I had heard the buzz about essential oils, but didn’t really know much about them, so I started researching them to see what they are about.  I became very intrigued by the science and biology behind them.  At some points in my reading, I read some articles where the wording was very hokey and sounds like magical thinking.  I can’t abide by magical thinking, so I dug deeper.  From my deeper research, it turns out that essential oils have no magical properties at all.  In fact, everything about them is all biology and chemistry.  This is a world that I can understand and embrace.  I don’t like to do things just because, I like to know why.

In the essential oil world, people talk about putting the oil on your feet to get benefits from them.  I thought that was pretty weird, but read an explanation for that that makes sense.  Essential oils have a chemical make-up that passes through the skin/blood/brain barrier.  The chemical make-up of them determines their interaction with your body (just like any organic substance), so placing it on your feet is just the easiest application point since there is less likelihood of a skin reaction there.  Some of the oils can be put on the skin (with a carrier oil) near where you want the interaction with your body to occur.

Another great explanation that I read is that many of the essential oils have the beneficial properties of the plants that you would eat or the herbal tea that you would drink, but in a much more concentrated form.  You therefore need to use small amounts since they are so concentrated.  There is a lot of research out there on pubmed that links different oils to their properties and abilities.  There is too much for me to link to, but go check out the research, although it is not easy reading.  Some articles that are intriguing, and are easy reading is one comparing the use of antibiotics vs essential oils in a chicken farm.  Another article is written by a stay at home mom who used to be a biochemist, and she did a home microbiology test of cleaning products.

Another interesting thing to check out is this youtube video done about the chemistry of essential oils.

So if you have an interest in health and in the ways that we can help our bodies maintain good health, then essential oils are definitely something that you could research and learn a lot about.  I am not an expert in them, but I am researching and learning more about it as it is always a constant quest to be as healthy as possible.  They do take research and you have to learn how to use them safely, so if you aren’t able to do that, then you should not buy them.  Get out there and learn something new.