![\"Essential](\"http:\/\/www.essentialoilsage.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/wooley-20150516-notes-himedlo-e1440127477316.jpg\")
Aromatic plants and trees produce essential oils for protection against other plants, herbaceous insects and mammals, to signal other plants and animals (communication), and to attract insects for pollination. Essential oils are natural \u2013 not man-made.<\/p>\n
When essential oils are properly distilled from aromatic plants they are bioactive and pure. Each essential oil is composed of 100-300 unique molecules \u2013 each with its own aroma.<\/p>\n
When you smell an essential oil you may describe it with certain characteristic \u201clight notes\u201d, medium notes\u201d and \u201cheavy notes\u201d. These \u201cnotes\u201d result from the unique aroma of different molecules.<\/p>\n
Light Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n The \u201clight notes\u201d usually result from 10-carbon molecules called \u201cmonoterpenes\u201d. Monoterpenes are volatile molecules that spread quickly in the air, yet their aroma does not last long (e.g., alpha-pinene).<\/p>\n Most tree-derived essential oils, such as Idaho Blue Spruce, Idaho Pondersosa Pine, Tsuga, Pine, and Hinoki have a high concentration of \u201clight note\u201d monoterpenes.<\/p>\n Dr Cole Woolley PhD, August 15, 2015<\/a><\/p>\n Medium Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n The \u201cmedium note\u201d aromas result from oxygenated monoterpenes. These \u201cmedium note\u201d molecules tend to be described as \u201cfloral, sweet, pleasing, flowery\u201d (e.g., linalool, linalyl acetate, bornyl acetate, decanal).<\/p>\n Plants naturally oxygenate (add oxygen to) monoterpenes to form molecules known as aldehydes, esters, alcohols, ethers, and ketones \u2013 all very aromatic molecules.<\/p>\n The \u201cmedium note\u201d molecules tend to hang in the air longer and remain on the skin longer. Lavender (linalool), and Wintergreen (methyl salicylate) essential oils have a high abundance of \u201cmedium note\u201d molecules.<\/p>\n\n