The Dangers of Taking Essential Oils Internally

 

 

Many brands tout the fact that they sell “food grade” essential oils and are therefore safe for consumption. While I have been known to use a drop of essential oil on my toothbrush, a few drops of lemon oil in my drinking water, or a drop of clove oil to a spoonful of honey for a sore throat, I do not condone the use of taking oils internally. And here is why:

First of all, when most companies ...talk about internal consumption, they are not talking about a drop in your water or on your toothbrush. They are talking about the practice of filling capsules with oils and ingesting them, much like you would medication. Often times this means 20 drops of essential oil in one dose. The problem with this is that essential oils are absorbed immediately. Taking such a large dose can trigger a cleanse in your body. On the mild side this could mean hives, fever, sweating, diarrhea, nausea. On the extreme end, this means death. All cases of death due to essential oils have been attributed to internal use. It is infinitely easier to overdose when taking oils internally.

Here are a few other reasons why I do not recommend taking oils internally:

*Essential oils are HIGHLY concentrated.  On average it takes 1 ounce of plant life to create one drop of essential oil.  As stated above, taking essential oils in such large quantities can shock your system, doing more harm than good.  Contrary to American popular belief,  more is not more when it comes to essential oils.  In fact, many oils provide more benefit in smaller doses.  You are far better off to apply 2-3 drops topically every hour than take 20 drops internally morning and night.

 *When you take a capsule of oil, it actually delays the benefit of the oil because you must wait for the capsule to be digested before the oil can be absorbed, whereas if you simply apply the oil to your skin, you would reap immediate benefit. I have countless stories of people who applied essential oil before taking a pill for their ailment (headache, heartburn, nausea etc) and didn’t end up taking the pill because their symptoms were significantly improved (or gone altogether) before they could get their glass of water to wash down a pill.

*Not only is the benefit delayed when taken internally, but we simply do not know what effect stomach acid has on the integrity of the oil. And while we do not know the effect stomach acid on essential oils, we do know the effect that heat has on essential oils. Heat lowers the frequency of the oil, destroys vital nutrients, and shortens the shelf life. A 98.6* stomach might not be the best place for an essential oil.

Please remember that the purity of the oil does not change the fact that they are extremely concentrated plant material and can be easily overdosed. Being Therapeutic grade does not make that oil automatically safe to be taken internally. Therapeutic grade does not eliminate a host of ills related to concentration and strength. Are the safer? Yes. Safe? No. Synthetic reproductions, or fakes, are extremely dangerous taking internally and just plane dangerous otherwise. Be sure you know where your oils come from before allowing them into your body.

As stated earlier, a study in Germany showed that essential oils can be detected in your mouth just 20 minutes after application to your feet. When they are absorbed so readily, there is truly no reason to take them internally.

I can find no record of recent deaths, or even serious injuries, linked to the proper use of essential oils. This is true in spite of the fact that that more and more people are using them every day. The American Medical Association, in reports of their own, admit that hundreds (some claim thousands) die every year from properly applied pharmaceutical drugs. Essential oils are among the safest and most effective of all therapeutic modalities. They are safe enough for amateurs and novices to use with only the remotest possibility of causing harm to themselves and others. As always, the more you know about individual oils and where they come from, the more effective and safe you and your family will be.

It should also be noted that just because essential oils come from plants, all experts agree that some oils should never be ingested. Eucalyptus is one of these oils. Use caution. And if in doubt, apply to the feet.