RT Book, Section A1 Kornreich Shawn, Lauren A2 Nelson, Lewis S. A2 Howland, Mary Ann A2 Lewin, Neal A. A2 Smith, Silas W. A2 Goldfrank, Lewis R. A2 Hoffman, Robert S. SR Print(0) ID 1163011220 T1 Essential Oils T2 Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies, 11e YR 2019 FD 2019 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9781259859618 LK accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1163011220 RD 2024/10/09 AB Essential oils are a class of volatile oils that are extracted through steam distillation or are cold pressed from the leaves, flowers, bark, wood, fruit, or peel of a single parent plant. The term essential refers to the essence of a plant rather than an indispensable component of the oil or a vital biologic function. These compounds are a mixture of complex hydrocarbons that give the oil its aroma and potential therapeutic properties and that occasionally cause toxicity. More than 500 essential oils exist and are typically categorized into five chemical groups: terpenes, quinines, substituted benzenes, aromatic/aliphatic esters, and phenols and aromatic/aliphatic alcohols.