Pure Oils Information

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The Importance of Using Pure Essential Oils

Copyright Butterfly Expressions LLC 2005

For effective therapeutic use it is absolutely crucial that only good quality, natural, essential oils be used. It is worse than pointless to buy any other product, and sometimes it is downright dangerous. No matter how pleasant its aroma might be, reconstituted or diluted products and chemical copies lack most, if not all, of the constituents necessary to achieve any therapeutic result. Because the largest buyer of aromatic oils is the perfume and cosmetic industry, and these industries are not the least bit interested in the medicinal value of the oils, the driving criterion for the production and marketing of essential oils has been aroma and uniformity, and not production methods that maintain the medicinal value.

 

Under the current law, many products come under the heading ‘essential oils’ and can be marketed as such even if they are diluted oils or even synthetic reproductions. In addition, because some pure oils are very expensive to produce and some are not, some companies mix two or more oils together to mimic the aroma of an expensive oil. Some of these blends have wonderful (and similar) fragrances. If blended by someone very experienced in medicinal oils, the constituents can occasionally be matched quite closely, but this accomplishment is very rare. I have a blend of Melissa which has worked well for me. I use it, and sell it clearly labeled, because there is simply no way that I could ever afford Melissa otherwise; it sells for roughly $9000 for 16 ounces.

 

Unscrupulous dealers will often dilute a pure essential oil in a carrier base and pass that off as pure natural essence. These fakes are quite easily spotted because the base oil is oily, while essential oils, for the most part, are not. Most pure essential oils, when dropped on blotting paper, will absorb rapidly into it and disperse leaving a stain but no oily patch. A pure oil will not clog the motor on a fountain, in spite of what you may have heard; however, if a carrier oil has been added, the oil will most definitely cause problems with the motor of even your most expensive fountains.

 

The production of pure essential oils can be very costly and that is why the cost of good quality essential oils is often high. Some of the “blossom” oils require two to three tons of plant material to extract 1 pound of quality oil. Time of day, weather conditions (dry or extra rainy) and many other factors also affect the chemical composition of the oils and must be carefully monitored in order for a satisfactory medicinal quality oil to be produced. For example, common thyme (thymus vulgaris) produces several different chemotypes depending on the conditions of its growth. Climate, altitude and distillation methods drastically affect the amount of thymol in the final product and, therefore, how it can be used. Thymol needs to be used with caution because it is very potent and caustic.

 

When buying essential oils, you should begin with shops or suppliers such as Butterfly Express who are concerned with nature and health, rather than ones concerned with perfumery and cosmetics. Eventually your nose and your energy system will become very discriminating –“good” oils will feel and smell good to you and “bad” oils won’t!

 

The storage of essential oils is very important. The oils should be kept in brown or dark-colored bottles or in the special metal containers that bulk oils are sold in by reputable dealers. They must be kept away from light, heat and dampness and the tops must be kept tightly closed when not in use. There is much diversity of opinion about the therapeutic life of essential oils, perhaps because it varies so greatly according to how well they were handled and stored during processing.