Lesson 1 Flashcards
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
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?
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, show components that might indicate adulteration and identify chemotypes of certain oils.
