The Scent of Grapefruit

The Scent of Grapefruit
By David Stewart, Ph.D., R.A.

The major portion of any essential oil (99.99%) is composed of only three elements—Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen—but Sulfur and Nitrogen also sometimes contribute key roles.

For example, the distinctive fragrance of grapefruit oil (Citrus paradisi) is due to a sulfur compound (1-p-menthen-8-thiol) in a tiny trace amount—less than one part per billion. That is an infinitesmal 0.0000001%. Yet its presence dominates the scent of grapefruit. While grapefruit oil is 95% d-limonene, that is not what we smell. d-Limonene, in any concentration, is experienced as a faint orange-like aroma. Amazing as it seems, that one molecule in a billion of the sulfur compound is so strong that it overcomes the d-limonene and is easily picked up and distinguished by our sensitive noses. (Strong odors are a characteristic of most sulfur compounds, which are also found in garlic and the oil of garlic.)

Check it out. If you have a bottle of grapefruit oil handy, take a wiff and experience a molecule or two of that sulfur compound. You can impress your friends by saying, “Hmmm . . . I believe there is a trace of 1-p-menthen-8-thiol in this oil.”

While all of the citrus rind oils (orange, lemon, tangerine, mandarin, and lime) are mainly composed of d-limonene, they each have different fragrances and different therapeutic properties determined by their minor and trace constituents. Grapefruit, for example, can dissolve fat tissue and can be used to assist in weight loss and reduce cellulite. However, this property is not due to its main ingredient, but due to its minor and trace compounds in conjunction with the d-limonene.

This is another illustration of why an essential oil needs to be harvested and produced as close to nature as possible without tampering with even the least of the ingredients.

THE COMING OF A NEW BOOK
The above article on grapefruit oil is an extract from a new book currently being written by David Stewart. Its title will be: AROMACHEMISTRY – THE SCIENCE OF ESSENTIAL OILS MADE SIMPLE. (Subtitle – God’s Love Made Manifest in Molecules). The book is an outgrowth of Dr. Stewart’s five-hour Essential Oils Chemistry class taught at the 3-day CARE Intensives. Visit http://www.RaindropTraining.com for CARE’s schedule of seminars.

Dr. Stewart is also the author of HEALING OILS OF THE BIBLE And STATISTICAL VALIDATION OF RAINDROP. Both books are available from Essential Science Publishing, (800) 336-6308 or www.essentialscience.net

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