Taking a Closer Look

Choosing a company to purchase an essential oil from can be overwhelming. There are so many options and you have been warned not all essential oils are created equal.  There is much to consider when purchasing an oil, choosing an oil based on price is not the best option.  For example, Frankincense is a pricy oil by nature. The Bible says it was worth more than gold or a years wages. One must ask the question, why can a company sell a bottle of Frankincense oil labeled 100% pure for ten to twenty dollars? Frankincense comes from Boswellia trees in the Somalian or Arabian desserts, after the resin is collected by had, distilled at a low temperature (usually not a cheap process), then transported to another country; can the price really be $10-20.

It’s also important look at and not be fooled by the labels of the products you buy.

Choosing the Right Company…When Choosing the right company it is important to research them first, get to know your supplier. Look at where and how the plants are grown and who is involved in the growing process. How is the essential oil extracted from the plant? If through distillation, who distills it and what method is used? Do they have a third party testing their products and what are the third parties standards? Take a look at their mission statement and different projects the company is involved with. Do your own beliefs resonate with the company’s? Everything else is on faith and trust and of course the response of your body.

100% Pure…Unfortunately there are labeling rules which allow companies to label their product as 100% pure; this has the consumer believing they are receiving a product with 100% pure essential oil product. A company only has to put about 10% of the actual “Frankincense oil” and can combine it with a colorless, odorless  petrochemical call it 100% pure and sell it on the market in your local store; this is pure for the retail market. This allows the company to make a profit gives you a product but not the therapeutic benefit of the plant.

Natural… Products with the label natural can be tricky. Products made in a lab synthetically which are also found in natural can legally labeled and sold as a “natural” product. Also a synthetic and natural substance have the same chemical make up but, your body can tell the difference. The product might have the same number of carbons, hydrogens, and oxygens but the structural arrangement at the molecular level will be different. Some products when produced synthetically can be toxic to the body but not in the natural form. The body really doesn’t like being lied to especially not for long periods of time.

Aromatherapy Grade… Purchasing a aromatherapy grade essential oil is usually from a company that uses the British school of thought. The term is from British origin. Meaning is to be used as a message oil probably only 2-5% actual essential oil. It must be heavily diluted and never ingested. Also an oil company that uses USP (United States Pharmacopeia) or BP (British Pharmacopeia) are terms used for food and fragrance industry standards for essential oil. These oils have lost the major constituents found in essential oils and have usually been altered and do not provide the healing properties.

AFNOR (ASSOCIATION FRANCAISE DE NORMAL-IZATION)… I do not believe America has made standards as to what a “therapeutic grade” essential oil is but, there are European standards. AFNOR or ANFOR-EC is an organization in Europe that has set the standard for a number of organizations. ISO which is the International Standardization Organization is another organization in Geneva, Switzerland which adopted standards from the AFNOR as an international standard. In order to meet the standard of quality, safety, reliability and performance requirements from this organization the company must have organically grown, unadulterated, properly distilled, have a certain number of chemical constituents, and of course other requirements. Having an AFNOR “certification” doesn’t necessarily qualify it as a therapeutic grade, but it does provide some ethical guidelines on quality. There isn’t an actually “certification” for essential oils. 

The reality is there isn’t a regulating company for essential oils. Researching and getting to know the company you are purchasing from is important. The sad but true reality is you will probably do more research on an essential oil company than you do on the medication/ vaccination companies. Which ever company you choose to purchase essential oils from, you must be able to trust them go out on Faith. You must feel like they are open and honest with you. If you can, go and visit the farms or the distillery. Look into where the plants come from. How can a company sell you a therapeutic grade essential oil if they themselves do not have a hand in the growing process? Above all else, do they run out of product? There are bad seasons sometimes an oil might not be available because there weren’t enough crops, reality.

You can feel the difference. When I started using essential oils, I had no intentions of telling anyone. Now I am spreading information about the research I have done, because of the change I have felt in my body and observed in my families.

Take a step in Faith and toward taking back the control of your health.

Jasmine Hutchinson BSN., PHN., RN.

Healing Oils of the Bible by Dr. David Stewart