Essential oils are volatile aromatic compounds that come from different parts of the plant, like roots, leaves, flowers, stems, or for citrus oils they are cold-pressed from the rind. They’re very specific compounds with different chemical constituents that act as part of the plant’s immune systems and defence systems. Plants don’t have voices or feet so they have to develop other ways of communicating and surviving in the wild! These molecules are extraordinarily similar to neurotransmitters or other chemical messengers in the human body – like hormones, including serotonin. Our bodies can understand this cellular information because they are so similar. This is how essential oils can be used therapeutically for a variety of different conditions that may not seem directly related.