A plant’s common name is the name that we casually use to refer to a botanical. Examples of common names include Eucalyptus, Orange, Chamomile and Bay.
As is the case with each of these examples, different plants can sometimes share the same common name. For example, there are several types of Chamomile. Refering only to a plant’s common name can be highly problematic because plants sharing the same common name don’t necessarily share the same therapeutic properties, benefits or contraindications.
To eliminate this confusion and the unfortunate problems that can arise from it, botanical nomenclature is used to systematically name plants in Latin so that no two plants share the same Latin name that is assigned to the plant.
AromaWeb’s featured article can get you started in learning more about botanical names and how to utilize them with essential oils:
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The Importance of Using Botanical Names with Essential Oils
