WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL OILS?
Essential oils are much more than something that smells great. They have a long history of supporting physical, emotional and spiritual balance and are described in documents dating back thousands of years including Biblical texts.
When animals and people get hurt or suffer from imbalances, we have the ability to move around to get help. Plants do not have that same luxury. They have evolved to help themselves through their own defenses encoded in DNA. And as plants evolve to defend against changing environments, their DNA evolves as well. Synthetic pharmaceuticals never evolve and thus often become ineffective over time.
Essential oils are the aromatic volatile plant liquid – the blood of the plant that contains all of the life essential properties in the DNA. They fight infections, initiate regeneration of cells, transport nutrients and contain hormone-like substances.
The original “drugs” were refined plant extracts. Today, approximately 25% of prescription drugs are derived from plants. The chemical structure of a plant’s oil is so similar to human cells that they are compatible with human protein. This allows them to be readily accepted by the human body and in some cases pass through the blood brain barrier.
Essential oils are very different from standard household oils. They have much smaller molecular size, are not greasy and will not clog the pores. Essential Oils stored properly do not go rancid and contain the same extensive therapeutic properties as the aromatic, volatile liquids from the original plants.
When animals and people get hurt or suffer from imbalances, we have the ability to move around to get help. Plants do not have that same luxury. They have evolved to help themselves through their own defenses encoded in DNA. And as plants evolve to defend against changing environments, their DNA evolves as well. Synthetic pharmaceuticals never evolve and thus often become ineffective over time.
Essential oils are the aromatic volatile plant liquid – the blood of the plant that contains all of the life essential properties in the DNA. They fight infections, initiate regeneration of cells, transport nutrients and contain hormone-like substances.
The original “drugs” were refined plant extracts. Today, approximately 25% of prescription drugs are derived from plants. The chemical structure of a plant’s oil is so similar to human cells that they are compatible with human protein. This allows them to be readily accepted by the human body and in some cases pass through the blood brain barrier.
Essential oils are very different from standard household oils. They have much smaller molecular size, are not greasy and will not clog the pores. Essential Oils stored properly do not go rancid and contain the same extensive therapeutic properties as the aromatic, volatile liquids from the original plants.
HOW THEY ARE MADE:
Ancient cultures crushed plants and soaked them to obtain the essential oils. In modern times we use one of four methods to extract a plant’s oils:
Steam Distillation – Plant material is suspended above a water bath that is heated to produce steam. The result is oil mixed with floral water. Those are then separated and only the essential oil remains. Temperature and pressure must be critically monitored to avoid burning the oils during distillation.
Cold Pressing – A method of extraction in which a weight is applied to plant material to press the essential oils out while preserving delicate molecules. It is specifically used for citrus essential oils and fatty oils (such as olive oil, almond oil, jojoba oil and coconut oil). Citrus oils contain delicate citrol molecules that are broken down by steam distillation and become very bitter.
Resin Tapping – used for oils such as frankincense, myrrh and copaiba. The plant is cut, resin flows out and is collected, and then steam distilled to collect the essential oils.
Absolute Oil Extraction – the most complicated technique that requires the use of a solvent. Used with plants that are so delicate that they would not survive steam distillation. The solvent is recovered, then the oil is collected and sent to a laboratory for analysis. Used for Jasmine and Neroli oils only.
Steam Distillation – Plant material is suspended above a water bath that is heated to produce steam. The result is oil mixed with floral water. Those are then separated and only the essential oil remains. Temperature and pressure must be critically monitored to avoid burning the oils during distillation.
Cold Pressing – A method of extraction in which a weight is applied to plant material to press the essential oils out while preserving delicate molecules. It is specifically used for citrus essential oils and fatty oils (such as olive oil, almond oil, jojoba oil and coconut oil). Citrus oils contain delicate citrol molecules that are broken down by steam distillation and become very bitter.
Resin Tapping – used for oils such as frankincense, myrrh and copaiba. The plant is cut, resin flows out and is collected, and then steam distilled to collect the essential oils.
Absolute Oil Extraction – the most complicated technique that requires the use of a solvent. Used with plants that are so delicate that they would not survive steam distillation. The solvent is recovered, then the oil is collected and sent to a laboratory for analysis. Used for Jasmine and Neroli oils only.
QUALITY MATTERS:
Regulations allow that a bottle labeled “100% Pure Essential Oils” need only contain 5% essential oils with the rest being carrier oil. The amount of Essential Oils per bottle can vary from 5% to 99% for food and perfume grade oils. Young Living therapeutic grade essential oils contain nothing but the pure chemical essence of plants.
Some manufacturers use a solvent-based distillation process that saves time, but leaves a residue of chemicals within the pure essential oils. Perfume and food grade oils may still produce results on the human body, but there is a very real risk of absorbing traces of chemical solvent, pesticides, and metallic traces from the distillation chambers and impurities from the carrier oil.
If you want to use essential oils for therapeutic results, it is always best to use therapeutic grade essential oils that are extracted under a quality assurance program from organic plants. We endorse the Young Living “Seed to Seal” quality assurance process and can only recommend the use of Young Living essential oils.
Some manufacturers use a solvent-based distillation process that saves time, but leaves a residue of chemicals within the pure essential oils. Perfume and food grade oils may still produce results on the human body, but there is a very real risk of absorbing traces of chemical solvent, pesticides, and metallic traces from the distillation chambers and impurities from the carrier oil.
If you want to use essential oils for therapeutic results, it is always best to use therapeutic grade essential oils that are extracted under a quality assurance program from organic plants. We endorse the Young Living “Seed to Seal” quality assurance process and can only recommend the use of Young Living essential oils.
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Did you know?
Every plant yields a different quantity of its valuable essence, so the amount of raw material needed to produce a bottle of essential oil varies widely. For example, although it takes only about a half pound of frankincense resin to produce one 15 ml bottle of Frankincense essential oil, it takes almost 160 pounds of rose petals to make the same amount of Rose essential oil!
Every plant yields a different quantity of its valuable essence, so the amount of raw material needed to produce a bottle of essential oil varies widely. For example, although it takes only about a half pound of frankincense resin to produce one 15 ml bottle of Frankincense essential oil, it takes almost 160 pounds of rose petals to make the same amount of Rose essential oil!