Happy Friday!
Today.. more organic chemistry, and second kind of Terpenes that are important in Essential Oils basics.
Sesquiterpenes!
Essential oils are made up of smaller molecules called Terpenes. Two types of terpenes commonly found in essential oils are Monoterpenes and Sesquiterpenes.
Sesquiterpenes are larger than Monoterpenes (with a 15-carbon backbone structure), which means that generally speaking, they cannot pass through the membranes of our cells. However, they ARE able to bind to and interact with other structures and molecules outside of our cells, such as proteins. This allows them to support our body functions and systems, and interact with our body in even more ways!
Much like what the oils do for the plants from which they come, they can do for us too. Supporting healthy cellular function and communication are just a few examples!
Working off of yesterday’s example featuring the Adaptiv Blend, an oil in this blend that is high in Sesquiterpenes is Copaiba.
Copaiba is such a cool oil! It is soothing to our system, can help reduce inflammation, and binds to endo-cannabinoid receptors in the body (pain receptors). Wow!
I have found the doTERRA Essential Oil Chemistry Handbook to be an incredible resource for learning the basics I'm describing above. Find it here: https://www.doterra.com/…/science-research-news-oil-chemist…
And for a visual of Sesquiterpenes, check out the doTERRA Chemistry Wheel here:
https://media.doterra.com/…/doterra-oil-chemistry-wheel-201…
TO LEARN MORE AND GET YOURSELF SOME OILS:
Go to: http://my.doterra.com/wolfsong or send me a message!
