ABORTIFACIENT: Induces or causes premature expulsion of a fetus.

ACRID: Has a biting taste or causes heat and irritation when applied to the skin.

ADJUVANT: An herb used to aid the effectof a principal ingredient when added to a mixture.

ALTERATIVE: A substance which alters a condition by producing a gradual change toward the restoration to health.

ANALGESIC: Relieves or diminishes pain; anodyne.

ANAPHRODISIAC: Reduces sexual desire or potency.

ANODYNE: Eases pain.

ANTHELMINTIC: Expels or destroys intestinal worms.

ANTIBIOTIC: Destroys or arrests the growth of micro-organisms.

ANTICOAGULANT: Prevents clotting in blood, or liquid.

ANTIDOTE: Agents which counteract or destroy the effects of poison or other medicines.

ANTIEMETIC: Counteracts nausea and stops vomiting.

ANTIHYDROTIC: Reduces or suppresses perspiration.

ANTILITHIC: Reduces or suppresses urinary stones and will dissolve existing stones and gravel.

ANTIPERIODIC: Counteracts periodic or intermittent diseases such as malaria.

ANTIPHLOGISTIC: Reduces inflammation.

ANTIPYRETIC: Prevents or reduces fever.

ANTISCORBUTIC: Counteracts scurvy.

ANTISCROFULOUS: Counteracts scrofula.

ANTISEPTIC: Destroys or inhibits bacteria.

ANTISPASMODIC: Prevents or allays spasms or cramps.

ANTITUSSIVE: Relieves coughing.

APHRODISIAC: Stimulates the sex organs.

APERIENT: Herbal agents that are mild laxatives to the intestines, being gentle in peristaltic action.

APPETIZER: Stimulates the appetite.

AROMATIC: Agents which emit a fragrant smell and produce a pungent taste. Used chiefly to make other medicines more palatable.

ASTRINGENT: Causes contraction of tissues.

BALSAMIC: A healing or soothing agent.

BITTER TONIC: Bitter tasting properties which stimulate the flow of saliva and gastric juice. Used to increase the appetite and aid the process of digestion.

CARDIAC: Agents which have an effect on the heart.

CARMINATIVE: Expels gas from the stomach, intestines or bowels.

CATHARTIC: Causes evacuation from the bowels. There are different types of cathartics.  Aperient or laxatives are mild and gentle in their actions. Purgatives are powerful and produce copious evacuations and are used only by adults afflicted with stubborn conditions.

CAUSTIC: Acts as a laxative to empty the bowels.

CHOLAGOGUE: Increases the flow of bile and promotes it's ejection.

CORDIAL: Invigorating and stimulating.

COUNTERIRRITANT: Agents applied to the skin to produce an irritation for the purpose of counteracting a deep inflammation.

DEMULCENT: Soothing, bland. Used to relieve internal inflammations. Provides a protective coating and allays irritation of the membranes.

DEODORANT: Destroys or masks odors.

DEPRESSANT: Eases nervousness or functional activity.

DEPURATIVE: A purifying agent.

DETERGENT: Cleansing.

DIGESTIVE: Aids digestion.

DIAPHORETICS: Herbal agents that increase eliminative secretions through the sweat glands, thus facilitation elimination of toxic and accumulative waste matter.

DISINFECTANT: Cleans infection by destroying or inhibiting harmful micro-organisms.

DIURETICS: Herbal agents that promote secretions of the urinary system, increasing toxic elimination and accumalative matter along with excess water.

EMETICS: Herbal agents that cause evacuation of the stomach contents by inducing vomiting and are usually anti-poisonous.

EMMENAGOGUES: Herbal agents that act upon the reproductive system by strengthening and balancing the cellular tissues by regulating the body's hormonal flow.

EMOLLIENTS: Herbal agents that soothe and soften the external skin surfaces and promote healing by removing foreign toxic matter through absorption.

ERRHINE: Substances which, when applied to the lining membrane of nostrils, creates a discharge of mucous.

EUPHORIANT: Produces an abnormal sense of vigor and buoyancy.

EPISPASTICS: Causes blisters, when applied to the surface of the body, and causes sloughing.

EXANTHEMATOUS: Pertains to skin eruptions or skin diseases.

EXPECTORANTS: Herbal agents that act upon the mucosal membranes of the respiratory tract, facilitating catarrhal discharge, by rendering them less viscid.

FEBRIFUGE:Reduces fever.

GALACTAGOGUE: Promotes the secretion of milk from the nursing breast.

GERMICIDE: Destructive to germs.

HALLUCINOGEN: Produces hallucinations.

HEMOSTATIC: Capable of slowing down or stopping hemorrhage.

HEPATIC: Acts on the liver.

HYDRAGOGUE: Purgative that will produces large amounts of watery discharge.

HYPNOTIC: Capable of inducing sleep.

INVIGORANT: strengthening agent.

IRRITANT: Capable of producing local inflammatory reaction.

LAXATIVE: Causes the bowels to act.

MUCILAGINOUS: Emits a soothing quality to inflamed parts.

NARCOTICS: Herbal agents that have a sedative effect by diminishing the action of the nervous system and vascular system.

NAUSEANT: Produces the tendency to vomit.

NEPHRITIC: Applies to diseases of the kidneys.

NERVINES: Herbal agents that regenerate the entire nervous system, having a calming effect, by altering deranged nervous tissues and neutralizing toxins, that cause irritation of the nerve fibers.

NUTRIENT or NUTRITIVE: Nourishing.

OXYTOCIC: Capable of producing uterine contractions.

PECTORAL: Relieves affections of the chest and lungs.

POISON: That which taken internally or applied topically is Harmful, destructive, or fatal.

PURGATIVE: Causes copious evacuations from the bowels. More drastic than laxatives or aperient, and are generally combined with other agents to control or modify their actions. Used only by adults.

REACTIVATOR: Restores to a state of activity.

REJUVENATOR: An agent which imparts renewed vigor.

RUBEFACIENT: A substance used externally which causes redness and increased blood supply when rubbed into the skin.

RESTORATIVE: Restores consciousness or normal physical activity.

SEDATIVE: Calms the nerves.

SIALAGOGUES: Increases the flow of saliva.

SOPORIFIC: Induces sleep.

SPECIFIC: Agent or remedy that has a special effect on a particular disease.

STIMULANTS: Equalizes circulation and regenerates the tissues of the arterial system.

SUDORIFICS: Increases perspiration, thus facilitating the elimination of toxic waste through the skin.

STOMACHIC: Stimulate the flow of digestive secretions and increases the volume.

STYPTIC: Contracts the blood vessels and stops bleeding.

TENIAFUGE: Expels tapeworm.

TONICS: Tones the alimentary tract, thus correcting problems of the digestive system. Promotes regeneration of tissues throughout the body.

TOPICAL: Applied to the skin only.

VASOCONSTRICTOR: Narrows the blood vessels and raises blood pressure.

VERMIFUGES: Kills and/or expels parasites or worms.

VESICANT: Raises blisters.

VULNERARY: Tone and heal the muscular and skeletal systems and is often employed along with emollients as a poultice for external wounds.

                           Scroll to bottom for a quick reference chart

KETONES

Ketones are the most potentially toxic compounds in essential oils.  The effect they produce upon the body's systems are extremely powerful and too much ketone is what
makes oils too dangerous to use in Aromatherapy.   They can cause spontaneous abortions, provoke an epileptic fit, or poison the central
nervous system.

How ever, in very small amounts they can be of very valuable use in Aromatherapy.
They stimulate the immune system, are anti-fungal etc, BUT safer alternatives usually
can be found.  Use of these oils should be by a professional Aromatherapist only.

Some oils that contain ketones are Mugwort, Sage, and Thuja.  They contain the most
dangerous ketone of them all called Thujone.

Another ketone called borneone is found in Camphor, Cinnamon, Mugwort, and Spike
Lavender.

Carvone (another ketone) is found in caraway, peppermint and many other oils.

In pennyroyal there is pulegone, which causes abortions.  Hyssop has pinocamphone,
which provokes epileptic fits.

Any ketone (you can tell it's a ketone by the last three letters "one") that is listed high
as an active constituent in your essential oils, is ALWAYS to be assumed DANGEROUS!!!!!

Oils that contain medium amounts of Ketones are as follows:
 

Roman chamomile, medium amounts of pinocarvone
Hyssop, medium amounts of pinocamphone
Lavandin, medium amounts of camphor
Peppermint, medium amounts of menthone
Sage, medium amounts of thujone

MONOTERPENES(subsection of Terpenes).

Monoterpenes are found in practically all your essential oils. Amongst the effects that they give (although not very strong) are: bactericidal, stimulating, expectorant, slightly analgesic and in the air are antiseptic. Please note that monoterpenes can be irritating to the skin and any oil containing a high amount of monoterpenes MUST be used with a carrier oil.

All citrus oils (except Bergemot) contain a high amount of a terpene called dextro-limonene and these actually quench the irritating effects of an oil that is high in aldehyde (such as bergamot or lemongrass) rendering it safe to use.

There are also dipentene, pinene,camphene and sylvestrene. Note the last three letters of the compound (ene) and you can tell it's a terpene. Remember "one" for a ketone and now ene for a terpene.

Now I'll give you a list of oils that contain a medium to large amount of terpenes:
 

Black Pepper Medium amounts of limonene and pinene
Moroccan Chamomile, medium amounts of pinene
Roman Chamomile, medium amounts of pinene
Eucalyptus, medium amounts of pinene
Fennel, medium amounts of limonene
Frankincense, medium amounts of limonene and pinene
Grapefruit, large amounts of limonene
Hyssop, medium amounts of pinene
Juniper, large amounts of pinene and medium amounts of sabinene
Lemon, large amounts of limonene
Sweet Marjoram, medium amounts of sabinene
Neroli, medium amounts of limonene and pinene
Nutmeg, medium amounts of pinene and sabinene
Sweet Orange, large amounts of limonene
Pine, medium amounts of limonene and large amounts of pinene
Rosemary, medium amounts of pinene
 

Aldehydes fall in properties somewhere between Alcohols and Ketones. A few
aldehydes tend to be skin sensitisers and cause a skin reaction such as a rash when
two like Aldehydes meet in a mixture.

Aldehydes are anti-inflammatory, anti-infectious, tonic, hypotensive, calming to the
nervous system and temperature reducing. Please note it is important to store oils with
Aldehydes properly as an poorly kept oil or one kept for too long can form unwanted
acids, making the oil useless for theraputic purposes.

Please note you can tell an aldehyde by the ending "al" or it will contain the word
aldehyde in it's name : ex, cinnamic Aldehyde.

Oils containing large or medium amounts of Aldehydes are:

Bergamot, large amounts of citral
Lemon grass, large amounts of citral
Melissa (true), medium amounts of citral and geranial
 
 

Alcohols are the one compound most desired when using oils for children and the elderly (and my first choice when I was prescribing for show dogs). They are strong bactericides, antiviral, anti-infectious, warming, stimulating, good general tonics and seem to be free of any hazards including skin irritations.

You can recognize alcohols by the ending "ol" but be careful as Phenols which can be highly irritating to mucus membranes and the skin.

Those with high or low alcohols are:

Basil, large amounts of linalool
Bergamot, large amounts of linalool
Clary sage, medium amounts of linalool
Geranium, with medium amounts of citronellol and geraniol
Lavendin, with medium amounts of linalol
Lavender, with large amounts of Linalol
Spanish Marjoram, with medium amounts of linalol
Sweet Marjoram with medium amounts of alpha-terpineol and terpinen-4-ol
Neroli with medium amounts of linalol
Nutmeg with medium amounts of alpha-terpineol
Peppermint with large amounts of menthol (big surprise that one eh?)
Pettigrain with medium amounts of linalol
Rose otto with medium amounts of citronellol, geraniol, and nerol
Rosemary with medium amounts of cedrol
Tea-tree with large amounts of terpinen-4-ol
Sweet thyme (not to be confused with red thyme which has large amounts of phenols) has large amounts of geraniol or linalol or medium amounts of thujanol-4. Sweet thyme will not contain ALL these, it's an either or situation.
Ylang-Ylang with large amounts of linalol

ESTERS

Esters are very gentle in the way they work and are free from hazards except for Wintergreen and birch oils which we don't use in Aromatherapy anyway. Esters are effective on skin rashes and inflammations as they are anti-inflammatory and they are also very balancing to the nervous system. In other words they are both calming and uplifting.

Oh! recognize esters with the last three letters of "ate"

Oils with medium or large amount of esters are:

Bergamot, with medium amounts of linalyl acetate
Clary sage, with large amounts of linalyl acetate
Lavendin, with medium amounts of linalyl acetate
Lavender with medium amounts of linalyl acetate
Lemon Grass with medium amounts of geranyl acetate and linaly acetate
Neroli with large amounts of linaly acetate
Pettigrain with large amounts of linaly acetate
 

 
© 2000 Kathleen E. Petrides, SmeLLeNNium
 

© 2000 Mother (page layout only)