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The Corruption of Essential Oils
By admin | May 25, 2008
“essential oils”
Throughout the world, most operations distill essential oils the most cost effective and time efficient way. The most cost effective and time efficient way is to use high heat, high pressure and chemicals to extract the essential oils out of the plant or flower material.
The problem with this is that distilling essential oils in this manner may produce more oil in a quicker period of time but it essentially destroys the complex chemistry and therapeutic value of the essential oil. What’s left is merely perfume grade essential oil that smells great but has little or no therapeutic properties left in it.
Even though the essential oils may be considered pure if no chemicals were used to extract the oil they may only contain a fraction of its possible complex chemistry and therapeutic value.
In France, lavender that is produced commercially is often distilled for only 15 minutes with a steam temperature of up to 350 degrees Farenheit and up to 155 pounds of pressure. Although the oil is easily marketed and sold, it is of very poor quality.
Some people are far more concerned about the price than the quality of essential oils. You can easily sell inexpensive lavender oil if you can produce a pound of oil in 15 minutes instead of a pound of oil in an hour an a half.
In the larger fields of the world at distillation time, you can see chemical trucks hooked into the distillers pumping solvents into the water already in the boiler. This increases oil production by as much as 18 percent.
However, when you put a chemical in the water and force it with steam into the plant, it causes a fracturing of the molecular structure of the oil, altering its fragrance and constituents. Also you cannot separate the chemicals from the oil after they come through the condenser.
Today most of the lavender essential oil sold in America is a hybrid called lavandin, grown and distilled in China, Russia, and Tasmania. It is brought into France, cut with synthetic linolyl acetate to improve the fragrance, added to propylene glycol or SD 40, DEP, and DOP (solvents that increase the volume), and then sold in the US as lavender oil.
Oftentimes lavandin is heated to flash off the camphor, and then synthetic linolyl acetate is added so that it appears as lavender. Consumers do not know the difference and are happy to buy lavandin for $5 to $7 per half ounce in health food stores, and through mail order.
Frankincense is another example of an often adulterated essential oil. The frankincense resin, or gum, that is sold in Somalia costs between $30,000 and $35,000 per ton. When steam distilled, it is very expensive, requiring 12 hours of distillation. However, frankincense that is sold for $25 per ounce is distilled with alcohol.
These synthetic and adulterated oils can cause rashes, burns, or other irritations. We wonder why we do not get the benefits we were expecting and conclude that essential oils do not have much value.
When synthetic fragrance constituents are added, the essential oil becomes weaker and weaker with each stage of distillation. Many people have jumped on the bandwagon because of the money making potential they see in essential oils.
They buy cheap oils, rebottle them, label them as 100 percent pure essential oils, and market them without ever knowing their origin or who was responsible for distillation.
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PLEASE NOTE: The information in this article is based solely on the use of 100% Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils due to their high quality and tested purity. The use of a brand of uncertain quality and/or purity will provide you with potentially dangerous, if not lethal, results.
The statements about these oils have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These oils are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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Tags
Aromatherapy, Basic Facts About Essential Oils, Essential Oils, Introduction to Essential Oils
Topics: Aromatherapy, Basic Facts About Essential Oils, Essential Oils, Introduction to Essential Oils |
