO2 Extraction
CO2 extractions are made using high technology equipment where carbon dioxide gas, high pressure and low temperatures are used to extract the essences. This process produces an oil that retains greater amounts of aromatic components than by steam distillation. The scent is therefore more identical to that of the original plant. This process makes it possible to have scents not attainable by usual extraction methods (like papaya, mango and black current). The CO2 is used in a gaseous form and naturally evaporates or dissipates, leaving behind no residue.
Disclaimer: Do not take any oils internally. Do not apply undiluted essential oils, or any other concentrated oils onto the skin. If you are pregnant, epileptic, have liver damage, have cancer, or have any other medical problem, use oils only under the proper guidance of a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. Use extreme caution when using oils with children and give children only the gentlest oils at extremely low doses. It is safest to consult a qualified aromatherapy practitioner before using oils with children. |
