Common Adulterations of Essential Oils
Written by Don Z Wednesday, 09 December 2009 16:14
Because the market for essential oils and aromatherapy is still relatively new--yet growing rapidly--there are some who take advantage of the situation by secretly "stretching" oils through dilution and adulteration. Every oil we provide is of the highest quality and purity. Our 'single oils are true single species essential and our 'blends' are true combinations of single species essential oils.
For health and healing, highest quality essential oils must be raw, pure, unaltered, and genuine. They must be single species essential oils, and they should be used as close to their natural state as possible. The production of pure essential oils requires quality control – from the plant in the field to the bottle on your shelf – ensuring proper species, growing conditions, harvesting, distillation, and testing of the final product.
As a consumer of essential oils, it can be challenging to determine if the essential oils offered for sale are therapeutically effective. Unfortunately, labeling practices are sometimes misleading. Some companies’ market oils that have been redistilled to enhance their fragrance, or their essential oils have been diluted with inexpensive vegetable oils and other additives. It is not in your best interest to use essential oils that have been tampered with, altered to meet foreign regulatory standards, or oils that are diluted with vegetable carriers, fragrances, or synthetics. Essential oils that contain additives or synthetic material may be damaging to your body.
The only certain way to determine quality is to perform a laboratory analysis using instruments such as the gas chromatograph (GC) and mass spectrometer (MS). Only the finest companies have this information available. The essential oils we sell have both of these tests independently performed and analyzed.
Here are just some of the reasons why you want to turn to therapeutic-grade essential oils for today’s health challenges:
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Essential oils deliver high levels of oxygen and ozone to the cells, creating an oxygen-rich atmosphere in which pathogens cannot survive.
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Essential oils have powerful antioxidant properties.
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Essential oils create a negative-ion environment in which pathogens cannot survive.
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Virtually every essential oil is anti-bacterial; many are anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-parasitic.
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A large number of essential oils such as lemon, high altitude lavender and healthy blend are immuno-stimulators.
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There are no known viruses or bacteria which have developed an immunity to essential oils through mutation.
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Sesquiterpenes (chemical constituents of some essential oils such as lemon, frankincense and sandalwood) have the rare ability to cross the blood-brain barrier, a critical factor in the healing of many diseases.
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Essential oils can deliver vital nutrients to starving cells by “piggy-backing” them through abnormally thickened cell membranes which have developed due to oxygen deprivation.
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•Essential oils, such as Helichrysum, are natural chelators, driving toxins/metals out of the cells.
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Essential oils normalize and balance the body’s systems such as lavender and geranium
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Properly produced essential oils are living substances which carry electrical frequency and can help raise the frequency of the human body to levels at which disease cannot exist. Rose essential oil carries the highest frequency.
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Essential oils such as geranium and spruce have the capacity to clear emotional trauma and negative emotional patterns which are at the roots of a vast number of diseases.
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Essential oils stimulate the release of endorphins, relieving physical and emotional discomfort and promoting a feeling of joy and well-being.
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Essential oils can increase our sense of wholeness and connection with the Source of All Healing.
It is vital that essential oils be produced at low temperature and pressure with the intent of preserving their life force and healing properties. Lesser-quality oils, such as perfume-grade oils sold in most health-food stores and bath and body stores, though relatively inexpensive, simply do not embody the range of healing properties contained in oils produced with healing in mind, and in some cases, can do more harm than good. Seek out oils that have been produced for the purpose of healing and that contain the full range of natural chemical constituents nature intended.
Our commitment to you means that you can purchase our essential oils with confidence:
• Through our wholesale buyer, our essential oils are obtained directly from distillers. Most other essential oils are handled by numerous brokers before they reach the end user. We can track our oils from plant to bottle.
• The high quality of our oils is guaranteed by our quality control expert who regularly visits distillers in the various countries of origin throughout the world.. John Black, is known throughout the essential oil community world wide.
• To meet the higher quality standards of medical aromatherapy, each of our essential oils is guaranteed to be pure, genuine, unadulterated, and of a single species. Many commercially available oils are standardized or manipulated to suit flavor and fragrance industry standards. Our essential oils have not been artificially altered in any way, except that for safety reasons, we only offer bergaptene-free Bergamot.
• All of our essential oils are guaranteed pesticide-free. We offer certified organic essential oils whenever available and when they are suitable for medicinal use.
• Our oils are analyzed by Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrum (GC-MS) methods at an independent European laboratory and the results interpreted by our quality control expert. We do not know of any other company that routinely tests all of its oils by mass spectrum analysis.
COMMON ADULTERATIONS OF ESSENTIAL OILS
(from Aromatherapy for Natural Health and Beauty by Cecilia Salveson)
ANISEED: Often adulterated with fennel and dill.
BASIL: Often by addition of synthetic linalool to exotic basil oils.
BERGAMOT: Synthetic linalyl acetate, linalool, limonene, synthetic or natural citral, terpinyl acetate, diethyl phthalate, bitter orange, lime.
CAJEPUT: Replaced by eucalyptus. Added: terpinyl acetate, terpinyl propionanate, terpineol, esters.
CALENDULA: Commercial oil not easily available; may be macerated.
CAMPHOR: Not likely because of wide availability and low cost, but PKC can vary widely.
CEDAR: Blending of the different kinds fairly common.
CHAMOMILE (GERMAN): Addition of synthetic chamazulene. Solvent extracted oil can be added grade oils to improve colour.
CINNAMON BARK OIL: Often cut with leaf oil, canella bark oil, clove leaf oil, eugenol, cinnamic aldehyde. Substituted with cassia oil. Also kerosene fuel oil.
CITRONELLA: Unlikely because of low cost.
CLARY SAGE: Easily synthesized; cut with synthetic linalyl acetate, linalool, lavender oil, bergamot mint oil.
CLOVE: Bud oil often cut or substituted with leaf oil. Synthetic eugenol and caryophyllene cost more, therefore not used as adulterants.
DILL: Cut with limonene, carvone, caraway.
EUCALYPTUS: Generally not justified due to low cost of oil, but possibility of cutting with synthetic cineole. Often redistilled for pharmaceutical rating.
FENNEL: Often adulterated with bitter fennel, synthetic trans-anethole, fenchone, methylchavicol, limonene.
FRANKINCENSE: Synthetic components often added, especially alpha-pinene. Quality of oils varies, depending on extraction and locale.
GERANIUM: Often cut with palmarosa, citronella, synthetic components.
GINGER: Can be adulterated with galanga oil, but due to wide availability of ginger, not often done.
JASMINE: Commonly adulterated or synthesized: ylang-ylang, benzyl acetate, indole, cinnamic aldehyde, fractions.
JUNIPER: True oil is rare, usually fermented. Cut with pinene, camphene, myrcene, turpentine oil fractions, wood and twig oil.
LAVENDER: Often adulterated by acetylated lavandin, aspic, synthetic linalool, linalyl acetate, Ho leaf fractions, rosewood.
LEMON: Folded or washed. Cut with orange, distilled lemon oil, concentrated juice from vacuum extraction, synthetic limonene, citral, dipentene. BHA, BHT.
LEMONGRASS: Cheap, so unlikely to be adulterated with synthetic citral. Occasionally cut with litsea in China. Occasionally substituted with jammu oil.
LINDEN BLOSSOM: Macerated oil may be sold as essential oil.
LITSEA: Occasionally substituted with lemongrass. Any other unlikely.
MELISSA: Most commercial oils adulterated. Often with lemon, lemongrass, citronella, isolated aldehydes, lemon, verbena and fractions.
MYRRH: Often adulterated with opoponax.
NEROLI: Easily adulterated, especially with synthetic linalyl acetate, linalool, nerol, nerolidol, petitgrain and its terpenoids, bitter orange.
NUTMEG: Terpenes often added, especially from nutmeg, myristicin from other sources, terpenes from tea tree
ORANGE (SWEET): BHA, BHT; often fractionated, distilled orange oil is added, or sweet and bitter are mixed.
PALMAROSA: Can be adulterated with gingergrass.
PATCHOULI: Often cut with cedarwood, clove oil, terpenes, methyl abietate, vetiver residues, castor oil, residues, gurjun balsam and others.
PEPPERMINT: The most adulterated oil. Usually with cornmint (difficult to detect even at 85%).
PETITGRAIN: Often adulterated with lemongrass, synthetic citral, lemon oil and others.
PINE NEEDLE: Can be cut with camphene, pinenes, isobornyl acetate.
ROSE: Adulteration is sophisticated and difficult to detect. Often adulterated with palmarosa, citronella, many fractions, synthetic and natural.
ROSEMARY: Extra eucalyptol often added, as well as terpenes from cypress, camphor, eucalyptus, sage and synthetic terpineol.
ROSEWOOD: Often adulterated with Ho wood and Ho leaf oil, synthetic linalool and linalyl acetate. Ho is similar to rosewood in effect, therefore adulteration is ecologically positive.
SAGE: Often adulterated with American cedarwood and palmarosa.
SANDALWOOD: Often cut with amyris, araucaria, cedarwood, castor and copaiba. Also diluted with glyceryl acetate, benzyl benzoate and synthetic copies.
TEA TREE: Often blended with other tea tree oils to attain standards set. Terpinen-4-ol often added, along other terpenes.
THYME: Can be adulterated with oregano. White thyme often contains compounds of pine, rosemary, eucalyptus, red thyme and terpenes.
TURPENTIN / OCEAN PINE: Marine pollutant (synthesised turpentine used to remove paint).
VETIVERT: Often adulterated with other grass roots at distillation. Also cut with vetiverol, terpenes, cedarwood, amyris.
YLANG YLANG: Very easily adulterated with cananga oil, Peru balsam, copaiba, inferior fractionations and synthetics. Different grades are mixed.
Breathing Essential Oils
Written by Don Z Wednesday, 09 December 2009 01:26
The argument can be made that any use of aromatherapy, uses inhalation since it's all about the aroma of the essential oils. Even in a bath or massage, the fumes still enter our breathing system. These methods are considered direct inhalation since the oils make contact with the skin.
Indirect inhalation refers to releasing the essence into the air anyone in the room is breathing. Ancient history shows that indirect inhalation was used for centuries when it was burned for various rituals and the fumes were inhaled. In our modern world there are all kinds of "tools" for inhalation. We can use diffusers, potpourri, heated or just loose in a bowl, vaporizers, and putting a few drops onto a tissue or cotton ball and inhaling before the oils evaporate. Diffusers are small units designed specifically for releasing essential oil fumes into the air. Vaporizers have been used for years to treat chest congestion and changes liquid into a gaseous state.
Some companies are now advertising aromatherapy beads to carry with us in a small bag, or use in a vaporizer. Others are making soap that carry various aromas to treat things like stress or insomnia. In some of these newer products, take care when you buy them. Most are probably produced by fragrance makers rather than true essential oil companies.
Our sense of smell is more powerful than we often give it credit for. Chemists have long believed that it is one of our most powerful senses, although not as fine tuned as in some of the four legged animals. Research shows over and over again that aromas definitely affect how we feel emotionally and physically. Smell memory is so strong that vague memories or one we think we've lost altogether, can come sharply back into focus if we smell an associated aroma. Even skeptics who don't believe essential oils actually work do accept the fact that some people feel better after an aromatherapy treatment. Even they admit that if it's only a placebo effect, what really matters is the improvement the recipient enjoys.
Bathing
Bathing is another of the popular methods of delivering essential oils. Bathing in itself is often about relaxation and the introduction of the right essential oil can magnify the experience many times over. An aromatherapy bath should be treated as a ritual to ensure that you reap all the benefits.
Make sure you have plenty of time during which you won't be disturbed. Run the water warm enough to be soothing but not so hot it will scald you. You might even consider running your towels through a dryer cycle to fluff them up and make them nice and warm.
Because you want the essential oils to remain on your skin until they are absorbed, an aromatherapy bath isn't necessarily a cleansing bath. To obtain the most from your bath, shower first so that you're clean when you enter the bath. Fill the tub then add the oils. This is one instance in which you don't need to use carrier oil, since the dilution will be heavy in so much water. When you are finished be sure to clean the tub well since there will probably be an oily residue left. Hereare some simple blends for your bathing enjoyment:
* Stress Elimination - 2 drops jasmine, 3 drops mandarin
* More Restful Sleep - 4 drops lavender, 2 drops neroli
* Complete Luxury - 2 drops rose, 1 drop patchouli, 2 drops orange
For safety's sake follow the same guidelines you would for general use of essential oils. Make sure they are pure. Know ahead of time if it's an oil that you enjoy and isn't harmful to your specific chemical make-up. Don't overdo. Just because the oils will be diluted by the bathwater doesn't mean you should use more than a recipe suggests. If you are experimenting, just use a few drops. Most of all enjoy!
Fad or Forever?
There is no way to accurately predict the future of anything. For a number of years now aromatherapy has been growing in popularity, and there is no reason to think it won't continue. Just by looking at the Internet and reading up on all its uses, both for healing and for more superficial reasons, you will see that the ways of using it continue to grow.
Alternative medicine is becoming more common by the day, especially in conjunction with traditional western medicine. Aromatherapy is a big part of that picture. There will undoubtedly always be a niche market for essential oil healing.
Spas are hugely popular these days, whether for a short treatment lasting an hour or two, an entire day of pampering, and even as vacation destinations, where the whole focus is on you.
Once someone has discovered the delights of aromatherapy and real aromatherapy candles, it is doubtful that they will stop using it. An analogy might be if you found a product for your garden that made all of your flowers grow bigger and last longer each season, why would you stop using it. If people are benefiting from aromatherapy there is no reason why they would stop.
