Why Essential Oils Heal and Drugs Don't

by David Stewart, Ph.D.

If you tell a medical doctor that essential oils can bring about healing with no negative side effects, they won't believe you. This is because in medical school students are repeatedly told by their professors that all effective medicines have negative side effects, and if they don't, then they can't be effective.

When I was in medical school one professor emphasized this point in a colorful, graphic manner with specially prepared slides. In each slide specific drugs were depicted as evil looking demons or goblins. As he presented each picture, he explained, "Although ugly and capable of doing harm, these 'demons' are also the bearers of some good. So long as the benefits outweigh the risks, we use them," he summarized. "We have no choice," he continued, "because if a drug has no dangers, then it can have no benefits. That's just the way it is. And that's why it is essential that only qualified physicians be allowed to prescribe medicines," he concluded.

Actually, the professor was telling the truth. Within the restricted practice of allopathy (MDs) the only real medicines are physician prescribed pharmaceuticals. Such medicines always do have negative side effects. All of them. No exceptions. Hence, doctors are trained to accept the bad with the good as the price of effective medicine.

The Danger is in the Drug, Itself
The dangers of prescription drugs are intrinsic to the drugs, themselves. No matter how careful the physician in prescribing and how compliant the patient in following doctor's orders, even then deaths and damages occur. In fact, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, more than 100,000 Americans die every year, not from illegal drugs, not from drug overdoses, not from over-the-counter drugs, and not from drug abuses, but from properly prescribed, properly taken prescriptions. In this country, more people die from doctor's prescriptions every ten days than were killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Why is this so? Why do allopathic drugs always have undesirable effects (along with their apparent benefits) while one can find healing with natural products, such as essential oils, with no undesirable effects? Here is why.

Why Companies Deliberately Sell Dangerous Products
It is illegal to patent any natural product. The way to big profits in the medicine industry is to create an unnatural substance that never before existed in nature, then patent it, and obtain a monopoly. Hence, the molecules of pharmaceutical drugs are all strange to the human body. In all the history of humankind, such molecules were never encountered or taken into any human body. Hence, the body does not easily metabolize them. God never made your body to accept and deal with these chemicals and antibiotics. Hence, you can find traces of prescription drugs in your body that were taken in childhood, decades ago.

On the other hand, natural molecules, such as those found in essential oils, are easily metabolized by the body. In fact, your body was created to handle them. When an essential oil molecule finds the receptor sites it was designed to fit and conveys its information to the cell, or participates in other therapeutic functions, it then goes on its way to the liver and the kidneys and moves out of the body. Its benefits have been conveyed and its job is complete.

By contrast, the unnatural molecules of man-made drugs attach themselves to various tissues, disrupting normal function, for years while the body tries to figure out what to do with them. Meanwhile, they wreak mischief with our bodily functions and even our minds.

Drugs versus Oils
Drugs and oils work in opposite ways. Drugs toxify. Oils detoxify. Drugs clog and confuse receptor sites. Oils clean receptor sites. Drugs depress the immune system. Oils strengthen the immune system. Antibiotics attack bacteria indiscriminately, killing both the good and the bad. Oils attack only the harmful bacteria, allowing our body’s friendly flora to flourish.

Drugs are designed to send misinformation to cells or to block certain receptor sites in order to trick the body into giving up symptoms. But drugs never deal with the actual causes of disease. They aren't designed for that purpose. While they may give prompt relief for certain uncomfortable symptoms, because of their strange, unnatural design, they will always disrupt certain other bodily functions. Thus you always have some side effects.

Oil molecules send information to cells and cleanse receptor sites so that they bring your body back to natural function. Oils are Balancing to the body. Drugs are unbalancing to the body. Oils address the causes of disease at a cellular level by deleting misinformation and reprogramming correct information so that cells function properly and in harmony with one another. With drugs, misinformation is fed into the cells so that some temporary relief may be obtained, but there is never any true healing. Drugs only trade one kind of disease for another.

Because essential oils properly applied always work toward the restoration of proper bodily function, they do not cause undesirable side effects. They are feeding the body with truth. Drugs feed the body with lies. While no amount of truth can contradict itself, it doesn't take many lies before contradictions occur and the body suffers ill effects.

Sixteen Doctors Speak Out
Not all physicians are caught up in the idea that the only good medicines are ones that can also be harmful. Here are some comments by physicians, themselves, on the practice of medicine.

"The cause of most disease is in the poisonous drugs physicians superstitiously give in order to effect a cure." Charles E. Page, M.D.

"Medicines are of subordinate importance because of their very nature, they can only work symptomatically." Hans Kusche, M.D.

"The person who takes medicine must recover twice, once from the disease and once from the medicine." William Osler, M.D.

"If all the medicine in the world were thrown into the sea, it would be bad for the fish and good for humanity" O.W. Holmes, M.D. (Prof. of Med. Harvard University)

"Drug medications consist in employing, as remedies for disease, those things which produce disease in well persons. Its materia medica is simply a lot of drugs or chemicals or dye-stuffs—in a word poisons. All are incompatible with vital matter; all produce disease when brought in contact in any manner with the living; all are poisons." R.T. TraIl, M.D., (lecture to members of congress and the medical profession, Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C.)

"Every drug increases and complicates the patients condition." Robert Henderson, M.D.

"The greatest part of all chronic disease is created by the suppression of acute disease by drug poisoning." Henry Lindlahr, M.D.

"Every educated physician knows that most diseases are not appreciably helped by medicine." Richard C. Cabot, M.D. (Mass. Gen. Hospital)

"Medicine is only palliative, for back of disease lies the cause, and this cause no drug can reach." Wier Mitchel, M.D.

"Medical practice has neither philosophy nor common sense to recommend it. In sickness the body is already loaded with impurities. By taking drug - medicines more impurities are added, thereby the case is further embarrassed and harder to cure." Elmer Lee, M.D., Past Vice President, Academy of Medicine.

"Our figures show approximately four and one half million hospital admissions annually due to the adverse reactions to drugs. Further, the average hospital patient has as much as thirty percent chance, depending how long he is in, of doubling his stay due to adverse drug reactions." Milton Silverman, M.D. (Professor of Pharmacology, University of California)

"What hope is there for medical science to ever become a true science when the entire structure of medical knowledge is built around the idea that there is an entity called disease which can be expelled when the right drug is found?" John H. Tilden, M.D.

"We are prone to thinking of drug abuse in terms of the male population and illicit drugs such as heroin, cocaine, and marijuana. It may surprise you to learn that a greater problem exists with millions of women dependent on legal prescription drugs." Robert Mendelsohn, M.D (author of book, "Confessions of a Medical Heretic.)

"Why would a patient swallow a poison because he is ill, or take that which would make a well man sick." L.F. Kebler, M.D.

"Drugs never cure disease. They merely hush the voice of nature's protest, and pull down the danger signals she erects along the pathway of transgression. Any poison taken into the system has to be reckoned with later on even though it palliates present symptoms. Pain may disappear, but the patient is left in a worse condition, though unconscious of it at the time." Daniel. H. Kress, M.D.

"The necessity of teaching mankind not to take drugs and medicines, is a duty incumbent upon all who know their uncertainty and injurious effects; and the time is not far distant when the drug system will be abandoned." Charles Armbruster, M. D.

Conclusion
So there you have it, why oils heal and drugs don't. Let's hope Dr. Armbruster is right, that "the time is not far distant when the drug system will be abandoned." Pharmaceutical companies and their physician drug dealers could market and sell natural products with genuine healing capabilities, but most won't. There isn't any money in it.

In my opinion, changing the medical system toward more natural and spiritual forms of healing is impossible. The system can't change. It must be replaced. Those of you who have opted out of the system in favor of essential oils and their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual benefits are among the pioneers who are replacing the system.

And for those of you who have taken prescriptions drugs over long periods of time, essential oils are your best friend because they can cleanse the residues of these drugs from your system once and for all and help restore your body back to its natural healthy state.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The information is not meant to diagnose, prescribe, or substitute for professional medical assistance. It is provided as information only for your better understanding of holistic health. In case of medical need, please consult an appropriate licensed professional.

An Intro To Therapeutic-grade Essential Oils

What are essential oils and why are they so special?
INTRO TO THERAPEUTIC GRADE ESSENTIAL OILS.

Essential Oils are the life blood of the plant world. They have a similar biochemistry to human blood - oxygen, nitrogen, carbon, etc. They perform very similar functions: remove waste, transport food, oxygenate cells. They also raise frequency (see my 9/7/06 post on the "Vibrational Frequency of Essential Oils"). Essential oils have been shown to stimulate the immune system and help the body balance itself for optimal health. Essential oils kill viruses, bacteria, molds, fungus and parasites.

The Essential Oil Desk Reference defines essential oils: "Essential oils are aromic volatile liquids distilled from shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes, and seeds. Vegetable oils can become oxidized and rancid over time and are not antibacterial. Essential oils on the other hand cannot go rancid and are powerful antimicrobials. They are chemically very complex, consisting of hundreds of different chemical compounds. Moreover, they are highly concentrated and far more potent than dried herbs. The distillation process is what makes essential oils so concentrated. It often requires an entire plant or more to produce a single drop of distilled essential oil. Essential oils are also different from vegetable oils, such as corn oil, peanut oil, and olive oil. They are not greasy and do not clog the pores like many vegetable oils can".

In the US, essential oils are governed by the perfume act. That means a label can say 100% essential oil, but by law they only have to have a small amount of plant material in it. The rest of the bottle can be filled with all kinds of chemical fillers. A common one is propylene glycol - commonly known as anti-freeze. Perfume? Well, maybe. But medicinal? Definitely not in my book. It takes great knowledge and skill in many specialties to cultivate and produce true medical grade essential oils, therapeutic-grade. Medical grade essential oils, for therapeutic application, are so designed by ISO (International Standards Organization) and AFNOR, a French standards and certifying agency.

Vicki Opfer, an international lecturer on essential oils, describes some of the processes and considerations at the Young Living herb farms and essential oil distillery in Utah. Young Living is the largest, internationally certified medical grade pure oils grower, distiller and distributor in the world.

Vicki Opfer writes: "A GC is a gas chromatograph, it measures what an oil has in it and in what quantities. Since there are over 70,000 different kinds of molecules in plant oils, some are still unknown to us. However, with a GC, dilution and other forms of adulteration can usually be identified. It's not foolproof, but it is the best tool that we have available to us today, especially when used in conjunction with a mass spectrometer, which is another type of equipment used to test oils.

All of Young Living's essential oils are quarantined until they have been thoroughly tested. If there are any discrepancies, they are sent out to other labs to be tested again. Because of Gary Young's (the founder and President) commitment to purity, our oils actually have a very complex testing process that they go through. To my knowledge, there is no other company testing their oils as stringently.

The problem is that even if an oil is pure, it maynot contain the ingredients that make up an excellent oil. For example, the standard process, in the industry, for distilling an oil may include high temperature and high pressure during distillation, to maximize yield. The plant may have laid in the field for a long time before it is even processed. It may be distilled in an aluminum distiller, or chlorinated water might be used. The plants might be laden with petro-chemicals like pesticides or fertilizer. If so, during distillation,the chemicals may adversely affect the oil. A hybrid of the plant may be grown, rather than the medicinal species, which may not contain the desired molecules. The plant can be harvested at the wrong time in its growth process. Any of these factors can be present, and yet, a manufacturer can still call their oil, "pure". Do you see? This is why distillation is as much of an art as it is a science. Do you think the typical company cares about all of these details? I don't think so. They're looking for "pure" oils that they can buy cheap. Gary Young cares, he cares a great deal.

Young Living goes to great lengths to grow the plants that will provide us with what we want in an oil. Gary Young is very specific about the soil that the plants are grown in. I remember when he bought the Whispering Springs Farm in Mona, UT (now called the Young Living Farm), and he was so excited to show it to us. The only things out there were an old, broken down house, several natural springs, and huge piles of organic manure. He was grinning from ear to ear. He and Mary spread that manure themselves, knowing that it would build the soil, organically.

When the plants are ready for harvest, I have heard Gary make the crew wait until just the right time for harvesting - when the plants were in the optimum part of their growth process and picked during the right time of day. I remember, many years ago, when he wasn't sure - was it better to distill peppermint during the bloom, or just before? And how long should they wait, after harvesting, and before distilling? The industry said to wait, and yet, his heart told him that if he did, valuable molecules would be lost. So he tested his theory, and re-tested, until he got the results he wanted. So he takes the plants directly out of the field, to the distiller, as soon as possible. In my opinion, he has re-written the rules on distillation in these past several years. I've been present as he has experimented with the process, and his dedication to improvement never ceases to amaze me.

And how about using city water to distill with? No, says Gary, it has to be pure water, without chlorine and other harmful chemicals. He even waters the fields at the farm with spring water. And the distillers are stainless steel. And he's constantly re-designing them to make them more efficient at capturing the molecules that can make all the difference to us. He has revolutionized distillation by using low temperatures and low pressure, this too produces a much higher quality essential oil. His goal is to have the best oils in the world. It's his challenge to himself. He lays awake at night thinking of new ways of improving the process. I remember when we went to France, several years ago, he took with him lavender oil from the YL farm. He had so carefully grown the plants in organic soil, watered them with spring water, and when it was time to distill, he chose the time carefully, and then distilled with especially low temperature and low pressure. In France, they tested the oil, and found many molecules that had never been seen in lavender before. He was ecstatic."

I am ecstatic too, I've not seen anywhere another brand of essential oil that surpasses the quality of Young Living's essential oils. You know how it is when you find something that is just perfect? That's how I feel about Young Living's essential oils, and I know I'm not alone. I actually find it hard to imagine 'why' anyone would even consider making or using essential oils of lesser quality. Lesser quality may be cheaper, but they don't work the same...not even close.

To see the catalog of over 400 essential oils and essential oil-enhanced products visit my website:
The Very Essence

The Experts Agree About Essential Oil Quality

How To Identify Better Quality Essential Oils:

Here's what the experts say...

The following are excerpts are from Aromatherapy An A-Z, by Patricia Davis, 1988, reprinted 1994, Saffron Walden, The C.W. Daniel Company Ltd., England, pp. 278-280.

"THE QUALITY OF ESSENTIAL OILS WHICH ARE TO BE USED THERAPEUTICALLY IS OF PRIME IMPORTANCE It is, obviously, very important to be sure that the oil you are using is indeed obtained from the  plant whose therapeutic properties you had in mind when using that oil, and the only way to be certain of this is to  use the Latin botanical names for the plants."

"Even an oil which is quite truthfully described as pure may be of poor quality, and therefore of less value  therapeutically.  IF AN ESSENTIAL OIL COSTS MUCH LESS THAN YOU WOULD NORMALLY EXPECT  TO PAY FOR IT, the oil may well be a third or fourth distillate from a batch of plant material which has already  yielded the greater part of its properties to the first or second distillation."

"AS A ROUGH AND READY GUIDE... look for simple but informative labeling (botanical name, part of plant)  And avoid any oils that are not packed in opaque glass.  ...and DO NOT BUY ANYTHING THAT IS VERY  MUCH CHEAPER."

"THE BEST QUALITY OF ESSENTIAL OILS WILL, NOT SURPRISINGLY, COST MORE... "

~ o ~

The following excerpts are from Holistic Aromatherapy, A. Berwick, 1994, Llewellyn Pub., St. Paul, MN pp. 168.

"It is important to work with high quality, pure essential oils whenever you can.  Many of the oils on the market are  of poor quality."

"LOW PRICES MAY ALSO MEAN THE OIL IS A SECOND OR THIRD DISTILLATION OF THE PLANT  MATERIAL, in which case it will have far less therapeutic value.  Sometimes oils are diluted with another plant  that has a similar aroma, but costs less... Obtaining the specific oil you want is more likely if you know the correct  botanical name..."

"The oils should be sold in dark glass bottles, definitely not in plastic".
"Common Methods of Adulteration:
- A certain quantity of the main chemical constituent may be added to the essential oil to "stretch" it.
- Oil from a cheaper plant may be added.  Citronella may be added to melissa & spearmint to birch.
- Synthetic aromatic substances may be added.  This can cause irritation, allergies, nausea, headaches, and reduced therapeutic value.
- Some of the chemical constituents may be removed.  Since an essential oil is an extremely complex cocktail of hundreds of chemical constituents, some of them in very small amounts, this will alter the therapeutic value of the oil.  Menthol is often removed from peppermint oil and used by the pharmaceutical industry.  As a general rule, the more an essential oil is interfered with physically or chemically, the less clinical value it will have".

~ o ~

The following excerpts are from The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood, 1991, New World Library, San Rafael, California, pp. 90.

"For effective therapeutic use it is crucial that only pure essential oils be used ...reconstituted products or chemical   copies of natural essences simply do not work..."

"... a large variety of so-called essential oil products have been devised... In law, all of these products come under   the heading "essential oils", which can be confusing to the inexperienced buyer: "reconstitutions"; "nature  identicals"; "isolates"; "perfume compounds"; and "aromas", such as "lavender aroma".  Apart from the range of  products that have been devised to take the place of essential oils in perfumery, there are other essential oils which,  when mixed with others, mimic the aroma of the essential oil whose name they carry... This is all very well if  perfumery is your concern, BUT NO GOOD AT ALL if the ... oil is required for a therapeutic Purpose."

"NO REPUTABLE ESSENTIAL OIL SUPPLIER SELLS ESSENTIAL OILS ALL AT THE SAME PRICE."
"... it is often the case that a synthetic aroma will smell more pungently of the raw material than the real thing.  Do  not influenced by strength, but rather by price, supplier reputation, and, in time, your own experience and instinct".

~ o ~

The following excerpts are from The Healing Power of Aromatherapy by Hasnain Walji, Ph.D., 1996, Prima Publishing, Rocklin, Calif., p. 28).

"BE GUIDED BY PRICE"  (low price = low quality)

"Because the oils are susceptible to heat, light, and air, they must be kept in dark glass containers.  Clear plastic  bottles are definitely not recommended."

"AROMATHERAPY IS NOT MERELY ABOUT SMELLING NICE...  It is a therapy and should be respected as  such.  Just as you would not expect your medical practitioner to prescribe medication that was substandard, so you  should not be prepared to accept anything less than the best that is available..".

~ o ~

The following excerpts are from Aromatherapy Workbook, by Marcel Lavabre, 1990, Healing Arts Press, Rochester, Vermont, pp. 20-21.

"Most essential oils available on the market are of very poor quality for two main reasons.  The first is that the  chemical composition of the essential oils of a given plant can vary greatly, depending on the variety, the time, the  soil, and the methods of cultivation and distillation."

"The second reason is that recent advances in chemistry have flooded the market with synthetic essential oils."
"FOR AROMATHERAPY... ONE SHOULD USE ONLY THE BEST QUALITY OF ESSENTIAL OILS."

Anti-microbial Effects of Essential Oils

Here is a bit of science on some essential oils and what the test results were...

Anti-microbial Effects

Burt, S. A. (2003). Antibacterial activity of selected plant essential oils against Escherichia coli O157:H7. Letters in Applied Microbiology 36, 162-7.

The research studied the antibacterial properties of five essential oils (EO) on Escherichia coli O157:H7. The results show that oregano and thyme EO have significant in vitro colicidal and colistatic properties and are exhibited in a broad temperature range. The effects were greatly improved by the addition of agar as stabilizer. Bay and clove bud EO are shown less active in reducing the number of E.coli O157:H7.

Inouye, S., Yamaguchi, H. (2001). Antibacterial activity of essential oils and their major constituents against respiratory tract pathogens by gaseous contact. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 47, 565-73.

The antibacterial activity of fourteen essential oils and their major constituents in the gaseous state were evaluated against four different bacteria by Inouge and Yamaguchi (2001). The authors found H. Influenzae to be most susceptible to most essential oils examined. The research also indicated that the antibacterial action of essential oils was most effective when at high vapour concentration for a short time.

Sherry, E., Warnke, P. H. (2001). Percutaneous treatment of chronic MRSA osteomyelitis with a novel plant-derived antiseptic. BMC Surgery 1(1).

The single case clinical report described the use of a polytoxinol (PT) antimicrobial, a complex mixture whose major components are tea tree oil and eucalyptus to cure an intractable methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection of the lower tibia in an adult male. The study introduced a cheap, simple technique as a possible alternative to long-term systemic antibiotic therapy when administered percutaneously.

Benencia, F. (1999). Antiviral activity of sandalwood oil against Herpes simplex viruses-1 and -2. Phytomedicine 6(2), 119-23.

The study tested the antiviral activity of sandalwood oil, the essential oil of Santalum album L against Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and 2 (HSV-2). Results demonstrated dosedependent effect of sandalwood oil in inhibiting the replication of virus, and more significantly against HSV-1. The results also indicate a possible chemopreventive action of sandalwood oil against carcinogenesis.

Hammer, K. A., Riley, T. V. (1999). Antimicrobial activity of essential oils and other plant extracts. Journal of Applied Microbiology 86, 985-90.

Hammer et al. investigated 52 plant oils and extracts for their antimicrobial activity(1999). They found that the essential oils extracted from lemongrass, oregano and bay inhibited all organisms at concentrations of <=2.0% (v/v). The study also found the antimicrobial effect of thyme oil against C. albicans and E. coli at the lowest minimum inhibitory concentration of 0.03% (v/v).

Chinou, I. B., Perdetzoglou, D., Tzakou, O., & Loukis, A. (1996). Chemical and antibacterial studies of two Helichrysum species of Greek origin. Planta Medica 63, 181-3.

Chinou et al (1996) studied the antibacterial activity of the essential oils obtained from the aerial parts of two Helichrysum species. The authors collected the plants during their flowering period and thirty-nine constituents were identified and quantified from the total oil. Six bacterial strains were tested. It was found that oils exhibited significant antibacterial activity against the six Gram ( ± ) bacteria.

Hayashi, K., & Hayashi, T. (1994). Virucidal effects of the steam distilate from Houttuynia cordata and its components on HSV-1, influenza virus, and HIV. Planta Medica. 61, 237-41.

The anti-inflammatory activities of the water extract of dried plants of Houttuynia cordata was investigated by Hayashi et al (1994). The authors found the essential oils (Saururaceae) to have direct inhibitory activity against herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), influenza virus, and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) without showing cytotoxicity, although it was not shown to have direct impact against poliovirus and coxsackie-virus.

Anti-microbial: Tea Tree Oil
Caelli, M., Porteous, J., Carlson, C. F., Heller, R., & Riley, T. V. (2001). Tea tree oil as an alternative topical decolonization agent for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. The International Journal of Aromatherapy 11(2). [Originally published in The Journal of Hospital Infection (2000), 46, 236-237.]

In this pilot study, 30 adult patients infected or colonized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were randomly assigned to receive a 4% tea tree oil nasal ointment and 5% tea tree oil body wash and a standard 2% mupirocin nasal ointment and the triclosan body wash. Tea tree oil products were found to perform better than mupirocin and triclosan, although the number of patients was too small for the difference to be statistically significant.

Hammer, K. A., & Riley, T. V. (1998). In-vitro activity of essential oils, in particular Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil and tea tree oil products, against Candida spp. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy 42, 591-5.

The study examined the in-vitro activity of a range of essential oils against the yeast candida. The final concentrations of tea tree oil were obtained from the diluted products in sterile distilled water after inoculation. A variety number of Candida isolates were tested for sensitivity to tea tree oil by the methods of agar dilution and broth microdilution. The study found the majority of tea tree oil tested possess anticandidal properties in vitro and suggested that they may be useful in the topical treatment of superficial candida infections.

Gustafson, J. E., Chew, S., Markham, J., Bell, H.C., Wyllie, S. G., & Warmington, J. R. (1988). Effects of tea tree oil on Escherichia coli. Letters in Applied Microbiology, 26, 194-8.

The study documented the effect of tea tree oil (TTO0 in stimulating autolysis in exponential and stationary phase cells of Escherichia coli. Stationary phase cells demonstrated less TTOstimulated antolysis and also showed greater tolerance to TTO-induced cell death, compared to exponentially grown cells.

Jandourek, A. & Vazquez, J. (1998). Efficacy of melaleuca oral solution for the treatment of fluconazole refractory oral candidiasis in AIDS patients. AIDS 12, 1033-7.

A single center, open-label clinical trial was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of melaleuca solution derived from an Australian tea leaf. Two of the twelve AIDS patients treated for candidiasis were cured and six improved at the 4-week evaluation and a follow-up evaluation 2-4 weeks after the treatment stopped showed no clinical relapses in the two patients cured. The results of the study indicate that malaleuca oral solution may be used as an alternative regimen for AIDS patients with oropharyngeal candidiasis refractory to flueconazole.

Bassett, I. B., Pannowitz, D. L., & Barnetson, R. S. (1990). A comparative study of tea-tree oil versus benzoylperoxide in the treatment of acne. Med J Aust, 153(8), 455-458.

This single blinded randomized clinical trial evaluated the efficacy and skin tolerance of 5% teatree oil gel in treating mild to moderate acne comparing with 5% benzoyl peroxide lotion. The results showed that both forms of treatment had a significant effect in reducing the number of inflamed and non-inflamed lesions. It was observed that tea-tree oil had fewer side effects, although the onset of action of tea-tree oil was slower.

Twelve Essential Oils of the Ancient Scripture

Properties of the
12 Essential Oils of the Ancient Scriptures:




Excerpted from: Essential Oils Desk Reference, May 2000
 

1. Aloes also called Sandalwood (Santalum album)

Botanical Family: Santalaceae (sandalwood)
Plant origin: India
Steam distilled for the wood.
 
Sandalwood is high in sesquiterpenes that have been researched in Europe for their ability to stimulate the pineal gland and the limbic region of the brain, the center of emotions. The pineal gland is responsible for releasing melatonin, a powerful antioxidant that enhances deep sleep. Sandalwood is similar to frankincense oil in its support of nerves and circulation.
 
Traditional Uses: Sandalwood has been used for centuries in Ayurvedic medicine. It was used traditionally for skin revitalization, yoga, and meditation.
 
Sandalwood (or aloes) is mentioned in Proverbs 7:17, Song of Solomon 4:14 and John 19:39
 
Because of over harvesting sandalwood oil is very expensive and hard to find.
 

2. Cassia (Cinnamomum cassia)

Botanical Family: Lauraceae (laurel)
Plant Origin: China
Steam distilled from bark.
Action: antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal.

Note: While its aroma is similar to cinnamon, cassia is chemically and physically quite different.
 
Excerpt from “New Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses”, 2001
 
“Cinnamomum cassia is one of the oldest spices known, first recorded in China in 2700BC and in Egypt in 1600BC.”
 
It is recommended for aromatic use, not recommended for topical application or as a dietary supplement, it is “hot”.
 
Mentioned in the Scriptures: Exodus 30:24, Psalms 45:8 and Ezekiel 27:19
It is one of the ingredients in the Holy Anointing Oil. Available only in “Twelve Oils of Ancient Scripture” kit, available at my website: The Very Essence
 
 
3. Cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica)

Botanical Family: Pinaceae (pine)
Plant Origin: Morocco, USA. Cedrus atlantica is the species most closely related to the Biblical Cedars of Lebanon.
Steam distilled from bark.

Traditional Uses: Throughout antiquity, Cedarwood has been used in medicines and cosmetics. The Egyptians used it for embalming the dead. It was used as both a traditional medicine and incense in Tibet. It is recognized for its calming, purifying properties and is used to benefit the skin and underlying tissues.
 
Cedarwood may help with acne, anxiety, arthritis, congestion, coughs, cystitis, dandruff, psoriasis, purification, respiratory system, sinusitis, skin diseases, and fluid retention. It may help open the pineal gland. It also helps to reduce skin oiliness.
  
Cedarwood is mentioned in the Bible in Leviticus 14 and Numbers 19:6
 
 
4. Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens).

Botanical Family: Cupressaneae
Plant Origin: France, Spain
Steam distilled from branches
 
Cypress is one of the oils most used for the circulatory system. It improves circulation and supports the nerves and intestine. Anti-infectious, antibacterial, antimicrobial, and strengthens blood capillaries. Acts as an insect repellent.
 
The cypress tree is renowned for its durability. Some Bible scholars believe cypress may be the “gopher wood” used to build Noah’s Ark. It works well for dizziness, believe me I know.
 
It has also been used for asthma, reducing cellulite, circulatory system, strengthening connective tissue, coughs, nosebleeds and lessening scar tissue.
 

5. Frankincense (Olibanum-Boswellia carteri).

Botanical Family: Burseraceae
Plant Origin: Somalia
Steam distilled from gum/resin

Frankincense is an expectorant, anti-tumoral, immuno-stimulant, and antidepressant. It has been used for asthma, ulcers, over coming stress and despair, allergies, insect and snake bites, bronchitis, cancer, respiratory infections, headaches, high blood pressure and warts.
 
Because frankincense symbolizes divinity, it was one of the three gifts given to the Christ child. The ancient Egyptians used it for everything from gout to a broken head.
 
 
6. Galbanum (Ferula gummosa).

Botanical Family: Apiaceae or Umbelliferae (parsley)
Plant Origin: Iran
Steam distilled from resin derived from stems and branches.

Galbanum is anti-infectious, stimulant, supporting to the kidneys and menstruation, analgesic and light antispasmodic.
 
Galbanum may also help with abscesses, acne, asthma, bronchitis, chronic coughs, indigestion, muscular aches and pains, nervous tension, poor circulation, scars, wrinkles and wounds.
 
Galbanum has a low electrical frequency but when added to another essential oil the frequency rises dramatically.
 
Ancient incenses included spices or perfumes with lovely fragrances, but were not complete without the earthy odor of galbanum.
 
 
7. Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis).

Botanical Family: Lamiaceae or Labiatae (mint)
Plant Origin: France, Hungary
Steam distilled form the stems/leaves

Hyssop has been used for almost a millennium for its antiseptic, disinfecting and anti-infectious properties. It has also been used for opening the respiratory system. It has been used for anxiety, arthritis, asthma, bruises, respiratory infections, cuts, fatigue, nervous tension, sore throats, viral infections and wounds. Branches from the hyssop plant were used during the exodus from Egypt to dab Hebrew doorposts with lamb’s blood as protection from the plague of death. It smells kind of minty.


8. Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha).
Botanical Family: Burseraceae (Frankincense)
Plant Origin: Somalia
Steam distilled from gum/resin.

The Arabian people used myrrh for many skin conditions, such as chapped and cracked skin and wrinkles. It has been known to help asthma, athlete’s foot, candida, coughs, eczema, digestion , gum infections, and many others.

It is fitting that myrrh symbolizes suffering since it is produced by slicing the bark of a myrrh tree so that the precious resin oozes out and hardens into drops called “tears.” It was often used during the birthing process it helps with skin elasticity.


9. Myrtle (Myrtus communis).

Botanical Family: Myrtaceae (myrtle)
Plant Origin: Tunisia, Morocco
Steam distilled form leaves.

Myrtle has bee researched by Dr. Daniel Penoel for normalizing hormonal imbalances of the thyroid and ovaries, as well as balancing the hypothyroid. It has also been researched for its soothing effects on the respiratory system.

This oil may help anger, asthma, respiratory ailments, flatulence, hemorrhoids, hormonal imbalance, support the immune system, acne, psoriasis.


10. Onycha (Styrax benzoin).

Botanical Family: Styracaceae, also called benzoin
Steam distilled from the resin.

Like frankincense and myrrh, onycha is a resin and was used in various religious ceremonies. It smells like vanilla.

It is astringent, expectorant and antiseptic, circulatory stimulant and sedative. It has been used for coughs, colds, bronchitis, sore throats, and is an ingredient in Friar’s Balsam, according to the New Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses by Deni Bown. It is also used as an anti-oxidant in cosmetics and a fixative in perfumes.


11. Rose of Sharon/Cistus (Labdanum-Cistus ladanifer).

Excerpt from Essential Oils Desk Reference, May 2000
Botanical Family: Cistaceae
Plant Origin: France, Spain
Steam distilled from branches

Cistus is also known as “rock rose” and has been studies for its effects on the regeneration of cells. It is anti-infectious, antiviral, antibacterial, a powerful antihemorraging agent and helps reduce inflammation.

Anciently, the gum that exudes from this plant was collected from the hair of goats that had browsed among the bushes. Cistus is calming to the nerves and is recommended for healing wounds. The story is that shepherds discovered its healing powers. They had to pick the sticky residue out of their sheep’s wool and noticed that when they did the scratches on their hand healed quickly.


12. Spikenard (Nardostachys jatamansi).

Botanical Family: Valerianaceae
Plant origin: India
Steam distilled from roots

Hebrews and Romans used spikenard in the burial of their dead. It is well known for healing allergic skin reactions. It is highly regarded in India as a perfume, medicinal herb, and skin tonic. It was one of the most precious oils in ancient times, used only by priests, kings, or high initiates. In the New Testament Mary of Bethany used a salve of spikenard to anoint the feet of Jesus.

It has been used for allergies, candida, indigestion, insomnia, menstrual difficulties, stress and wounds.


Get the “12 Oils of Ancient Scriptures” boxed kit, available at:
The Very Essence

Malignant Melanoma in Horses and Frankincense Essential Oil

Virginia Tech researcher examining malignant melanoma in horses
Public release date: 31-Jan-2006
Contact: Jeffrey Douglas
jdouglas@vt.edu


Malignant melanoma is a dangerous, aggressive form of cancer and approximately 54,000 new cases are diagnosed every year, according to the American Cancer Society. Interestingly, there are many similarities between malignant melanoma in horses and malignant melanoma in people.

Recognizing the extraordinary opportunity for translational research that the disease represents, Dr. John L. Robertson, a professor in the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech and director of the college's Center for Comparative Oncology (CECO), has been looking at one experimental treatment.

During a presentation before a regional meeting of the American Cancer Society in Roanoke, Va., Robertson detailed some of the work he is doing with the use of Frankincense essential oil as a possible treatment for malignant melanoma in horses. The risk factors for malignant melanoma in people and horses are very similar, according to Robertson. In people, risk factors include pale complexion and hair, exposure to excessive sunlight and sunburns and aging. Horses at risk also have a pale coat of grey to white and there seems to be a correlation to aging, which could be a result of chronic exposure to sunlight, he said. In each, the disease is an infiltrated pigmented malignancy that is difficult to manage. Conventional therapies include chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and surgery. The disease often affects horses with the development of lesions on the lips, neck, and perineal area.

Robertson presented the story of Chili, a handsome, 11-year old Thoroughbred and champion jumper that was diagnosed with multi-centric malignant melanoma at the age of seven. Told by her local practitioner that there was not much that could be done for Chili and aware of Robertson's interest in evaluating an experimental therapy, Chili's owner asked if Robertson would work with Chili. That experimental therapy involved the use of frankincense oil, a compound known as a valuable treatment for wounds for more than 2,000 years, and one people are reminded of every Christmas when they recall the Gifts of the Magi brought to the Christ-child.

Frankincense essential oil is a fragrant botanical oil distillate made from fermented plants, explains Robertson, who adds that it contains hundreds of constituents, including boswellic acid, a component that is known to have anti-neoplastic properties. Scientists have demonstrated that the oil has potent anti-inflammatory effects and anti-tumor properties when evaluated in tissue culture with tumors such as astrocytomas, melanomas, and fibrosarcomas. Furthermore, he said, it appears to have fairly selective anti-tumor activity and does not appear to disrupt normal cells. But much about how it affects actual cancer patients is unknown. Chili's experimental protocol involved daily injections of medicinal grade, sterile frankincense essential oil directly into his tumors and the application of oil on topical tumors, while Chili's comfort and well-being was carefully maintained through pain and nutritional management, including copious amounts of his favorite peeled baby carrots and peppermints.

The lesions were observed, measured, photographed, and periodically biopsied, according to Robertson. Those tumor biopsies demonstrated that some small tumor cells were destroyed by the treatment and those treated topically were reduced in size. Unfortunately, however, Chili passed away on October 18, 2005 as a result of the progressive and relentless growth of the non-treated tumors. Chili's involvement with CeCO and the experimental protocol did result in some important achievements, according to Robertson.

"I think this research on frankincense essential oil suggests that this ancient medicine may have significant modern uses for chemotherapy of non-resectable malignancies," said Robertson, a professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology. "This research showed that equine melanomas respond to this therapy."

Information gleaned from this Phase I-II National Cancer Institute format clinical trial has supported the development of grant applications and helped in the treatment of five additional horses, Robertson said. A collaboration with the Clinical Research Program at Wake Forest University's Comprehensive Cancer Center is being discussed.

To obtain pure, organic, therapeutic-grade Frankincense essential oil visit my website: The Very Essence

The Vibrational Frequency of Essential Oils

The Vibrational Frequency of Essential Oils

The effectiveness of pure, therapeutic-grade, essential oils cannot be fully understood without some discussion of frequency.

Frequency is a measurable rate of electrical energy that is constant between any two points.Every living thing has an electrical frequency. Robert O. Baker, M.D., documents in his book, The Body Electric, a "frequency generator" was developed in the early 1920's by Royal Raymond Rife, M.D. Rife found that these frequencies could prevent disease, and others would destroy disease.

Bjorn Nordenstrom, a radiologist from Stockholm, Sweden, wrote a book, "Biologically Closed Circuits". Where he discovered, in the 1980's, that by putting an electrode inside a tumor and running a milliamp DC (Direct Current) through the electrode, he could dissolve the cancer tumor and stop its growth. He also found electropositive and electronegative energy fields in the human body.

More, recently, Bruce Tainio of Tainio Technology in Cheney, WA, developed new equipment to measure the biofrequency of humans and foods. He used this biofrequency monitor to determine the relationship between frequency and disease. Measuring in megahertz (MHz), it was found that processed and canned foods had a zero MHz frequency. Fresh produce measured up to 15 MHz, fresh herbs measured 12-27 MHz, dry herbs 2-27 MHz.

Essential oils started at 52 MHz and went as high as 320 MHz, which is the frequency of pure Rose essential oil. He also found a healthy body typically has a range of 62-78 MHz, while disease began at 58 MHz. Clinical research shows essential oils, having the highest known frequency known to man, may create an environment in which microbes, disease, bacteria, fungus, etc. cannot survive. Truly, the chemistry and frequencies of essential oils have the ability to help man maintain optimal health.

Essential oils are some of the most concentrated extracts of plants known, exerting significant physiological and psychological affects. Essential oils are called the "life-force" of plants. These volatile liquids are stored in special cells, ducts, or glandular hairs of the plant that are distributed among the roots, leaves, bark, stems and flowers.

Essential oils protect the plant from insects and other herbivores, bacteria, molds, fungi, and other micro-organisms. Essential oils have the ability to penetrate human and animal cell membranes, travel throughout the blood and tissues delivering oxygen and nutrients into the cells to stimulate the regeneration of tissue, stimulate nerves and enhance electrical frequencies-all of which make essential oils highly beneficial to humans.

A single oil contains anywhere from 80 to 200 chemical constituents that are molecularly aligned with precision to trigger a number of responses in the human body. Be sure to see my previous post on "Smell Testing an Essential Oil". Essential oils are very complex, concentrated and powerful. Just a drop or two, of pure, organic, therapeutic-grade essential oil, applied topically can produce an immediate and significant response and results...that is, only 'if' they are pure, organic, therapeutic-grade essential oils.

Please, do NOT apply store bought essential oils topically or take them internally or use them in cooking as they are NOT pure and organic. Know that a cheaply priced essential oil is NOT a pure, organic and therapeutic-grade essential oil, they contain chemicals, solvents and are adulterated.

The fragrance alone, of a therapeutic-grade essential oil can directly affect everything from your emotional state to the quality of your life. The fragrance can cause an instinctive reaction too because of the way our sense of smell triggers memories. As a fragrance is inhaled. Millions of olfactory receptor cells, which line the inside of the nose, are picking up the molecules from the fragrance which causes the nervous system to fire and send messages to the limbic portion of the brain. Each one of the hundreds of millions of nerve cells within this membrane is replaced every 28 days!

The lining of nerve cells triggers electrical impulses to the olfactory bulb, which then transmits the impulses to the gustatory center (where the sensation of taste is perceived), the amygdala (where emotional memories are stored) and other parts of the limbic system of the brain which control heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, memory, stress levels, and hormone balance. All of this happens in less than a second! One of the most beneficial ways of using pure therapeutic-grade essential oils is topically, since they can travel throughout the entire body in a matter of minutes.

When the body is out of balance, pure, organic, therapeutic-grade essential oils may help the cells resonate at proper frequencies and increase the vibration of the entire body, restoring homeostasis to all systems.

The emotions of fear and anxiety, for example, creates an acidic condition that activates the transcript enzyme that transcribes that emotion onto the RNA template and stores it within the DNA. That emotion then becomes a predominant factor in our lives from that moment on. Therapeutic-grade oils change that genetic structure by calming the central nervous system through the amygdala and pineal gland, enabling the release of stored trauma and negative emotions.

One can appreciate the importance of using only pure, therapeutic-grade essential oils in order to experience significant results. We are a physical manifestation of what we eat, think and believe!

Here is a partial list of some recorded Young Living Essential Oil Blend frequencies:

Abundance 78 MHz
AromaLife 84 MHz
Citrus Fresh 90 MHz
Harmony 101 MHz
Live With Passion 89 MHz
Peace and Calming 105 MHz
Thieves 150 MHz

I think it is well worth noting these types of studies. And that we might want to cultivate a sense of appreciation, and a keener knowledge, of the way we have been living and thinking in regards to the plant kingdom and the vibrational energy of all living things...particularly the things we can't necessarily see.

I personally use the Young Living essential oils daily and cannot imagine living without them. I've been using essential oils for about 20 years now, but it wasn't until 6 years ago that I discovered Young Living...and I am so glad I did. My primary reason for being so happy is due to the purity and superior quality, I have never seen another brand of essential oil even come close to the Young Living oils. Prior to discovering Young Living, the essential oils I had been buying, I never used them topically, nor did I even dare consider using the old brand in cooking.

After using the Young Living essential oils for about six years now, and being completely sold on their superior quality, I decided that I would make my future career as a Young Living Essential Oil distributor...I am so glad I made that choice. Now I feel that I can reach out and touch the lives of so many more people, and introduce them to what is perhaps the finest quality essential oils available in the world.

If you are interested in learning more about essential oils, please stop back to my blog here, as I will regularly be posting all kinds of information on essential oils. I also have a website (click on my website link, The Very Essence) and take a look at the, over 400, items in our essential oil and essential oil enhanced product catalog.

Visit my website: The Very Essence

Smell Testing an Essential Oil

Smell Testing an Essential Oil

To smell test an oil, you open the bottle and waft it at about waist level. See what you can smell. Bring it a little higher, and waft it back and forth again. See how many different smells reach the nose.
 
Bring it up again, and smell again. Do this several times until you're at the chin, and then smell with one nostril, then  the other, then both together.
 
While this smell test is not fool proof (some owner's of essential oils companies (not Young Living) are tricked by an oil produced in a lab, thinking it was a real, and a decent oil) it's a reasonable test.

What you're looking for is a rich bouquet of smells. If it smells the same as you move it all the way up the body, it doesn't have much in it as far as a variety of molecules. 

When you smell one nostril, and then the second, the odors should be a little different. When you smell with both nostrils, it should smell like a rich bouquet of both smells. If it has synthetic chemicals in it, you can often smell them when you smell with both nostrils together.
 
Frankincense is an oil with the most noticeable and dramatic differences between a good one and a poor quality one. Wafting the bottle slowly up the body and smelling, a poor quality oil smells pretty much the same all the way up.  With the YL frankincense, it has delightfully different smells at each level.

I choose Young Living Essential Oils because I, personally, know the extent they go to in order to sell pure oils. I don't know of any other company who uses organic seeds, soil nurtured with enzymes and organic fertilizers, waters with spring water (city water has too many chemicals), weeds the plant fields by hand, harvests on the right day, at the right time, gets the peppermint (for example) to the distiller within 15 minutes of harvest or someone loses their job, distills with low pressure and temperature, for an extended period of time to maximize, not the yield, but the molecules found in the oil. This company and their product are amazing.

To get pure, organic, therapeutic-grade essential oils click on this link...
Visit my website: The Very Essence

Basil & Thyme Essential Oil's Combat Food Bacteria

The antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant and anti-carcinogenic properties attibuted to essential oils can be used as natural additives in a range of foods. New research into basil and thyme essential oils reveals their ability to curb Shigella, a harmful foodborne bacteria. 
  
Previous research has shown that thyme and basil have antimicrobial potential. Building on this research, scientists at Ghent University in Belgium opted to investigate the antimicrobial impact of thyme and basil essential oil and their major constituents towards Shigella. 
  
According to the researchers who published their findings in the February issue of Food Microbiology, thyme essential oil and its major constituents thymol and carvacrol decontaminated Shigella inoculated lettuce. 
  
They also found that thyme and basil essential oil, and their major compounds thymol, estragol, carvacrol, linalool and p-cymene, inhibited Shigella in an agar diffusion method. 
  
The researchers determined the antimicrobial effect of basil and thyme essential oil and its major constituents thymol, p-cymene, estragol, linalool, and carvacrol by using an agar well diffusion assay. 
  
Thyme essential oil, thymol and carvacrol showed inhibition of Shigella sp. in the agar diffusion method. The potential of thyme essential oil, thymol and carvacrol at 0.5 per cent and 1 per cent v/v for decontamination of lettuce was evaluated. 
  
According to the findings, the researchers noted a decrease of the shigellae after washing with 0.5 per cent while at 1 per cent Shigella numbers dropped below the detection limit. The antimicrobial effect on a subsequent lettuce sample in the same decontamination solution was significantly decreased. In addition, application of thyme essential oil or thymol or carvacrol for decontamination is hampered by sensoric properties of the lettuce (browning, strong odour), note the researchers. 
  
"In this study, it was shown that essential oils and their compounds have potential to be used for decontamination of minimally processed vegetables," write the authors of the paper. 
  
More research into the use of essential oils as food preservatives is needed, concluded the scientits. 
  
Used since antiquity for their antimicrobial potential, herbs and spices have played a role in food protection for thousands of years. 
  
According to the researchers, in recent years, two consumer-driven demands have arisen in the food industry. The first is the provision of fresh, natural foods requiring minimal preparation and the second is the control of food safety. But only a few studies have evaluated the potential role of essential oils and their components as food preservatives. 
  
With the natural trend still on a steep, upward curve, the recent findings from Belgium suggest that the food industry should start to invest more time and money into discovering the full potential essential oils could play in food preservation. 
  
Full findings are published in the February issue (Volume 21, Issue 1, February 2004, Pages 33-42) of Food Microbiology.

To purchase pure, organic, therapeutic-grade essential oils click on this link... Visit my website: The Very Essence

The Blood-Brain Barrier and Essential Oils

THE BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER
By David Stewart, Ph.D.,R.A.

It was thought for years that the interstitial tissues of the brain served as a barrier to keep damaging substances from reaching the neurons of the brain and the cerebrospinal fluid. Instead of a barrier, it would be more accurate to consider it as a sieve or filter through which only molecules of a certain size or smaller can pass.

Most of the molecules of the substances used in chemotherapy are too large to pass through the blood-brain filter, which is why doctors say that chemotherapy doesn't work on brain cancer. Some of the smaller molecules get through, but not the whole suite of drugs intended.

Doctors don't know for sure, but it seems that in order to cross the blood-brain barrier, only molecules less than 800-1000 atomic mass units (amu) in molecular weight can get through. Lipid solubility seems to be another factor which facilitates passing through the blood-brain barrier. Water soluble molecules don't usually penetrate into brain tissue, even when very small. The molecules of essential oils are all not only small, but lipid soluble as well.

In fact, when it comes to essential oils, small molecules (less than 500 amu) are what they are made of. That is why they are aromatic. The only way for something to be aromatic is for the molecules to be so small that they readily leap into the air so they can enter our noses and be detected as odor and smell.

That is why oils for cooking or massage, such as corn, peanut, sesame seed, safflower, walnut, almond, canola, olive and other oils pressed from seeds are not aromatic. Sure, they have a smell, but you can't smell them across the room in minutes as one can when you opens a bottle of peppermint, hyssop, or cinnamon oil. Essential oils of every species cross the blood-brain barrier.

This makes them uniquely able to address disease, not only from a physical level, but from a more basic and fundamental level-that of the emotions which are often the root cause of physical illness.

A QUICK COURSE IN CHEMISTRY
Because of the tiny molecular structure of the components of an essential oil, they are extremely concentrated. One drop contains approximately 40 million-trillion molecules. Numerically that is a 4 with 19 zeros after it: 40,000,000,000,000,000,000. We have 100 trillion cells in our bodies, and that's a lot. But one drop of essential oil contains enough molecules to cover every cell in our bodies with 40,000 molecules.

Considering that it only takes one molecule of the right kind to open a receptor site and communicate with the DNA to alter cellular function, you can see why even inhaling a small amount of oil vapor can have profound effects on the body, brain, and emotions. Sometimes too many oil molecules overload the receptor sites, and they freeze up without responding at all, when a smaller amount would have been just right. This is why we say that when using oils, "sometimes less is better." Sometimes more is better, too. Knowing the difference is the art of aromatherapy.

Essential oils are mixtures of dozens, even hundreds, of constituents, all of which are composed of carbon and hydrogen and sometimes oxygen. All essential oils are principally composed of a class of organic compounds built of "isoprene units."

An isoprene unit is a set of five connected carbon atoms with eight hydrogens attached. Their molecular weight is only 68 amu, which is very small, indeed. Molecules built of isoprene units are all classified as "terpenes." Terpenes are what make essential oilsunique in the world of natural substances.

PHENYLPROPANOIDS
Phenylpropanoids are compounds of carbon-ring molecules incorporating one isoprene unit. They are also called hemiterpenes. There are dozens of varieties of phenylpropanoids.

They are found in Clove (90%), Cassia (80%), Basil (75%), Cinnamon (73%), Oregano (60%), Anise (50%), Peppermint (25%). While they can create conditions where unfriendly viruses and bacteria cannot live, the most important function performed by phenylpropanoids is that they clean the receptor sites on the cells. Without clean receptor sites, cells cannot communicate, and the body malfunctions, resulting in sickness.

MONOTERPENES
Monoterpenes are compounds of two isoprene units, which is ten carbon atoms and sixteen hydrogen atoms per molecule-molecular weight 136 amu. There are an estimated 2,000 varieties of monoterpenes.

Monoterpenes are found in most essential oils: Galbanum (80%), Angelica (73%), Hyssop ((70%), Rose of Sharon (54%), Peppermint (45%), Juniper (42%), Frankincense (40%), Spruce (38%), Pine (30%), Cypress (28%), and Myrtle (25%).

While offering a variety of healing properties, the most important ability of the monoterpenes is that they can reprogram miswritten information in the cellular memory. With improper coding in the DNA, cells malfunction and diseases result, including lethal ones such as cancer.

SESQUITERPENES
Sesquiterpenes are compounds of three isoprene units, which is fifteen carbons and twenty-four hydrogens per molecule-molecular weight 204 amu. There are more than 10,000 kinds of sesquiterpenes. Sesquiterpenes are the principal constituents of Cedarwood (98%), Vetiver (97%), Spikenard (93%), Sandalwood (Aloes) 90%, Black Pepper (74%), Patchouli (71%), Myrrh (62%), and Ginger (59%). They are also found in Galbanum, Onycha, and Frankincense (8%).

Sesquiterpene molecules deliver oxygen molecules to cells, like hemoglobin does in the blood. Sesquiterpenes can also erase or deprogram miswritten codes in the DNA. Sesquiterpenes are thought to be especially effective in fighting cancer because the root problem with a cancer cell is that it contains misinformation, and sesquiterpenes can erase that garbled information. At the same time the oxygen carried by sesquiterpene molecules creates an environment where cancer cells can't reproduce. Hence, sesquiterpenes deliver cancer cells a double punch, one that disables their coded misbehavior and a second that stops their growth.

The American Medical Association (AMA) has said that if they could find an agent that would pass the blood-brain barrier, they would be able to find cures for ailments such as Lou Gehrig's disease, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. Such agents already exist and have been available since Biblical times. The agents, of course, are essential oils, particularly those containing the brain oxygenating molecules of sesquiterpenes.

THE TRIPLE WHAMMY
The big triple punch combination of "PMS" (Phenylpropanoids, Monoterpenes, and Sesquiterpenes) found in essential oils is very powerful in addressing many illnesses, injuries, and disease conditions. That is because this combination offers the following:

First, you clean the receptor sites allowing the proper transfer of hormones, peptides, neurotransmitters, steroids, and other intracellular messengers. (The Phenylpropanoids do that.)

Second, you deprogram or erase the wrong information from cellular memory stored in the DNA. (The Sesquiterpenes take care of that.)

Third, you reprogram the cells with the correct information so they can function properly. (The Monoterpenes do this.)

These three classes of chemical components are why essential oils can sometimes affect a healing that is nearly instant and also permanent. What they simply do is to restore the body back to its natural state of balance and health. While a specific oil may have one or two of these three classes of compounds as its predominant chemistry, all the Biblical oils contain some of all of them. This is one secret to their amazing healing abilities.

So there you have it in a nutshell: The way the blood-brain barrier works and the biochemistry of one of the ways essential oils can help achieve a healing.

To get pure, organic, therapeutic-grade essential oils click on this link...
Visit my website: The Very Essence

Antibiotics VS. Therapeutic-grade Essential Oils

Contents:

1) Overview.

2) Antibiotics vs. Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils, by Joan Barice, MD

3) The Antibiotic Crisis, by Kurt Schnaubelt, Ph.D

4) Treating the Flu with Anti-Microbial Young Living Oil Formula,
by Terry S. Friedmann, M.D., A.B.H.M.

5) Natural Antibiotic recipes using Young Living Essential Oils, by
Gary Young, ND.

6) Natural Antibiotics as recommended by the Essential Oils Desk Reference.

7) Testimonials from Young Living Members.


1) OVERVIEW

The discovery of pharmaceutical antibiotics around 80 years ago was touted as a panacea for humanity. While their use has clearly saved many lives, in recent years their overuse and misuse has taken a tremendous toll on the health of people everywhere, contributing to the creation of the now- infamous SuperBug.

According to Annie Wong-Beringer, Pharm.D., associate professor of clinical pharmacy at the USC School of Pharmacy, "Inappropriate antibiotic use may kill beneficial bacteria, opening the door for harmful bacteria to establish themselves in their place. It also may toughen up some bacteria by encouraging them to mutate and develop drug resistance."
Drug resistance is considered to be one of the leading causes of deaths in the U.S. According to the National Institutes of Health, more than 70,000 die each year from it. These patients acquired the infection while they were in a hospital being treated for something else, according to the May 1997 documentary The Coming Plague. No known antibiotics can help these patients, and they die.

To make matters worse, experts estimate that physicians in the United States alone, write 50 million antibiotic prescriptions a year to treat disease actually caused by viruses, which antibiotics do not affect. Part of the reason may be patients' or caregivers' expectations. According to a CDC study, pediatricians prescribe antibiotics 65 percent of the time if they sense that parents expect them, but only 12 percent of the time if they sense parents do not expect them.

The western medical establishment is stymied. It's looking for a solution through continued pharmaceutical research and the development of even more antibiotics...which created the problem in the first place. Duh! In addition, the big Pharma companies don't even want to put money into antibiotic research, since it does not produce sustained profits. Think about it. They dump millions and millions of dollars into research to create the latest super antibiotic. It works for a short time and then becomes useless because the bacteria has mutated to save their own lives! (What's a poor little bacterium to do?!) If one wholly subscribes to the mainstream paradigm, the situation does indeed seem grim.

Enter our friends, therapeutic-grade essential oils! And get pure, orgnic, therapeutic-grade essential oils at my website...
Visit my website: The Very Essence

Essential oils are naturally antibiotic and antiviral, as has been documented in research around the world and more recently in the U.S. If you browse through a classic book like "The Practice of Aromatherapy" first published 25 years ago by French medical doctor, Jean Valnet, you will find innumerable references to such research and to the efficacy of essential oils in all kinds of situations.

In 1997, studies conducted at Weber State University on Young Living's Thieves oil showed it to have a 99.96% success rate against airborne bacteria. The bacteria cultures were sprayed in an enclosed area, and Thieves essential oil blend was diffused for a given amount of time. After only 10 minutes of exposure, there was a reduction of 82% in Micrococcus luteus, 96% in Pseudomonas aeruginosa and 44% in Staphylococcus aureus.

Below is a wealth of information on the antibiotic qualities of essential oils along with testimonials from Young Living members and some essential oil recipes.

As Young Living customers, we have in our hands a precious, delightful and effective way to strengthen our bodies and uplift our spirits, using the naturally powerful and effective aromatic resources of the healing plant kingdom.

DISCLAIMER: The information provided here is for educational purposes only, and is not intended as diagnosis, treatment or prescription for any disease. The decision to use, or not to use, any of this information is the sole responsibility of the reader. We recommend that you consult your licensed health care practitioner if you are dealing with an illness.


2) ANTIBIOTICS VS. THERAPEUTIC GRADE ESSENTIAL OILS,
by Joan Barice, MD

Speaking as a medical doctor, all physicians are aware of the increasing problem of resistance of bacteria to antibiotics. This is especially a problem with bacteria which cause life threatening infections. It is a result of overusing antibiotics, and of using them when they are not appropriate.

Overusing antibacterial soaps may also contribute to the problem. Prevention is best, of course. Allowing natural immunity to work when infections are self-limiting or not likely to cause serious consequences is also important, as is not treating viruses with antibiotics which won't work anyway.

Essential oils can be very effective in treating many bacterial, viral and other infections, without causing resistance. The natural variation inthe chemical constituents in whole plants depending on climate, altitude, and other factors protects against this resistance, as do the many chemical constituents in whole oils as opposed to using one isolated "active" ingredient.

The problem is, most doctors are not trained in using oils, but are well trained in using potent antibiotics. If you are trying to enlighten a doctor, who generally has had no training on essential oils, I would suggest providing scientific references that give the available evidence of the effectiveness of essential oils in treating infections.

We are impressed by scientific research and usually will not listen to "anecdotal" evidence" that it worked for some people. Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt's book Medical Aromatherapy, healing with essential oils, has been suggested and is a great reference. I have used it to give talks to medical doctors about essential oils.

Published articles on essential oil research, especially those in medical journals would be very good. Here are just a couple examples:

The EODR (Essential Oils Desk Reference) cites some research: 1998: Chao studied a blend of oils patterned after that used by 15th century thieves containing cinnamon, rosemary, clove, eucalyptus and lemon was diffused in a closed room in which bacteria cultures were sprayed. There was an 82% reduction in M. Luteus, a 96% reduction in P. Aeruginosa, and a 44% reduction in S. Aureusbioaerosols following 10 minutes of exposure.

Another study compared the effectiveness of essential oils to antibiotics - preliminary results showed cinnamon and oregano are comparable with Penicillin and Ampicillin in inhibitory activity against E. coli and Staph. aureus.

From a medical journal:
TEA TREE OIL: THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE ANTIMICROBIAL HYPE

Because of increasing resistance to antibiotics, interest in finding alternatives is strong. Tea tree oil (TTO) has been widely used in Australia for 80 years and is active against many micro-organisms.

A pilot study of 30 MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) carriers comparing routine mupirocin nasal ointment and triclosan skin wash with TTO ointment and wash, showed one third were completely cleared by TTO but only 13% by conventional treatment.

In another trial of TTO in the treatment of herpes cold sores, the oil was found to assist healing to a similar degree as topical 5% acyclovir. The oil has about 100 components but 7 terpenes and their related alcohols constitute 80 to 90% of the whole oil. Several of these components have been shown to reduce levels of Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans. Terpenes are lipophilic and partition into the phospholipid layer of cell membranes, disrupting normal structure and function. Allen, P., LANCET 2001, 358 (9289) 1245 or: Janssen AM et al, 1987. Antimicrobial activity of essential oils: 1976-1986 literature review. Planta Med 53 (5) 395-398.

This article is not in a medical journal, but still would be good to use as evidence: Antiviral and Antimicrobial Properties of Essential Oils, by Dominique Baudoux, available on the internet at:
http://www.positivehealth.com/permit/Articles/Aromatherapy/baud55.htm

Kurt Schnaubelt's book has a list of some basic research, including the following:
1960: Maruzella demonstrated antibacterial and antifungal effects of hundreds of aromatic compounds 1987: Deininger and Lembke demonstrated antiviral activity of essential oils and their isolated components 1973: Wagner and Sprinkmeyer in 1973 did research on a 170 year old blend of distilled oils still available in Germany. The effects of melissa and the other oils in Kosterfrau Melissengeist had been empirically known since Paracelsus (about 1500). They concluded that, with varying degrees of intensity, there was an inhibiting influence on all the bacteria tested, (Pneumococcus, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Staphlococcus aureus haemolyticus, Neisseria catarrhalis, Streptococcus haemolyticus, Proteus vulgaris, Hemophilus influenza, Haemophilus pertussis, Candida albicans, Escherichia coli-Aerobacter group, various Corynnebacteria, and Listeria) and stated the large spectrum of this inhibitory action is as broad as or even greater than that of wide-spectrum antibiotics.

They also showed KMG has sedative and spasmolytic properties. 1995 Deininger et al. Demonstrated the broad spectrum of antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal activity of essential oils and their components as well as effectiveness for upper respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urogenital systems and for nervousness and arterial conditions.

Included many different bacterial species, aflatoxin forming fungi, quantitative proof of the antiviral effectiveness of different essential oil constituents with special attention to their cell toxic effects on human cells. Showed antiviral effects against herpes and adenoviruses with a broad spectrum of activity. Showed oils including Klosterfrau mellisengeist terpenes could be shown curatively and preventively in animal experiments after otherwise lethal herpes injections were administered, and induce a significant increase of immunoglobulins.

Schnaubelt lists even earlier basic science research showing it has been known a long time that essential oils have antimicrobial effects:
1800-2002: Numerous animal and in vitro studies - evidence that all essential oils are antiseptic, some more than others and that many are effective against certain fungi, bacteria and viruses. 1881: Koch demonstrated the bactericidal action of essence of turpentine against anthrax spores 1887: Chamberland demonstrated bactericidal activity of essences of oregano, cinnamon and clove on bacillus anthracis 1910: Martindale showed essential oil of oregano is the strongest plant-derived antiseptic known to date, 25 to 76 times more active than phenol on colobacillus.

Because of our training, because we are not trained about essential oils, and do not want to harm our patients by using something we do not know anything about, many doctors will insist on having still more research, and conclusive "evidence-based" research data before they will consider recommending oils for patients with an infection, and they will use antibiotics when they know them to be effective treatment for a particular infection.

I know from my own experience that essential oils can be very effective, and will not hesitate to use them when they are the most appropriate treatment. If, on the other hand, I had a life threatening infection, and I do not have time to try something that will take longer, and there is a medical treatment that is known to be highly effective and safe, I would use it.


3) THE ANTIBIOTIC CRISIS
by Kurt Schnaubelt, Ph.D.

The following extract is taken from Medical Aromatherapy: Healing with Essential Oils by Kurt Schnaubelt, 1999, Frog, Ltd. North Atlantic Books Berkeley CA. This excerpt is from Chapter 5, pp. 72-74.

"There is conclusive evidence on the destructive consequences of the overuse of antibiotics (and also how to avoid it). Antibiotic pressure on an organism can be a cofactor in immune deficiency conditions. Antibiotics were originally prescribed to fight bacterial diseases. But once these drugs became major moneymakers, their marketing took on a life of its own. Economic interests dictates finding more uses for a product that is already selling well, because sales increase without new development costs. Research to find additional uses for products is eagerly sponsored and eventually research and sales create a new reality. Unaware of the link to mass destruction of their immune systems, an unsuspecting generation upped its antibiotic intake.

"Antibiotics taken by small children often create the diseases they aim to cure. Premature antibiotic use during the onset of a childhood disease will deprive the immune system of the opportunities to interact with the pathogen. An inactivated immune system does not learn to recognize intruding microorganisms, nor does it learn to build antibodies. The result? A child will quickly relapse with the same disease and the cycle repeats. A reoccurring disease becomes chronic and leads to an overall debilitation of the body.

"Another potentially even greater problem is the seemingly unstoppable advance of resistant bacteria. Bacteria, resistant to most or all of the known antibiotics, are menacing hospitals and their patients. The development of these "super germs" was brought on by the reckless use of antibiotics in the meat industry as well as their over prescription by doctors. In his sanely radical book, Spontaneous Healing, (1995, Alfred Knoph) Andrew Weil comments: 'Doctors must bear much of the responsibility for getting us into our growing predicament with aggressive bacteria; by over prescribing and mis-prescribing antibiotics, they have brought on the coming catastrophe.'

"Antibiotics are still widely prescribed by doctors for viral conditions such as the common cold or the flu despite the fact that they are not effective in these cases. The depth of the conditioning becomes obvious when antibiotics display placebo effects. "Workers in an office struggle with the flu for a week or two and, at some point, a few take antibiotics with the following results.

"Outcome 1: No obvious differences are observed between those who take the antibiotics and those who don't. The flu comes and goes."

"Outcome 2: Some of those who took antibiotics recover quickly. A typical belief is that the antibiotics ultimately cured the flu.

"Outcome 2 is extremely puzzling. Influenza is a viral infection and antibiotics are not effective against viruses. Still, these individuals claim that they worked. There are two possible explanations: 1. The immune status of some individuals is so compromised from antibiotics overuse or other causes that a flu virus will automatically trigger bacterial secondary infections of such severity that relief from an accompanying symptoms is perceived as the antibiotics being effective against the flu itself. 2. Our deep conditioning to believe in the effectiveness of antibiotics triggers improvement. The antibiotics were a placebo!"

"The antibiotics crisis is an example of the fact that commerce is not concerned about the consequences it creates for human life. All aspects of modern existence are penetrated by the goal to maximize profits. Sadly, this has been most successful in medicine."

"Approximately two decades ago the projections for worldwide sales of pharmaceuticals for the year 2000 were estimated to reach about $250 billion. This number was a gross under- estimation; the health -care industry currently grosses almost a thousand billion dollars and the biggest-selling pharmaceutical drugs each generate one billion dollars annually in the United States alone. Potential pharmacological breakthroughs generate corresponding changes in stock prices and make headlines in the business sections. The profit motive permeates the medical world completely."

"As a result, diseases are essentially classified according to the availability of drugs, which are the only form of therapy that can be produced on an industrial scale. The drug companies have an ideal partner in scientific medicine, which ignores (for the most part) social and psychological causes of disease. The mechanic "physician" is offered a tool that can be reproduced without limit."


4) TREATING THE FLU WITH ANTI-MICROBIAL YOUNG LIVING OIL FORMULA
by Terry S. Friedmann, M.D., A.B.H.M.

The flu season is upon us and this one is a doozie. It came early here in Colorado and we have already had some deaths. Obviously the virus has mutated and the vaccine doesn't work very well.

So remember my antimicrobial formula [that I recommend] for my patients. Place in a "00" capsule the following:
12 drops of Thieves
6 drops of oregano
2 drops of frankincense
At the first sign of the flu, take one capsule every four hours for three days and then one capsule every eight hours for four to six days.
This is powerful, so don't use it for just a cold or as a preventative. This formula should not be used on children under 12 years of age or on pregnant wormen. Ages 12-17 years use one half of the above formula.


5) NATURAL ANTIBIOTIC RECIPES USING YOUNG LIVING ESSENTIAL OILS
From Gary Young, ND.

10 drops lemon
8 drops mountain savory
3 drops oregano
Put into a "00" capsule
Take up to 3 times a day one "OO" capsule

FROM YL CLINIC contributed by Jennifer Tilston
8 Clove
5 Thyme
5 Oregano
put into a "00" gel capsule
Take up to 3x/day 1 capsule
To prevent onset of flu & cold bugs


6) NATURAL ANTIBIOTICS AS RECOMMENDED BY THE ESSENTIAL OILS DESK REFERENCE

Many essential oils have broad-spectrum antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral effects. For example, thyme oil was shown to exert powerful antimicrobial effects against 25 different types of bacteria.
Good Choices:
Single Essential Oils: Oregano, thyme, cinnamon, mountain savory, lemon, rosewood, melaleuca, clove, ravensara, and eucalyptus (all four...E.citriodora, E.dives, E.globulus & E.radiata...are very powerful).
Eucalyptus & Melaleuca are excellent choices for diffusing.
Essential Oil Blends: Thieves, Exodus II, ImmuPower, Melrose, Inspiration & Sacred Mountain.
Essential Oil Enhanced Supplements: Royaldophilus, ImmuGel, Exodus, Super C, Radex, and ImmuneTune.


7) TESTIMONIALS FROM YOUNG LIVING MEMBERS

Chronic Sinus Infection:
I had been living with a "stuffy nose" for probably about 20 years when I found the oils. What I was really dealing with was a combination of food allergies and environmental allergies. (confirmed by doctor's tests) This caused repeated acute sinus infections, often recurring several times a year, as well as chronic sinusitis. I had two sinus surgeries, but they didn't really help much in the long run. A Kleenex box was my constant companion. (People used to joke with me that I should buy stock in the Kleenex company)

Since I found the oils (soon 3 years ago) I have not once taken antibiotics, and I used to have to resort to it all the time.
Lately I have not even had the beginnings of a sinus infection, but earlier, when I could feel one coming on, what I did was heat up a big pot of water. Then I would take a big towel and lean over the pot and cover my head, as I put oils in, one drop at a time - then breathe deeply - then another drop and so on.

I just looked in the EODR. Collected all the oils and blends that I had that were listed in the section for sinus infection, and went through them one by one. I would repeat this daily, until my nose cleared. This was the first time ever that I did not have to resort to antibiotics - and I have not had a full blown sinus infection since I started using the oils.
As for clearing the allergies, for me it was a matter of avoiding the foods that caused them (mainly dairy) and also taking enzymes every day and with every meal, as well as taking MSM on a regular basis. Enzymes & MSM truly do make a big difference in staying well.
-Boel
* * *
I have been so ill for the last three years. Each time I would get a sinus infection, it would move down into my lungs and I would end up with horrible asthma attacks. I would be put on a double round of antibiotics and prednisone to help get the episode under control. Then within a few weeks I would have another infection and go through this whole routine again using a different antibiotic. This last time there was no time between coming off of the antibiotic and having the infection cropping up again I was scared to death. The doctors had uses every antibiotic on the market and I was still sicker than sick. I was out of luck with conventional medicine. Thank God some one posted Gary Young's receipe for antibiotic resistant oils. I took the oils internally for three days and my infection was gone!!!! I also used several strong anti-viral oils on my back with a hot wet towel at night for 5 nights. No more coughing up horrible yellow-green mucus. No more terrible sinus pain. No more asthma. By the second day of taking the oils I stopped taking the antibiotics that the doctor had prescribed for me. I know now that I won't be needing conventional antibiotic medications anymore.
-Sue Boyd

H-Plyori:
In 1994 after not being ill a day in my life except for occasional cold and bout with the flu I almost died due an internal bleed from my duodenum. Unbeknowns to me I had a bacteria in my stomach by the name of heliobacter pylori which caused an ulcerative rupture in my duodenum. I required a blood transfusion of 3 pints to replace the lost blood. I was then given 2 antibiotics at the same time to rid me of the bacteria. Four weeks after completing this protocol it was evident that it did not work as I almost had another bleed. It was then suggested by my specialist that I take a regimen of 8 different drugs at the same time for 21 days with no guarantees for success. I refused because I was told to expect substantial side effects and there was another drug I could take instead called ranitidine (zantac), an acid blocker that would prevent the bleeds although it would not get rid of the bacteria. I chose this route reluctantly. Later I found a natural product containing MSM, although not quite the quality formulation of Young Living's Sulphurzme which worked similarly to reduce acid. Then in Oct./99 I read about a natural antibiotic protocol recommended by Dr. Gary Young. It involved using the essential oils of Lemon, Mountain Savory, and Oregano together and internally. I decided to try it and started very slowly using only a fraction of what Dr. Young recommended and within 4 days I knew the bacteria was history. To this day (March 23/00) I have not had any stomach challenges which had previously caused me discomfort on a daily basis for almost 5 years.
-Eddie Wolinski

Former Mr. Canada, Mr. North America titleholder
=============================
THE FORMULA
Gary Young gave us this recipe as the most powerful natural antibiotic:
10 drops lemon;
8 drops mountain savory;
3 drops oregano.
Put in capsule and take 1-3 time a day.
* * *
For H-Plyori:
Para-Free and Di-Tone did it for me. I had a bad case, but the last time they stuck a tube down to my stomach, it was all gone. So were the polyps on the other end -- surprising because the time before, I had nine.
The medical treatment for H-Pylori, by the way, is Biaxin (a horrible, strong antibiotic that made me too sick to continue taking it), along with Prevocid or Prilosec (types of antacids).
-RJ
* * *
Kidney Infection:
This week my Grandmother rebounded very quickly from a kidney infection. We used juvaflex and cypress over her kidneys along with hot compresses three times a day. Also on her feet. I also massaged various oils (frankincense, lavender , orthosport massage oil) on her back and legs to help with her soreness from being in bed for several days. These oils are magnificent!
-Kristin
* * *
Urinary Tract Infections:
My Aunt has chronic UTI's as in antibiotics every four weeks. This has been going on for a very long time. She started using Inspiration, rubbing the oils over the bladder area, the lower abdomen, and also on the bottom of the feet, and around the ankles. Within two days the pain was gone. Within two weeks she had a checkup with her Dr. and he said her urine specimen was the best he has ever had from her.
-Kathleen

Young Living Essential Oils are available at my website: http://theveryessence.com

The Scent of Grapefruit

The Scent of Grapefruit
By David Stewart, Ph.D., R.A.

The major portion of any essential oil (99.99%) is composed of only three elements—Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen—but Sulfur and Nitrogen also sometimes contribute key roles.

For example, the distinctive fragrance of grapefruit oil (Citrus paradisi) is due to a sulfur compound (1-p-menthen-8-thiol) in a tiny trace amount—less than one part per billion. That is an infinitesmal 0.0000001%. Yet its presence dominates the scent of grapefruit. While grapefruit oil is 95% d-limonene, that is not what we smell. d-Limonene, in any concentration, is experienced as a faint orange-like aroma. Amazing as it seems, that one molecule in a billion of the sulfur compound is so strong that it overcomes the d-limonene and is easily picked up and distinguished by our sensitive noses. (Strong odors are a characteristic of most sulfur compounds, which are also found in garlic and the oil of garlic.)

Check it out. If you have a bottle of grapefruit oil handy, take a wiff and experience a molecule or two of that sulfur compound. You can impress your friends by saying, “Hmmm . . . I believe there is a trace of 1-p-menthen-8-thiol in this oil.”

While all of the citrus rind oils (orange, lemon, tangerine, mandarin, and lime) are mainly composed of d-limonene, they each have different fragrances and different therapeutic properties determined by their minor and trace constituents. Grapefruit, for example, can dissolve fat tissue and can be used to assist in weight loss and reduce cellulite. However, this property is not due to its main ingredient, but due to its minor and trace compounds in conjunction with the d-limonene.

This is another illustration of why an essential oil needs to be harvested and produced as close to nature as possible without tampering with even the least of the ingredients.

THE COMING OF A NEW BOOK
The above article on grapefruit oil is an extract from a new book currently being written by David Stewart. Its title will be: AROMACHEMISTRY – THE SCIENCE OF ESSENTIAL OILS MADE SIMPLE. (Subtitle – God’s Love Made Manifest in Molecules). The book is an outgrowth of Dr. Stewart’s five-hour Essential Oils Chemistry class taught at the 3-day CARE Intensives. Visit http://www.RaindropTraining.com for CARE’s schedule of seminars.

Dr. Stewart is also the author of HEALING OILS OF THE BIBLE And STATISTICAL VALIDATION OF RAINDROP. Both books are available from Essential Science Publishing, (800) 336-6308 or www.essentialscience.net

TO FIND PURE, ORGANIC, THERAPEUTIC-GRADE GRAPEFRUIT ESSENTIAL OIL GO TO MY WEBSITE AT:
Visit my website: The Very Essence

Essential Oils and Aromatherapy Basics

WHAT IS AROMATHERAPY?
Aromatherapy is the practice of using essentail oils in order to take advantage of their benefits for the body, mind and spirit. Essential oils have been used therapeutically for thousands of years, but as modern medicines began to appear around the turn of the century the use of essential oils declined.

Since the 1950's. the practice of aromatherapy enjoyed a strong revival that has continued to the present. While the professional practice of aromatherapy requires extensive training, anyone can enjoy the many benefits of essential oils at home with just a little reading in one of the many affordable and readily available reference texts on the market. My personal favorite reference is a book published by Essential Science Publishing ( www.essentialscience.net ), the title is, Essential Oils Desk Refereence.

WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL OILS? 
Essential oils are complex mixtures of naturally occurring compounds that exist in some plants which have fragrant flowers, leaves, wood, bark, roots, or seeds.  From an organic chemist's point of view, the active constituents of essential oils are composed of hydrocarbons and oxygenated hydrocarbons which can be grouped according to their molecular structure into terpenes, esters, alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and phenols.

Essential oils may be extracted from plants using a variety of methods but for aromatherapy purposes, the only acceptable methods are those that are non-toxic.  This includes distillation, cold pressing, and, in a few cases, non-toxic solvent extraction.  A good therapeutic grade essential oil is produced using non-toxic procedures that preserve the life-giving vital essence of the plant. Essential oils vary greatly in quality and not all are therapeutic grade.

Do not confuse essential oils with vegetable oils, which are also sometimes called "carrier" or "base" oils.  Essential Oils are volatile, which means that they evaporate when exposed to air; they are very fragrant; they do not feel slick or oily, and do not leave an oily residue.  Vegetable oils, such as almond oil, apricot oil, olive oil, or avocado oil are not really fragrant; they do not evaporate readily; they do feel oily and leave an oily residue.  Vegetable oils are used in aromatherapy for the purpose of diluting essential oils so that they can be safely applied to the skin.

WHAT ARE FRAGRANCE OILS? 
"Fragrance oils" are chemical mixtures that mimic natural plant aromas. To those who have never used therapeutic-grade essential oils these fragrance oils may fool them into thinking these inferior fragrance oils act and smell just like the "real thing" but they are not appropriate for aromatherapy. Read product labels carefully and avoid those labeled as "fragrance oils", "essential fragrance oils", or "nature identical".

KNOW WHAT YOU ARE PURCHASING:
Some products sold as "essential oils" are diluted in cheaper "carrier" oils or are adulterated in some other way.  Again, read product labels carefully but be aware that labels may not disclose full information. In short, if a label says it's an essential oil and the price is cheap, you CAN be certain that it is NOT a pure therapeutic-grade essential oil. A pure and therapeutic-grade essential oil will never be sold cheaply anywhere. Several popular aromatherapy books outline simple tests that purchasers can perform at home, to aid in detecting inferior products.  We encourage you to learn these methods and apply them to the products you purchase.  Become familiar with the botanical names of the oils you want to use and never purchase an essential oil that is not labeled with the botanical name, as well as the common name.

MY FAVORITE BRAND OF ESSENTIAl OILS:
Of course anyone who knows me, knows I swear by, use and also sell only the Young Living Essential Oils. These essential oils are by far the best available in the world. You can take a look at the large assortment of single oils and blends and order these wonderful life enhancing oils at my website: http://theveryessence.com

USING ESSENTIAL OILS: 
Add 2 to 4 drops of essential oil to a warm (not hot) bath, be sure to mix these drops of essential oils with a tablespoon of a carrier oil such as a cold pressed olive oil as this will help to disperse the essential oil better. 

For a massage/body oil, add 1 drop of essential oil per teaspoon of high quality, cold pressed vegetable oil, such as sweet almond or grape seed oil. 

For room fragrancing, add a few drops to a diffuser (using a diffuser that difuses using air, rather than heat as too hot heat breaks down the therapeutic qualities of the oil) or a pot of steaming (not boiling) water. 

If you are mixing several oils in a "blend", treat the "blend" as a single oil; in other words, use no more than 4 drops of the "blend" in a bath, or 1 drop of the "blend" to a teaspoon of  vegetable oil for massage.  These and other methods of use are described in aromatherapy reference books.

STORAGE:  
The shelf-life of most essential oils is about 12 months, with proper handling.  Oils should be stored in a cool (not cold) place, where they are not exposed to sunlight.  Refrigeration of essential oils is not recommended since some can be spoiled by this procedure.  Open bottles only for use and keep caps securely closed, as exposure to air speeds the deterioration of any botanical product, including essential oils.

To get pure, organic, therapeutic-grade essential oils click on this link...
Visit my website: The Very Essence