Essential Oils 101: Types of Plant Oils

Welcome to week two of Essential Oils 101! This week I am sharing the types of plant oils. Plants have two oils: seed and essential. Let's get started.

Seed Oils, which are peanut, corn, almond, etc. are known as fatty oils. Here are some quick facts about seed oils:

• Processed from seeds
• Necessary foods for seeds to germinate/sprout
• Not essential to the life processes of the plant
• Large Molecules (long carbon chains)
• Non-Aromatic and Non-Volatile
• Do not circulate in plants or human body
• Do not pass through tissues/cell walls
• Greasy to touch
• Can spoil or turn rancid
• Not antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiviral or antiseptic

Therapeutic and Authentic Essential Oils (EO'S) stem from distilled flower, roots, leaves, twigs and bark. Here are some quick facts about EO's: 

• Distilled from plant parts
• Not involved in seed germination/early growth
• Essential to plant life processes
• Tiny molecules, which are aromatic and volatile
• Built from rings and short chains
• Circulate through the plant and in the human body
• Can pass through cell membranes
• Not greasy
• Do not spoil or turn rancid
• Stimulate nerves and help regenerate tissues
• Antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiseptic anti-parasitic and antimicrobial

Next week, we'll discuss how the oils are produced and the following week we'll get into the amazing benefits! Have a wonderful week!

All the best,

Renee