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Why are essential oils called "essential"?

Essential oils are called "essential" because they easily dissolve in alcohol to form essences. (Essences are extracts that have the fundamental properties of a substance in concentrated form.) Essential oils are used in flavorings, perfumes, disinfectants, medicines, and other products. One of the main ingredients of these oils is a substance belonging to the terpene group (terpene is a type of hydrocarbon). Essential oils are naturally occurring, volatile (readily convert to a gas), scented oils found in the leaves, pods, and other parts of plants.

Examples of essential oils include bergamot, eucalyptus, ginger, pine, spearmint, and wintergreen oils. These oils are extracted by distillation (the process in which the components of a substance are separated, by boiling and subsequent condensation) or enfleurage (a process in which odorless fats or oils absorb the...

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