What are essential oils?

What are Essential Oils?

Essential oils have become somewhat trendy and modern these last few decades, however, the use of plant extracts and products have been an essential (pun intended) part of traditions, healing and therapies of the past. Ancient civilizations used plants for personal care, religious ceremonies, beauty treatments, offerings, aromatherapy and food preparation.

Ayurvedic medicine, holistic healing native to India has always used aromatic and plant compounds and have done so throughout the last 5000 years. Interestingly enough, pharmaceutical companies often use essential oils as the inspiration for their synthetically produced products. The difference is that essential oils don’t cause unpleasant side effects. 

The science behind essential oils

Essential oils are highly concentrated hydrophobic liquids compounds derived from natural sources such as plants, roots, trees, fruits.

They are made up of volatile compounds and dozens of naturally occurring chemical constituents. These compounds cannot be seen by the naked eye and are hidden to so speak within roots, bark, seeds and flowers.

Each oil has its own unique combination although certain constituents are found in several essential oils such as limonene which is a chemical constituent found in Grapefruit, Wild Orange, Lemon and Lime to name a few.

Essential oils are often referred to as aromatic compounds and this is in fact what gives an essential oils its powerful aroma. It also protects the plant from its harm in its environment, insects and other threats.

The smell of a 100% pure essential oil is what distinguishes it at first from oils with synthetic fillers or other substances mixed in with the oil. The aroma is so potent you can smell it at quite a distance. Essential oils are actually 50-70 times more potent then the herb/plant themselves.

The tiny organic molecules transform from a liquid state to a gas state when the reach room temperature. The volatile physical and chemical properties of aromatic compounds cause them to move quickly through air and thus the user will experience the effect of the oil as soon as the compounds reach the olfactory system and its sensors.  Over 3000 varieties of aromatic compounds have been identified to date.

Each essential oil is usually made up of a few major constituents and some minor constituents, however all can have an effect on our bodies not just the major ones. In order for essential oils users to know how to use them correctly, both the botanical name and chemo type must be known.

It is for this reason that the safe use of essential oils is such a hot topic because people  who are using them as and how they please with no medical or scientific knowledge can suffer toxic and potentially dangerous reactions.

Therefore, essential oils should be always used under guidance of professionals that provide up to date, factually correct, scientifically based information and resources like dOTERRA and their respective wellness advocates and coaches.

Essential oils can be used for a wide range of physical and emotional wellness. They can be used as single essential oils or within a blend depending on the individual experience of the user and their desired benefit. Want to learn how to use essential oils? Visit our essential oils usage page to learn how to safely use doTERRA essential oils.

Health benefits of using essential oils

Due to the numerous different health benefits of essential oils, the scientific community is exploring their uses for treatment of diseases such as cancer, bronchitis, heart disease, asthma, HIV and more. There are over 100 different essential oils, each with their own individual health benefits.

When our cells are being attacked by a virus, the virus itself lies within the cell membrane and cannot be attacked or killed by an anti-biotic. This why anti-biotics are not prescribed and have no effect when a virus is present (like the flu virus for example or a viral throat infection) however pure essential oils have the ability to penetrate our cellular membranes and attack and kill the virus.

When a bacterial infection is present antibiotics are prescribed to kill the bacteria. The problem is that these medications can make bacterial strains anti-biotic resistant. Bacteria becomes able to resist the effects of an antibiotic and therefore continues to harm the body. Also good bacteria needed to help our bodies fight infections are also killed off and we become more susceptible to illness as a result.

Why choose doTERRA essential oils?

Doterra essential oils are carefully distilled from plants that have been patiently harvested at the perfect moment by experienced growers from around the world for ideal extract composition and efficacy. Plants are always sourced from their native (indigenous) growing region.

Each doTERRA essential oil goes through thorough testing using the strict CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade quality protocol.  This testing guarantees the absence of toxins, contaminants and organisms. The purity of an essential oil is its most important characteristic. An essential oil that isn’t pure puts you at risk and can provoke sickness, irritation and unpleasant adverse side effects.

The CPTG process begins immediately after distillation and each oil is reviewed for its chemical composition. Three test are carried out, one as mentioned, the second at the production facility and the third as the oils are packaged. Each of these tests confirms that the essential oil is free of contaminants during production.

How are essential oils produced?

Our ancestors were not able to use essential oils simply because of the fact that the type of extraction methods we now use were not available to them. With advanced technology we have been able to obtain higher potency and quality and essential oils are now widely available for all to use in their day to day lives.

There are several methods now used to achieve the potent, quality essential oils that doTerra produce. Some of these methods included steam distillation, extraction (or cold press) enfleurage and solvent extraction. To ensure the chemical compounds retain their potent aroma, these processes are organic and the workers, who are artists in their own right, must ensure great attention to detail as well as precision .

The purity of the oil is of vital importance but this purity  can vary depending on the geographical location, weather and distillation method amongst others. We will be posting an article soon on ‘How essential oils are produced‘ and the process involved in the different methods listed above.

Where to buy essential oils 

We have established in this article the importance of using only pure, quality essential oils that have undergone thorough testing. This is exactly what doTERRA essential oils are and not only that, by purchasing essential oils through our doTERRA team here at Inspiration Essential Oils you will be able to take advantage of our knowledge and support regarding the oils you choose, how to use them correctly and their benefits based on your own personal needs. You can contact our team any time with any questions you may have.

Purchasing your oils through our retail shop is easy and fast, simply click on the button below, choose your language and country and add the oils you want to your shopping cart. This is the more expensive option however, therefore we highly recommend you reading about how to become a wholesale member before placing your order.

As a wholesale member you will receive at 25% discount on each and every oil and product you purchase as well as have the opportunity to earn up to 30% of your monthly order back in free products! There is a small membership fee to pay to get set up but the rewards and benefits you gain from the wholesale membership makes it totally worth it. Have a read and let us know if you have any questions!