When you get an infection or break a bone, you go to a healthcare practitioner. If the temperature gets too extreme, you move. If a predator attacks, you flee or defend yourself. Plants, however, do not have this mobility. The ability to fight infections, heal a wound, cope with extreme environmental conditions and fend off an attacker must be encoded within a plant"s DNA.
Essential Oils are the aromatic volatile plant liquid – the blood of the plant–containing all these life essential properties in the DNA. They fight infections, initiate regeneration of cells, transport nutrients and contain hormone-like substances.
Drugs were originally refined plant extracts. Today, approximately 25% of prescription drugs are derived from plants. Essential Oils" chemical structure is so similar to human cells that they are compatible with human protein. This allows them to be readily accepted by the human body.
Thousands of years before Christ, ancient medicine men crushed plants and soaked them in vegetable oils breaking the plant"s resin sacks containing the Essential Oils. Today we have modern steam distillation processes that extract the plant"s healing properties.
Essential Oils are different than your household vegetable oils. They are not greasy and will not clog your skin"s pores. Essential Oils cannot go rancid and contain the same extensive therapeutic properties as the aromatic, volatile liquids from the original plants.
Essential Oils are regulated by the fragrance laws and are not considered a nutrient or a supplement. By law, 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 these Grades B (food grade) or C (perfume grade) oils.
Only Grade A – the therapeutic grade – Essential Oils contain nothing but the pure chemical essence of plants without solvents, carrier oils and other impurities.
Some manufacturers use a solvent-based distillation process that leaves a residue of chemicals within the pure Essential Oils. Grade B and C oils may still produce results on the human body, but one runs the risk of absorbing traces of chemical solvent, pesticides, and metallic traces from the distillation chambers and impurities from the carrier oil.
Try smelling several brands of store-bought Essential Oils. The difference in fragrance is a measure of the amount of pure Essential Oils, the type of carrier oil added and the distillation process. Only Grade A oils smell the same all the time.
If you want therapeutic results, it is always best to use Grade A – therapeutic grade – Essential Oils that are steam distilled from organic plants. Buy your Essential Oils from a reputable store or practitioner that knows the quality of the source plants and can verify the manufacturing process. Our supplier uses gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to test every single batch (not just spot check) of essential oils they bottle. You can be sure every single essential oil Optimum Choices (an independent affiliate of Young Living Essential Oils) offers, are the purest in the world.
Essential Oils have a chemical structure that is synergistic with human cells. The lipid-soluble nature of the oils is very similar to your cell"s membrane. This makes Essential Oils readily acceptable by your body. Essential Oil molecules are so small they readily penetrate your body"s cell walls.
Inhaled Essential Oils reach the olfactory bulb within milliseconds and cause the brain to react. Applied topically, Essential Oils will travel throughout the entire body within half an hour. Two hours after topical application Essential Oils will start to exit the body. Therefore, there is no toxic buildup with Essential Oils.
The American Medical Association has stated if they could find a substance that would pass through the blood-brain barrier they would be able to heal Alzheimer"s, Lou Gehrig"s, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson"s disease. Essential Oils have the ability to cross the blood-brain barrier.1
In 1985, Dr. Jean Lapraz reported that he couldn"t find bacteria or viruses that could live in the presence of the essential oils of cinnamon or oregano.2
Essential Oils are more than just aroma! Essential oils are nature"s medicine kit.
Just like Massage Therapy, there are many protocols and applications of Essential Oils depending on your body"s needs. Determine which technique fits you best.
Essential Oils are 50 times more powerful than herbs; don't use a lot. Start using one drop once or twice a day. If needed, work up to 3–4 drops.
Which oil to use? The Essential Oils Desk Reference is an excellent guide. (see Reference below.) Listen to your body"”if the scent is pleasing, your body wants that oil. Exception: If your body is not ready to process the released emotions or too much detoxifying will result, you may temporarily dislike the scent of that oil but your body may still need it later. You can use muscle testing, a dowsing pendulum or just your intuition to test. Check in with your body often.
There are approximately 260–300 drops of Essential Oil in a 15 ml bottle depending on the oil's viscosity. If one needed 4 drops/day, there would be approximately a 75-day supply in a typical $25 bottle. That"s only $10/month.
First-time users of therapeutic, Grade A Essential Oils or people with sensitive skin should always dilute the Essential Oils with a mixing (vegetable) oil. This is especially true for the "hot" oils of oregano, thyme and peppermint. Always start with a 25% dilution mixture for children and pets. If Essential Oils are accidentally introduced into the eyes, NEVER use liquids to di-lute, always use mixing (vegetable) oil.
A sacred room in the Temple of Isis portrayed a ritual called, “Cleansing the Flesh and Blood of Evil Deities." The Egyptians believed a soul could not move on to its afterlife if it held emotional baggage. King Tut"s tomb contained alabaster jars enough to hold 350 liters of oil. Robbers chose to steal the oils first over all the other gold treasures. Since that time, essential oil usage to effect emotions has been relatively unknown.
It was only in 1989, that scientist discovered the amygdala gland plays a major role in storing and releasing emotional trauma and therefore called the "seat of our emotions." The amygdala gland is the gatekeeper through which all sensory data to the brain are processed. The sensory data first goes to the amygdala gland where it is determined if this data needs to be sent to the adrenal glands first, for fight or flight, or on to the brain for further processing. It essentially processes knowledge about stimuli and situations that are of special importance to our survival. The amygdala is programmed to react without benefit of input from the thinking part of the brain. So, when we experience a traumatic situation, fear or any other unpleasant circumstances this is recorded in the amygdala first and then sent to rest of the body (i.e. adrenal glands or thinking brain) to be processed. Studies at New York Medical University proved this gland does not respond to sight, sound or touch but does respond through the sense of smell. Through our scents we now have a way to release stored emotional trauma in the amygdala gland and the rest of our body.
Most all our adult patterns of behavior are learned as a child before the age of 7 years. Our likes and dislikes, our preferences and most of our initial fears are all acquired and stored in the amygdala gland. As we get older and have more "scary" or unpleasant experiences (e.g., getting told we don't know anything, told we are dumb, told we are ugly, fired from a job, divorced by a spouse) the amygdala gland dutifully stores these memories. Quite often it is the memories of these unpleasant experiences that prevent us from moving forward. After all, if our first serious relationship ended up being taken advantage of by the other, why would we want to repeat it. If our spouse stole money and left with another, why would we want to repeat getting married. If our position was outsourced or we are told we don't have the proper qualifications any more, why would we want to go back to another 'job' to repeat that unpleasant experience. Professional counseling, transpersonal psychology and other modalities (e.g., EFT, hypnosis) may help. Another tool is essential oils.
With essential oils we can access those unpleasant memories in the amygdala gland and chose to process the unpleasant memories in a more productive way. We are not deleting or erasing the memories but channeling the energy and outcome into a different path and better outcome. The following emotional oil blends from Young Living Essential Oils (YLEO) can be used in such a manner.
The names of the essential oil blends will tell you what emotions they are working on. One needs to have acceptance, gratitude, humility and be in the present time before one can move forward. If one is stuck perhaps forgiveness, surrender and release are needed first. If there is an exceptional trauma in life holding you back, then having valor (courage) would perhaps release you. If one is changing jobs, careers or starting their own business then manifesting abundance, having clarity, catching your dreams, envisioning your goals, seeking your highest potential, having hope, sparking inspiration, moving into the future, living with passion, magnifying your purpose and rekindling motivation might all be necessary. Through professional counseling and transpersonal psychology one often finds releasing inner child issues, resolving a hidden trauma in life or believing in oneself is the real key to transformation.
I personally have used 23 out of the 30 essential oil blends above in helping me out of a depression after being laid off three times in a 12-moth period, losing my budding career as an Internet Project Manager and going through the death of my last surviving parent (mother). The starting place and which oil blends to pick is entirely up to the individual.
Essential oils are truly yesterday"s wisdom developing into tomorrow"s healthcare destiny.
The similarity to humans made horses and dogs ideal test subjects for essential oil research in the early 1900"s. There are more case histories and research done on horses and dogs than any other animal. Because of the resurgence in aromatherapy today, our other domestic animals such as cats, birds, hamsters, gerbils, etc. are now being treated with essential oils and our volume of case histories is accumulating. One case reported by a veterinarian was a cat found listless, unable to walk or crawl, after the owner applied just one drop of undiluted peppermint oil to the cat"s stomach. The vet"s diagnosis was a mysterious case of poisoning and administered fluids and prescribed a two day stay in the clinic. Fortunately, the cat finally was able to go home. Another case concerned a cat that was distressed, disoriented and hypothermic after it was bathed in citronella oil. The cat was washed to remove any essential oils, given I.V. fluids but went into shock, its temperature rose, and it exhibited abnormal movements. Unfortunately, the cat had to be euthanized. Because of such extreme cases, some aromatherapists advocate never using any essential oils on cats. On the other end of the spectrum, therapeutic-grade essential oils have been credited with saving a cat"s life from blood clots and cardiomyopathy (a heart disease).
Kristen Leigh Bell did her masters thesis on aromatherapy and animals and wrote a book entitled Holistic Aromatherapy for Animals (2002, Findhorn Press). Kristen"s book used more up-to-date case studies and practical research over the last ten years. Please do not contact Kristen as she no longer works in aromatherapy or with animals. Like Kristen, I believe in a moderate practice of using aromatherapy with animals. The following is a compilation of my research. You"ll have to form your own opinion as to what is appropriate for you and your companion animals.
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Anise |
Mugwort |
Birch |
Mustard |
|
Bitter Almond |
Oregano |
Boldo |
Pennyroyal |
|
Calamus |
Thyme |
Camphor |
Rue |
|
Cassia |
Santalina |
Chenopodium |
Sassafras |
|
Clove Leaf and Bud |
Savory |
Crested Lavender |
Tansy |
|
Garlic |
Terebinth |
Goosefoot |
Thuja |
|
Horseradish |
Wintergreen |
Hyssop |
Wormwood |
|
Juniper |
Yarrow |
When wild dogs, wolves, cats and horses are sick they seek out certain plants to eat in order to get well. As we domesticated these animals they lost this instinct and their access to wild plants. Plants combine minerals from the soil, water and energy (in the form of sunlight) to produce certain chemical compounds (a process called photosynthesis). These essential chemical compounds nourish the plant, protect the plant, heal broken parts, counteract infections and fungus, attract insects for reproduction and allow the plant to adapt to harsh environmental conditions. All these healing properties are encoded in the plant"s DNA which is embedded in the plant"s resin or essential oils. To obtain these same healing benefits animals will seek out certain plants, eat them and digest the plant material for the healing chemical compounds. Plant metabolism is a precursor to human existence. Humans have learned to ingest the same plants (or herbs) as animals to metabolize the same healing substances. This process is called the biosynthetic blueprint.
Aromatherapy primarily works on the physical level of animals since animals don"t have many of the emotional connections to scents as humans do. For example, animals don"t connect romance with rose oil and holidays with orange and cinnamon oil the way humans do. It is important to introduce animals to essential oils with a positive experience. Do not introduce animals to essential oils when they are fearful from people, loud noises such as storms or in pain or shock. It is always best to let the animal smell the oil first before applying. Then watch for signs of acceptance such as wanting to lick the oil, rubbing against you or wide-eye and bushy tailed. Signs the animal dislikes the oil are turning their head away, panting, drooling, pacing, whining and sneezing or snorting. Never put essential oils on an animal"s nose or snout. This takes away their freedom of choice and is intrusive therapy. Most companion animals have considerably less body mass than an adult human. The rule-of-thumb I use for smaller animals is the same as for children"”if the dosage for essential oils is not stated start with at least a 10% dilution of the adult human dose. For example, one drop of essential oil to 9 drops of carrier oil (e.g., almond, hazelnut, jojoba, olive oil).
Melaleuca alternifolia (Tea Tree oil) has been widely used for years for both humans and pets. But there have been many reports of animals that developed uncoordination, weakness, tremors, behavioral disorders and even depression after using melaleuca oil. This was probably due to using undiluted oil or poor quality oil. The Australian standard states that pure melaleuca oil must have cineole greater than 15% and terpinen-4-ol greater than 30%. I suspect the bad case histories of melaleuca oil resulted from using oil from a manufacturer that doesn"t test every batch of their oil. Melaleuca oils with chemical compositions outside the Australian standard have been known to be caustic when applied full strength. My suggestion is to always use a therapeutic grade (Grade A) melaleuca oil from a manufacturer that tests every batch of oil and always dilute the melaleuca oil before using on animals.
Dogs have a large nasal cavity and their sense of smell is 50-100 times stronger than humans. Always avoid any oils high in phenols and ketones (see chart above). Avoid stimulating oils of peppermint, rosemary, niaouli, melaleuca (Tea Tree), spearmint, ravensara and eucalyptus unless in highly diluted form. It is also recommended to avoid rosemary on dogs that are prone to seizures or with epilepsy. It is not recommended to use essential oils on medium to large breed puppies younger than eight weeks. For small or toy breed puppies wait at least until they are older than ten weeks. When in doubt use the gentler hydrosols (by-products of essential oil distillation) on puppies instead of essential oils.
such a traumatic experience. Veterinarians have reported success using frankincense on dogs with gum disease. Like humans, lemongrass is good for cruciate ligaments and joint injuries. Lavender and a blend of valerian, vetiver, petitgrain, sweet marjoram and sweet orange are good for calming and relieving the stress for show dogs. For arthritis use the anti-inflammatory blend peppermint, cypress, juniper berry and lavender. Dogs and horses, being similar to humans, tolerate oils better than other animals. Cats and birds are a totally different story.
Cat"s livers do not have the necessary enzymes to break down and excrete certain chemical compounds in essential oils. The chemical compounds, therefore, accumulate in a cat"s body and are sometimes toxic to the point of death. Cats are very sensitive to beta-carotene, morphine, certain sulfanomides, salicylic acid (Aspirin), acetaminophen (Tylenol), allyl propyl disulfide (onions) and compounds with the bezene ring (benzyl alcohol preservative). Wintergreen and birch oils contain methyl salicylate the same chemical compound in aspirin. It is best to avoid any oil containing phenols: oregano, thyme, cinnamon (cassia), clove, savory, birch, and melaleuca (Tea Tree oil) or ketones: sage. A third group to avoid are the monoterpene hydrocarbons pinene and limonene most commonly found in the citrus and pine oils: lemon, orange, tangerine, mandarin, grapefruit, lime, bergamot, pine, spruce, and any fir oil. Many household cleaners and even pet products have these latter substances in them to make them smell nice to the owners. Symptoms of a toxic buildup include being despondent, clumsy, uncoordinated, partially paralyzed, vomiting, drooling or in a daze. The diagnosis for toxic poisoning is a blood test that shows elevated liver enzymes. It is best to seek a veterinarian"s care if toxic poisoning is suspected.
Hydrosols (by-products of essential oil distillation) are safer to use on cats. This is because the monoterpene alcohols have an affinity for water and are safe for cats. Phenols and ketones do not appear in hydrosols. There are no known case histories of hydrosols or monoterpene alcohols causing toxicity in cats. Hydrosols of chamomile and a combination of rose, lavender, geranium and neroli are known to have a claming effect on cats. Wounds can be cleaned with diluted lavender, rose, geranium, and chamomile oil or their hydrosols. Itching can be alleviated using witch hazel, rose, lavender or German chamomile.
Does this mean we need to stop using essential oils if we have cats? Since there is no scientific evidence that essential oils and hydrosols are totally safe for cats, the safest rule is not to use them on or around cats until they are proven safe. Just because they are natural, doesn"t mean essential oils are totally safe for cats. If one must use essential oils, here are some suggested rules I follow. Each animal guardian must make their own decision.
1. If I choose to use any of the oils in the charts above on cats, I would always use a highly diluted formula (at least 10:1 with carrier oil or less). If I use any of the oils in the charts above on myself or around the house, I keep the cats away for at least one hour. I never diffuse any of the oils in the charts below or blends containing these oils around cats.
2. I never keep cats in an enclosed area when diffusing oils in the air. I always keep a window open or put the cat in a different part of the house. A safer method is to put the diluted essential oil mixture on cotton balls and leave them in the same room as the animal or on their bed.
3. If I want to use essential oils on cats, I always use a highly diluted formula with essential oils. When in doubt I use hydrosols instead of essential oils on animals. Hydrosols are water-based, gentler and much easier to tolerate.
4. When using cleaning products with the above essential oils, especially citrus or pine, I keep the animals away and off the floor until it dries. I make sure you rinse and dry the surface as thoroughly as possible.
5. Rather than assume a certain protocol or suggested oil is good for an animal I always test the essential oil first before using it. I introduce the essential oil to the animal by letting them sniff it and watch for signs of acceptance as mentioned above. I also use kinesiology with a human surrogate tester for the animal. One can also use a dowsing pendulum or one of the many electronic radionic devices for testing an oil.
Birds are even more sensitive to essential oils than cats. One owner applied one drop of Tea Tree oil to a bleeding blood feather on her lovebird. Within ten minutes the bird collapsed on the bottom of the cage. Fortunately, the vet was able to revive the lovebird. Another owner applied full strength Tea Tree oil to a minor abrasion on a cockatiel"s foot. The bird became depressed and developed respiratory distress. Despite all efforts by an avian vet the bird died within 24 hours. The best recommendation is to use hydrosols only and in highly diluted form in the bird"s water like a homeopathic remedy. Suzanne Catty"s book Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy [see www.OptimumChoices.comooks.htm] has some excellent recipes for common bird ailments. Most of them call for using 2–4 drops of a hydrosol in a bowl of fresh water for the bird.
When treating small mammals such as guinea pigs, ferrets, gerbils, rabbits, mice, hamsters, etc. Kristen Leigh Bell recommends using extreme caution. She recommends using the hydrosol recipes for cats but cutting back the dilution to 50% of the feline dosage.