Essential Oils
What are essential oils?
– Essential oils are volatile aromatic compounds that serve a variety of protective, reproductive, and regenerative purposes in nature.
– They come from the petals of flowers, leaves of plants, and resin of trees.
– They are steam distilled or cold pressed (citrus oils) from their source.
– They can be used aromatically (inhaled from the bottle or hands or diffused), topically (applied to the skin), and internally* (taken in a capsule, water, or in food).
Here are some of the possible benefits of essential oils:
– Support healthy immune function
– Support healthy respiratory function
– Reduce anxious feelings
– Reduce feelings of stress
– Reduce feelings of depression
– Elevate/uplift mood
– Reduce muscle tension
– Promote calm feelings
– Promote restful sleep
– Enhance focus
– Cool the body
– Soothe occasional skin irritations
– Protect against environmental and seasonal threats
Here are some things to know when purchasing essential oils:
– There are 4 grades of essential oils.
1) Synthetic – think mall or drug store lotions, body washes, etc.
2) Food grade – GRAS standard (generally regarded as safe) oils used to flavor foods, candies, etc.
3) Therapeutic grade – found at health and wellness stores like Whole Foods. They may say 100% pure, but this labeling is not regulated and these oils should never be taken internally as they may contain potentially harmful fillers and are not subject to rigorous testing.
4) Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade (CPTG) – these are held to a beyond organic standard. Each batch undergoes multiple rounds of 3rd party testing to ensure the oils are pure (only the oils are present) and potent (are powerful enough to provide the maximum benefit). Many of these oils can be taken internally (the ones that can, have a supplement panel on the bottle). CPTG is the standard for dōTERRA essential oils ONLY. No other essential oils should be taken internally.
– Make sure you are buying from a trusted source. Oil bottles are easy to refill and re-cap, so they should not be purchased from a third party source like Amazon.
If you have specific questions, feel free to contact our resident oil expert Nicole Torres at ntorres@llatherapy.com
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.