What Are Essential Oils

What are essential oils?

The scent of a rose petal, the smell of the orange rind, the aroma of fresh cut rosemary. . .those are where the essence or the life of a plant come from and also your essential oil. These aromas aren’t just something for you to smell but they are also to aid in your body’s functions. When discussing essential oils, we’re talking about what happens when, through the proper distillation process, the actual lifeblood and essence of  a plant is extracted, tested for therapeutic grade constituencies, and bottled for human use.

Essential oils have been around since the beginning of time and were man’s first medicine.  Egyptian hieroglyphics and Chinese manuscripts show that essential oils have been used for their healing properties for thousands of years, and the bible references dozens of types of oils used, including Frankincense and Myrrh from the Nativity story.  Essential oils were regarded as highly as gold.

A plant naturally contains essential oils as part of its immune system, using them for many things including protection from pathogenic microorganisms (fungi, bacteria, etc) and healing plant injuries.  Essential oils are highly concentrated, aromatic liquids that, when distilled properly from the plants, provide powerful therapeutic benefits.    They are composed of tiny molecules that can penetrate every cell, crossing the blood/brain barrier and administer healing therapy at the most fundamental and basic level of our bodies.

How Oils Work

So what benefits do essential oils provide and how can they help you?

  1. Essential oils are the regenerating, oxygenating, and immune defense properties of plants.
  2. Essential oils are so small in molecular size that they can quickly penetrate the skin.
  3. Essential oils are lipid-soluble and are capable of penetrating cell walls, even if they have hardened because of an oxygen deficiency. In fact essential oils can affect every cell of the body within 20 minutes and then be metabolized like other nutrients.
  4. Essential oils contain oxygen molecules which help to transport nutrients to the starving human cells. Because a nutritional deficiency is an oxygen deficiency, disease begins when the cells lack the oxygen for proper nutrient assimilation. By providing the needed oxygen, essential oils also work to stimulate the immune system.
  5. Essential oils are very powerful antioxidants. Antioxidants create an unfriendly environment for free radicals. Antioxidants prevent all mutations, work as free radical scavengers, prevent fungus, and prevent oxidation in the cells.
  6. Essential oils are antibacterial, anticancerous, antifungal, anti-infectious, antimicrobial, antitumor, antiparasitic, antiviral, and antiseptic. Essential oils have been shown to destroy all tested bacteria and viruses, while simultaneously restoring balance to the body.
  7. Essential oils may detoxify the cells and blood in the body.
  8. Essential oils containing sesquiterpenes have the ability to pass the blood-brain barrier, enabling them to be effective in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis.
  9. Essential oils are aromatic. When diffused, they provide air purification by: Removing metallic particles and toxins from the air;  Increasing atmospheric oxygen; Increasing ozone and negative ions in the area, which inhibits bacterial growth; Destroying odors from mold, cigarettes, and animals, and filling the air with a fresh, aromatic scent.
  10. Essential oils help promote emotional, physical and spiritual healing.
  11. Essential oils have a bioelectrical frequency that is several times greater than the frequency of herbs, food, and even the human body. Clinical research has shown that essential oils can quickly raise the frequency of the human body, restoring it to its normal, healthy level.

*This list is compiled from the “Quick Reference Guide for using essential oils” By Connie and Alan Higley 2013 Edition.

Not all essential oils contain therapeutic and healing properties.  Many oils found at health food stores contain additives or chemicals, and have not been processed in a way to guarantee therapeutic constituencies that can heal.  That’s why it is so important to know HOW the oil is actually processed.