Essential Oils
Essential oils are volatile,concentrated substances extracted
from flowers, leaves, stems, roots, seeds, bark, resin or fruit
rinds. The amount of essential oils found in these plants can be
anywhere from only 0.01% to 10% of the total plant material.
That's why tons of plant materials are required for just a
few hundred pounds of oil. The oils have potent anti-microbial
factors, having 200-300 therapeutic constituents. Essential
oils are often referred to as the immune system of the
plant. They help to protect the plant from many invaders,
such as insects and fungi. Essential oils are not interchangeable
with synthetics. Only pure oils contain a full spectrum of
components that synthetics simply cannot duplicate. In
addition, the body generally responds better to these natural
materials.