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Keywords
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Biosynthesis, essential oil, medicinal plants, terpenoids, volatile oil
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Abstract
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Essential oils are aromatic and volatile liquids which are produced from
plant parts such as roots, fruits, herbs, wood, seeds, bark, buds, twigs, flowers, and
leaves. They are a mixture of fragrant substances or a mixture of aromatic and odorless
substances. Under normal conditions, the essential oil compounds are volatile,
but due to geographical origin, climate, rainfall, and so on, the constituent of essential
oils is different. The compounds of essential oils are mainly highly volatile
and lipophilic, and are categorized into two groups: terpenoids (mono-, sesqui-,
and di-terpenes) and phenylpropanoids. But other types of compounds such as oxygen-,
sulfur-, or nitrogen-containing compounds may also be present. These compounds
include fats, alkaloids, anthraquinones, and coumarins. These compounds
can be extracted from essential oils by methods other than distillation. The purpose
of this chapter is to go over the introduction of essential oils, and their biosynthesis
pathways and chemical constituents, as well as their biological activities.
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