Ebooks doTERRA Essential Oil Chemistry Handbook | Page 6

THE dōTERRA OIL CHEMISTRY WHEEL The dōTERRA Oil Chemistry Wheel is a tool designed to help indi- viduals better understand the chemistry behind essential oils. In un- derstanding the basic chemistry of each oil, individuals can more fully understand when and how to use the oils to achieve a desired benefit. The dōTERRA Oil Chemistry Wheel is now divided into two wheels, each with two sides. The first wheel gives information on oils high in monoterpenes (oils that have a 10-carbon backbone). One side of the monoterpene wheel describes oils with lifting properties, and the other side presents oils with leveling properties. The second wheel contains information about oils high in sesquiterpenes (oils that have a 15-carbon backbone) on one side, with a legend on the opposite side. In each of the chemistry wheels, the oils are further organized by functional group, with the top one or two chemical constituents listed under each oil. The four sides of the two chemis- try wheels are presented in the following pages. The oils in the dōTERRA Chemistry Wheels are grouped according to their shared key properties. The shared key properties provide a starting point for understanding how to use the oils. The combina- tion of these different groupings enables individuals to begin to un- derstand the characteristics and properties of dōTERRA’s amazing essential oils. ii