Back to Basics

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A wealth of information. A dearth of clear decisions.

When you look online, there are dozens of different opinions about how essential oils should and should not be used. There are so many essential oil gurus who swear that they should never be ingested or applied without carrier oil. Some even contend that they should exclusively be used in diffusers. Let’s talk about some essential oil basics! What are the three primary ways that they can be used?

A Caveat, My Opinion is More Liberal Than Many

Essential oils can be inhaled aromatically, applied topically to the skin, and ingested by mouth. It is important that you only use the highest quality essential oil. This is especially important when you are applying to the skin or ingesting. If you cannot use high quality essential oils, then you should not use them on the skin or ingest them.

How do I use an Oil Aromatically?

If you have never used an essential oil, simply opening the bottle is an excellent place to start. Open the bottle, inhale, and enjoy. If you do not enjoy the aroma, try a different method. Instead of inhaling, apply to the skin or add to a recipe. Or you can select another essential oil. Some people say that if you hate the smell of an essential oil that you need it more. I have never found any research to indicate that this is true.

One thing is for sure, when you inhale an essential oil, your mood can be affected. This is because inhaled essential oils engage directly with the limbic system. Add a few drops of essential oil to a diffuser to transform the aroma and mood of an environment.

What about Topical Use?

Another basic way to reap the benefits of essential oils is topically. If you have never used an essential oil on the skin, start by applying them to the bottoms of the feet or the palms of the hands. Certain areas of skin are more sensitive than others, so for first time users (and many experienced users) it is recommended to avoid overuse of essential oils under the arms, on the face or genitalia, on skin that is broken, or any other area of the body that you find sensitive.

Many people choose to use essential oils undiluted on the skin.

If you choose to use the oil undiluted, be aware that some oils can be perceived as warm or hot on the skin, and others can be perceived as cold. If an essential oil is too hot or too cold on the skin, simply add carrier oil. Carrier oils ensure that the application of essential oils is comfortable on the skin. You can use any fatty oil around your home (almond, jojoba, coconut, olive, hemp, etc.) as a carrier oil, but please avoid petrolatum jelly, mineral oil, or any other synthetic oil as a carrier oil.

If you choose to dilute an essential oil, take a carrier oil and blend with the essential oil before applying to the skin. This can be done in a small dish, in a roll-on container, or in your hand if you are simply applying to sensitive skin or a young child. For the average adult, 1 drop in 10 drops carrier oil is more than enough dilution to avoid any skin irritation, and in most cases less than that will be sufficient.

Use Caution When Applying Essential Oils to the Skin of Very Young Children, Especially Premature Infants.

Some experts argue that essential oils should never be used on the skin of premature infants, however many parents choose to use them on very young infants after assuring that the essential oil is very heavily diluted in carrier oil (1 drop essential oil in 20, 50, even 100 or more drops of carrier oil). Use your best judgement as a parent to decide when it is right to introduce your child’s skin to essential oils.

Patch Testing

If you have very sensitive skin or if you want to exercise additional caution, consider a basic patch test procedure prior to first use of an essential oil. To perform a patch test, apply 1-2 drops of essential oil to a patch of skin such as the forearm (you may opt to dilute the essential oil with a carrier oil before you apply). Observe that area of skin over the course of 1-2 hours for any noticeable reaction. If discomfort or irritation occurs, do not apply more essential oil. Apply carrier oil as often as needed to the affected area. Never use water to flush the oil off the skin, as this may increase discomfort. If you experience discomfort from an essential oil dilute the essential oil before using again.

Oh, the Controversy of Ingestion

Essential oils may also be taken by mouth, either directly dispensed on the tongue, placed in a capsule, or included in foods and beverages as flavoring agents. In general, start low and go slow as you begin to ingest essential oils. One to two drops directly on the tongue or in a capsule can be enough to start. When cooking with essential oils, a little bit goes a very long way. Do not use more than is recommended in the recipe, as the flavor of essential oils can be quite potent and can quickly overpower a dish. Often, dipping a toothpick into the essential oil and swirling in a batter, sauce, or beverage can be enough to impart flavor to the dish.

Per the Food and Drug Administration, there are dozens of essential oils generally recognized as safe for ingestion (GRAS).

This list includes resins not extracted by solvents, distillates, and cold pressed oils. Essential oils on the GRAS list include peppermint, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, most citrus varieties, chamomile, geranium, and many more. Even some essential oils that contain riskier constituents, such as hyssop, sage and mustard, are included on the list.

It is important to use caution when interpreting ingestion data. Pay special attention to the dose of the oil that was used in the study. Oftentimes the dose is much higher than what would normally be ingested by a human. Side effects from ingestion of essential oils are typically gastrointestinal. Some people experience belching (especially immediately after ingestion) and flatulence.

If you choose to use essential oils in water, the best containers are ceramic, stainless steel, or glass. These are less likely to react with essential oils than plastic.

There are several specific concerns about ingesting essential oils, and you can read more about them here: Do they have effects on teeth? And what is the potential harm to the liver?

Timing

There is no perfect time schedule to use an essential oil. Some people choose to use essential oils very regularly, perhaps 3-4 times per day or more. Others only use as needed for a specific reason. As you start, remember that it does not take much oil to make a large difference in the environment, to a food or beverage, or to your well-being after inhalation or application on the skin. Excessive use (what I loosely define as more than one milliliter at one time, especially by mouth) is not generally recommended.

What are your essential oil basics that you share with everyone?

Brand new to Essential Oils?  and learn how to use essential oils in your daily routine.

Effects of Essential Oils on the Liver

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Ingestion of essential oils has a bad reputation for causing liver damage. But what actually are the effects of essential oils on the liver? Studies have reported adverse reactions from depletion of metabolizing enzymes to the point of death. Conversely, studies have also shown liver protection from essential oils. Let’s look at how essential oils are metabolized to better understand the risks they have on the liver.

What is the Risk of Ingesting Essential Oils?

Metabolizing essential oils (the same as when metabolizing other external compounds) sometimes causes the production of electrophiles. Electrophiles are highly reactive molecules that require additional processing to prevent them from becoming toxic. Any substance, in sufficient quantities, can overwhelm the liver and produce more electrophiles than the liver can metabolize and this is what puts the liver at risk. Therefore it is important to only ingest small amount of essential oils in order to lower the risk of electrophile production.

The Critical Role of Glutathione

Most foreign substances, including essential oils, can potentially damage the liver by depleting glutathione. Glutathione is one of the most potent detoxifying substances in the body. It is responsible for removing a wide variety of foreign chemicals from the body.

However, it Takes a Lot

Importantly, it takes a lot of essential oils to deplete glutathione, produce electrophiles, or cause liver damage. Studies suggest that 0.5 mL/kg of cassia essential oils in rats can deplete glutathione. If this data were scaled up, it would take 35 mL to even start to deplete glutathione in a human body.

Yet, a report of a one-time ingestion of 30 mL of pennyroyal essential oil resulted in massive hepatic necrosis in an 18-year old girl. Because of this information, we do not recommend ingestion of excessive amounts of essential oil. The risk of ingesting large amounts of oil is also evident in two case reports of ingestion of between 5-20 mL of clove essential oil in two children aged 15 months and 2 years. Both children suffered liver damage as a result. In rats, large doses of menthol in soybean oil (equivalent to 15 mL/day) for 28 days caused vacuoles in the liver. Therefore, it is likely that damage to the liver is dependent on the dose. Furthermore, massive doses, especially massive doses over time, may cause liver damage.

Can Essential Oils Protect the Liver?

On the other hand, certain essential oils and some essential oil constituents have protected the liver against damage from foreign substances. Fennel and thyme oil protected against carbon tetrachloride damage and garlic oil against acetaminophen damage to the liver. Essential oil constituents, such as thymoquinone, can also increase the amount of glutathione produced. This helps the body eliminate toxins.

Bottom Line

As with everything essential oil related, the dose is absolutely, critically important. I choose to ingest essential oils on a daily basis, but I do not choose to over use them or ingest a lot of them at one time. To avoid negative effects of essential oils on the liver be sure to use small amounts.

For more ways to care for your liver, check out this blog post.

For much more about how essential oils effect the body,

Essential Oils and Teeth

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Can Essential Oils Damage Teeth?

When it comes to essential oils and teeth, there is one major discussion point: do essential oils damage enamel.

Let’s Talk about Acid

Some say that lemon essential oil and other citrus oils damage teeth.  The damage is said to the be linked to the concentration of citric acid. There is one big flaw in this argument: citric acid is a weak acid that is water soluble and not contained within essential oils.

In general, there are very few acids in essential oils.  There are some found in small amounts in essential oils such as benzoic acid, cinnamic acid and angelic acid, however the concentration is low (<3%). Citric acid is not found within essential oils. Citrus juices, however, especially fresh lemon and lime juice, do contain a high concentration of citric acid (up to 8%).

How Can we be Confident that Essential Oils Don’t Cause Acid Erosion?

In a private study, fifty-five milliliters of purified water were placed in a beaker and the pH of was measured to be 7.4.  Fifteen drops of orange essential oil were added to this beaker and the pH did not change. An additional 10 drops of orange essential oil were added to the beaker and the pH still did not change, indicating that little to no acids are contained in the oil. This was expected since acids are not oil soluble, and any acids that are removed from the plant during distillation remain the aqueous phase of the distillate after separation.

Conversely, an equal amount of freshly squeezed orange, lime, lemon, or tangerine juice caused the pH to shift downwards.  These changes in pH represented more than a 10-fold increase in the acidity of the solution.  These results confirm that citrus essential oils do not contain the acids found in orange juices. Therefore, essential oil is very unlikely to cause acid erosion to enamel.

Bottom Line

Essential oils and teeth are a safe combination. There is no evidence that essential oils can cause damage to enamel or demineralize teeth.

Want to read more about essential oils and teeth?

Come check out this blog post on Cinnamon Bark.

For even more education about essential oils, supplements, and wellness, check out my book, Essentials: 75 Answers to Common Questions About Essential Oils and Supplements! Or better yet, , your essential oil video encyclopedia.

Lipid Pneumonia and Essential Oils? Should I be Concerned?

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I have read reports in the blog-o-sphere and even on reputable science education websites that essential oils can accumulate in the lungs and cause lipid pneumonia. Select pulmonologists have even claimed to see them on bronchoscopy. Other physicians are encouraging people to avoid using essential oils in a diffuser, regardless of the existence or non-existence of underlying lung disease.  This is not true. It is not based in fact. The fear-based education needs to stop, and we need to commit to teach others the difference between fatty and essential oils.

What is Lipid Pneumonia?

Lipid (aka lipoid, aka cholesterol) pneumonia is a  form of lung inflammation that develops when lipids (aka fats) enter the bronchial tree.

So, can Essential Oils cause Lipid Pneumonia?

I raise a resounding ‘No.’ They do not cause this type of lung inflammation nor have they ever been associated with it. I reviewed dozens of articles of case reports of lipid (or lipoid) pneumonia. None reported essential oils as a cause.

There are a ton of difference causes of lipid pneumonia. References reveal the following potential causes of lipid pneumonia: ingested cod liver oil, ingested mineral oil, facial application of petrolatum jelly, intravenous injection of olive oil, emulsifiers use in lung lavage, lubricant oils applied to tracheostomy, unspecified ‘nasal drops,’ inhaled insecticides containing mineral oil, ingested liquid paraffin, nasal instillation of animal- or vegetable oil in Mexican folk remedies, oil pulling with sesame oil,  the medication amiodarone, nasal application of baby oil, ingestion of black seed oil, accumulation of lipid substance in the body (such as cholesterol), aspiration of machine oil, occupational exposure to fatty oil (patient had worked as a teppanyaki chef for 25 years), inhalation of herbicides, ingestion of a ketogenic diet, diesel-siphoning, Niemann-Pick disease, lung tumors, Legionella pneumophilia, even nematode parasite infections in opposums, and arguably inhalation of fatty-oil based electronic cigarettes cartridges.

None of these list essential oil as a cause of lipid pneumonia unless combined with a fatty oil. There has never been even one case report of essential oils alone causing lung inflammation of this type.

But! I read of one child suffering after inhaling essential oils!

After extensive research, you may come across one article that concludes lipid pneumonia was caused by an essential oil. In one case report, a 4-month old child inhaled aerosolized Gomenol® solution, and then contracted lipid pneumonia. This has lead to some commentary that conclude that niaouli essential oil (Melaleuca quinquenervia) causes lipid pneumonia.

However, what is not mentioned in the brazen headlines is that Gomenol® is a solution of niaouli compounded in glycerol, castor oil, and salts.  While the headlines are shocking and panic-inducing, they fail to demonstrate that an isolated essential oil without combined use of a fatty oil can cause lipid pneumonia.

So where did this concern come from?

It appears that the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Foundation issued a statement in 2014 following the 2013 publication of a teenager’s research project. The project, entitled “Pseudomonas A. Infections in The CF Lung: The Inhibition Of Bio-encapsulated Pathogens Within Simulated CF Conditions,”  drew a strong reaction from the CF Foundation.

The CF Foundation issued a strong statement stating that peppermint oil appears to be safe by mouth, but that it may cause a lipid pneumonia.  The Foundation concluded that peppermint essential oil is inappropriate in patients with CF.  No references were cited.  The CF Foundation did not mention any data that this had ever happened in any patient. They just gave a strong statement with no data to back it up. A potential case of fear of the unknown, instead of evidence based recommendations.

Also, the Chemistry of this Argument Makes No Sense

Furthermore, the chemical structures of essential oils do not lend itself to accumulation.  Think about the last time you accidentally spilled a drop of essential oil. Did it stay around or evaporate? The very most basic definition of an essential oil is a small, compact, fat-soluble molecule that evaporates very quickly. Things that are volatile and evaporate quickly do not accumulate. They evaporate.

Honestly, there is no  evidence to suggest that essential oils have ever accumulated in any body tissues. It is again the most basic chemistry of the molecules.

Bottom Line

Don’t believe the claim that essential oils cause lipid pneumonia. Because they have never done so.  For more opportunities to separate truth from fiction about essential oils, please.

Opportunity

I never claim to be the end authority on any topic, especially a topic as broad and diverse as essential oils. If you are a physician and a patient has suffered lipid pneumonia due to use of essential oil exclusively, please contact me. If you are a researcher who has evidence contradictory to the conclusions in this article, you may contact me as well.

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