WHY YOUNG LIVING OILS?
As a biologist, I have pursued years of continuing education in the use and applications of many modalities to support health naturally. I attended the Center for Aromatherapy Research and Education which includes courses on Essential Oil chemistry, quality, supply chain and testing requirements. This opened my eyes to the importance of testing in the EO industry. Essential oils are often adulterated during the transfer from one supplier in the chain to the next, much like in the street drug market. Because there are no standards set forth for purity in the EO market, oils are very commonly cut with less expensive plant oils, synthetic fragrances, and carriers. I think of it like the unsuspecting buyer of a street drug like cocaine that is diluted with Borax so that the supplier can make a profit. EO's can also be contaminated with heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides and various other toxins.
FRANKINCENSE AS YOUR LITMUS TEST - Most small suppliers have no way to run the sophisticated laboratory analyses to determine purity of the plant species or the inclusion of toxins. I often use Frankincense as my "litmus test" for any company's oils. Because the common species of Frankincense (Boswellia carterii and Boswellia sacra) are only grown on the Arabian Peninsula, Somalia and North Africa. Over 80% is grown in Somalia. These are areas of political unrest and economic depression, and much of the frankincense is gathered by locals and transported on animals to dealers. The products change hands as many as 20-30 times through the supply chain, offering ample opportunities for adulteration. A 15 ml bottle of pure unadulterated Boswellia carterii at the time of this writing should be found at retail for around $75-$100. If you find a lower priced bottle, the contents would likely have been diluted with contaminants or carriers of unknown origin.
TESTING - Young Living has the most sophisticated labs in the world for testing essential oils and the only comprehensive library of the correct molecular structures found in plant oils that are unadulterated. They conduct all tests at 3 data points after receiving oils from growers. There are multiple chemistry tests run and a series of microbiological screens. Young Living has in house labs with Gas Chromatography, Mass Spectrometry, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIS), Disintegration Testing, pH, Flash Point, Microscopy and Combustibility, Micro-Enumeration (counting bacteria), and Chiral Chromatography. There are a half a dozen external laboratories that do additional forensic testing - labs that work with Scotland Yard and the FBI. This ensures that you are getting oils from the undisputed leader in quality oils in the industry.
FRANKINCENSE AS YOUR LITMUS TEST - Most small suppliers have no way to run the sophisticated laboratory analyses to determine purity of the plant species or the inclusion of toxins. I often use Frankincense as my "litmus test" for any company's oils. Because the common species of Frankincense (Boswellia carterii and Boswellia sacra) are only grown on the Arabian Peninsula, Somalia and North Africa. Over 80% is grown in Somalia. These are areas of political unrest and economic depression, and much of the frankincense is gathered by locals and transported on animals to dealers. The products change hands as many as 20-30 times through the supply chain, offering ample opportunities for adulteration. A 15 ml bottle of pure unadulterated Boswellia carterii at the time of this writing should be found at retail for around $75-$100. If you find a lower priced bottle, the contents would likely have been diluted with contaminants or carriers of unknown origin.
TESTING - Young Living has the most sophisticated labs in the world for testing essential oils and the only comprehensive library of the correct molecular structures found in plant oils that are unadulterated. They conduct all tests at 3 data points after receiving oils from growers. There are multiple chemistry tests run and a series of microbiological screens. Young Living has in house labs with Gas Chromatography, Mass Spectrometry, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIS), Disintegration Testing, pH, Flash Point, Microscopy and Combustibility, Micro-Enumeration (counting bacteria), and Chiral Chromatography. There are a half a dozen external laboratories that do additional forensic testing - labs that work with Scotland Yard and the FBI. This ensures that you are getting oils from the undisputed leader in quality oils in the industry.
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Young Living has the most sophisticated labs in the world for testing EO quality and purity. Outside forensic labs also retest independently.
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Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy - GC tells us every single compound that's in the oil. This instrument measures the chemical bonds between the compounds.
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IRMS - the only essential oil company in the world to have one of these. Actually, YL has TWO. It's a very expensive instrument and a scientist needs two years of intensive training before they are allowed to use it. There is no other EO company with this equipment and they have tested a lot of oils from other companies with mixed results.
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