Essential oils are becoming ever more popular and we see
many new products for sale which contain essential oils. Essential oils are plant compounds found
concentrated in seeds, bark, leaves and roots of plants. Because
they change from liquid to gaseous state quite readily, when you open the
container of essential oils you can smell it often from quite a
distance. They are extracted from the plant by various
methods and used therapeutically and in food preparation. Each
plant has a variety of chemicals and it is the particular mixture from each
plant that gives that plant the therapeutic or culinary properties for which it
is used.
The oils can be extracted by steam
distillation, cold pressing or through the use of solvent compounds to liberate
it from the source plant. The first two methods give a much
higher quality product without risk of contamination from the solvent.
Different plants require different temperatures and time for optimal
extraction and great skill to ensure that the fragile compounds are not damaged
by excessive heat. Lower quality oils may have some degree of
contamination or may not have as much of the essential oil and are thus diluted
with carrier oils. This results in a product with less efficacy
than a carefully extracted therapeutic oil.
Essential oils are powerful and can be
used for a wide variety of applications. I’ve mentioned their
efficacy in cleaning products that are safe around children and
pets. They may be used to help with muscle and joint pains,
relieving skin irritation, repelling insects and have a calming
effect. These are just a few of their applications. All
pure essential oils have some degree of anti-bacterial protection and can
increase actions of leukocytes. This is why medicinal herbs were so
effectively used for hundreds of years.
In my office I see a lot of people with
pain issues and over the years I’ve tried many topical analgesics.
The topical analgesics compare favorably with oral medications and do not carry
the risk of dependency that may be associated with oral analgesics.
There are several that I’ve used in the office and the best of them have
essential oil extracts. The oils are great for helping skin
irritations. I have used lavender oil on myself and on my dog for skin
irritation. Many oils have antibacterial properties such as tea tree,
lavender and eucalyptus. There have been studies in the literature
showing their efficacy in treating oral lesions including dental caries.
Certain oils help relieve headaches and can help with sinus congestion and
inflammation. Peppermint tea has often been recommended to people
suffering from colds and congestion for many years and there are lozenges with
essential oils that have a stronger effect. The dried herbs are not
as strong as the essential oil because of a lower level of active compounds.
Some essential oils are effective against fungi.
Essential oils can even be used on animals.
However, it is critical to avoid any oils containing phenols on dogs and cats
as they are unable to process phenols. This would include tea tree
(melaleuca) and wintergreen oils, oregano, cinnamon, clove and thyme. Animals
have additional restrictions depending on their species so it would be wise to
confer with your veterinary professional before using essential oils on your
pet.
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