10 Little-known Facts about Essential Oil
2025-06-24
Here are 10 little-known facts about essential oils, combining science, history and fun to help you open up a new world:
๐ฟ 1. Plants use essential oils to "fight"
Essential oils are chemical defense weapons of plants:
- โ Peppermint essential oil repels insects, and pine essential oil inhibits the growth of surrounding weeds.
- โ After humans extracted it, it became a "superpower borrowing technique for plants."
๐ฐ๏ธ 2. Ancient Egyptians were obsessed with essential oil preservation
- โข Cedar and myrrh essential oils were used for preservation in mummies (experiments have shown that they can inhibit microorganisms).
- โข Essential oil bottles found in the tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun still have residual fragrance 3,300 years later.
๐ฅ 3. Can essential oils be used as fuel?
Orange peel essential oil contains limonene (flammable hydrocarbons):
- โ Drop it on a candle wick for a short burn (don't try it at home!).
- โ Used industrially to make biofuels.
๐ 4. Lanolin was once an essential oil "thief"
Ancient tricks for extracting rose essential oil:
- โ Grease sheepskin and cover it with rose petals, and scrape it off after the oil absorbs the fragrance - this is the prototype of the "fat absorption method".
- โ Fractionated coconut oil is used instead in modern times.
๐งช 5. Essential oils are not "oily"
- โข Essential oils (Essential Oil) are actually "volatile aromatic compounds" and do not leave oil stains on paper.
- โข Base oils (such as jojoba oil) are real oils - the biggest misunderstanding in cold knowledge!
๐ 6. Essential oils to prevent bookworms
The British Library uses "lavender essential oil" to repel insects:
- โ Cotton balls dripping with essential oils are stuffed into bookshelves to protect ancient books better than chemical insect repellents.
๐ 7. Lemon essential oil to wipe handwriting?
- โข Lemon essential oil contains "d-limonene" (natural solvent):
- โ It can dissolve the writing on thermal paper receipts (supermarket receipts become blurred after being wiped).
- โ It can also remove adhesive tape residue!
๐ง๏ธ 8. Can essential oils "make rain"?
During World War II, the British experiment "Skyfire Plan":
- โ Spraying "fennel essential oil" into the clouds in an attempt to make rain artificially (failed but the idea was opened up).
๐ง 9. Olfactory memory is 100 times stronger than visual memory
- โข The smell memory in the brain is directly linked to the "hippocampus" (emotional memory center).
- โข Smelling essential oils that you smelled in childhood (such as frankincense used by your mother) may instantly trigger deep memories.
โ ๏ธ 10. Unpopular danger: photosensitivity essential oils
- โข Citrus essential oils such as bergamot and lemon contain "furanocoumarins":
- โ Applying them in the sun may cause skin burns (blistering)!
- โ It is recommended to use it at night or choose the "furan-free" refined version.
๐ก Bonus: "Hot Girl" in the Essential Oil World
โข Black pepper essential oil will feel warm when applied to the skin - it activates the TRPV1 receptors (the same receptors as capsaicin) at the nerve endings!
๐ Safety Tips
- - Cold knowledge โ encourage adventure: photosensitivity and flammability experiments require professional guidance.
- - Pregnant women/epilepsy patients should avoid using irritating essential oils such as rosemary and sage.