Anyone have any experience with or knowledge about essential oils?

[JudyM]

I need to get a number of them and have been told there are differences in quality/effectiveness among the different brands. Thanks!

[TankLV]

1. I've used "thieves oil" - it's primarily a cloves extract.

Kills all sorts of germs and viruses and bacteria.

Taken orally - really bitter and strong - but after about a minute or longer leaves a pleasant taste.

But really really strong.

I'll have to check where I got mine - need some more.

[Dora]

3. Oooh, sounds scary!

I hope it's not straight clove oil! I've been a practicing dilettante of aromatherapy and essential oil therapies for a few years - I've always understood that clove oil was far too strong for direct contact with skin, and certainly not mucous membranes.

I once tried to use it for its anaesthetic properties as a numbing swab on my eyebrows before plucking them. I only had one drop of oil on the cotton swab, but my eyebrows stung and hurt like nothing I had ever felt before in my life! It took a good fifteen minutes of cold water rinses and compresses before my eyes stopped watering, and my poor eyebrows were glowing red. It was quite a sight.

As far as brands go... I rely on the everyday brands that are generally available. Aura Cacia, EO brand, and Now are brands I see frequently. There's actually an essential oil boutique/salon in my town, and I used to go there when I was buying spendy oils like carrot seed and chamomile. I'm not as fussy now, and I'm too cheap.

[Eloriel]

7. Thieves Oil is a blend from Young Living Essential Oils,

which is a MLM company but you can also buy it directly from them. I'm sure they have an online presence (in fact, I'm sure of it).

I love their oils and need some more myself.

[TankLV]

9. That's the one - I forgot where I got it.

I'm not into MLM, just buy their stuff. It seems to help a lot during cold and flu "season".

[Lizzie Borden]

2. You should make sure...

that you are buying real essential oils and not perfume oils if you are going to take them internally. Even then I'd be awfully careful about taking any of then internally. The perfume oils are substantially cheaper. If you need them for spellwork, then you need the genuine oils if you can in any way afford them.

[JudyM]

4. Using them to reverse hair thinning - topical, not internal.

Do you know if one brand of actual essential oil is better than another? Thanks!

[DemExpat]

5. I buy a good, usually expensive reputable brand

and use them for air fresheners as well as for therapeutic benefits in my bathrooms, living room and bedrooms....
I either mix them with water in a spray bottle to use as a natural air freshener, or warm them mixed with a little water in the special candle-heated aromatic oil warmers.

A few drops of the oil in your bathtub or on a sponge used under the shower are also safe manners to use them.

The books I have read all make explicit warnings not to ingest orally on your own - to do this only under careful guidance of someone well-educated adn experienced in this field.

DemEx

[LWolf]

6. I'm not sure about brands.

There are no essential oils available to me locally; I have to go online to find them.

I will say, "Be careful!" Essential oils are very strong. They can cause skin reactions in the sensitive (me) if the come in contact straight from the bottle.

As far as brands go, I look for oils made from organic or wildcrafted plants. I'm also interested in learning more about the distillation process; I don't know enough about that for it to guide my choices at this point.

[Cadence]

8. I think Young Living oils are the best.

[JanMichael]

12. This is really to posts 8 & 11. This is only an FYI.

http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/young.html

BTW my wife Steph (Misinformed01) turned me on to this thread.

I just don't like seeing people getting false promises and bad advice.

That said if you just like the way some oil smells, fine, it's just sad to me that the money may go to less than ethical business men.

[vajraroshana]

10. Just a little positive experience with lavender oil

I put some in an otc moisturizer and used it to massage my SO's arthritic shoulder and he claims that it made it feel better than just massage alone. And helped him sleep.

[Eloriel]

14. Ugh. People have been bashing Gary Young and YLOs for

probably as long as he's been selling essential oils. I didn't even read it.

I've used Young Living Oils for a number of years and am very impressed and very happy with them. The blends are IMO magnificent, at least the ones I've tried. I'm certainly not an expert, but I'm also very pleased with their quality. Are there better quality oils out there? I dunno, and frankly don't care.

Many of the YLO bashing I've seen has been based on lies, mischaracterizations, and in some cases pure JEALOUSY. (I was a member of a mailing list of aromatherapists, some of the real "experts" in the field, and the absolutely vicious attacks -- VICIOUS, not professional in any way -- completely turned me off to aromatherapy completely. At the time I was strongly considering taking a course in it, but after seeing the childish and unprofessional behavior on this list, I lost all interest.

Your piece is written by an M.D., another class of people whose advice about natural healing I'm not predisposed to take -- NOT when that profession routinely prescribes things for which acceptable side effects include permanent liver or kidney damage and/or death.

Thanks, but no thanks.

Edited: I probably should say I have NO commercial or financial interest in YLOs. I once upon a time bought the kit to be a "distributor," but that "distributorship" has long since lapsed and when I buy them now, I buy them like any other retail customer.

[JanMichael]

15. This is Stephanie, or Thtwudbeme

When that many people bash Young, there is something to it. The guy's credintials are not even true...why does this bother you so badly? Why does it matter that the guy who wrote the article is an MD? Delivering a baby in a hot tub should have resulted in a criminal charge...why didn't it?

I am not saying his oils are horrible...I am saying "look who you are financially supporting."

My sister and I use essential oils...Michael doesn't like alternative medicine; I do.

We weren't trying to put anyone down, just saying please reconsider your position on Gary Young.

[leftbend]

11. Young Living Oils

are the best I have found. They are more expensive but well worth it. They also publish a "PDR" for essential oils that is very useful.

[autorank]

13. Thought this was about Omega 3 Essential Fatty Acids.

Well, it's worth a reminder. They are quite good for you in a number of areas.

Corporate America controls the media and we get manufactured news.
Corporate America now controls the voting machines and we get manufactured elections.

http://www.blackboxvoting.org/

[tibbiit]

16. one more vote here for Young living

I usually hate mlm's but love Young Living Oils.
I have used them for at least 5 years.

Here is my YL story:
One year when traveling to california 13 trips... involved 52 seperate plane rides and the equivlent of over a month in motel 6 type places for both self and spouse. We used YL's Purification on airplane air nozzles, and in the vents of air con/heater (sprinkled on dampened towels placed on the vents)
We (neither of us) did not get ONE ILLNESS the entire year. Not one sniffle, cold, flu-- this was the year of bad flus too. Usually breathing the airplane air gets one or both of us sick.

Our favorites are
Immunepower, Valor, Purification, Thieves, Abundance
and many others. (Paneaway)

I even cook with them. We havent had one time of indigestion since starting the oils since we take a drop of YL Peppermint on the tongue.
If you take zantac or any other thing for indi- get some YL Peppermint... you will never take anything else again. It works instantly.

Lavender is wonderful too. YL is more expensive but it is worth it.
THis is the only thing like this that I find really worth the extra even thyough it is a MLM.
tib

[kayell]

17. You all are spending WAY too much for your oils.

(especially those buying from Young Living! Pretty website, INSANE prices)

Most oils come from a limited number of suppliers ultimately and are repackaged, blended, advertised, hyped, etc to make them look more attractive. A lot of the wholesalers also sell retail. You need to get some sample sizes from these people and compare quality. Here's two that I have bought from. http://www.camdengrey.com/c17.html and http://www.libertynatural.com/ (sorry, I haven't investigated their politics/contributions)

As an example:
Young Life - LAVENDER - 15 ML $22.00
Camden Grey - Lavender (French/fine) essential oil (1/2 oz.) $3.93 (for $20.47 you get 4 ounces)
Liberty - LAVENDER 40/42% FRANCE - 14.79 ml $3.50 (for $23.56 you get 8 ounces)