Chemical Groups Pt 2: Chemotypes
Have you ever wondered what the difference between English lavender and French lavender is? Have you ever wondered why some essential oils come with extra words? Like Basil linalool. In this post we break down the chemotypes of essential oils and how they can differ.
So, what is a chemotype? “A chemotype is a chemically distinct entity in a plant or microorganism, with differences in the composition of the secondary metabolites. Minor genetic and epigenetic changes with little or no effect on morphology or anatomy may produce large changes in the chemical phenotype.” According to Wikipedia, but let’s break this down even more. A chemotype is when plants of the same species have chemical differences. So, they are going to look the same, or very similar, but their chemical makeup will vary slightly. In essential oils this results in varying therapeutic properties, makes some essential oils much safer to use or even makes some essential oils not so safe to use.
For the sake of time I won’t cover every single oil and it’s chemotype, but we will look at a couple of the oils that have distinct chemotypes and how they differ from each other.
Eucalyptus:
There are hundreds of different types of eucalyptus but we are just going to be focusing on these 3, which are some of the most common chemotypes in essential oils.
Dives: also known as peppermint eucalyptus, dives is high in phellandrene and low in eucalyptol. This makes it super effective as a decongestant but as it differs from other eucalyptus it is kid safe ages 2+ and a much better alternative when using eucalyptus on children under 10.
Globulus: one of the most popular to have, this one is not kid safe under the age of 10, however it’s just as effective (maybe a little more) as a decongestant. The main constituents are: a-pinene, ß-pinene, a-phellandrene, eucalyptol (1,8 cineole), limonene, terpinen-4-ol, aromadendrene, epiglobulol, piperitone, volatile aldehydes, sesquiterpenes and globular.
Radiata: This one has the highest levels of alpha-pinene among any of the eucalyptus essential oils. It has high levels of eucalyptol and its major components are 1,8 cineole, alpha-terpineol and limonene. This is a milder version of globulus, and can make an effective treatment for older children with less risk. It has many of the same decongestant properties of the other eucalyptus types.
While the different eucalyptus types don’t actually vary that greatly, most notably is dives, there are still differences that make each of these oils more ideal in a certain situation. When looking for a safe decongestant alternative dives is my go to, with it’s pepperminty smell but none of the risks of globulus or even actually peppermint. It can also be useful in bug sprays, making some kid safe bug sprays. I tend to use globulus with sever congestion, as this is one that will help congestion the most. It can also be a very effective bug repellent, but again is not for children under 10.
Rosemary
Rosemary is another plant that has several chemotypes, although I would say that this is less known. A lot of the companies fail to label what chemotype rosemary is that they are selling which can be a problem as certain chemotypes shouldn’t be used with certain people.
Camphor: this rosemary chemotype mainly contains camphor, and is one of the most effective oils for treating nerve pain as well.
1,8 cineole: the main component in this rosemary is 1,8 cineole making this an excellent choice for respiratory issues but less so with nerve/muscles pain like the previous chemotype.
Verbenon: verbenon is the main component in this rosemary, which is a lesser camphor note. This rosemary is good for respiratory issues as well as scar tissue and treating migraines.
Rosemary differs in the sense that each of the chemotypes do something drastically different, from helping nerve pain, to migraines. Your ailment will depend on what rosemary you will grab for, but make sure to know which type you have as many companies don’t bother to label chemotypes.
Basil
Basil has several chemotypes as well
Linalool: contains a high amount of the terpene alcohol of linalool. Linalool is an anti-inflammatory ingredient making this a great for choice for inflammation.
Exotic: high in methyl chavicol, it’s super useful for treating headaches or difficulty with concentration as well as with respiratory conditions.
Holy: high in triterpenoic acids, this is a great choice for a sedative. It also works as an insect repellent.
Once again we can see how different the basils are between chemotypes. While they might look similar, and could even smell similar, they do different things and we want to remember that when we are looking for an oil for a certain condition. We also want to consider this when finding things online about using certain oils or when buying them. If they don’t list the chemotype it can be hard to find success using oils. For example if I was suffering a migraine with concentration issues and I remembered that rosemary and basil could help with that, but I used basil linalool and camphor rosemary I am not going to find the desired results. Where as if I used the verbenon rosemary and the holy basil I could find the results that I am looking for.
This is also why some oils don’t work for some people, or why some people find they aren’t having success despite other people saying it worked. It could have something to do with the chemotype that is being use. It’s important to remember that several oils have different types, and to be well versed in those types and how to use them.
Other oils and their chemotypes:
Thyme (Thymus vulgaris):
Thymus vulgaris ct thymol
Thymus vulgaris ct carvacrol
Thymus vulgaris ct linalool
Thymus vulgaris ct thujanol
Thymus vulgaris ct a-terpineol
Thymus vulgaris ct geraniol
Thymus vulgaris ct 1,8 cineole
Thymus vulgaris ct p-cymene
Thymus vulgaris ct phenol
Melissa/Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis)
Melissa officinalis ct citral
Melissa officinalis ct citronellal
Sage (Salvia officinalis)
Salvia officinalis ct thujone
Salvia officinalis ct cineole
Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)
Melaleuca alternifolia ct 1,8 cineole
Melaleuca alternifolia ct terpinene-4-ol
Now this certainly is an extensive blog, and it certainly doesn’t cover every single chemotype out here. But I hope that it gives some idea on those little extra names on essential oil bottles and gets people thinking about chemotypes and which one would be best for them.
