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Essential Oils : Natural Products

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Essential oils are natural products formed in aromatic plants which are characterized by unique features of odor and flavor for their own benefits such as protection or attraction (7). The oils are accumulated in cells, located in tiny secretory structures or in glandular hairs of the plant. The interior of the stomatal cells is typically the location of where the essential oils are found.
While they are located within the plant, essential oils are continuously altering their chemical composition to adapt its host plant so ensure its utmost health in its surrounding environment. The actual area of the plant where the oils are sequestered varies depending on the type of plant. Common areas and examples of where essential oils are derived from: leaves (eucalyptus, mint, lemongrass), flowers (jasmine, carnation, rosemary, lavender), bark (cinnamon, canella), roots (angelica, sassafras, valerian), seeds (nutmeg, dill, caraway), fruits (orange, lemon, juniper), grasses (palmarosa), petals (rose), wood (cedar) rhizomes (ginger, calamus, orris) berries (juniper), resins (frankincense) and wood (cedar, sandal, pine), and others (5).
Each essential oil has unique properties and functions in nature such as attracting pollinators and dispersal agents, to serve as internal messengers for the plant host, releasing chemicals to aid in allelopathy, to serve as defense compounds against insects and animals, and to protect the plant with their antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal

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