Part 2: Harvesting—Species

Producing CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade^® essential oils begins with the plants themselves. Because a particular genus of plant can have several different species, it is important to select the species that produces the chemotype of essential oil with the optimal chemical profile. Even though the categorization of a plant into a botanical family (its genus) is based on similarities in molecular composition, physical appearance, and therapeutic properties, each individual species is distinctly unique. Choosing only the correct species is a key part of ensuring that the essential oil will have the proper chemical profile to exhibit the desired benefits.

For example, marjoram essential oil (Origanum majorana) and oregano essential oil (Origanum vulgare) are both derived from the botanical genus Origanum. However, the oils are vastly different. If you were looking for a soothing or calming oil, Marjoram would be better choice because it is composed of approximately 50% alcohol-containing constituents, including linalool and terpinenol. If you were looking for an oil with powerful antioxidant* or cleansing properties, oregano would be a better fit because its composition is dominated by the phenol constituent carvacrol.