Aromatherapy Flashcards
Are sesquiterpene high oils warming or cooling
Both
What are the four methods of extracting EO?
Distillation, solvent, CO2 extraction and pressing
What does it mean chemically when an aroma has a “base note”
It is a large molecule with low volatility.
What is heavier a monoterpene or sesquiterpene?
Sesquiterpene
What plant part is the oil extratcted from for Black Pepper?
Dried fruit
What plant part is the oil extracted from for Cedarwood?
The wood and trunk
What plant part is the oil extracted from for Patchouli
The leaves
Which sesquiterpene high oil is know to lower blood pressure?
Ylang Ylang
Which sesquiterpene high oil is made from flowers?
German Chamomile, Helichrysum, Ylang Ylang
Which sesquiterpine oils are warming and could potentially irritate the skin?
Black Pepper and Ginger
You are making a blend for a client who wants help to clear their congested sinuses. Would you choose monoterpenes or sesquiterpenes?
monoterpenes
An absolute is the result of what type of extraction?
Solvent
Can we generalize about the therapeutic properties of the sesquiterpene rich oils?
Not very well, we need to look at each oil individually.
Do all plants contain volatile aromatic components?
No, only some plants contain volatile aromatic components
What is the common name for Commiphora guidotti?
Opopanax
What is the common name for the product produced when solvent extraction is used?
Absolutes
What is Trauma Oil?
An herbally-infused oil blend that combines arnica, St. John’s wort, and calendula
What plant part is the oil extracted from for Opopanax and Myrrh?
Resin
What plant part is the oil extracted from for Spikenard and Ginger?
Rhizome
What plant part is the oil extracted from for Vetiver?
Rootlets
Which two aromatic notes (top, middle, base) are predominant in this group?
Middle, base
Why is pressed Lime phototoxic but steam distilled Lime is not?
The phototoxic components (furanocoumarins) are present in the pressed oils but not the distilled oil
You are making a 2 oz (60 ml) anti-inflammatory blend for your frail, tired, worn out, 90-year-old grandma. How many drops of essential oil total should you use?
10-12 (which is a 1% dilution)
You are making a 2 oz (60 ml) blend at a 3% dilution. How many total drops of essential oil will you add?
30-36
You are making a blend for a client who wants help to be more emotionally grounded. Would you choose Vetiver or distilled Lime?
Vetiver
You just bought a brand new diffuser. In general, which oils will diffuse more easily—monoterpene-rich oils, or sesquiterpene-rich oils?
Monoterpene-rich oils, because they are lighter molecules—top and middle notes.
What does GC/MS stand for?
Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (now say that five times in a row!)
What does phototoxic mean?
Toxic in sunlight. In practice, a person puts on a blend with a phototoxic oil in it, goes out in the sun, and ends up with a serious sunburn or discoloration of their skin.
What is the difference between a common name and a Latin name?
Common is the name given to a plant by the “common people” of an area. There may be many different common names for the same plant. A Latin name is the botanical name for a given plant. There is usually only one Latin name for each plant (although Latin names can be changed and updated), whereas there could be five or six common names for a single plant. Just to confuse things more, sometimes people call different plants by the same common name
What is the universal language for botanical plant names?
Latin
Which is volatile, an essential oil or a carrier oil such as jojoba, avocado, or olive oil?
Essential oil
Which part of the following Latin name refers to the genus of the plant: Matricaria recutita?
Matricaria
Which part of the following Latin name refers to the species of the plant: Matricaria recutita?
recutita
Your client feels like a cold is coming on. They are congested in their sinuses and have the beginning of a cough. Everyone at their office is catching the latest cold. What methods of application would help?
Steam inhalation or inhaler
Your client tells you he is very sensitive to perfumes, lotions, soaps and shampoos. He wants to try a massage oil with essential oils in it. What are some precautions you should take with this client?
Use only a 1% dilution, get his approval of the aroma of the oil before applying it to his body, apply a small amount to his forearm first and wait 10 or 15 minutes to check for any signs of irritation or sensitivity before recommending he use this for a full body massage
Your client wants a daily lotion with essential oils that nourish the skin. What dilution should you use?
1% or 2%
Are essential oils high in monoterpenes generally more or less prone to oxidation than other essential oils?
More. They are more unstable than other molecules.
Do all plants make chemotypes?
No, only some plants do
How does the molecular weight of essential oils affect the way they are absorbed by the skin?
Essential oils with low molecular weight absorb faster. Oils with higher molecular weights can take longer to absorb
Is “Lavender” a Latin name or a common name?
Is “Lavender” a Latin name or a common name?
Is a chemotype a hybrid?
No, a chemotype has the same genus and same species, but a different chemistry. The plant has a genetic predisposition to create chemotypes based on the environments it grows in.
Name four phototoxic essential oils.
Bergamot, Bitter Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit. Little known fact: steam distilled Lime is not phototoxic, but cold pressed Lime is.
On a practical level, what useful information does an Aromatherapist get from the GC/MS?
A breakdown of the chemical constituents, which helps the Aromatherapist to understand the therapeutic effects of that particular batch of oil, guarantee the oil is not adulterated, and identify chemotypes of certain oils
Our sense of smell, or olfaction, has direct connection to which two parts of the brain?
Cortex and limbic system
What are some benefits of understanding the chemical families and individual chemical components?
Knowing the chemical families and components in an essential oil can tell you a lot about the oil’s therapeutic properties, safety concerns, and aroma.
What are three potential concerns for using monoterpene-rich oils on skin?
Oxidation (they tend to oxidize within 1-2 years, depending on the oil), phototoxicity (some of the citruses are phototoxic), and skin irritation (from the hot and spicy oils, or oxidized oils
What does olfaction mean?
he action or capacity of smelling; the sense of smell.
What is a chemotype?
A chemotype is a plant that has the same genus and same species, but a different chemistry. The plant has a genetic predisposition to create chemotypes based on the environments it grows in.
What is an example of a plant that has several different chemotypes?
Thymus vulgaris, Rosmarinus officinalis, Ocimum basilcum
What is the Latin name for Lavender?
That depends on what type of Lavender you are talking about. It could be Lavandula officinalis, Lavandula latifolia, Lavendula X intermedia, and on and on—so which plant are you talking about?
What system does steam inhalation directly affect?
Respiratory system
Why is it such a big deal that the sense of smell directly affects the limbic system?
The limbic system is the seat of emotions, instinctive behaviors and connections to learning and memory.