.png)
ESSENTIAL OILS BEYOND
THE WOO-WOO
QUALITY &
INTEGRITY
MATTERS
Essential Oils are the life blood of the plant; they are composed of very small molecules. Because they are so teeny-tiny they can be easily absorbed by the body. In fact they are so tiny that simply sniffing them from the bottle allows for you to draw their power right into your olfactory system. Essential oils have a unique ability to penetrate cell membranes and diffuse throughout the blood and tissues. These particles are one of only a few things small enough to cross the blood brain barrier.
Each oil is comprised of its own unique chemical composition of esters, terpenes, alcohols, oxides, ketones, phenols and aldehyes. The unique chemistry of the plants life blood is what allows the plant to fight fungi and infection, iniatiate regeneration, and combat the predators of it's natural environment, allowing the plant to evolve, survive even thrive. This is why we call the plants oil ESSENTIAL... because it is. These protective properties which are the plant's natural defense mechanism can help support optimal wellness in our bodies as well.
Have you heard this idea that we are 50% the same DNA as a banana? Yeah, me too. I tried to do some research to find truth in this. I could not.. exactly. Without getting too nerdy on you, I did find this from Scientific American online:
The question is whether at some point before this date a last common ancestor for all forms of life, a "universal ancestor," existed. Over the past 30 years the underlying biochemical unity of all plants, animals and microbes has become increasingly apparent. All organisms share a similar genetic machinery and certain biochemical motifs related to metabolism. It is therefore very likely that there once existed a universal ancestor and, in this sense, all things alive are related to each other. It took more than two billion years for this earliest form of life to evolve into the first eukaryotic cell. This gave rise to the last common ancestor of plants, fungi and animals, which lived some 1.6 billion years ago.
This is response is a soft yes to me. I think that for any of us that are at all spiritual, or feel a connection to nature trust that we are all "in this together" in many ways. I personally feel a deep sense of knowing that there is more than meets the eye, there is a synchnorisity, divine order that often goes with out reliable explanation. I will save that tangent for another day.
​
So what do these chemical components actually do?
-
Esters result from the reaction of an alcohol with an acid. Esters aid relaxing, calming, and balancing because they assist in regulating the nervous system. They are also antispasmodic. anti-fungal, calming, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, and anti-viral
-
Terpenes are anti-infectious and stimulating to the body. They restore tonicity in muscles and tissue). Many terpenes are anti-septic and anti-inflammatory. They can inhibit toxin accumulation and discharge it from the liver and kidneys.
-
Oxides are expectorant, antiseptic, and anesthetic. They usually have a sharp, clean smell.
-
Alcohols are antiseptic, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and they stimulate the immune system. They can also be stimulating and uplifting. Alcohols tend to be in oils with woody scents.
-
Phenols are anti-spasmodic, anti-infectious, and antimicrobial. They make up the very strong herbal aromas in oils. Phenols have stimulating and strengthening properties and increase oxygen in the blood, which can increase circulation.
-
Ketones stimulate cell regeneration and loosen mucous.
-
Aldehydes are anti-infectious, and can act as a sedative for the central nervious system. However, they can irritate the skin when you apply them topically. When inhaled, they can be calming. They can be found in oils with a citrusy scent.
The key to producing therapeutic grade essential oils is to preserve as many of the delicate compounds within the EO as possible. Constituents can be affected by the plant which the oil was produced, soil conditions, fertilizer, geographic region, climate, altitude, harvesting methods and distillation processes.
Young Living uses only plants material-free of herbicides and agrichemicals. These chemicals can react with the essential oils during distillation to produce toxic compounds. Many pesticides are oil-soluable so they can mix into the batches of essential oil. Young Living tests every batch of oil, only 28% of all oils are accepted and bottled. This integrity within the companies standards have been demonstrated many times over... I love and appreciate Young Living and Gary Young's passion and integrity when it comes to the business of oils, health and promoting wellness.