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novilz asked on 10/16/07 - Essential Oils Hello sir, My name is Tengku Ismadi from University Technology of Malaysia, and i'm studying in Mechanical Eng. I have several questions regarding essential oils. This is some literature study for one of my subject. Due to your expertise, I hope you can answer as many questions as you can. The questions are shown below. For each of the following naturally occurring oils: Citronella ,eucalyptus,cinnamon leaf,nutmeg,clove,rose,jasmine,lavender a.how easy is it to produce for each of them chemically as compared being extracted from natural sources? b.how effective the chemically produced ones for each of them compared to the ones extracted naturally(i.e the medicinal/therapeutic/healing qualities). c.Are there any harmful effects using the chemically produced ones? d. in the market ,if one does not know the origin of a particular oil, how likely are each of them to be produced chemically as compared it to be the naturally? e. apart from laboratory tests, are there any other way of distinguishing between the two? (Chemistry,aromatherapy) graeylin answered on 11/04/07: chemically, there is no difference in a compound whether produced "naturally" or "artificially"... a molecule of glucose is a molecule of glucose. Menthol is menthol, period. so if you buy 100% pure nutmeg oil, you could not tell it apart in any way from man made or derived from the plant.

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Ccl471 asked on 02/23/06 - Fruit Trees on Tropical Islands What kinds of fruit trees are found on tropical islands? Many thanks, C.L. graeylin answered on 02/23/06: All kinds, it depends on what you mean by Fruit: Date palms, coconut palms are very popular on tropical isles. Other fruits found on tropical trees: Lychee, lemons, limes, naranjilla, oranges, abiu, bilimbi, rambutan, kiwi, sapote, coffee, jaboticaba, eggfruit, papaya, jackfruit, mangos, tamarind, malay apples, passionfruit, starfruit. Ccl471 rated this answer

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Ccl471 asked on 06/21/04 - Fruits and Vegetables My sister is a kindergarden teacher. She taught a lesson in class about fruits and vegetables. She said that the way to tell fruits and vegetables apart is that fruits have seeds, and vegetables don't. So I asked her: "What about cucumbers and corn, for instance? They have seeds, but aren't they considered vegetables?" She said that they would then be considered fruits scientifically. Is she right? Many thanks, C.L. graeylin answered on 06/21/04: Your sister is correct. A fruit is the enlarged reproductive portion of a plant (typically, the ovary, but I doubt she is telling the kids that). Fruits have seeds. There is no such thing in the botany world as a "vegetable"... that's a term made up by people and lawyers and trade groups, to levy taxes, assign trade protections, etc.. Cucumbers, tomatoes are both fruits. they have seeds. Potatoes are tubers (enlarged underground stems/roots). They are not fruits, as they don't have seeds. The seeds of a potatoe plant are in green, tomatoe-like structures that are toxic, and thus, we don't eat them. Technically, corn is not a Fruit either, the part we eat is actually just the seed. If you refer to the whole "ear" of corn, that is a fruit, but we only eat the seed part. Bananas are fruits, but have no seeds. That's because they would have seeds if they were normal, but we have engineered them to be seedless, like watermelons and oranges. Peanuts are fruits, but we throw away the outside part of the fruit, and only eat the seed. Pumpkins are fruits, avacados are fruits, zucchini are fruits, olives are fruits, etc. If it has or is a seed, it is almost always a fruit. Ccl471 rated this answer

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tigger28 asked on 05/19/04 - Why does Bird of Paradise (Strelizia) need to have the water changed daily? also, any other new and exciting hard-to-find information about this flower will be appreciated. graeylin answered on 05/19/04: Plants of the genus Strelitzia don't need much care at all, let alone a daily water change of any kind. They are typically a pretty hardy plant, easy to grow in most households. If you are speaking simply of the cut flower, that's different... Almost all cut flowers benefit from fresh water changes daily. Prevents mold and bacteria build up, promotes aeration.

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trunl asked on 12/06/03 - Question on Botany I am doing a science project at school, and need an answer to a question by an expert. I need the answer by Sunday afternoon, so if you cannot answer by then, then disregard the question. Please answer the following questions in full length. How does colored light effect plant growth? What color would make plants grow the most? Why? Thank you for your time, Jeff graeylin answered on 12/06/03: Plants need a full range of sunlight to thrive. The chlorophyll absorbs most wavelengths, but reflects green (that's why plants look green). So, full spectrums of light are best, any light without green is also good (green light is a wasted color...). The real answer is "white light". Ccl471 rated this answer trunl rated this answer