Essential oils — fact and fiction
Iprobably am going to aggravate a few readers with this column, but facts are important. However, let me offer a couple of disclaimers. First, I have taken coursework on aromatherapy and essential oils, though that was not my focus. Second, I use essential oils in my energy therapies. So now we’ve gotten those out of the way.
A lot of people tout the use of essential oils as treatments for every illness conceived of by man, believing they will cure everything from cancer to influenza to blindness, but that’s not fact. It’s fiction.
High quality essential oils can provide some protection from microbial infection, and some relief from the symptoms associated with many illnesses, conditions, and injuries, but seldom do they CURE anything.
Essential oils are compounds extracted from plants, using a variety of methods. Sometimes they are distilled from the plants using heat. Other times they are extracted by grinding and pressing the plant parts, like one would extract oil from olives.
An essential oil usually carries the scent and/or flavor of the plant it comes from (its “essence”), and often is mixed with a carrier oil to allow it to be used on the skin. Sometimes it may be used in a pure form in a diffuser or when mixed with other essential oils, but it usually is not a good idea to put a pure, neat (or undiluted) essential oil directly on the skin without researching what could result from that.
Essential oils are sometimes foodgrade and designed to be used in recipes to add flavor. Lemon oil and peppermint oil are good examples. But some are actually dangerous to consume internally, so you need to make very sure before simply dosing yourself orally with any essential oil and do so only after checking with more than one reliable source.
The scents of some essential oils have a generally calming effect—lavender, rose, clary sage, and ylang-ylang are good, time-tested examples. So, if you are tense from a hard day, or having a hard time falling asleep or simply relaxing, putting one of those in a diffuser could be of benefit to you.
Of course, you may have the opposite problem, and need to get yourself energized. Citrus oils such as lemon, orange, and grapefruit are good choices, as are peppermint, rosemary, and cinnamon.
Certain oils do have antiviral or antibacterial properties. Tea tree oil is antimicrobial, as are many others such as sandalwood, clove, cinnamon, and vetiver. But, not all antimicrobial oils are effective against all different viruses or bacteria. In fact, their effectiveness against various infectious microbes is usually limited to very specific types of infections.
Why is this even a point for discussion in this column?
Simply and delicately put, there is a lot of misinformation saying that essential oils are a panacea for all ills, and during a pandemic they (with the most righteous of motives) will try to get everyone to try their particular “cure.” Perhaps their oil or oil mixture of choice is safe enough to use and will cause no particular harm, but high-quality essential oils can be expensive. And if they are not well-versed in the safe use of essential oils, they could recommend something that will make you sick.
Less delicately put, there are also many people who will take advantage of the fears and anxiety produced by a pandemic and will try to sell you something that is overpriced and probably has no benefit whatsoever. Snake oil salesmen, if you will.
As I said, I use essential oils in my own practice, so I know their value. But I don’t try to peddle them as miracle cures, because they are not. No essential oil is a substitute for a vaccination.
So, do I put tea tree oil in my diffuser when I am fighting a cold? Sure do. Do I put lavender and clary sage oil in my diffuser when I want to fall asleep more easily? Yep. But I know better than to apply pure, 100% essential oils to my skin because I don’t want to risk a rash, a chemical burn, or a phototoxic reaction… all things that can happen with certain oils.
If you do wish to try using essential oils to aid in your health, and I think that’s a great idea, I recommend that you find a very good source for those oils, and that you follow the recommendations of those who have been trained in their use. Some of the best quality essential oils come from AuraCacia, Mountain Rose Herbs, Eden’s Gardens, and NOW Foods. (I make no money from these recommendations.)
Essential oils are a wonderful gift from Nature to aid us in a pursuit of good health, as long as we use them wisely.