Essential oils - internal use

Battaglia - the students favourite guide. 

Essential oil constituents are pharmacologically active. A pharmacologically active substance may do me good in sufficient dose if I am ill but I wouldnt necessarily take it on a daily basis because I am aware that any pharmacologically active substance in sufficient dose can have toxic side effects. Essential oil constituents are smaller versions of larger drugs. They have similar chemistry which has similar therapeutic effects and a long list of therapeutic properties but they are smaller and simpler. In some ways more effective in some ways less effective. In some ways more toxic in someways less toxic.

Education is the key particularly if you are advising others. Then you can make informed decisions. Are you aware that Citrus oil oxidises over six months from opening and should be kept refrigerated or it becomes unsafe? I dont want toxic side effects so I dont drink essential oil on a daily basis because even one drop of lemon, peppermint or grapefruit is a large dose compared to the amount of essential oil you would find in a fruit juice. You do find it there - it is added to flavour the juice as the flavour is lost in processing. Once you get beyond these three oils more toxic factors come into play which you should be made aware of. Do these three make water more palatable and so I get close to the seven glasses a day that I should be drinking? Well thats an argument but you could get the same effect with a dash of fruit juice without burning your throat with limonene - an industrial degreasant!.

If I am ill that is a differant matter. Of course I'll consult a doctor for a diagnosis. Does the harm outweigh the good? I'll look at the drugs they recommend and choose whether my illness is sufficiently severe to risk it. One of the drugs they might recommend is essential oil in capsules. Peppermint oil in capsules is a favourite for gall bladder problems and irritable bowl syndrome.

Sure I'll eat plants for their essential oil for example fresh onion rings lightly fried in a little olive oil. Great for dental hygiene and a mediterranean diet is good for the heart. Is obesity an illness? I can follow the argument that an appetite suppressant oil might be helpful but the only one I can think of Fennel Oil is toxic and you wouldnt take it internally. However of course you would cook up the Fennel plant (Florence fennel). It tastes good. Personally Id recommend fresh pineapple and exercise however slight at first for obesity. It works wonders.

For me essential oils in trained hands are great. For example for joint pain someone can be in agony. The oils can penetrate deeply into the body with a diluted topical application and with their antispasmodic properties relax a muscle in spasm bringing relief where before there were years of misery. 

Ian Brealey