Aromatherapy Glossary

Below is our main glossary, but there are also specific interest glossaries:

Main Glossary | Aromatherapy Glossary | Tea Glossary | Natural Health Glossary | Spice Glossary

Absolute - Products, not strictly essential oils, obtained through chemical solvent extraction.

Alternative Therapy - Complementary medicinal disciplines that typically use natural, rather than chemical, approaches. (See also Holistic-oriented.)

Aromatherapy - The art and science of using pure essential oils extracted from natural botanicals to relax, balance and rejuvenate the body, mind and spirit.

Aromatherapy Benefit - The emotional or physical effect evoked by aromatic essential oils. Examples include balancing, energizing, rejuvenating, cleansing, deodorizing and purifying.

Ayurvedic - The ancient Hindu art of medicine and of prolonging life.

Botanical Name - Refers to the Latin name of the plant in the biological classification system. A botanical name is composed of the genus followed by the species.

Carrier Oil - A vegetable oil base in which essential oils are diluted to create massage blends and body care products. Examples include sweet almond, apricot kernel, jojoba and grapeseed.

Certified Organic Farming - Cultivation without the use of artificial herbicides, fertilizers or pesticides. Certification by an independent third party ensures the plants are grown, harvested, transported and processed in ways that protect their integrity.

Cold Press Extraction - See Expression.

Diffuser - An aromatherapy accessory used to gently disperse essential oils into the air for olfactory benefit.

Diffusion - Diffusion is the spontaneous movement of liquid, gas, or solid particles from an area of high concentration to low concentration. For example, uncapping a bottle of essential oil produces diffusion as the volatile constituents move from the bottle (an area of high concentration) into the environment (an area of low concentration) without being acted upon by heat or pressure. This could also be referred as spontaneous evaporation. Technically, all of the apparatuses used in aromatherapy vaporize or volatilize essential oils because they are acted upon by heat, and/or pressure, to produce fine separated particles or vapor.

Distillate - A product of distillation. For example, lavender oil is the distillate of the fresh, blooming lavender plant.

Distillation - The primary method of producing essential oils is through steam distillation. Distillation is an age-old process. While the crude still of the past (almost identical to the simple country "moonshine" still) is now often replaced with modern, stainless steel versions, the process is still basically unchanged. Water is heated to boiling and steam passes through fresh plant material stacked on a rack above the boiling water, causing the cell walls of the plant to break down and release the essential oil. The water and essential oil vapor then pass through a cooler that condenses the steam and the oil into a liquid. The liquid is collected and the oil separates from the water. Most oils are lighter than water and thus collect on the surface of the water where they are siphoned off. Oils heavier than water sink to the bottom of the collector where they are removed. Some stills use "direct," or "water" distillation where the plant material is mixed with the boiling water with the same effect.

Enfleurage - Age-old method of extracting essential oils using odorless fats and oils to absorb the oil from the plant material.

Essential Oil - The highly concentrated, volatile, aromatic essences of plants. Information on specific essential oils can be found in the Essential Oil Directory.

Expression - Method of obtaining essential oil from plant material, such as citrus fruit peel. The complete oil is physically forced from the plant material. Also known as cold press extraction.

Extraction Method - The method by which essential oils are separated from the plant. Common extraction methods include distillation, expression and solvent extraction.

Fixative - A fixative is a plant or animal substance of low volatility that serves to draw together and hold the fragrances of other materials. It may be in the form of a liquid, such as an essential oil or fragrance that will slow the evaporation process and preserve the aromatic sensation of the blend, or it may be in the form of a botanical that will absorb and hold the various aromas. Using a fixative will create a more distinct and longer lasting product. Orris root, amyris, calamus root, angelica root, and vetiver root are a few commonly used fixatives.

Food Grade - Considered safe for use in food by the Food and Drug Administration.

Fragrance - Aroma. Products labeled as fragrances are not pure essential oils. They are derived by synthetic means.

GC (Gas chromatography) - Gas chromatography (GC) is a method of measuring the volatile chemical constituents of a substance. It is one of four objective tests that Frontier uses to determine the quality, identity and purity of every essential oil. GC analysis produces a "fingerprint" of the oil by showing the quantitative presence of each chemical compound. The results can be compared to established standards and reveal oil purity and other information (even the country of origin) which helps validate the oil quality. GC readings that are inconsistent with established standards can be the result of contamination, adulteration, the use of wrong plant parts or species, "off season" harvesting, improper distillation techniques, or product enhancement practices that Frontier finds unacceptable.

GCMS (Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) - Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GCMS) is a method for identifying and analyzing the volatile chemical constituents of a substance. GCMS is a useful tool for analyzing essential oil. GC produces a "fingerprint" of the oil by showing the quantitative presence of each chemical compound. Mass spectrometry identifies each one of those compounds. In order to set our specifications at Frontier, we ran GCMS on each of our oils to identify the chemical components. Then we conducted extensive testing of a variety of oil samples and combined that with extensive review of the scientific literature to develop GC specifications that help us assure that all of our essential oils are authentic, pure, unadulterated and of the highest quality.

Herbal, Herbalism - Pertaining to natural botanicals and living plants.

Holistic-oriented - A natural approach to healing outside Western medicine conventions.

Insoluble - Unable to be dissolved in a liquid such as water.

Massage Therapy - A hands-on therapy in which essential oils are applied to the body for emotional and physical benefits.

Olfactory - Of, relating to or connected with the sense of smell.

Potpourri - A fragrant mixture of dried herbs and flowers. Usually scented with synthetic fragrance oils.

Practitioner - A person engaged in a specific practice, discipline or learned technique.

Properties, Chemical - Characteristics of essential oils based on their chemical constituents.

Sebaceous Glands - Present in the dermis. Open to the surface at pores located in the epidermis. Produces sebum (oil).

Sebum - The oily substance produced by the sebaceous glands which function to lubricate the skin and seal moisture into the cells. The level of sebum production determines whether your skin is normal, dry or oily.

Single Note - A pure, 100% natural essential oil: no additives; no adulterations.

Soluble - Able to be dissolved in a liquid such as water.

Species - Major subdivision of a genus of plants. A biological classification composed of related plant individuals.

Synergistic - A characteristic in which the total effect is more effective than the individual parts.

Synergistic Blend - A combination of multiple essential oils that produce a completely new aroma with a different therapeutic effect.

Synthetic - An artificially produced substance designed to imitate that which occurs naturally.

Viscosity - Pertaining to the thickness or thinness of a liquid.

Volatilization - The rate of evaporation or oxidation of an essential oil.

Wild - Growing spontaneously, not cultivated.