Essential oils are the oldest and some of the most powerful therapeutic agents know to man. They have a millennium-long history of use in healing and in religious ceremony throughout the ancient world, besides their use as fragrance. 

Some, particularly frankincense, are cited repeatedly in many Judeo-Christian and Muslim religious texts. They were used to cure every ailment "from gout to a broken head."  Others, such as myrrh, lotus, and sandalwood oils were widely used in ancient Egyptian purification and embalming rituals. Still others, such as clove and lemon, were highly valued as antiseptics hundreds of years before the discovery of modern antiseptics.  Aromatics, as they were called, were some of the most prized treasures of the ancient world - they were traded for gold, silver, and even slaves.

The modern rediscovery of the value of essential oils is attributed to French cosmetic chemist, René-Maurice Gattefossé, Ph.D. In July of 1910, a lab explosion set him aflame. After extinguishing the flames, he discovered that his hands were quickly developing gas gangrene. But just one rinse with lavender essential oil
stopped the horrible process. Healing began the next day. His discovery was quite accidental -- he had plunged his arm into a vessel that he assumed was
water. But it actually contained pure lavender oil (Lavendula officinalis). With regular application of lavender oil, the wound healed without a scar. When he
investigated the chemistry of the oil, he discovered that some of its chemical components had tremendous healing properties. 

This incident prompted Dr. Gattefossé to research the healing compounds of essential oils. His research spurred the clinical use of essential oils. As a result, French physician, Dr. Jean Valnet, used therapeutic-grade essential oils on patients suffering battlefield injuries during World War II. He was able to save the
lives of many soldiers who might otherwise have died, even with antibiotics.  After the war, he documented his clinical results in his book, The Practice of
Aromatherapy. He also shared his knowledge with his student, Daniel Pénoël, M.D., who later co-authored the first definitive medical textbook on the chemistry and clinical application of essential oils: L'aromathérapie exactement. Two more of Dr. Valnet's students, Dr. Paul Belaiche and Dr. Jean Claude Lapraz, expanded his work. They clinically investigated the antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic properties in essential oils. 

Essential oils are highly concentrated natural plant extracts; a drop or two can produce significant results. An entire plant, when distilled, might produce only a single drop of essential oil. That is why their potency is far greater than dried herbs.  Pressing or distillation extracts the subtle, volatile liquids (meaning they evaporate quickly) from plants, shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes, and seeds, that make up essential oils.

Essential oils are the life-blood of the plant, protecting it from bacterial and viral infections, cleansing breaks in its tissue and delivering oxygen and nutrients into the cells.  In essence, they act as the immune system of the plant. That is why they are so essential to the plant -- without them, plants could not survive.  In the human body, they have a similar action -- such as transporting valuable nutrients to the cells; increasing oxygen intake, and digesting toxic waste in the blood. This is because the three primary elements - carbon, hydrogen and oxygen - are common to both human beings and essential oils. This shared chemistry makes essential oils one of the most compatible of all plant substances with human biochemistry.  Not only that, but the lipid-soluble structure of essential oils and the fact that they have a protein-like structure similar to human cells and tissues makes them even more compatible with human tissue.

Essential oils are very different from vegetable oils (also called fatty oils) such as corn oil, olive oil, peanut oil, etc. Fatty oils are produced by pressing nuts or seeds. They are quite greasy, are not antimicrobial nor help transport oxygen, and will go rancid over time. Essential oils, however, are not greasy nor do they clog the pores like vegetable oils can.

Essential oils are highly complex substances. They are mosaics of hundreds - even thousands - of different natural chemicals. The average essential oil may contain anywhere from 80 to 400 known chemical constituents. Many oils contain even more, occurring in minute quantities - but all contributing to the oil's therapeutic effects.

Different varieties of the same oil can have widely different therapeutic actions, depending on their chemistry. For example, basil high in linalool and is primarily used for its antiseptic properties.  However, basil high in methyl chavicol is more anti-inflammatory than antiseptic. A third type, basil high in eugenol, has both anti-inflammatory and antiseptic effects.

In addition, essential oils can be processed in different ways, which dramatically effects their chemistry and medicinal action.  Oils that have been redistilled two or three times are obviously not as potent as oils that have been distilled only once.  Also, oils that are subjected to high heat and pressure in processing have an inferior profile of chemical constituents, since excessive heat and temperature fractures and breaks down many of the delicate aromatic compounds within the oil --  compounds that are responsible for much of the therapeutic action of the oil.  Of even greater importance is the fact that some oils are thinned or cut (i.e. adulterated) with synthetic chemicals. It is crucial when using an oil for therapeutic purposes that you choose oils that have been extracted from the
plant according to the highest quality standards, not being adulterated in any way.

Essential oils come from various parts of plants - the seeds, bark, leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and fruit. The oils can be distilled from the plant material or extracted. The majority are distilled.

The key to producing a therapeutic-grade essential oil is to preserve as many of the delicate aromatic compounds within the essential oil as possible - elements that are very fragile and destroyed by high temperature and high-pressure. Contact with chemically reactive metals (i.e., copper or aluminum) is another danger to the fragile aromatic compounds in oils.

To ensure a high grade of essential oil, it is imperative to use stainless steel cooking equipment at low
pressure and low temperature for long periods of time. The purity of an essential oil is also determined by its chemical constituents. There are many variables that can affect these constituents. These can include: 

· Soil  conditions
· Quality of fertilizer and whether it was organic or chemical
· Region
· Climate
· Altitude
· Harvest season  
· Harvest methods
· Distillation process
· The part or parts of the plant used for distillation

One plant can produce several different variations. The variations occur according to climate, altitude and growing conditions. For example, the later thyme is distilled in the growing season (i.e., late summer or fall), the more thymol the oil will contain. If it is distilled in the early summer, thymol levels will be very low; hence, the oil will be less effective, if at all.

A toxic oil is worse than an ineffective oil, however. Essential oils grown with agrochemicals can be dangerous. Pesticides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers can react with the essential oil during distillation, producing toxic compounds. Synthetic oils not only lack therapeutic benefits, but also carry risks.

Natural essential oils contain hundreds of different chemical compounds which bring important therapeutic properties to the oil. Although chemists have managed to recreate some of the constituents and fragrances of oils, there are many molecules and isomers that are impossible to manufacture in the laboratory. There simply are no substitutes for the purest essential oils.

It is difficult to tell a therapeutic grade essential oil from a Grade A essential oil. As an example, Lavender oil is frequently produced from hybrids, yet claimed to be genuine. Tasmania produces a lavandin that mimics the chemistry of true lavender. Oils must be analyzed by a technician specially trained in the interpretation of a gas chromatograph chart.  He/she can examine the entire chemical fingerprint of the oil, and all the important clues, to determine if the oil isadulterated or pure.

Therapeutic healing oils are not usually sold in retail stores. They should always be purchased in protective dark glass bottles, with blue bottles being the better choice, and with airtight seals. The airtight seal prevents oxidation and keeps the volatile components of the oil in the bottle, retaining their traditional healing
properties. Properly bottled and stored around 70 degrees helps insure that they have a virtually indefinite shelf life, unlike herbs that may lose their potency
with time.

Plants and their essential life blood (the oil of the plant) are always different from season to season, year to year, location to location. This is why viruses have a hard time adapting to true therapeutic grade essential oils, unlike their ability to adapt and mutate to overcome manmade antibiotics. The result of using antibiotics are that we continually need newer antibiotics to fight the viruses. Synthetic medicines will treat one symptom at a time, but by only treating one symptom, they leave an imbalance in the body which leads to other health problems.  

Therapeutic grade essential oils have a balancing effect on the body. Because of their natural complexity, they will treat the symptom as well as the cause.  Essential oils don’t have negative side effects like synthetic drugs and chemicals of modern pharmacology. The medicines created in the plants leave the body stronger after an illness, unlike synthetic medicines that weaken and encourage contraction of future diseases.

Essential oils have three main modalities of being able to apply them: topically, internally and/or inhalation (aromatherapy). The physical nature of liquid oils allow them to penetrate human (and animal) tissue quickly. This is what gives them their effectiveness. Because of the natural variances in the oils, and in our bodies, some essential oils will affect different people in a different way. Keep this in mind and don’t be afraid to try different blends or single oils to find out what works best for you.

One of the most common and most effective ways to topically apply the oils is on the bottoms of the feet (reflexology). Apply the oil to the reflex point corresponding to your symptom or need. The pores in the feet are the largest on the body and they readily absorb the oils.

When purchasing therapeutic oils, insist on the species that produce the best results. When first starting out using therapeutic grade essential oils and learning their modalities of application, it is best to use Olive Oil, Grapeseed Oil or Fractionated Coconut Oil (FCO) to apply them, which slows down their absorption.  Because of their potency, more is not always better. One should never apply more than 20 drops of essential oils to the body at one time. If using internally, put in a teaspoon of honey or in a few ounces of rice, soy or almond milk.  Diffusing the oils is another method that is extremely beneficial and healing through their aroma. In addition, diffusing removes dust particles from the air as well as working as a natural air filtration system.

What’s the Difference?  Therapeutic oils need to be handled carefully and used wisely. I’m confident that our oils are therapeutic. We use only reputable suppliers with a history of providing oils using the highest quality standards to ensure that they are completely unadulterated. I have personally experienced their quality and benefits and appreciate their price after having used other brands of other “therapeutic” oils. It is my commitment to make the best quality oils available with the desire that you will experience more vibrant health through their use.  Please explore our website and blog at for more information on our oils, recommended uses, modes of applications, and helpful articles.