Essential Oils Are Called “Essential” Because They Play a Significant Role in Human Health?
The word “essential” actually refers to the oil that comes from the essence of the plant, an aroma-carrying substance that retains its scent when it is extracted from the plant itself. This oil lives in ducts or glands that are part of the plant’s structure. In most cases, the oil evaporates when heated, so some users of these oils refer to them as “volatile” oils, a direct reference to this property of instant vaporization. Others call them “ethereal” oils, a term that gives them a mystical quality but that actually refers to their ability to disappear into the air (see What makes the oils “essential”?). A number of studies have suggested that certain essential oils can aid in sleep, reduce anxiety, relieve headaches, and reduce inflammation, but more research will be required to determine their actual effects in human beings. No study has proved that essential oils can be used to treat a serious illness.
Essential Oils and Aromatherapy Are Nothing More Than Nonsense and Pseudoscience?
While the potential medicinal properties of essential oils are not fully understood at this time, their use for aromatherapy can have positive effects. Some studies have shown that people with chronic anxiety disorders, clinical depression, insomnia, low appetite, nausea, and even dry mouth can benefit from aromatherapy. The skin also can absorb the oils, so a massage or bath with a scented oil can help release tension, allowing a person to relax. This provides therapeutic benefits to someone with aching muscles or prolonged anxiety issues (see Do essential oils have medicinal properties?). The food manufacturing industry also is investigating the potential for essential oils’ use as antimicrobials in packaging, in hopes of replacing many synthetic preservatives with more natural oils.
Essential Oils Are Well Regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate the processing, purity, procurement, bottling, or sale of essential oils. Essential oils are not cosmetics, foods, or drugs, so they do not fall under the jurisdiction of the FDA or any other U.S. government agency. Essential oils do come to the FDA’s attention, however, when their sellers claim that these oils have the ability to cure disease. The FDA regulates all claims of therapeutic properties made by sellers in their marketing and on their packaging, to keep products that are not approved as drugs from being marketed as if they are drugs—especially when the claims are false (see How are essential oils regulated in the United States?).
Any Essential Oil Is Safe to Use Internally?
Essential oils are plant based and are therefore considered natural products; many come from organically grown crops. The fact that they may be natural and organic, however, does not necessarily mean that they are safe to eat. The term “food grade” is used fairly freely by essential oils marketers, and many of these companies recommend the use of their oils in cooking. There is no official classification of “food grade” in the essential oil industry, however—no regulating agency defines what makes one oil edible or eligible to be a cooking ingredient, while another is not. This distinction becomes even vaguer in the packaged food industry, where many food products list essential oils in their ingredients (see Can essential oils be taken internally?).
All Companies That Sell Essential Oils Can Be Trusted to Provide True and Complete Information about Their Origins and Use?
As in just about any industry, facts about essential oils can be buried under marketing terms, sales messages, and other fictions. Multilevel marketing companies—the ones that have lots of representatives that hold house parties to sell essential oils—have considerable history in making false claims about the medicinal and healing properties of their products. Purchasers of these products should be wary of any statement that the oils do anything more than provide pleasant scents and, perhaps, assist in relieving stress and a few minor ailments (see What is a multilevel marketing company, and should I buy essential oils from one?).