PART 3: ESSENTIAL OIL
CONSTITUENTS
This portion of the Oil Chemistry Handbook presents the chemical
properties of around 80 of the main chemical constituents found
in dōTERRA oils. The name, structure, chemical classification, uses,
and benefits of each compound are listed along with the oils in
which these compounds can be found, and in what percent com-
position. This section is designed to serve as an expansion of the
constituent details provided in the dōTERRA Oil Chemistry Wheel.
It is important to realize that this section of the handbook only
highlights the most abundant essential oil constituents. In reality,
there are hundreds of different monoterpene compounds and over
10,000 different kinds of sesquiterpenes. While most oils are mainly
composed of just a few of the compounds listed in Part 3, many
oils contain close to a hundred other minor constituents present in
small quantities. Interestingly, these minor constituents can make
a major contribution to an oil’s properties. Synergistic effects be-
tween minor constituents can also play an important role in how
the oil interacts with the body and other substances. The scientific
consensus from the current research is that an oil is much more
than the sum of its main compounds. This means that the benefits
of an essential oil may be different than the simple sum of the ben-
efits of its constituents.
Knowing the main constituents in an oil can help you determine
how it fits into a daily usage model and how it can be compared to
other oils. An oil with high levels of a certain constituent will likely
have the properties of that constituent. If a given constituent is use-
ful in a certain context, another oil also containing that constituent
would probably be useful in the same context. These are some of
the foundational principals that we hope you can take from the in-
formation contained in this section of the Oil Chemistry Handbook.
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