Jacquelyn A Close, RA

HOW DO ESSENTIAL OILS WORK?

By:  Jacquelyn A Close

What Are Essential Oils?

Essential Oils are the highly volatile compounds produced by steam-distilling or cold-pressing aromatic oils from organically produced plant materials, including herbs, spices, trees, bark, seeds, flowers, petals, stems, roots, and the entire plant. In their purest form, known as therapeutic grade, essential oils are not modified or adulterated, but retain all the rich complexity of compounds created by God. The processes used to capture the oils, including harvesting at the proper time and distilling with low heat and low pressures, allow the oils to remain as close to their original natural wholeness as is possible.

There are hundreds of plants that are known to produce aromatic compounds and essential oils. Each plant produces hundreds of complex organic compounds, and each part of the plant produces different types of organic compounds that can have a broad range of therapeutic benefits for the body. So, there are literally hundreds of essential oils that offer a wide variety of options for promoting health and wellness and addressing a multitude of conditions of dis-ease. Created by God to support our body’s natural ability to heal itself, plants and their essential oils offer living energy and life force created by intelligent design and having a seemingly innate intelligence that allows them to provide what is required to balance the body, instead of pushing it in one direction or another as happens with synthetic compounds.

Fatty-acid oils, or cooking oils, that most people are much more familiar with, have large, long-chain molecules that are not easily absorbed but instead remain on top of the skin and feel oily. Essential oils by contrast are absorbed quickly and leave no oily residue.

How Do Essential Oils Work?

Essential oils are made of tiny molecules that are easily absorbed by the skin and mucosa. They may be absorbed in a matter of seconds.

Essential oils are lipid soluble and can penetrate cell walls. Some essential oil compounds carry nutrients into the cells. Others clean receptor sites. And still other compounds in essential oils can remove detritus, or clean debris out of cells, and some facilitate the restoration of cellular communication and function. Some essential oils are even known and scientifically documented to cross the blood-brain barrier and support and restore brain health.

Dr. Jean Valnet, the French Surgeon and Medical Doctor who — along with Rene Maurice Gattefosse a PhD Chemist — pioneered much of the research into the therapeutic benefits of essential oils during the early and mid-20^th Century, wrote in one of his books that:

…pathogenic microorganisms do not become resistant to essential oils as they do to modern day synthetic drugs. The body cannot become “habituated” in the pejorative sense of the word–i.e., no longer able to derive any benefit–to the oils anymore than it can become habituated to pure mountain air or personal hygiene. The results remain the same; they do not lessen over any length of time. And, unlike many of today’s most popular antiseptic chemicals, essential oils do not harm human tissue. (Valnet, MD, 1980)

Most everyone is already using essential oils in their daily lives. Toothpastes and mouthwashes contain essential oils, as do some personal care products and perfumes. There are even some baked goods that are made with essential oils. Unfortunately, essential oils used for most commercial purposes are almost always standardized, meaning they are brought to a standard required to assure the same flavor or smell every single time. Plants and the chemical compounds they contain vary from year to year owing to changes in sunlight, temperature, rainfall, and changes in soil composition. Commercial products are unwilling to accept this variance, therefore, standardization is common and is accomplished by removing certain constituents, or adding synthetics to facilitate a continuity in taste or fragrance. Essential oils may be altered in any number of ways and they may also be distilled and processed with high heat and high pressures, all of which result in fracturing and damage to the essential oil. Poor processing and adulteration quite often damage the living energy in an oil and may even destroy it entirely, and therefore the intelligence associated with that living energy.

How Are Oils Used?

Essential oils enter the body in three ways. They can be:

• Applied to the skin
• Inhaled
• Ingested

Most essential oils sold in health food stores and over the counter come with a warning not to ingest them. This is for a very good reason. Most are not pure, therapeutic grade essential oils. In fact, I have only found 2 companies in the world that demand that the oils not be standardized and remain unaltered in any way other than the distillation or cold-press processing. These are the only truly therapeutic grade essential oils.

Essential oils have a half-life of 2-6 hours in the body depending on the viscosity, or thickness, of the oil applied. More viscous oils, such as Myrrh (Commipihora myrrha) and Sandalwood (Santalum album) have a longer half-life in the body, usually 5-6 hours. Oils such as lemon (Citrus limon) and eucalyptus (Eucalyptus radiata and other eucalypti) have a 2-3 hour half-life in the body. Rose oil (Rosa damascena) and Cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica) have a half-life of about 3-4 hours.  This means that the oils are used by the body and discarded. They do not bio-accumulate in tissues and are not known to create any long-term negative effects. Because the oils are used and any remaining compounds released from the body through the excretion channels, oils may be applied topically every 2-6 hours depending on the oil and the needs and sensitivity of the individual using them.

How does skin application work?

Essential oils can be applied topically to the skin. Because our skin is somewhat permeable, the active compounds in essential oils are readily absorbed, in much the same way as hormone replacement creams, pain patches, and nicotine patches.

Factors That Increase Skin Absorption

Massaging an area prior to or after applying an essential oil will increase circulation to that area, thereby causing an increase in the absorption rate for the essential oils. Heat will likewise increase circulation and thus enhance absorption.

It is also postulated by some researchers that essential oils may be more readily absorbed from locations that have greater concentrations of sweat glands and hair follicles (Battaglia, 2003).

How Does One Inhale Essential Oils?

The easiest way to enjoy essential oils is to inhale them right from the bottle. This will provide some therapeutic benefit and is known and proven to aid in behavior modification.

You can also use a cold-air diffuser to dispense a micro-fine mist of essential oils into the air. This is one of my favorite ways to enjoy the many benefits of essential oils. They smell wonderful. They provide an uplifting feeling. And they have many well-documented antibacterial, antiseptic, antiviral and a number of other benefits according to the many resources and scientific papers completed during the past 20 years. (Essential Oil Desk Reference, 2001-2010, and Reference Guide to Essential Oils, Higley, 1999-2010.)

How Do Essential Oils Interact with the Limbic System (Emotional Brain)

The olfactory system includes all physical organs or cells relating to, or contributing to, the sense of smell. When we inhale through the nose, airborne molecules interact with the olfactory organs and, almost immediately, the brain. Interestingly, the sense of smell is wired directly to the Amygdala, a small organ in the brain that is part of the Limbic System and is associated with memory. According to science, the Amygdala is only stimulated by the sense of smell.

During inhalation, odor molecules travel through the nose and affect the brain through a variety of receptors, however, the sense of smell is wired into the brain very different than are the other 4 senses. All the other senses are routed directly to the thinking brain that makes assessments and judgments, and correlates past experiences. The sense of smell is wired directly to the emotional brain through the Amygdala, which as was said before, is only stimulated by the sense of smell. So, we have an emotional reaction to a smell before we ever think anything about that smell. When the Amygdala is activated by the sense of the smell, it calls forth a memory that includes the smell, the corresponding site, and time, and often sounds, and this reaction is immediate. If you have ever had the experience of smelling fresh baked bread or cinnamon rolls and been immediately transported to a time in the past in your grandmother’s kitchen, then you have experienced how this works.

Molecules inhaled through the nose or mouth are also carried to the lungs and interact with the respiratory system. Thus, inhaled essential oils can affect the body through several systems and pathways.

As mentioned, when we inhale essential oils, odor molecules travel through the nose and affect the brain through a variety of receptor sites, including the limbic system, which has a direct connection to the parts of the brain that control heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels, and hormone balance (Higley & Higley, 1998). This relationship helps explain why smells often trigger emotions. Knowing this, we can hypothesize how inhalation of essential oils can have some very profound physiological and psychological effects!

“Smell is a potent wizard that transports us across thousands of miles and all the years we have lived.” Helen Keller

How Do People Ingest Essential Oils?

First and Most Important: I only know of 2 companies in the world whose oils are safe enough to ingest. My preference, due to the large number and quality of oils and blends available is the company called Young Living Essential Oils. I have been using and ingesting Young Living essential oils since 1999 and recommend them highly.

So, how do you ingest an essential oil?

• You can ingest an essential oil by putting a tiny drop on your hand and licking it.
• You can put a drop under your tongue.
• You can drop a little onto your tongue or straight into your mouth.
• You can put essential oils in “00” (double-aught) veggie capsules and take them like you would any gel-cap or food supplement.

The ingestion of essential oils is not common practice in the US. In France, it is more common. There are several reasons for caution, including the following:

• Most companies do not offer pure, safe, true, therapeutic grade essential oils. Even those who say therapeutic grade on their label often have a prohibition against ingesting their oils. Young Living is the exception to this. In fact, I only know of one Young Living oil that cannot be ingested, Jasmine oil. This is due to the type of distillation process required to extract the oil from the delicate flowers of this plant.
• When essential oils are standardized and adulterated with synthetics, this can remove the buffers that would normally balance the body and destroy the life force and intelligence that can assist in bringing the body back to health. Synthetic adulteration is rampant in the industry, and synthetics not only bio-accumulate, they can be toxic to the liver and/or the kidneys. It is of utmost importance that you know the company that grows, distills, bottles and sells your essential oils can be trusted to maintain the highest quality of essential oils if they are to be ingested. Gary Young has said for years, if you can’t eat it, don’t wear it. He is dedicated to preserving and maintaining the highest quality essential oils in the world.
• One drop of an essential oil is extremely powerful. One drop of Peppermint oil (Mentha piperita) will make about 30 cups of Peppermint tea. If you are not familiar with essential oils and take too much you can potentially create a situation where the essential oils are clearing and transporting large reservoirs of toxins that have been stored in tissues into your system too quickly. This can pose a potential health risk.
• Less is often better when it comes to essential oils. However, Daniel Penoel, MD, says when you are dealing with illness and disease, it is best to become an “Aromatic Warrior” and use the full battery of oils in large doses to promote a quick return to balance and health. For this reason, it is best to have a quality reference book or a well-trained individual to assist you in the use of therapeutic grade essential oils.

The Best Antioxidants

A little known fact about essential oils is that they are the world’s best, most powerful antioxidants. You have probably heard about antioxidants for years, and probably know that they eliminate free radicals in the body, slowing the aging process and potentially preventing cancer. Well, science has proven that essential oils are a great source of antioxidants.

For example, Young Living’s Clove oil (according to the laboratory that developed the ORAC scale) has the highest know antioxidant capacity of any substance ever tested. The antioxidant capacity of a single ounce of clove oil can only be equaled by consuming 450 pounds of carrots, or 120 quarts of blueberries, or 48 gallons of beet juice. Personally, I prefer to enjoy the ounce of Clove oil ingested in veggie-capsules.

Is There Any Scientific Evidence Supporting the Use of Essential Oils for Health and Wellness?

Essential oils have been studied for their therapeutic benefits since time immemorial. Records dating back to 5,000 BC include the use of oils for health and anointing. Essential oils were almost forgotten during the 1800s, and until Rene Maurice Gattefosse, a French Chemist, rediscovered their benefits in the early 1920s. Although there is a substantial body of scientific papers evaluating the benefits of essential oils in Europe, nothing was published in English until 1977. Since that time, western science has generated thousands of scientific papers on the benefits and effectiveness of essential oils. However, these precious drops of life force continue to remain relatively unknown, except to those who have been abandoned by or, for other reasons, have ventured away from western allopathic medicine.

Aromatherapy and Behavior

Considerable evidence exists that fragrant compounds, including essential oils, have a profound effect on our mind and behavior. Animal studies have found that hyper-excited mice, stimulated through the consumption of caffeine, were calmed when small amounts of lavender, sandalwood, and other oils were sprayed into their cages.
Aromatherapy and Sleep

In a study reported in the British Medical Journal, Lancet, elderly patients slept “like babies” when lavender was diffused into their bedrooms at night. These patients had complained of difficulty falling asleep and had to take sleeping pills to get sleep prior to the use of Lavender essential oil.

Aromatherapy for Postpartum Discomfort

In a double blind study, 635 women applied lavender oil to their perineal area (part of the body between the vagina and the rectum) after child birth. The women reported a distinct improvement between the third and fifth day. (The discomfort is the worst during this time for patients in the control group.)
Aromatherapy and Stress

In a study conducted at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Hospital in New York, patients undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), 63 percent reported they were less claustrophobic after inhaling vanilla. While there was no change in their heart rate, it was postulated that the aroma reduced their anxiety, possibly due to pleasant memories evoked by the vanilla scent.

In another study, 122 patients in an intensive care unit reported feeling much better when lavender oil was added to massage (compared to when they were simply given a massage or allowed to rest.)

Aromatherapy and Brain Function

In Japan, studies have reported increased accuracy and fewer mistakes by office workers when they lemon essential oil was being diffused in the workplace.

On this website:

http://www.wlnaturalhealth.com/aromatherapy-articles/aromatherapy-research.htm

there is an Aromatherapy Resource Guide listing places where you find research studies and much more.

High Frequency
One last point. Another way essential oils work is through their high frequency.

Recently, scientists have been learning more about the relationship between the frequency of the body and the quality of one’s health.

When the body is in poor health – resulting from anything ranging from a cold to cancer — the body registers a lower frequency. When the body is healthy, the body registers a higher frequency. Studies show that the human body’s frequency can be adversely affected by certain foods, and positively affected by activities such as prayer and  the use of essential oils.

If you would like information on how you can purchase pure, therapeutic grade essential oils, please contact me toll free at 1-877-756-6753. Leave your name and number, so that I can return your call.

References

Battaglia, S., (2003). The complete guide to aromatherapy. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia: The International Centre of Aromatherapy.

Essential Oil Desk Reference, Essential Science Publishing, 2001-2010.

Higley, Connie and Alan, Reference Guide to Essential Oils, 1999-2010.

Higley, C., Leatham, P. & Higley, A. (1998). Aromatherapy A-Z. Hay House.

Penoel, Daniel, MD, Natural Home Health Care Using Essential Oils, Osmobiose Publishing, 1998.

Price, S. (1999). Aromatherapy for health professionals. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.

Schnaubelt, K. (1999). Medical aromatherapy: Healing with essential oils. Berkeley, CA: Frog, Ltd.

Stewart, David, Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple, CARE Publication, 2005.

Valnet, J. (1980). “The Practice of Aromatherapy”. Healing Arts, Rochester, VT

12 Oils of Ancient Scripture: Cassia

February 16th, 2010

In this installment featuring oils from the 12 Oils of Ancient Scripture, Gary Young discusses the history of cassia and highlights the importance of learning about these unique essential oils.

One of the oldest known spices, cassia oil was distilled from the leaves and twigs and was a highly prized aromatic very similar to cinnamon bark in fragrance and in chemistry.

Like cinnamon, cassia contains compounds that have been shown to inhibit the growth of many types of bacteria and support immune function. A recent study conducted at the Kentucky School of Medicine showed that extracts of this herb can stimulate T lymphocyte activity and immunoglobulin production by B cells, which are key elements of immune function.

How was cassia used for its spiritual purposes? We don’t know exactly. The Egyptians believed in multiple gods, so they adorned themselves with multiple oils to please them. We know that these oils were so treasured that they were also recognized for their powerful ability to help increase spiritual connection and awareness.

We also have to keep in mind that in ancient times the majority of people did not have access to written records or have the ability to read or write. This is why they communicated through touch and scent. Cassia, myrrh, and sandalwood were some of the oils that were used in mummification or burial. They believed that essential oils preserved the body and carried it into the afterlife and prepared them for their journey back. Some people even believed that the oils created a fragrance trail that could be followed back to the present world. Perhaps this is why these oils were regarded with such high esteem. But there are still many aspects that we don’t understand at this time.

If we derived physical benefits from these oils we may also derive spiritual benefits as well. I have traveled the ancient lands and gone to these ancient places, from the shores of the Arabian Sea to the Red Sea. I have traveled the vast wilderness of the desert to the lost city of Ubar, the Atlantis of the sands, to Petra, Jordan, to the Judean desert, Masada, Cumran, and Ghetti. I have studied the ruins where long ago precious resins such as balsam and frankincense were distilled to make essential oils. Then I traveled into Egypt following the history of these aromatics and oils that were given to us in the very beginning of time. I believe that there was a very profound purpose for the gift of these oils and resins. Only today are we beginning to appreciate the immense value of aromatics and essential oils.

It is my desire that you have an understanding of how these oils can improve your life and also the lives of those around you. Essential oils are truly the missing link of modern health and perhaps they are also a missing link in helping to heighten your spiritual connections. I hope they inspire you and empower you to improve your life in every way.

Essentially Yours,

Gary Young

by David Stewart, PhD, DNM

Applying essential oils is an ancient and effective modality for (1) First Aid, (2) Stress Management, (3) Pain Management, (4) Improving Your Quality of Life, and (5) Living up to Your Peak Performance. Aromatic science is a new field of research that is rediscovering the many health benefits of aromatherapy once lost in antiquity but are now being verified and refined by modern studies. “Improving Your Quality of Life” includes finding effective ways via oils for such things as diabetes, sinusitis, fibromyalgia, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, depression, cancer and a host of other chronic or terminal diseases.

Throughout the world, many cultures of the historic past anointed and healed with essential oils with great success on an intuitive and spiritual basis, but they were not able to understand nor explain their remarkable powers from an intellectual or scientific viewpoint. The tools of today’s technology are teaching us that essential oils are unique among all substances and hold many solutions to the unanswered and unmet challenges of medicine and health care as they exist today.

TREATING SYMPTOMS VS. PERMANENT HEALING

Nurses (RNs) and medical doctors (MDs) practice within a philosophical paradigm referred to as “allopathy.” The theory of allopathy is that if you remove or correct the symptoms of a condition, you have removed or corrected the condition itself.

Suppose you have a fever, mucous in the nose, a cough in your chest, an upset stomach, a headache, and can’t sleep. An allopath would prescribe something to reduce the fever, stop the runny nose, shut off your coughing reflex, neutralize the acid in your stomach, deaden the pain in your head, and put you to sleep. You might feel better, but you weren’t healed of anything.

All of the symptoms listed would be warning indicators of a deeper problem, not the problem, itself. They are like the red light on your dashboard indicating that you need motor oil. All the doctor does is to shut off the warning signals instead of diagnosing and correcting the root of the problem. This would be like unscrewing the warning light bulb under your dash to turn it off instead of recognizing that you just need to stop your car and add some oil before the engine burns up.

Allopathic medicine can relieve symptoms and make you feel better, but it does not address the problem that produced the symptoms. Hence, you can be made to feel fine and still be sick. The consequence is that your body can then come down with a different and, perhaps, worse malady with another set of symptoms.

Taken to allopathic extremes, medical doctors, unable to solve a problem in a particular member or organ in your body, will resort to surgery and simply remove that member or organ. That would certainly remove the symptoms, but you would then be maimed for life and resigned to live with one or more missing body parts. Such an approach usually leads to more complications and more unpleasant symptoms later on, if not immediately, following the surgery. But to the mind of an allopath, they would have solved the problem you had presented to them. The fact that the post-surgery patient now has additional and different problems is not relevant in allopathic thinking because the patient’s original problem has been removed. In the words of an allopathic surgeon, “The operation was a success, but as for the patient . . .”

The best of modern medicine is emergency medicine. If I am in a bad accident with major head trauma, an open bleeding wound, serious internal injuries, or a broken limb, take me to the closest emergency room. Let them apply their skills with pharmaceuticals, surgery, x-ray machines, and sophisticated technology, etc., so I can live through the crisis. But leave the healing to me by other means.

Allopathy is virtually helpless in effecting true healing following a crisis or in curing chronic diseases. They can manage your disease or condition for the rest of your life, but if you want true and permanent healing you must look elsewhere.

LIFE IS MORE THAN CHEMISTRY: THE QUANTUM CONNECTION

While allopathic medicine can save a life in an emergency, actual healing is outside the scope of allopathy. While nutrition, exercise, and lifestyle are key factors in maintaining health, the roots of most sicknesses and conditions are emotional and spiritual. The fallacy of allopathic medicine is the belief that everything that happens in our bodies is a matter of chemistry and physics. From this fallacy they conclude that there must always be a chemical or physical prescription to solve every bodily condition, even when the condition is a psychological disorder. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The chemistry and physics of our physiologic processes are but reflections of our thoughts and feelings. In fact, the classical laws of chemistry and physics do not apply to living processes, but few health care practitioners and biologists know this. The scientific laws more appropriate to describe living processes are found in quantum physics.

Classical physics deals with processes bigger than an atom or molecule. Quantum physics deals with processes smaller than an atom, i.e. individual electrons, neutrons, and protons. Quantum physics teaches us that human thought influences electron behavior. Every physiological function in the human body involves electrons. Electrons are the mind-body connection.

In classical physics, given specific conditions there are specific outcomes and definite answers. One can predict with certainty what will result from any given set of physical or chemical conditions. Questions in classical physics tend to have one right answer independent of the thoughts and intent of the experimenter.

In quantum physics, given specific conditions there are no specific outcomes and definite answers, but only a set of possibilities. One cannot predict with certainty which possibility will manifest from a given set of conditions. Questions in quantum physics will have a spectrum of probably answers, the final answer influenced by such things as the thoughts and intent of the experimenter.

THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION

Classical physics can take us to the moon and back and into the far reaches of outer space, but classical physics cannot penetrate the inner universe of the atom. Quantum physics does that and leads us directly into the realms of mind and spirit. Essential oils are bridges between all of these realms – material, mental, energetic, and spiritual.

Essential oils are composed of chemical compounds, but also have electrical properties at the level of electrons and protons. This places them partially in the realm of quantum physics. Essential oils respond to human thought. They amplify intent. This is why they work so well in combination with prayer.

When asked what a particular oil will do, one can give a chemical answer by describing the compounds of the oil and their actions in the human body, pointing out that different people will respond differently according to their own unique chemistry. One can also give a quantum physics answer when asked what an oil will do by saying, “What do you want it to do? The oil is only a carrier of possibilities. Which possibility do you want it to manifest?”

But even quantum physics and classical science combined are not sufficient to account for how our bodies work and how essential oils work in our bodies. Human function transcends the laws of the material world, as does the behavior of essential oils.

OILS AND EMOTIONAL ROOTS OF DISEASE

One of the unique aspects of essential oils is the fact that, when inhaled, they go directly to our emotional and spiritual centers in the brain. These are organs that respond only to aroma. They do not respond to spoken words or to substances that cannot pass the blood-brain barrier. The molecules of essential oils are of the right composition and size to pass through the blood-brain barrier, something most prescription drugs and most other substances cannot do.

Even water does not pass through the blood-brain barrier, which is a good thing, or else our heads would all swell up like watermelons if caught in a rain storm. But essential oils do pass through, which is one of the secrets to their amazing therapeutic abilities. They can reach into our emotional brains and unlock forgotten feelings that are the roots of our physical problems.

Essential oils also address the roots of our problems at cellular levels, right down to the DNA inside the cells. They cleanse the cells, protect them from hostile microbes, delete incorrect information in cellular memory, and reprogram proper information so that the cells have a correct job description and can function as God intended.

This is possible because essential oils are more than a mixture of chemicals. They have ultrasonic vibrational properties that go beyond the physical laws of this universe and extend into the subtle energetic template that underlies the material world, which is the source and model for all material manifestations.

NATURAL VS. SYNTHETIC

The formulas for many compounds found in essential oils can be duplicated in a laboratory and, to a chemist, they would be identical to their natural counterparts; but the chemical formula of a substance is not a complete description of that substance. Its origin and history are also relevant.

The compounds comprising plant oils were spoken into existence when God created plants. These compounds are imbued with God’s Word and God’s intelligence, which is not measurable in a laboratory nor by any physical instrument. Humans, however, can apply their intuitive abilities and discern certain properties of a substance, even its history and origin, whether produced from a living plant or from a chemical plant.

Synthetic compounds may be copies of the chemical formulas of compounds found in essential oils, but they are lacking the subtle energies contained in natural substances. Those who apply essential oils for healing soon learn that only pure, natural, complete, and unadulterated oils bring about healing, while synthetic oils, or oils adulterated by synthetic compounds, do not.

For example, in the case of oil of wintergreen, the natural oil is harmless, with many healing properties, while the synthetic version does not heal and is, in fact, toxic. Both smell and taste like wintergreen, but they are not the same therapeutically. Furthermore, research has shown that the homeopathic properties of a substance, though chemically identical, are not the same energetically for synthetic compounds as they are for natural ones.

BE SURE YOU USE THERAPEUTIC GRADE OILS

Therefore, one must be sure they are applying therapeutic grade oils and not perfume grade oils, which are cheaply produced and lacking in the therapeutic properties necessary to heal and enhance ones state of wellness. Most aromatherapy companies selling oils claim that their products are “Pure, 100% Grade A, Therapeutic, etc.” But you cannot trust labels, since their verbiage is not currently regulated nor legally defined. Oils with warnings on them about potential toxicity are probably not therapeutic and safe to use, except in massage, where they are diluted down to a 2-5% concentration in a neutral carrier oil.

To insure that you are getting therapeutic grade oils, find a company that submits their oils for routine testing by independent laboratories, whose oils are from organic sources, distilled without chemical solvents at minimum temperatures and pressures, and are bottled straight from the still with no alterations or adulterations. Talk to others who are experiencing good results from their oils, and find out where they get them. As for me, I get all of my oils from Young Living.

The proof of an oil’s quality is in its manifested benefits, which you can verify yourself by using it. Testing in a laboratory for its chemical properties is not sufficient to ascertain its levels of subtle energy necessary to provide healing benefits. At this time, I am aware of only one company in North America with a large variety of therapeutic grade oils, blends, and oil-based products of verifiable efficacy and consistent quality.

THE INTELLIGENCE OF ESSENTIAL OILS

We have said that essential oils contain intelligence, while synthetic oils do not. The intelligence in therapeutic grade essential oils is placed there by God during their creation within the plant. This intelligence is homeostatic. Homeostasis is a state of perfect balance within the human body where everything functions as it should.

There is an intelligence within essential oils that knows about homeostasis. For example, the same oil, like lavender, can energize you when you need energy or relax you when you need to relax. Cypress oil can stimulate blood flow when you need to increase circulation or can slow it down if that is what you need. Meanwhile, both lavender and cypress oils can be working in your body in a myriad other ways to restore and maintain physiological, emotional, and mental balance.

All essential oils are antimicrobial to an extent, some more than others. This means that they provide a hostile environment to bacteria, viruses, mold, fungi, and parasites. However, being intelligent, they know the difference between dangerous microbes and harmless or helpful ones. We need certain bacteria in our bodies to digest, assimilate, and metabolize our food and utilize our vitamins and minerals.

When you take antibiotics, which are prescriptions created by drug companies, they are indiscriminate, having no homeostatic intelligence. They kill all of the bacteria in your body thus leaving you with a depressed immune system and in a state of weakness.

By contrast, essential oils kill only the harmful microbes while nurturing the friendly flora of our bodies. Hence, when you overcome a cold, flu, pneumonia, or other malady with the help of essential oils, your immune system has been strengthened.

The points given above are not a complete discussion of the profound differences between allopathic medicine and natural medicine. Watch future issues of the Raindrop Messenger for more.

For more information on how and why essential oils work, see the book, “The Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple – (God’s Love Manifest in Molecules)” by David Stewart, available from many sources.

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^

“Reprinted from The Raindrop Messenger, a free e-line newsletter, with permission from Dr. David Stewart. To subscribe or download back issues, visit www.RaindropTraining.com.”

~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^