So much has been written about essential oils it's hard to tell where to begin! I suppose I want to begin by setting up a few safety guidelines and debunking a few myths. My goal is not to write extensively on essential oils here as we really focus on emergency or first aid uses for the home. We also use them to help center the nervous system, but my goal is not to teach a course on essential oils. There are some very good schools for that and I will list them with links to their sites. I am not affiliated with them. I am just very familiar with their work and trust them above most for their integrity in business and in transferring knowledge of the plants and medicinal uses and applications. I will put them in the Our Favorite Supplies Section.
What are essential oils exactly? Simply put they are highly volatile chemicals extracted from plants. They can be extracted by means of steam distillation, cold pressing, CO2 extraction or a solvent. The essential oils created in these processes retain the plants aroma and therapeutic properties. It takes huge amounts of plant material to create a single ounce of essential oil. Therefore not only are they highly potent they should be used with a certain amount of respect and precaution.
Essential oils contain chemicals created by the plant to perform certain functions for the well being of the plant. It has been found that these chemicals react in similar ways to support our own bodies. The plant might utilize these chemicals to promote healing after an animal has been nibbling its parts or to ward off the little nibblers in the first place. It might use them to attract pollinators to procreate. In like ways the aromas created by the plant chemicals will create a sense of calm or can act as an aphrodisiac. The aroma of some fruits can create a steady energized and focused mind while others will lull you into deep sleep. Topically these chemicals can promote quick healing and sooth tissue damaged by heat sun or air. They can be used to kill certain bacteria and viruses or molds and fungi.
Plants are the Earth's first healers. They contain a vast amount of wisdom and have an intuitive ability to know just what your body needs and when you need it. They never cease to amaze me or teach me something new. The Creator in his wisdom and in his goodness towards us made plants the second most abundant living organisms on earth. We find in Bereshit (Genesis) that YHVH gave us every herb bearing seed and every fruit bearing tree to be for us food. Science is constantly showing us the benefits of these foods to our health and well being beyond just filling our bellies. The chemicals created by these plants impact our bodies in so many ways leading to better health. For example in my Forest therapy sessions I teach that the trees each emit their own unique chemicals that our bodies take in and will be calmed or energized depending on the tree and seasons. Some of these tree's chemicals cause our bodies to create stronger immune system function and increase the production of killer cells. Many of the most healing plants we have grow and thrive in depleted or damaged soils. They are actually there to heal the earth, absorbing chemicals, adding mineral content to the soil, and promoting growth of other plants by creating new ecosystems. This is why plants are vital to the survival of all life on earth.
Safety First!
There are some safety tips that should not be ignored here. First, always be sure that your oils are pure oils. They should not contain synthetic perfumes in them. Be sure they are third party tested and include a GC/MS report. This will tell you exactly what and how much of each chemical constituent is in each batch of oil extracted. a single essential oil can contain somewhere between 50-300 different chemical constituents. These chemicals can vary depending on where in the world the plant was grown. The season it was harvested. the extraction process used. The weather during its growing season. Water supply and other stressors including the health of the soil it grew in and the overall health of its particular ecosystem or neighbors. So it is helpful to know what and how much is in a batch of oils when using them for medicinal purposes.
Just because a bottle says therapeutic grade oil does not mean it is a pure extract. Be aware that therapeutic grade is a marketing ploy to get you to excitedly hand out your credit cards! There is no such thing as a therapeutic grade essential oil. Often times they are a mixture of small amount of actual essential oil, perfumes, and some other oil to fill the bottle up. You are paying for fluff! Now why is this a big deal? The essential oils are composed of molecules that are fat-soluble and so small they can pass directly through the lining of the nose into the blood-brain barrier. This means that if these oils are mixed with harmful synthetic chemical perfumes it can also pass through to the blood-brain barrier and have a toxic reaction on the body. Any time we apply chemicals to our body we are risking injury and illness and we need to be careful that the oils are not acting as carriers for additives we don't want. be aware also that many essential oils will bond to the fat cells in your body and this is a mechanism they use to enter the body. So they can end up acting as a carrier of agents we don't want in our body. Look for those third party tests and non GMO labels. plants grown with chemicals will yield essential oils with chemicals in it. Plants grown in toxic environments as one grown within 50ft of a roadside or runoff from the road will be full of toxic materials and not suitable as food and medicine. they are there to absorb and filter out the chemicals and heal the earth. Respect their purpose and they will treat you well in return.
Using a Carrier Oil
A carrier oil is used to safely dilute oils for topical use. Remember I said that some of these oils will attach to fat cells and are fat soluble. Due to the strength of these oils it is important to use them in a carrier oil to avoid irritation and wasting product. The oils will evaporate quickly in the air so a carrier oil will allow the oils to remain on the skin long enough to absorb. A carrier oil is any other form of oils such as coconut oil, grapeseed oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, primrose oil,apricot oil,olive oil,argon oil, rosehip oil, black seed oil, avacado oil, and sunflower oil. Each of these stand alone in their therapeutic properties and can enhance that of the essential oils. Each has its own unique properties and are better suited for certain applications. We will look at each of these in a later post.
Dosing or Dilution Cheat Sheet
1% Dilution - Gentle --5-6 drops in 1 fl oz of carrier oil
Best for; children, elders, pregnant mothers,and the chronically ill
2% Dilution-Mild-- 10-12 drops in 1 fl oz of carrier oil
Best for; healthy adults and long term use
3% Dilution- Moderate--15-18 drops in 1 fl oz of carrier oil
Best for; specific illness or injury and short term use (3-4 weeks)
5% Dilution-Strong--25-30 drops in 1 fl oz of carrier oil
Best for; Acute injury or illness and short term use (1-2 weeks)
To Ingest or not to Ingest...
I know there are literally wars fought in circles over this topic. The French say yes but I strongly caution you against it. Essential oils are not water soluble extremely strong and over time when ingested become toxic in the body and will damage the stomach esophagus and liver. There are a handful of oils that can be taken orally in a carrier oils in a veggie capsule and under the direct care of someone trained in this particular practice. But you should never ever think that you can just add it to a glass of water and drink it down. You will damage tissues and organs and poison yourself over time.
It is not even necessary to ingest them as they are composed of such tiny molecules that they readily enter the cells. You can also help them reach into deeper cells via a bath or a castor oil pack. I will explain how to properly administer those in a later post. just please do not drink your oils!
Can I use them in my Eyes?
The short answer is NO! Avoid getting them in the eyes as they will burn the cornea and retina of the eye and cause blindness.
Beware the Sun!
Some oils are photosensitive. That is, if you apply them topically you should dilute heavily in carrier oil and avoid direct sunlight as they can cause burning,blistering and discoloration.
Expiration Dates
The company should list the expiration date on the bottle but generally I say after a year they are likely not safe for use. be sure to store them in a cool room. Some people have small refrigerators set to about 65 degrees for their oils( a goal of mine). Keep them away from heat and direct sunlight. If they have expired add them to your own homemade cleaning solutions. We have recipes for those too! Don't worry, we won't leave you hanging!
We will go over essential oils for specific groups in the next post but we wanted to cover some basics here today. There is so much to know it can be overwhelming to try and learn it all at once as tempting as that can be.
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