What is an essential oil?
Essential oils are natural aromatic compounds found in the
seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants. They can be
both beautifully and powerfully fragrant. If you have ever enjoyed the gift
of a rose, a walk by a field of lavender, or the smell of fresh cut mint,
you have experienced the aromatic qualities of essential oils. In addition
to giving plants their distinctive smells, essential oils provide plants
with protection against predators and disease and play a role in plant
pollination.
Essential oils are non water-based phytochemicals made up of volatile
organic compounds. Although they are fat soluble, they do not include fatty
lipids or acids found in vegetable and animal oils. Essential oils are very
clean, almost crisp, to the touch and are immediately absorbed by the skin.
Pure, unadulterated essential oils are translucent and range in color from
crystal clear to deep blue.
Try
this at home: Squeeze the peel of a ripe orange. The fragrant residue on
your hand is full of essential oils.
In addition to their intrinsic benefits to plants and being beautifully
fragrant to people, essential oils have been used throughout history in many
cultures for their medicinal and therapeutic benefits. Modern scientific
study and trends towards more holistic approaches to wellness are driving a
revival and new discovery of essential oil health applications.
dōTERRA (CPTG) Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade®
essential oils represent the safest, purest, and most beneficial essential
oils available today. They are gently and skillfully distilled from plants
that have been patiently harvested at the perfect moment by experienced
growers from around the world for ideal extract composition and efficacy.
Experienced essential oil users will immediately recognize dōTERRA's
superior quality standard for naturally safe, purely effective
therapeutic-grade essential oils.
Essential Oils throughout History
Essential oils have been used throughout recorded history for a wide
variety of wellness applications. The Egyptians were some of the first
people to use aromatic essential oils extensively in medical practice,
beauty treatment, food preparation, and in religious ceremony. Frankincense,
sandalwood, myrrh and cinnamon were considered very valuable cargo along
caravan trade routes and were sometimes exchanged for gold.
Borrowing from the Egyptians, the Greeks used essential oils in their
practices of therapeutic massage and aromatherapy. The Romans also used
aromatic oils to promote health and personal hygiene. Influenced by the
Greeks and Romans, as well as Chinese and Indian Ayurvedic use of aromatic
herbs, the Persians began to refine distillation methods for extracting
essential oils from aromatic plants. Essential oil extracts were used
throughout the dark ages in Europe for their anti-bacterial and fragrant
properties.
In modern times, the powerful healing properties of essential oils were
rediscovered in 1937 by a French chemist, Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, who
healed a badly burnt hand with pure lavender oil. A French contemporary, Dr.
Jean Valnet, used therapeutic-grade essential oils to successfully treat
injured soldiers during World War II. Dr. Valnet went on to become a world
leader in the development of aromatherapy practices. The modern use of
essential oils has continued to grow rapidly as health scientists and
medical practitioners continue to research and validate the numerous health
and wellness benefits of therapeutic-grade essential oils.
Uses of Essential Oils
Essential oils are used for a very wide range of emotional and physical
wellness applications. They can be used a single oil at a time or in complex
blends depending on user experience and desired benefit. Essential oils are
usually administered by one of three methods: diffused aromatically, applied
topically, or taken internally as dietary supplements.
Aromatic Uses
Our sense of smell influences many physiological pathways including the
stimulation of hormones and other metabolic processes. Aromatherapy is
founded on the body's predictable response to specific olfactory stimuli.
Essential oils are widely used in aromatherapy applications. Certain
essential oils, when diffused in the air, can be very stimulating while
others can be calming and soothing. Beyond emotional benefits, diffusing
essential oils can purify air of unwanted odors and some airborne pathogens.
Low or no-heat essential oil diffusers are recommended as they do not change
the chemical structure of the oil being diffused. Essential oils can also be
used as cleansing and purifying additives to laundry and surface cleaners
throughout the home.
Topical Uses
Due to their natural molecular composition, essential oils are easily
absorbed by the skin and can be safely applied topically. Application of
essential oils can have immediate, localized benefit to the target area of
application. They have restorative and calming properties and can be used
effectively with massage and beauty therapy. They are also natural
disinfectants. The chemical structure of essential oils also allows them to
be absorbed into the bloodstream via the skin for internal benefit
throughout the body.
Internal Uses
Essential oils can also be used as dietary supplements supporting a
variety of healthy conditions. Some essential oils have powerful antioxidant
properties while others help support healthy inflammatory response in cells.
Many essential oils are generally regarded as being safe for dietary use,
but some oils should not be taken internally. Do not use any essential oil
product internally that does not have the appropriate dietary supplement
facts on its label.
Using essential oils can be both profoundly simple and life changing at
the same time. Working with someone who has used essential oils before will
help first-time users have a more beneficial and enjoyable experience. A
large amount of information is readily available for those desiring to
increase their knowledge of essential oil applications.
(Be sure to use only 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oils and
follow all label warnings and instructions. Essential oils should not be
used in the eyes, inside the ear canal, or in open wounds. If redness or
irritation occurs when using essential oils topically, simply apply any
vegetable oils such as fractionated coconut oil or olive oil to the affected
area. Consult your physician before using essential oils if you are pregnant
or under a doctor's care.)
Extraction Methods
Therapeutic-grade essential oils are most often extracted via a low-heat
steam distillation process in which steam is circulated under pressure
through plant material liberating the essential oils into the steam. As the
steam mixture cools, the water and oils naturally separate and the oil is
collected in its pure form. To ensure the highest quality oil extract of
correct chemical composition, temperature and pressure must be monitored
very closely. Too little heat and pressure will not release valuable oil
while too much can change an extract's composition and potency. As important
as the carefully controlled extraction process is, the careful selection of
the correct plant and plant parts harvested at the right time is also
required for a successful extraction. This complex process is as much art
form as it is science and requires experienced growers and distillers
working together to ensure a quality product.
(Fact: It takes as much as 12,000 rose
blossoms to distill 5 ml of therapeutic- grade essential rose oil.)
Steam distillation is by far the most common method of extraction, but
some oils such as citrus oils are extracted through a process of compression
in which the oil is squeezed from the plant. A very few essential oils are
extracted using solvents that bind with the oils and are later removed from
the final product.
Essential Oil Quality Grades
There are a growing number of products claiming to be or to contain
essential oils. They range in price and quality and are found in skin
care, cosmetics, aromatherapy, and other products. However, many of these
products do not use 100% pure essential oils and often use fragrant
synthetic chemical substitutes to dilute or replace more expensive
essential oil extracts. Furthermore, there are no current regulatory
standards for the descriptive use of the “therapeutic grade” for
products labeled as essential oils.
The CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade®* mark represents dōTERRA's
own internal standards for sourcing and testing 100% pure aromatic
botanical extracts using independent testing laboratories. The dōTERRA
brand and registered CPTG mark represent dōTERRA's guarantee of 100%
pure essential oil extracts that meet high standards for both purity and
material composition and accurate product labeling.
dōTERRA's therapeutic-grade essential oils are 100% pure natural
aromatic compounds carefully extracted from plants. They do not contain
fillers or artificial ingredients that would dilute their active
qualities. Proper extraction and quality control methods also ensure that
dōTERRA's essential oils are free of any contaminants such as
pesticides or other chemical residues. In addition to being 100% pure and
natural, dōTERRA's Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils
are subjected to further quality testing that ensures the correct
composition of the active natural compounds found in each oil. Even though
an essential oil may be 100% pure, if the right species or part of a plant
has not been used, or if the plant has not been grown in the right
environment or harvested at the right time, or if it has not been
distilled under the right conditions, the natural chemical makeup of the
extraction will not provide as predictable and powerful a benefit. In some
cases, the wrong plant harvested at the wrong time may result in an
extract that contains harmful levels of some constituents.
dōTERRA's Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils are
guaranteed to be 100% pure and natural and free of synthetic compounds or
contaminates. They are subjected to rigorous mass spectrometry and gas
chromatography testing to ensure extract composition and activity. dōTERRA's
100% pure essential oils represent the safest and most beneficial
essential oils available today.
(Try
this at home: Compare the smell of dōTERRA's 100% lavender
essential oil to another lavender oil or product in your home. If
your product's fragrance is overbearing in any one note it may contain
synthetic chemical substitutes. A 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential
oil should have a balanced, broad fragrance profile and should smell
crystal clean. Now, compare the feel of your product to dōTERRA's
essential oil. A pure essential oil should not feel slick or oily but
rather absorb cleanly and completely into your skin.)
| *CPTG Certified Pure
Therapeutic Grade® is a registered trademark of dōTERRA
Holdings, LLC representing internal standards of quality assessment
and material control. The CPTG testing protocols require the use of
independent laboratories for CPTG standardization and quality testing.
The CPTG protocol is not administered by government or industry
regulatory agencies and does imply regulatory approval of dōTERRA
products. |
Using Essential Oils Safely
dōTERRA's Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® essential oils can be
used safely by your family for a variety of wellness applications.
However, there are several safety guidelines that you should follow when
using essential oils and essential oil products.
- Be sure to use only 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oils and
follow all label warnings and instructions.
- If redness or irritation occurs when using essential oils topically,
apply a vegetable oil such as fractionated coconut oil or olive oil to
the
affected area.
- Essential oils should not be used in the eyes, inside the ear canal,
or in open wounds. In the event of accidental contact with the eye,
dilute with vegetable oil NOT water.
- Do NOT consume an essential oil internally unless labeled with a
Supplement Facts box with specific dietary supplement use instructions
and warnings.
- Discontinue the use of an essential oil if you experience severe
skin, stomach, or respiratory irritation or discomfort.
- When using on children, apply a very small amount of oil to test
skin or other sensitivity. Do not use oil on a child's hand as they
may transfer to their eyes or mouth.
- Consult your physician before using essential oils if you are
pregnant or under a doctor's care or have other safety questions
regarding
essential oils.
It is important to remember that therapeutic-grade essential oils are
highly-concentrated plant extracts and should be used with reasonable
care. Consulting with someone who has experience with essential oils will
make your first experience with essential oils more enjoyable and
rewarding. As you learn how to use essential oils through personal
experience, share your knowledge with others in a safe and responsible way
and encourage others to do the same.
For dōTERRA product technical support, please call (801) 615-7200,
Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. MST.
PRODUCT SUPPORT E-MAIL (For
product use questions.)
If you have questions or concerns with your use of dōTERRA
products, please contact dōTERRA by e-mailing your comments to productsupport@doterra.com.
We will try to respond within 24 hours after receiving your e-mail.
Product Support Services does not provide diagnosis or treatment for
diseases. For health emergencies for which you believe a dōTERRA
product is a contributing factor, please discontinue the use of the
product immediately. If symptoms persist, contact a medical professional.
If you or a child has consumed a large quantity (more than 5 ml) of an
essential oil not labeled for internal use, contact your local poison
control center (see http://www.aapcc.org
for a national listing). Please follow all label usage instructions and
safety warnings.
Essential Oils