| Although the word aromatherapy makes it sound as | | | | outstripped supply - due to a failure of sustainable |
| if the therapeutic content of an essential oil is merely | | | | horticulture. In fact, in many cases, the plants which |
| the scent, this is not really the case. The scent may | | | | produce the oils have simply been harvested from |
| indeed add something to the experience, but the | | | | the wild, and there's obviously a limit to how often |
| healing property is bound up in the constituents | | | | you can do this before stocks start to run out. |
| contained in the essential oil, a complex natural blend | | | | The result of this rarity combined with the huge |
| which is distinct from one plant to another. | | | | demand of the market is that some unscrupulous |
| Even quite closely related plants, such as dwarf pine | | | | suppliers have started to add impurities in an effort |
| and Scots pine, may have entirely different | | | | to boost the volume of product they have available |
| properties - so much so that while Scots pine has | | | | for sale. Some of these claim that their additives are |
| many uses in aromatherapy, dwarf pine has none at | | | | "nature identical" but if this was truly the case, the |
| all. | | | | resulting additions would be even more expensive |
| Some plants produce more than one essential oil, | | | | than the product they are trying to imitate. |
| depending on the part used. The bitter orange, for | | | | As already stated, essential oils contain a complex |
| example, is used to create neroli essential oil from | | | | mixture of ingredients, and it's impossible to duplicate |
| the blossom, petitgrain from the leaves and twigs | | | | this exactly. There's only one thing identical to nature |
| and bitter orange oil from the fruit (or more | | | | - and that's nature itself. |
| correctly, the orange rind). All these are used for | | | | When you think about the subtle differences |
| different purposes. | | | | between the different oils extracted from the bitter |
| Pure essential oils are extracted from plants, usually | | | | orange plant and the different uses of each of them, |
| by distillation. Whatever process is used ensures that | | | | it's clear that you need to be very sure that what |
| all the chemical constituents are retained in their | | | | you are getting is the actual genuine product and not |
| original proportions, uncorrupted by other substances. | | | | some imitation cobbled together in a lab. |
| When you buy 100% pure essential oil you know | | | | Even if the label on the bottle says "therapeutic |
| that what you are getting will work as expected, | | | | grade", if there's nothing guaranteeing the 100% |
| without unwanted side effects. | | | | purity of the oil, don't buy it. Make sure you buy oils |
| However, many oils are rare and difficult to obtain. | | | | which are labeled "100% pure essential oil" and that |
| Some have always been difficult to source, and | | | | the supplier is reputable and well known for the |
| others are becoming more rare because demand has | | | | quality of their products. |