This article is taken from the Essential Oil Desk Reference, 4th Edition. I have posted this section of the book to educate people who have never used Pure Essential Oils, or use Essential Oils from a health food store or pharmacy. Those oils are NOT Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils, and can not EVER be taken internally because they are not pure, and are often precessed using toxic chemicals. When I first started using essential oils, they did not work for me, and I didn’t understand why. After all, I bought them from a reputable health food store, so I would’ve thought they were the real deal, right? Wrong. I’m a nurse, EMT, and Paramedic, and it took me years to become educated on the difference between grades and purities of essential oils, and Young Living Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils. I don’t want you to take as long to find out, and hope this article can expidite educating you on the difference between the two. They are like comparing apples and oranges, as they are not remotely the same.
Knowledge is power. Empower yourself by reading what pure therapeutic grade essential oils are and can do for you.
Therapeutic-Grade Essential Oils
“One of the factors that determines the purity of an oil is its chemical constituents. These constituents can be affected by a vast number of variables, including: the part(s) of the plant from which the oil was produced, soil condition, fertilizer (organic or chemical), geographical region, climate, altitude, harvesting methods, and distillation processes. For example, common thyme (Thymus vulgaris) produces several different chemotypes (biochemically unique variants within one species) depending on the conditions of its growth, climate, and altitude. One chemotype of thyme will yield an essential oil with high levels of thymol, depending on the time of year it is distilled. The later it is distilled in the growing season (i.e., mid-summer or fall), the more thymol the oil will contain. Proper cultivation assures that more specific chemotypes like Thymus vulgaris will maintain a good strain of thymol, where as with wildcrafting, you may produce linalol and eugenol thyme on the same mountainside. An example of this was shown in studies at the University of Ege botany department in Izmir, Turkey, where it was found that among Origanum compactum (Oregano) plants within a 100 square foot radius, one plant would be very high in carvacrol and another would be high in another compound. Wildcrafting plants cannot guarantee the same chemotype even on the same hillside. The key to producing a therapeutic-grade essential oil is to preserve as many of the delicate aromatic compounds within the essential oil as possible. Fragile aromatic chemicals are easily destroyed by high temperature and pressure, as well as contact with chemically reactive metals such as copper or aluminum. This is why all therapeutic-grade essential oils should be distilled in stainless steel cooking chambers at low pressure and low temperature. The plant material should also be free of herbicides and other agrichemicals. These can react with the essential oil during distillation to produce toxic compounds. Because many pesticides are oil soluble, they can also mix into the essential oil. As we begin to understand the power of essential oils in the realm of personal, holistic healthcare, we will appreciate the necessity for obtaining the purest essential oils possible. No matter how costly pure essential oils may be, there can be no substitutes. Although chemists have successfully recreated the main constituents and fragrances of some essential oils in the laboratory, these synthetic oils lack therapeutic benefits and may even carry risks. Why? Because essential oils contain hundreds of different chemical compounds, which, in combination, lend important therapeutic properties to the oil. Also, many essential oils contain molecules and isomers that are impossible to manufacture in the laboratory. Anyone venturing into the world of therapy using essential oils must use the purest quality oils available. Inferior quality or adulterated oils most likely will not produce therapeutic results and could possibly be toxic. In Europe, a set of standards has been established that outlines the chemical profile and principal constituents that a quality essential oil should have. Known as AFNOR (Association French Normalization Organization Regulation) and ISO (International Standards Organization) standards, these guidelines help buyers differentiate between a therapeutic-grade essential oil and a lower grade oil with a similar chemical makeup and fragrance. All of the therapeutic effects of the essential oils in this book are based on oils that have been graded according to AFNOR standards.”
Using European AFNOR/ISO Standards to Identify Therapeutic-Grade Oils
“As previously mentioned, one of the most reliable indicators of essential oil quality is the AFNOR (Association French Normalization Organization Regulation) or ISO certification. ISO is the International Standards Organization which has set standards for essential oils, adopted from AFNOR. This standard is more stringent and differentiates true top quality essential oils from similar oils with inferior chemistry (For more information, see Appendix A). As Research Engineer at Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Dr. Hervé Casabianca–who holds a doctors degree in organic chemistry–worked with many of the finest European scientists and doctors in helping to create the AFNOR standards, and was a voting member of AFNOR at the time of the standards’ adoption. Dr. Casabianca recognized that the primary constituents within an essential oil had to occur in certain percentages in order for the oil to have predictable therapeutic effects. He combined his studies with research conducted by other scientists and doctors to create the AFNOR certification. Using these standards, many oils such as frankincense or lavender, can be checked to see if they do indeed have the proper balance of chemical constituents. If some constituents are too high or too low, the oils cannot be certified. For example, the AFNOR standard for Lavandula angustifolia (true lavender) dictates that the level of linalool should range from 25 to 38 percent and the level of linalyl acetate should range between 25 and 34 percent. As long as the oil’s marker compounds are within the specified ranges, it can be recognized as meeting AFNOR standards. As a general rule, if two or more marker compounds in an essential oil fall outside the prescribed percentages, the oil does not meet the AFNOR standard. A lavender oil produced in one region of France might have a slightly different chemistry than that grown in another region and as a result may not meet the standard. It may have excessive camphor levels (1.0 instead of 0.5), a condition that might be caused by distilling lavender that was too green. Or, the levels of lavandulol may be too low due to certain weather conditions at the time of harvest. By comparing the gas chromatograph chemistry profile of a lavender essential oil with the AFNOR standard, one may also distinguish true lavender from various species of lavandin (hybrid lavender). Usually lavandin has high camphor levels, almost no lavandulol, and is easily identified. However, Tasmania produces a lavandin that yields an essential oil with naturally low camphor levels that mimics the chemistry of true lavender. Only by analyzing the chemical fingerprint of this Tasmanian lavandin using high resolution gas chromatography and comparing it with the AFNOR standard for genuine lavender can this hybrid lavender be identified. Currently, there is no government agency responsible for certifying the quality of essential oils. The only recognized indication for quality in an essential oil is if it meets AFNOR or ISO standards. The therapeutic effects discussed in this book can only be achieved using essential oils which meet the AFNOR standards. In the United States, few companies use the proper analytical equipment and methods to properly analyze essential oils. Most labs use equipment best suited for synthetic chemicals–not for natural essential oil analysis. Young Living Essential Oils uses the proper equipment and has made serious efforts to adopt the European testing standards, widely regarded as the “gold standard” for testing essential oils. In addition to operating its analytical equipment on the same standard as the European laboratories, Young Living is continually expanding its analytical chemical library in order to perform more thorough chemical analysis. Properly analyzing an essential oil by gas chromatography is a complex undertaking. The injection mixture, column diameter and length, and oven temperature must fall within certain parameters. Unless someone has gone to France and Turkey as Gary Young has, and been trained in the analytical procedures of a gas chromatograph, they will not understand how to accurately test natural essential oils. The column length should be at least 50 or 60 meters. However, almost all labs in the United States use a 30-meter column that is not long enough to achieve proper separation of all the essential oil constituents. While 30-meter columns are adequate for analyzing synthetic chemicals and marker compounds in vitamins, minerals, and herbal extracts, they are far too short to properly analyze the complex mosaic of natural chemicals found in an essential oil. A longer column also enables double-phased ramping, which makes it possible to identify constituents that occur in very small percentages by increasing the separation of compounds. Without a longer column, it would be extremely difficult to identify these molecules, especially if they are chemically similar to each other or a marker compound. While gas chromatography (GC) is an excellent tool for dissecting the anatomy of an essential oil, it does have limitations. Dr. Brian Lawrence, one of the foremost experts on essential oil chemistry, has commented that sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between natural and synthetic compounds using GC analysis. If synthetic linalyl acetate is added to pure lavender, a GC analysis cannot really tell whether that compound is synthetic or natural, only that it is linalyl acetate. Adding a chiral column can help, however, in distinguishing between synthetic and natural oils. This addition allows the chemist to identify structural varieties of the same compound. This is why oils must be analyzed by a chemist specially trained on the interpretation of a gas chromatograph chart. The chemist examines the entire chemical fingerprint of the oil to determine its purity and potency, measuring how various compounds in the oil occur in relation to each other. If some chemicals occur in higher quantities than others, these provide important clues to determine if the oil is adulterated or pure. Adulteration is such a major concern that every batch of essential oil that comes into Young Living must be tested by highly trained independent European laboratories which utilize AFNOR standards. Batches that do not meet the standards are rejected and returned. Adulteration of essential oils will become more and more common as the supply of top-quality essential oils dwindles and demand continues to increase. These adulterated essential oils will jeopardize the integrity of aromatherapy in the United States and may put many people at risk.”
How Essential Oils Work
“Essential oils can work through inhalation, ingestion, topical application, or rectal/vaginal retention. Although topical use is perhaps best known, dietary use of essential oils may be one of the most effective ways of unlocking their health benefits. Many essential oils have been used as food flavorings or as a part of patent medicines for centuries, endowing them with a long history of safe use. Recent research suggests that certain high ORAC essential oils act as potent antioxidants that can actually raise antioxidant levels in the body and prevent premature aging. Many of the oils listed in this section are classified as “GRAS” by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This means they are “generally regarded as safe” for human consumption. An appendix of GRAS oils appears in Appendix C. Topical application is probably the most common means of using essential oils. According to researcher Jean Valnet, MD, an essential oil that is directly applied to the skin can pass into the bloodstream and diffuse throughout the tissues in 20 minutes or less. More recent studies have also documented the ability of essential oils to penetrate the stratum corneum (the upper layer of skin) to reach the subdermal tissues and blood vessels beneath.1,2Some of the compounds in essential oils that work synergistically to enhance permeation include alphapinene (frankincense, valerian, basil, cistus), betapinene (galbanum, hyssop, fir, rosemary), alphaterpineol (bay laurel, Melaleuca ericifolia, ravensara), 1,8-cineole or eucalyptol (Eucalyptus globulus, E. radiata, E. dives, rosemary) and d-limonene (white fir, tangerine, orange, lemon, grapefruit). Inhalation is also an effective means of therapeutically using and delivering an essential oil. The fragrance of an essential oil can have a direct influence on both the body and mind due to its ability to stimulate the brain’s limbic system (a group of subcortical structures including the hypo thalamus, the hippo campus, and the amygdala). This can produce powerful effects that can effect everything from emotional balance and energy levels to appetite control, heart, and immune function. (See Limbic System chart on page 2.) Some researchers believe that the inhalation of an essential oil can also enhance the body’s frequency, which can have a direct impact on disease. Disease and emotional trauma foster a negative frequency that may be disrupted or broken by essential oils. Oils with higher frequencies can elevate the entire frequency of the body whether topically or orally administered, thereby creating an internal environment that opposes the establishment of some disease conditions. 1. Taiwan Huang, Fang, Hung, Wu, Tsai “Cyclic monoterpene extract from cardamom oil as a skin permeation enhancer for indomethacin: in vitro and in vivo studies.” Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin 1999 Jun;22(6):642-6.2. Ogiso, Iwaki, Paku “Effect of various enhancers on transdermal penetration of indomethacin and urea, and relationship between penetration parameters and enhancement factors.” Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 1995 Apr;84(4):482-8.”
I suffer from Systemic Lupus, (SLE), and a host of other illnesses that have gotten a foothold due to my underlying auto immune disease. Young Living Essential Oils have been a Godsend in my life. They have done for me what prescription medicine could not do. My hope for you is that you are also willing to step outside of your comfort zone of what you know to be a known treatment for your illness, and seek help from alternative therapies that may help you to feel better too.
Tammy Baile
Young Living Essential Oils Distributor, # 1156558
I'm looking forward to helping you get "on with living" in a happy, healthy, chemical and pain-free way as I, my family and our pets have.
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You haven’t been feeling well for a very long time. You just don’t have the energy you used to have, your allergies seem to act up all the time, your headaches have become chronic, your joints and muscles hurt most of the time for no reason, and sometimes you have this tight feeling around your chest for no apparent reason. You’ve gone to your doctor, who ran some basic blood work, and told you nothing was wrong, you don’t have Mono, you don’t have Lyme’s Disease, etc. You think you’re crazy, but on a deeper level, you know you’re not making this stuff up, you really do feel terrible. You continue searching for a diagnosis, maybe even going to a holistic doctor or an environmental physician. Neither of these doctors think you’re crazy. Instead, you’re diagnosed with Multiple Chemical sensitivity, also called MCS. Now you need to know what is MCS, how did you get it, and what can you do to feel better?
The benefits of diffusing Young Living therapeutic essential oils are many and varied. One thing for certain, it’s a win-win!
An article in the 
Researchers in Iran have concluded a series of clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of lavender essential oil when used in certain childbirth applications. The results were very promising and support Young Living’s long-held view on the healing power of this incredible essential oil.
An analysis of eight studies investigating the effects of cinnamon bark on fasting blood glucose (FBG) has yielded very positive results. The studies, which came from sources such as Biosis, PubMed and the American Diabetes Association, demonstrate a link between cinnamon supplementation and significantly lowered FBG levels.
Researchers in Germany have conducted a controlled study investigating the effects of lavender essential oil on anxiety disorders. Lavender has long been regarded for its soothing and balancing properties.
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