What Essential Oils Are All About Many people are familiar with terms such as “natural remedies” or “holistic health.” Essential oils fall within this realm of supporting and healing the body through natural, plant-based modalities. Essential oils are a highly concentrated liquid, derived from plant sources. These oils contain transient compounds from the plant, and these compounds can be very beneficial to many aspects of health and wellness.
In order to understand the use of essential oils, it is important to learn about which oils to use and how to use them. Many people either don’t know about natural remedies, or they are overwhelmed with all of the information about health and natural wellness… resulting in a cycle of constantly turning to medications to help their health problems (because they aren’t aware of any other options that are available).
What Are Essential Oils? An “essential oil” is a liquid of natural compounds that are extracted from plants. Even though they are called “oils” they are actually not oily in texture– many people think of vegetable oil texture, but essential oils are very light and they quickly absorb into the skin.
These compounds can be extracted from various parts of the plant, including the roots, stems, bark, seeds, and flowers. Plants use these natural compounds in a variety of ways, such as: growing, protecting the plant from the environment, and avoiding disease. When these natural compounds are extracted into essential oils, humans can also benefit from the powerful, healing and protective compounds that are available.
The chemical makeup of essential oils is very unique, and it cannot be duplicated by science. In fact, many modern medications are created to attempt to duplicate some of these natural compounds, but the chemical based medications have harsh side effects and they are not as effective as using the natural source of the plant.
Using essential oils will provide you with a variety of health benefits. Research has shown that therapeutic grade essential oils are:
Antiviral
Antibacterial
Antifungal
Anticancer
Antiparasitic
Antiseptic
Antimicrobial
Anti-infectious
Antitumor
Once you learn how to use essential oils, you will see that there is a home remedy for just about every health situation that you may encounter. Of course, there may always be situations where a visit to the doctor is necessary, but it is amazing to see how fast these essential oils can speed up the healing, prevent infection, and treat symptoms that may be occurring.
What Essential Oils are NOT Using essential oils takes a mental shift, because we have been so conditioned to depend on medication and other unnatural medical treatments. Typically, when a person is sick they go to the doctor, and the doctor often prescribes medication to help the person feel better. It is important to understand that these medications (either over-the-counter or prescriptions) do not solve the root problem, they just mask the symptoms.
Another problem with many medications is the fact that they often have negative side effects, so it is common for a person to take a medication to get rid of a certain set of symptoms only to discover that new health problems emerge as a result of the use of the medication.
Instead of masking the symptoms, it is better to focus on the root of the problem, which is the body’s ability to fight illness and disease. Essential oils do just that: they support the body so that it is more able to minimize disease and illness, which in turn naturally reduces the symptoms associated with the health problem.
Essential oils do not cure anything, but they do support your body so that it can work to cure itself.
Is It Safe To Use Essential Oils? If you are not familiar with essential oils, then you may be wondering about the safety of these products… will they cause side effects when they are used? There are actually many benefits that can be gained by using essential oils, and they can support your health without the many negative side effects that can occur as a result of many medications.
Because essential oils are extracts of plants, they are completely natural. And, if you are using a high quality oil then you will likely not experience any side effects.
Keep in mind that essential oils are VERY concentrated, and a very small amount can be effective. For example, 1 drop of peppermint essential oil equals 28 cups of peppermint tea!
Some essential oils are so potent that they might irritate the skin unless they are used with a carrier oil, so it is always best to refer to the manufacturer’s recommendations before using each essential oil.
Are All Brands of Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils the Same? There are no regulatory standards for the term “therapeutic grade,” so it is important to be very careful about the brand that you choose to use. The truth is that the plant source and extraction methods can actually affect the compounds that are present within an essential oil, which in turn can affect the quality, potency and effectiveness of the oil. Additionally, to cut down on costs, some of the lower-quality brands of essential oils will actually add in fillers or synthetic compounds.
Doing some research about the company’s testing procedures and manufacturing processes will help you understand whether or not it is a good quality oil. Also, try comparing essential oil brands side-by-side, and you will be able to notice a difference in quality. Pay attention to the purity of the oil… the scent should not be overbearing because if the smell is too strong it may indicate that it contains chemical synthetic substitutes.
When you are smelling a pure essential oil, you will notice that it smells crystal clean and natural. You can also try testing the feel of different brands of essential oils, if the oil is pure it should easily absorb into your skin without feeling slick or oily.
Essential Oils Brand I remember getting essential oils from the health food store because I wanted "high quality" oils for my ailments. I used to wonder why the oils never did what I was told they would do.
I learned that the oils have to be of the highest quality with no petroleum or other additives. Please make sure that the oils you are using are of the purest form. There are many companies now that offer such oils and research is available about them on many websites.