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PaperclipPerfector  2mo ago (text post)   1446 thread views

Wellness Wednesday for August 28, 2024

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Anyone understands essential oils? I wonder why some oils are marked as not for internal use (aside that they need massive dilution). What could possibly be done in the manufacturing process to make them unsafe and traces of what solvents could be inside? Otherwise it looks to me it's just a scam with the food-grade ones.

They smell nice and feel nice on your skin. I like to dab some on before I meditate.

What could possibly be done in the manufacturing process to make them unsafe...

Potentially nothing, as some oils are simply not edible.

This site lists Wintergreen, Eucalyptus, and Tea Tree oils as toxic if ingested.

Is there any sense of "scam" in which essential oils are scam but, say, broccoli is not a scam? Has any claim of health benefits on behalf of broccoli been rigorously established? If not, perhaps broccoli only avoids being labeled a scam by not making any promises. If you don't make any promises, you can't be accused of scam. But then neither do most essential oil products make any promises.

I meant scam as in - the same product but priced three times higher when labeled food grade when there is no information what is the difference between the two.

"Food grade" means it has to be manufactured in a food grade facility, which means stricter production standards have to be followed. If people aren't eating it you don't have to put as many protocols in place to prevent contamination.

contamination with what? This is what no one tells you.

I am not sure what you're asking. I know they may smell nice but beyond that don't have that strong a therapeutic benefit except maybe in aromatherapy. Possibly some help ease inflammation if applied topically. Peppermint oil is supposed to help headaches Tea tree oil has mild antimicrobial properties and is an irritant, but can be used to treat things like warts for this reason if used with a carrier oil.

Also most essential oils are toxic even in small amounts to cats. As you suggest, they can also toxic to humans because they can interact with liver enzymes or thin the blood if you swallow them, and that's apart from the irritant properties of some of them. They're pretty much unregulated so adulterants (solvents, other oils, added fragrance, etc.) added to oils of "poorer quality" can be an issue.

What are you considering using an essential oil for?

Syrup flavorings. Which roughly boils down to a 1/2 ml per liter let's say orange or lemon essential oil. So it is pretty diluted and hard to OD.

So… making your own rosewater, basically?

In that amount I don't see a problem but I'm very much not an expert.

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