The following is excerpted from The Essential Oils Desk Reference, 5th Edition (c) Copyright 2011
The Missing Link in Modern Medicine
Plants not only play a vital role in the ecological balance of our planet, but they have also been intimately linked to the physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being of mankind since the beginning of time.
The plant kingdom continues to be the subject of an enormous amount of research and discovery. A high percentage of prescription drugs are based on naturally occurring compounds from plants. Each year millions of dollars are allocated to private laboratories and universities that are searching for new therapeutic compounds that lie undiscovered in the bark, roots, flowers, seeds, and foliage of jungle canopies; river bottoms; forests; hillsides; and vast wilderness regions throughout the world.
Essential oils and plant extracts have been woven into history since the beginning of time and are considered by many to be the missing link in modern medicine. They have been used medicinally to kill bacteria, fungi and viruses and to combat insect, bug and snake bites in addition to treating all kinds of mysterious maladies. Oils and extracts stimulate tissue and nerve generation.
Essential oils also provide exquisite fragrances to balance mood, lift spirit, dispel negative emotions and create a romantic atmosphere.
What is an Essential Oil?
An essential oil is that aromatic, volatile liquid that is within many shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, brushes, and seeds and that is usually extracted through steam distillation.
The chemistry of an essential oils is very complex and may consist of hundreds of different and unique chemical compounds. Moreover, essential oils are highly concentrated and far more potent than dried herbs because of the distillation process that makes them so concentrated. It requires a large volume of plant material to produce small amounts of a distilled essential oil. For example, it takes 5,000 pounds of rose petals to produce 1 kilo of rose oil.
Essential oils are also different from vegetable oils such as corn oil, peanut oil, and olive oil. Vegetable oils are greasy and may clog the pores. they also oxidize and become rancid over time and have no antibacterial properties. Most essential oils, on the other hand, do not go rancid and are powerful antimicrobial. Essential oils that are high in plant waxes, such as patchouli, vetiver, and sandalwood, if not distilled properly, could go rancid after time, particularly if exposed to heat for extended periods of time.
Essential oils are substances that definitely deserve the respect of proper education. Users should have a basic knowledge about the safety of the oils, and having a basic understanding of the chemistry of the essential oils is very helpful. However, it is difficult to find this knowledge taught in universities or private seminars. Chemistry books are difficult to understand for most people, and they don’t usually address the specific chemistry of essential oils There is very little institutional information, knowledge, and training on essential oils and the scientific approach to their usage.
The European communities have tight controls and standards concerning botanical extracts and who may administer them. Only practitioners with proper training and certification can practice in the discipline called “aromatherapy.”
In the United States, regulatory agencies have not recognized these disciplines or mandated the type and degree of training required to distribute and use essential oils. This means that in the United States, individuals can call themselves “aromatherapists” after attending brief classes in essential oils and can apply oils to anyone-even though the so-called “aromatherapists” may not have the experience or training to properly understand and use essential oils. This may not only undermine and damage the credibility of the entire discipline of aromatherapy, but it can be dangerous to the patient.
Essential oils are not simply substances. each oil is a complex structure of hundreds of different chemicals. a single essential oil may contain anywhere from 80 to 300 or more different chemical constituents. and essential oil like lavender is very complex with many of its constituents occurring in minute quantities – but all contributing to the oil’s therapeutic effects to some degree. To understand these constituents and their functions requires years of study.
Even though an essential oil may be labeled as “basil” and have the botanical name Ocimum basilicum, it can have widely different therapeutic actions, depending on its chemistry. For example, basil high in linalool or fenchol is primarily used for its antiseptic properties. However, basil high in methyl chavicol is more anti-inflammatory than antiseptic. A third type of basil high in eugenol has both anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effects.
Additionally, essential oils can be distilled or extracted in different ways that will have dramatic effects of their chemistry and medicinal action. Oils derived from a second or third distillation of the same plant material are usually not as potent as oils extracted during the first distillation. yet with certain oils, there may be additional chemical constituents that are released only in the second or third distillation.
Oils subjected to high heat and high pressure have a noticeable simpler and inferior profile and chemical constituents, since excessive heat and temperature fracture and break down many of the delicate aromatic compounds within the oil – some of which are responsible for its therapeutic action. in addition, oils that are steam distilled are far different from those that are extracted with solvents.
Of greatest concern is the fact that some oils are adulterated, engineered or “extended” with the use of synthetic -made compounds that are added to the oil. for example, pure frankincense is often extended with colorless, odorless solvents such as diethylphthalate or dipropylene glycol. the only way to distinguish the “authentic” from the “adulterated” is through analytical testing using gas chromatography, mass spectroscopy, and an optical refractometer.
Unfortunately, a large percentage of essential oils marketed in the United States fall in this adulterated category. When you understand the world o synthetic oils as well as low-grade oils cut with synthetic chemicals, you realize why the vast majority of consumers never know the difference. However, if you do know the smell of the pure oil or the technique for recognizing the adulteration through scent, it may be possible to perceive a difference.
lavendula augostifolia
Today we find synthetic essential oil ingredients in soaps, cleaning agents, cosmetics, skin care, food, and flavoring, as well as, sadly, in the industry of health and wellness. When the oils are extended and adulterated for commercial use, their therapeutic biochemical structure is destroyed, making them useful only as perfume for scenting all types of products and as flavoring compounds.
On the other hand, the chemical structure of a pure essential oil can rapidly penetrate cell membranes, travel throughout the body, and enhance cellular function. For health professionals who have used pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils on patients, it is very clear that there is a powerful life force inherent in these substances, which gives them an unmatched ability to interact with cells in the human body.
Many people believe that essential oils are God’s medicine for mankind and will provide critical medical solutions in the future. Essential oils could very well be the missing link of modern health care, bringing allopathic and holistic practices together for optimal health in the twenty-first century.
It would be hard to find an aromatherapy-labeled product that did not contain adulterated oils. This is what makes Young Living Therapeutic-Grade Essential Oils so important. Pure essential oils are some of nature’s most powerful therapeutic substances available, if only we could get that message to the millions of people who are looking for therapeutic benefits.
This is my part in doing so.
Young Living Essential Oils and Nutrition 