Many people have been led to presume that an essential oils'
quality dictates its safety. However, in addition to an
essential oil's quality there are specific guidelines and safety
precautions that people should be aware of when working
with essential oils. A classic designation of quality essential oils
is that they be "therapeutic grade," this is the quality of
essential oils that every Aromatherapist and practitioner should be
using regardless of the application. However, despite an essential
oil being classified as “therapeutic grade,” an essential oil may
still be determined unsafe for internal, and in some cases topical,
use.
I have worked with and studied essential oils for more than 20
years and my entire reference library has always discouraged the
ingestion of essential oils except in instances when a
person is under the direct guidance of an experienced health
care professional. You can imagine my surprise when I began working
for a company that sells essential oils, where customers
regularly call to ask if the oils are safe for ingestion. The
majority of individuals who called admitted to ingesting essential
oils purchased from an alternate company; In my professional
opinion, I find this to be concerning.
The repeated inquiry and social media regarding ingesting
essential oils stirred my interest in investigating why
essential oils are traditionally discouraged from being ingested in
classic aromatherapy. What follows is a combination of my
research and my reasoning on the subject.
The Food and Drug Administration, while it has not regulated the
use of essential oils as therapeutic remedies, has designated some
varieties of plant species that essential oils are distilled from as
GRAS, or Generally Regarded As Safe. The FDA created this
distinction in respect of various plant matter being used as
additives for food and drink flavorings. Some essential oil companies
have taken the liberty to refer to the GRAS list as a determinant for
the safety of ingesting essential oils. This is not a logical
deduction due to the following distinctions made by the FDA.
“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA's) pre-market
approval processes for food and color additives require an estimate
of the
probable consumer intake of the additive to determine
whether its use or presence in a food at a given concentration is
safe.”(1)
The amount of any plant material in extract form which is used to
flavor food and beverages is very dilute, and is always prepared in
its medium in a controlled environment. The GRAS list was produced in
consideration of use being in much lower concentrations than what
people are consuming in the practice of ingesting essential oils for
therapeutic or supplemental value.
While researching the parameters which designate a substance as
GRAS, I came across some frequently asked questions regarding the
subject which should be highlighted here. One of these questions
asked: “If a substance is designated as GRAS, is it safe for all
uses?”
The response to this question was as follows:
“Not necessarily. Under section 201(s) of the Act, it is the use
of a substance, rather than the substance itself, that is eligible
for the GRAS exemption (62 Fed. Reg. 18939; April 17, 1997). A
determination of the safety of the use of an ingredient includes
information about the characteristics of the substance, the estimated
dietary intake under the intended conditions of use, and the
population that will consume the substance (proposed 21 CFR 170.36
(c)(1)(iii)).”(2)
This lead me to inquire how this designation was originally
determined, and what an “estimated dietary intake under the
intended conditions of use,” was intended to mean in regard to the
amount ingested.
“The key determinant in the safety evaluation of a substance
found in or added to the diet is the relation of its probable human
intake to the level at which adverse effects are observed in
toxicological studies.
Simply, "the dose makes the
poison." The implications of this adage as it pertains to food
can be illustrated with two examples. While "pure"
water can be viewed as the safest of foods, excessive intake can lead
to a potentially fatal electrolyte imbalance. Conversely, pure
concentrated sulfuric acid can destroy human tissue, but FDA has
affirmed it as GRAS
for controlling pH during the
processing of alcoholic beverages or cheeses. Clearly,
conditions of use and dose (i.e., intake) are considered jointly when
discussing the safety of a component of food.”(1)
This clarification is important to consider when in question
regarding the safety of oral doses of essential oils, as the GRAS
list was not created nor intended to be used as a reference to
ingesting concentrated essential oils, but rather, the plant extracts
being used to flavor food and beverages. Based on the designations
above, one can reasonably presume that the dosage amounts that
individuals are ingesting of essential oils, negate the application
of the GRAS designation as a determination of safety for internal use
of essential oils. This is of key importance, as people are wrongly
using the GRAS list as a measure for safe ingestion for therapeutic
values, which the GRAS list was not intended for.
When using essential oils for their therapeutic properties it is
important to consider that essential oils are highly concentrated,
volatile liquid compounds that vary in their chemical
constituents and ultimate effects on the body. There are
several ways essential oils are extracted, for example classic
steam distillation (flowers, grasses, bark, some
citrus), cold-pressed method (rind of citrus), and cohobotation
(rose Otto) or hydro-distillation (resin), there is now an additional
CO2 extraction which is a relatively new method on the market. The
amount of essential oil that a plant produces, varies. For instance:
Cinnamon
Bark
|
1,300
lbs
|
5
oz
|
|
Cypress
|
2,000
lbs
|
16
oz
|
|
Eucalyptus
|
25
lbs
|
16
oz
|
|
Jasmine
|
1,000
lbs
|
16
oz
|
|
Lavender
|
200
lbs
|
16
oz
|
|
Peppermint
|
256
lbs
|
16
oz
|
|
Rose
|
16,000
lbs
|
16
oz
|
|
Rosemary
|
50
lbs
|
16
oz
|
It was hard for me to imagine what these figures visually look like in volume so I broke down the weights even further.
Cinnamon
Bark
|
260
lbs
|
1
oz (30 ml)
|
|
Cypress
|
125
lbs
|
1
oz (30 ml)
|
|
Eucalyptus
|
1.56
lbs
|
1
oz (30 ml)
|
|
Jasmine
|
62.5
lbs
|
1
oz (30 ml)
|
|
Lavender
|
12.5
lbs
|
1
oz (30 ml)
|
|
Peppermint
|
16
lbs
|
1
oz (30 ml)
|
|
Rose
|
1,000
lbs
|
1
oz (30 ml)
|
|
Rosemary
|
3.13
lbs
|
1
oz (30 ml)
|
Considering in traditional measures there are on average 20-30 drops of
essential oil in a milliliter, there are 600 - 900 drops of essential
oil in a 30 ml bottle of essential oil (the size of an actual
drop depends greatly on the tool which is being used to dispense
them, a euro-reducer dispenses a larger drop than a pipette, for
instance). When people consume 3-4 drops in a capsule they are
actually consuming quite a large amount of active
compounds from plant material.
There are a few reasons why it concerns me that people are ingesting
essential oils, one of which is the means of which I am hearing of
people ingesting them. What primarily concerns me is instances when I
hear that people are ingesting several drops of essential oil in a
glass of water.
You might ask...why does this concern me?
By their nature, essential oils float on water. By dropping them
into water, without any dispersant, the essential oils ultimately
coat a person's throat and then the lining of their stomach, without
any means to slow their absorption.
If you were to, for instance, eat the equivalent of the herb of
oregano as it would take to make the amount of drops of oregano
essential oil some people are ingesting under the suggestion of some
MLM representatives (despite classic aromatherapy discouraging any
use of this oil whatsoever in aromatherapy except under guided use),
one could presume their body may give them feedback to stop
eating the herb by some means or another ie. vomiting, excessive
sweating, etc. However, when someone chooses to ingest an essential
oil, the body cannot reject it because it is instantly bio-available.
In the instance of using oregano, it would likely give a burning
sensation as oregano is a mucus membrane irritant.
Ultimately, drinking tea regularly has been shown to be an
effective remedy without the necessity of a huge amount of plant
material needed to be distilled and without possible negative side
effects of ingesting essential oils. When we compare a common over
the counter medication to the concentrations of ingesting essential
oils we can compare for instance, the practice of taking 2 Advil
or Tylenol for a headache as compared to taking a handful of
them, which could be deadly.
I bring this up to clearly display that essential oils are highly
concentrated volatile plant substances. The strain on one's liver,
the ultimate filter of the body, when one ingests essential oils is
quite different when compared to regularly drinking a glass of tea.
In "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils: The
Complete Guide to the use of Oils in Aromatherapy and Herbalism,"
by Julia Lawless, she states very specifically in the safety
guidelines "DO NOT TAKE ESSENTIAL OILS INTERNALLY! This rule
is in accordance with the guidelines of safety recommended by
International Federation of Aromatherapy. Essential oils do not mix
with water, and in an undiluted form they may damage the lining of
the digestive tract. In additional some essential oils are toxic if
taken internally.”
Several years ago I came across the directions for
ingestion in a single source, which surprised me as all of the
other reference books that I have studied throughout the years have
held a similar standing, and discouraged the ingestion of
essential oils unless under the guidance of a professional. All of
the course books that I received in the certification program I took
part in also forewarned against ingesting essential oils without
guidance. This particular source appeared to be published as an
offshoot of Young Living, a popular Multilevel Marketing company
which had a tiered system of selling essential oils. The book
detailed many of the blends that are sold through the company, and
had referenced uses that were in much higher concentrations than any
other reference book I have in my library. It was in this book that I
first saw reference to the FDA's GRAS list as being a designation for
the safety of internal use of essential oils.
My growing concern and interest in the subject matter led me to
look into the research of Robert Tisserand and his guidelines
regarding essential oils.
In the book he coauthored, "Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for
Health Care Professionals," he differentiates and explains
what can be described as acute and chronic toxicity established
from improper use of essential oils. For instance there can be acute
oral toxicity, as in the case of a lethal dose of ingestion, and
there is also acute dermal toxicity, which speaks to signs of
systemic toxicity when specific oils are applied to the skin, and
then there is also chronic toxicity, which speaks to the adverse
effects of using an essential oil through either dermal application
or otherwise, from the repeated use of essential oils both internally
and externally. The material states: "Toxicity is a
risk because of the possibility of cumulative effects where damage
will increase after each small dose." It goes on to say:
"Chronic toxicity is, like acute toxicity, dose-dependent
but it will also depend on frequency and total length of time of
application. There is a link with acute toxicity in the sense that
small, frequently applied amounts of essential oils which are acutely
toxic are very likely to be chronically toxic. This is another link
in that there are frequently similar causes of death in both cases
-- most commonly damage to liver and kidneys."
In his book, Tisserand documented the toxicity levels as
determined by a test, typically referred to as the LD50 test. This
scientific method determines the toxicity of the material in question
by the amount of gram of material ingested/kilogram of weight, would
result in fifty percent of the test subjects' fatality. In other
areas of the book, there are instances of poisoning detailed, as well
as other examples of poisoning. While poisoning is noted at
relatively minimal doses, because the oil did not kill a subject, or
show evidence of being fatal for 50 percent of the population tested
under three designated proportions, it was determined “safe for use
unless there are reasons not to.”
With that in mind I re-read the source I came across that
suggested directions and cautionary measures when it comes to
ingesting essential oils. "Essential Oils Desk Reference, "
compiled by Essential Science Publishing, stated that:
"All essential oils that are Generally Regarded As
Safe (GRAS) or certified as Food Additives (FA) by the FDA may
be safely taken internally as dietary supplements. But ingesting
essential oils should only be done under the direction of a
knowledgeable health professional."
The following paragraph continues:
"In fact, many oils are actually more effective when
taken orally in very small amounts. Essential oils should always be
diluted in vegetable oil, blue agave nectar or rice milk prior to
ingestion. . . Usually no more than 2-3 drops should be ingested
at one time (during a 4-8 hour period). Because essential oils are so
concentrated, 1-2 drops are often sufficient to achieve significant
benefits."
I have to admit that I am a bit alarmed when people reveal to me
that they are ingesting 4 drops of essential oil or more in a
sitting, often times just in water, others admit to filling gelatin
capsules and ingesting them without any carrier at all.
There is great importance to pay attention to that fact that when it comes to using essential oils in this way, the nature of essential oils themselves is that they float
on water. Research that has shown benefits of ingesting small amounts
of lavender, for instance, is done in a controlled environment when
capsules were prepared with a combination of lavender essential oil
in a base of virgin coconut oil. Ingestion in this way is different
than by means of dropping a few drops in a water glass because
essential oils inherently float on the surface of the water, which is
likely why the EDR suggests using agave nectar as a dispersant.
While there is research being produced that shows evidence
of ingesting essential oils being effective and
suitable in acute situations, I strongly believe that daily ingestion for means of basic
supplement is unnecessary and ultimately unsustainable. I am also increasingly concerned about the use of this practice when it comes to the antibacterial nature of essential oils and their possible negative effects on the internal gut biome.
When one
considers that having a daily practice of drinking tea regularly can
have similar benefits as supplementing with essential oils, but
without the risk of acute oral toxicity, or chronic toxicity, it
seems wise to consider saving the method of ingesting essential oils
for times when it is absolutely necessary, and again, under the
guidance of an experienced health care professional.
* Some essential oils are less viscous and may be
counted out drop by drop to have more drops per
milliliter, which is why when blending it is always best
to use a milliliter as a measurement for consistency of
product rather than preparing things in ratio by drop.
1) Guidance for Industry: Estimating
Dietary Intake of Substances in Food. Source: Food and Drug
Administration. August 2006. Authors: Hyoung Lee and Alison Edwards.
http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/ucm074725.htm#subs
2)Guidance for Industry: Frequently
Asked Questions About GRAS.U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services Food and Drug Administration Center for Food Safety
and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) December 2004.
