ESSENTIAL OIL
AND THE CHARACTERISTIC SCENT OF LAVENDER
What gives lavender that wonderful fragrance?
Many plants boast the complex biochemical machinery that allows them to make a huge variety of compounds that accumulate in microscopic “oil glands” in various parts of each plant. A specific set of genes in each plant is activated to produce the enzymes that catalyze each step in the biochemical synthesis of every individual aroma molecule. Varying amounts of hundreds of such aroma molecules go into the formulation of a given plant’s essential oil.
Here are some things to remember about essential oils from the lavender family:
- The essential oil within the “oil glands” is a complex mixture of hundreds of different organic molecules, in highly variable amounts from very large portions to trace quantities. From a chemical standpoint, there is nothing “pure” about essential oils.
- Each specific molecule in the essential oil has its own unique fragrance, which may or may not be pleasant in isolation.
- The various compounds have differing volatilities, so you should expect, at any given moment, that the most volatile compounds will be disproportionately represented in what you are able to smell. REMEMBER: we can only smell those molecules that have evaporated and entered the gaseous phase, and then get carried to our olfactory receptors in the uppermost part of the nasal cavity.
- Various parts of the lavender plant produce differing quantities of aroma compounds at progressive stages of the plant’s development. By far, the largest amount of essential oil is associated with mature lavender “buds” (calyces).
Taking in the beautiful scent of blooming lavender is, of course, a favorite way of appreciating these plants. But here’s a friendly word of advice when it comes to isolated essential oil: remember that a small bottle of lavender essential oil represents aroma compounds pulled from millions of lavender buds. Even a small drop of the liquid is an enormous number of highly-concentrated fragrance molecules which occurs as such nowhere in nature. Cracking open a bottle and taking a direct “hit” right under your nose is an excellent way to evoke your inherent olfactory defensive mechanisms. Simply put, too much of ANY odorant will be perceived as offensive or dangerous, inducing evasion behaviors. Think of the all-too-common occurrence of people taking a big whiff from an EO bottle, then immediately pushing it away and gasping, “it’s too strong!” Rightly so, as their brains are warning them not to do that again! Even if one contends with a “direct hit”, it’s virtually impossible to appreciate the true balance and combined attractiveness of the aroma compounds. On the other hand, it is exceptionally easy to turn the brain off to the aggressive assault of too many molecules on our olfactory centers, making closely repeated exposures to essential oils increasingly unreliable from a sensory perspective. So, word to the wise, don’t judge your lavender oils directly from their bottles (unless you’re content to be consistently wrong in your assessments.)
Contributed and formatted by
Michael Lemmers
RavenCroft
