Why do plants make essential oils?
Are essential oils produced by plants for human use? Is it just for your skin care?
Of course not. After hundreds of millions of years of evolution of plants, essential oils are used to make themselves better on earth, such as:
1) Help growth and metabolism
Essential oils have small molecules and can penetrate plant tissues to accelerate the transportation of oxygen and nutrients, as well as the metabolism of waste;
2) Regulate hormones
The growth, flowering, and fruiting of plants depend on hormones, and essential oils can transmit information and help plants maintain balance.
3) Fight against germs and molds
Some plants grow in a humid environment, and essential oils can prevent the proliferation of harmful pathogens, and plants adjust the proportion of components in their bodies every year according to different environmental climates, so that bacteria cannot develop drug resistance.
4) Against UV rays
Although plants rely on sunlight for photosynthesis, ultraviolet rays can easily mutate cells. The essential oils in plants can protect cells from this radioactive material.
5) Protect yourself from wildfires
Essential oils are volatile and allow fires to ignite quickly and burn upwards, which protects plants near the ground, seeds on the ground, and roots underground, and can regenerate after the fire is extinguished.
6) Helps the damaged area heal
When the surface of the plant is injured, the essential oil molecules will quickly flow to the wound, allowing the wound to coagulate and prevent infection.
7) Attract insects to assist pollination
Affected by the pheromone effect, the smell of plant essential oils is liked by animals and can help pollinate plants.
8) Repel harmful insects and animals
Certain components of plant essential oils make bugs and animals shy away and prevent themselves from being eaten. For example, some essential oils are mosquito-repellent.