If you’ve ever tried to research the scientific principles behind using essential oils, you’ll find that it’s difficult to find good information out there. But why is that? So many people these days are using essential oils successfully in their homes, you would think that researchers would be falling all over themselves to figure out exactly what essential oils can do. However, this is not the case.
Here are the problems:
- Essential oils are made from plants. Wait, isn’t that a good thing? I know that’s why we use them- they are natural and organically grown, so we feel like they are a safer alternative. However, every plant is different, even plants of the same species, and plants also differ between regions and seasons. That means that every batch of essential oils is a little bit different. In my opinion, that’s a good thing- just when you body adjusts to an oil, you get a new bottle of it that’s just different enough. However, that also means that every scientific study done has the potential to yield different results, as the plants themselves and the oils they produce are highly variable.
- Essential oils cannot be copyrighted, trademark, or reproduced en masse. Again, essential oils come from plants. Last time I checked, it’s difficult to copyright nature. Ultimately, the lack of research on essential oil stems from money. People are only going to put money into research that will result in a treatment or drug that will make money. Why would the pharmaceutical companies invest research dollars into a product that could potentially damage their market?
- Essential oils are difficult to prove as effective. Humans are hard to experiment on, because there is so much about us that changes everyday. It’s one of the reasons products never claim to be 100% effective- there’s always someone that a product doesn’t work on, or that 1 in a million person who has some horrible adverse side effect. Scientific medical research on humans takes decades of careful testing before any prescription or over the counter medication is declared acceptable for human use. Even with the little bits and pieces of research that is being done now on essential oils (and there are real scientific studies out there, such as PubMed, all of which end with “more research needs to be done”) it will be years before anyone can definitively say that an essential oil can be used for anything other than mood related issues.
Ultimately, it’s up to the consumer to determine what they are, or are not, willing to try on or in their bodies. There’s load of misinformation or just misunderstandings on the Internet, so even if you don’t think essential oils are for you, discernment is important when reading blogs (like this one) that seem very biased in one direction or another. If you want to know why I use essential oils, or which company I get them from, e-mail me and I’ll be happy to share that with you.
Do you have questions or comments about this blog? Would you like to find out more about purchasing essential oils for yourself? Click here or complete the form on the right side of this page and I’d be happy to help you!
*These claims have not be evaluated by the FDA. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you have serious health concerns, consult a doctor- and bring your oils with you! You never know which doctors will be willing to help you take a more natural approach to health care!
