Firstly, it is only a very small minority of prescriptions made out by MD’s in Europe which would necessarily involve the internal use of essential oils. Secondly, other methods of application may be preferable to internal use – depending on the condition presented. Internal dosing would be inappropriate, say, for a muscle strain, but an aromatherapist might certainly incorporate one into a massage of the affected area.

Internal use of essential oils might be medically appropriate for severe gastro-intestinal or respiratory infections, for otitis media (acute inner ear infection), or for other internal problems. If prescribed by an MD, the oils that are used may need to conform to pharmaceutical standards of quality (like conventional medicines) – and so hopefully be free of adulterants, heavy metals, pesticides, dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls and other undesirable substances. In a perfect world, you would expect a qualified medical practitioner to be conversant with the full toxicological safety information for the essential oils, and to administer the appropriate doses under clinical supervision as required, to remedy the problem presented.

Some oils are associated with toxicity problems (e.g. a risk of accumulative effects), and so internal use is not entirely hazard or risk-free. It is also important to keep a more worldly view of these matters. For example Western aromatherapists are warned not to use Wormseed oil (from Chenopodium ambrosioides) because of its acute toxicity and skin sensitizing properties; the oil is banned IFRA (International Fragrance Research Association Code of Practice) and not permitted for use in the UK under the Medicines Order 1977. Yet in spite of the acute risks associated with its use, Wormseed oil plays an important role in health matters other nations, as a biocide in veterinary and ethnic medicine (as a helminthic agent: to expel worm infestations), especially those which cannot afford expensive pharmaceutical drugs.

Since our bodies are designed to continually try to maintain homoeostasis (i.e. the status quo), absorbed essential oil components can be removed from the body quite quickly in a number of ways, for example – by being exhaled during breathing, being metabolized and excreted in urine & feces etc. Babies and small children have less well-developed detoxification mechanisms than adults, and the bodies of elderly people may not work as efficiently. So we might regard both these categories as being more prone or more fragile than healthy adults – and therefore they might be more sensitive to essential oils, which should be used with caution. Because of considerations of relative size (adults to infants), and therefore potentially higher doses per kilo body weight with infants we must reduce the applied dose. If we were to use a 2% solution (EO in carrier oil) on adults, we must use MUCH less on a small child, or none at all. Older children enjoy baths with a couple drops of skin safe oils, and may enjoy massage as well. The elderly can also benefit by gentle applications, but again use caution and a knowledge of safe use. Some oils have been known to cause respiratory problems if used too close to baby’s nostrils (peppermint, eucalyptus oils). However, safe oils such as Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), and Neroli (Citrus aurantium var. amara) etc. could be used in minute amounts for bath or massage - e.g. 1 drop in bath, or 1-2 drops/per ounce carrier). Diffusion into the home environment is usually fine on both ages, but do not diffuse the same oil for long periods of time.

1. All Aromatherapy premises where essential oils are handled should be equipped with an emergency eye-wash station.

2. The cap on the sterile saline solution dispenser from the eye-wash station should be broken, and the eye should be irrigated with sterile isotonic saline solution as directed in the instructions for 15 minutes. If irritation persists, seek medical advice immediately.

3. Observe any special safety instructions on the MSDS for the essential oil causing the accident to the eye. Accidents to persons wearing contact lenses may be especially troublesome where the oil can get trapped between the lens and the cornea - the eye may need to be forced open for initial irrigation with isotonic saline, and the victim may then be able to remove the lens him/herself, enabling further irrigation.

4. If there is no eye-wash station in the vicinity of the accident, use sterile mains water from a running cold tap and open the eye “under water” into water contained in clean cupped hands, or other improvised way of flushing the affected eye.

On furniture, oils will remove the finish because of their terpinic nature, so remove quickly with tissue. If any falls on plastic, finished wood or painted surfaces, unfortunately it won’t take long to ruin the surface.

Of course essential oils work well in water - and most vaporizer-humidifiers, to provide a moist, aromatically fragranced air-stream. Depending on your model you could put a few drops in the water, or on cotton in medicine well - the steam will pick up the oils and add to the environment. Clean after each use – caution: Essential oils can damage plastic parts.
 

One or two drops of essential oil completely dispersed in a glass of water is useful for sore throats, respiratory problems and other oral problems. To be prudent, stick with oils such as fresh (unoxidized) Tea Tree oil, Caraway or Fennel oil or and avoid irritant or orally toxic oils (such as oil of Wintergreen).

Please remember essential oils are VERY concentrated products, and many can show some degree of toxicity at low doses. Amazingly enough, research has often indicated that diluted applications often are more effective, or as effective than stronger ones. So we say in Aromatherapy “Less is More”- only 15 drops in one ounce of carrier is sufficient for face and body (2.5%) to give a therapeutic effect and be safe with most oils. Trained aromatherapists may choose to use a stronger solution on a small or local area (e.g. sore joint). Most often dilution is preferred to lessen risks of adverse skin reactions. Sensitization to essential oils is by no means uncommon, and frequent use of essential oils is often associated with more frequent hand washing - and this by itself may lead to dermatitis or other skin problems if care if not taken. 

Carrier oil, base oil, and diluents are vegetal (- usually mechanically pressed from seeds, nuts of plants, trees etc.), and are represented by fixed oils such as almond, coconut, jojoba and sunflower etc. We use these to facilitate the massage process itself but also to dilute the oils so that full body coverage is obtained, and to lessen chance of irritation/sensitization. In addition the hydrophobic nature of carrier oils acts as a moisture barrier, locking in moisture in skin, and keeping the essential oils on skin surface longer.

NO you absolutely cannot. There are plenty of safer carrier oils from non-nut sources such as non-GM canola oil, sunflower oil, safflower oil etc.

Certainly- one way is to add to dryer cloths, or to a separate wash cloth. Putting oils on clothes may stain so not recommended. Can also be added to rinse water, couple of drops- most will evaporate in the dryer. Scented cloths can be added to drawers/closets, just tuck them in.

Most reputable aromatherapy companies have labels that define the status of the contents exactly. They should be 100% derived from the named botanical source by steam distillation (or by mechanical pressing if citrus oils). If the label is not clear in this respect, don’t buy it! It should say “pure essential oil’ as opposed to blend or massage oil (pre-diluted already).
Also some ‘so-called essential oils’ are not authentic: china rain, forest, black rose, lily-of-the-valley etc. and are fragrance oils composed of synthetic aroma chemicals.

You don’t, unless you can perform a full range analytical testing. The highest specs for essential oils now currently stipulate physio-chemical tests including Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC), Infra-Red (IR) analysis, Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS) tests etc. Even these as normally carried out may not reveal the presence of added vegetable or mineral oils, polyethylene glycols etc. Here is trust of supplier comes in. If you are buying from a reputable aromatherapy supplier, you will be more likely to get pure oils. Some AT suppliers test their oils (most don’t have the facilities or expertise), but those that do may be able to provide a Certificate of Analysis. See that this is signed by someone qualified to do this under the appropriate legislation for your country (as sometimes people act improperly/illegally/unethically/unprofessionally). Suppliers may also be able to supply a Certificate of Authenticity or Certificate of Naturalness (EU), and a Certificate showing the oil is prepared GM-free.

Depends on what you need to know……are you buying for diffusion or massage, a pseudo-medicinal purpose, or as a mood lifter? First of all always order by botanical name, not common name, as the botanical is one of the defining principles for oils. The country of origin may also be important since the composition of the named oil can vary according to geographical source. The chemotype and time of harvest may also need to be stated. Otherwise, you could ask if the company carries out QC (quality control) testing, whether they conform to HACCP schemes (identifying control points which might control any hazards), can they provide a Certificates of Analysis for current (individual) batches of goods, whether they can they back up their purity claims, how long have they been in business? Outrageous testimonials from users or suppliers should be red flags along with multi-level marketing techniques. Otherwise it’s live and learn!

If stored in fully topped up, tightly sealed, light impervious containers in a cool place (5 to 20 degrees Centigrade), preferably under nitrogen, then from 6 months to 2 years. Oxygen degrades oils - causing some to lose beneficial properties and causing some constituents to become irritants or sensitizers (especially citrus & conifer oils), so keep bottles tightly closed and out of direct light. It may be advisable to rebottle to smaller bottles as oil is used to minimize the headspace (thereby minimizing contact with oxygen).

First of all it is not referring to those with “sensitive skin”, sensitive “temperaments”, or sensitive people in general. Separate from irritation, sensitization is a potentially serious immune system response to foreign molecules which can provoke a response (we call them haptens), such as pollen, dust or certain essential oil components like terpene hydroperoxides and sesquiterpene lactones. Reactions can range from a small rash to acute respiratory distress and (in extreme cases) death by anaphylactic shock in certain highly susceptible individuals. Some oils (such as Costus oil: Saussurea lappa) are KNOWN sensitizers and are not to be used on the skin –period - due to risking injury to themselves and others. Others (pine oils, citrus oils, linalool-containing oils) may develop sensitizing components on aging. If anyone knowingly uses sensitizing oils for Aromatherapy skin blends, one is practicing unethically and risks injury to themselves and others, not to mention lawsuits for injury. If one unknowingly uses them, this is worse, as there is no excuse for ignorance. Some information on oxidation of oils & sensitizations available at
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~nodice/new/magazine/linalool/linaloo.htm
and as a appendix to this document.

Various techniques can be used to distinguish, characterize and classify plants, including morphological systems. In this way we can order plants into families, genera, species, subspecies etc. etc. But what if the plants appear morphologically identical in every way, and yet yield different products of secondary metabolism (i.e. essential oils). This particular distinction between plants below subspecies level is called a chemotype, or chemical race. For example let’s take two chemotypes of Rosemary oil (there are others!). We are all probably familiar with Corsican Rosemary oil laevo-verbenone type (Rosemarinus officnalis ct. verbenone), which has an elevated level of verbenone, as distinct from “Tunisian” Rosemary oil cineol type, which has an elevated level of cineol and a low level of camphor.

Why do plants have essences?

Several reasons. One is to attract insect visitors for night/day pollination. Secondly for wound healing by resinification of the oils e.g. in certain shrubs & trees following wind damage etc. Thirdly to deter predatory herbivores. Fourthly to act as biocides for fungal and bacterial diseases e.g. against leaf wilts, rust diseases, to protect seeds etc. Fifthly for chemical signalling e.g. in predatory attack, plants/trees can warn each other and switch metabolisms to produce insect deterring chemicals. Sixthly as a measure to reduce evaporation.

Oxidation of oils is currently a hot topic with the SCCP report on Tea Tree Oil (late Autumn 2004) allegedly identifying particular safety issues with tea tree oil (more on this later). Meanwhile here is a short introduction to the issue. Notes on the Oxidation of Oils in Aromatherapy.

Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to diagnose or take the place of professional healthcare. Please consult your health care practitioner if you are pregnant or have been diagnosed with any serious healthcare problems. Before using essential oils and aromatherapy products please consult with a professional aromatherapist. Keep all aromatherapy products out of reach of children and pets.