Intro to Essential Oils

I thought I'd write down a few notes from the class yesterday if you were feeling frazzled with the kiddos running around or forgot something or need something to look at while nursing. :)

There are 3 grades of essential oils: food, cosmetic, and therapeutic.Oils are classified as therapeutic grade depending on their chemical profile. AFNOR in Europe is who controls these guidelines and Young Living in the U.S. uses this standard for their therapeutic grade oils. The FDA holds no regulation over essential oils and many labels are misleading. If a labels says do not take internally or has an expiration date chances are the oil is cut and mixed with a solvent or the plant was grown using pesticides. The only 2 oils that can not be taken internally from young living are jasmine and neroli due to how the plants are processed. In order for an oil to be considered a therapeutic grade oil there are many factors to be considered: the soil, the environment, how the oil is extracted etc etc.

Pesticides and other solvents are mostly odorless and can be hard to detect. Therapeutic grade oils can be applied to the skin 'neat', mixed in with a carrier oil such as olive or coconut oil, or taken internally either by mixing in water, tea or rice milk or put inside of a vegetable capsule.

Safety:

Therapeutic grade oils can cause skin sensitivity if the plant has a very warm or cold nature such as cinnamon or clove or if there is a high build up of chemicals from personal care products under the skin (such as Sodium Laurel Sulfate). If a red or burning reaction occurs do NOT put water on the skin. Oil and water do not mix and will intensify the burning. Instead mix with a fatty oil like olive oil to cut the essential oil until the burning stops.

Citrus oils are photosensitive and are best put where the sun doesn't shine if you are usually topically. Just like adding lemon juice to your hair to lighten in the summer, lemon essential oil will burn the skin if applied before going out into the sun.

Heating essential oils is never recommended because it will cause the oil to break down and create a toxic environment. To diffuse into the air use a cold air diffuser, spray bottle mixed with water and essential oil, place on cotton balls and put in air vents. It is not recommended to use in a humidifier as the essential oils will break down the plastic parts.

What is it?

Essential oils are the blood of a plant. The essential oil contains the defense mechanism of the plant and this is why depending on the chemical profile of the plant being used has antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, antiparasitic properties.

When looking under a microscope essential oils and human blood looks very similar and this is why the body responds so readily to essential oils of a therapeutic nature.

Essential oils are concentrated. For example one drop of lemon essential oil is equivalent to the rinds of 26 lemons. Oils can be extracted from the roots, stems, leaves or flowers of the plant. Depending on how an oil must be extracted will determine the cost of an essential oil some are more expensive than others. Rose oil is the most expensive essential oil costing close to $200 for a 5ml bottle because it takes 1,000 rose petals to produce just one drop of rose essential oil.

Aromatherapy:

Sense of smell is the only sense directly linked to the limbic lobe of the brain the emotional center and also connected with controlling heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels and hormone balance.  Essential oils can be used for physical and emotional balance. 

The general rule is that if you are particularly drawn to a scent you need it emotionally and if you do not like the scent of oil you need it physically. 

How to apply:

A little goes a very long way. Because of the similarities between essential oils and human blood our bodies process and use essential oils very quickly. One drop of essential oil applied topically is in every cell of the body within 20 minutes and completely out of the system within 2 hours.

If you are unsure of how to apply an essential oil start with the soles of the feet. The feet are the most porous part of the body and have reflex zones mapping the entire body. If you are using an oil that is particularly stinky the feet are also furthest from your and everyone else's noses. :) My nephew would use vetiver essential oil for ADD and apply on the soles of his feet at bedtime every night so he didn't smell like vetiver during school time.

Typically it is best to hold the bottle over your non-dominant hand so that a drop falls into your palm. Circle the oil clockwise (healthy DNA spins clockwise) and apply as needed.

If you are using an oil for muscular pain apply directly over the area or reflex points of the feet. If using for breathing, congestion or cough apply around sinuses staying away from the eyes and chest.

If you are using to calm or for stress, anxiety etc apply to the wrists, heart and back of neck.

You can simply breathe the essential oil straight from the bottle, diffuse or spray into the air also.

Lavender is probably the most versatile essential oil because it contains adaptagens in the chemical profile meaning that is will be uplift your energy level or be sedating depending on what you need. Lavender is antiseptic, antifungal, analgesic, antitumoral, anticonvulsant, vasodilating, relaxant, anti-inflammatory, reduces blood fat/cholesterol, combats excess sebum on the skin. It can be used for respiratory infections, high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, PMS, skin conditions (perinial repair, acne, eczema, psoriasis, scarring, stretch marks) burns, hair loss, insomnia and nervous tension.

True lavender is often extended with hybrid lavender or synthetic linalol and linalyl acetate which can causes burning of the skin.

Thieves Oil is a blend of clove, lemon, cinnamon bark, eucalyptus radiata, and rosemary. The story goes that a group of apothecaries during the bubonic plague used these oils and herbs to protect themselves from getting the plague in order to steal from the sick and dead bodies. Research confirms that these particular blend of oils is 99.9% effective in killing bacteria and because it comes from a plant source the bacteria can't mutate like with other antibacterial soaps and cleansers.

Here are some uses: diffuse for 15-30 minutes every 3-4 hours. Apply to bottoms of feet, throat, stomach, or abdomen. Dilute 1:15 in vegetable oil and massage over thymus. For headaches put 1 drop on tongue and push against roof of mouth. For toothaches or canker sores put one drop on a q-tip and rub over area for pain relief. Put 4-8 drops on cotton ball and locate on vents. Add 2 drops to a wet cloth and put in clothes dryer.

Where to get essential oils?

I place an order once a month and have wholesale prices. I don't upcharge to retail you just pay for tax and shipping. Just let me know if you'd like something and I will put it in the order.

You can create your own account through Young Living. They will ask for a member number and you can use mine 770950. If you create a wholesale account you must purchase the start living starter kits that includes a bunch of info about the oils and some sample with a 5 ml bottle of peppermint and lavender. You will also get a voucher for 1 diffuse for 50% off. To earn points towards free product you must be on autoship of 50pv each month but the autoship is no longer a requirement to keeping a wholesale account. You can order oils whenever you want without the autoship you just won't earn points for your order and you have to place one order a year to stay active.

The Essential Oil Desk Reference compiled by Essential Science Publishing is a great book to have around when learning about the oils as well. I'm sure you can find it on amazon cheap.

Let me know how I can help or if you have questions

Sarah Canga

Neighborhood Acupuncture Place
230 Florence St
Crystal Lake IL 60014
815.893.9825
www.clnap.com