Essential oils
The reason a cinnamon stick smells of cinnamon is a volatile compound inside it. Sri Lanka has built an export industry on getting those compounds out.
Essential oils
Volatile compounds obtained from plant materials are called essential oils. The reason some plant materials have their own characteristic smell is the volatile compounds of this kind contained in them.
The main ones produced here
A few of the principal kinds of essential oil produced in our country:
- Cinnamon leaf oil
- Cinnamon bark oil
- Citronella oil
- Pepper oil
- Cardamom oil
- Nutmeg oil
- Clove bud oil
- Eucalyptus oil
Cinnamon bark oil, pepper oil and cardamom oil are used mainly to increase the taste and smell of food. Cinnamon leaf oil, pepper oil and cardamom oil also have medicinal properties, and are widely used in making medicinal balms, toothpastes and the scenting agents in soaps.
Which part of the plant holds the oil
| Plant | Part or parts where the essential oil is found |
|---|---|
| Vetiver (Veitiveria) | Roots |
| Sandalwood | Trunk |
| Cinnamon | Bark, roots and leaves |
| Citronella | Leaves |
| Lemongrass | Leaves |
| Eucalyptus | Leaves |
| Clove | Flower parts |
| Rose / Jasmine | Flowers |
| Lemon / Lime | Fruit |
| Nutmeg | Seeds |
What essential oils are used for
- Taken as flavouring and scenting agents in food
- Used to produce perfumes
- Used as components in toothpastes
- Used in producing kinds of medicine