The number of people using natural
healthcare solutions is rapidly growing and research is currently underway to
provide evidence for the beneficial effects of the oils that many people are
talking about.
What are essential oils?
- Essential oils are volatile aromatic compounds
that serve a variety of protective, reproductive, and regenerative purposes in
nature.
- They come from the petals of flowers, leaves of
plants, and resin of trees.
- They are steam distilled or cold pressed (citrus
oils) from their source.
- They can be used aromatically (inhaled from the
bottle or hands or diffused), topically (applied to the skin), and internally*
(taken in a capsule, water, or in food).
Here are some of the possible benefits of
essential oils:
- Support healthy immune function
- Support healthy respiratory function
- Reduce anxious feelings
- Reduce feelings of stress
- Reduce feelings of depression
- Elevate/uplift mood
- Reduce muscle tension
- Promote calm feelings
- Promote restful sleep
- Enhance focus
- Cool the body
- Soothe occasional skin irritations
- Protect against environmental and seasonal
threats
Here are some things to know when purchasing
essential oils:
- There are 4 grades of essential oils.
1)
Synthetic - think mall or drug store lotions, body washes, etc.
2)
Food grade - GRAS standard (generally regarded as safe) oils used to flavor
foods, candies, etc.
3)
Therapeutic grade - found at health and wellness stores like Whole Foods.
They may say 100% pure, but this labeling is not regulated and these oils
should never be taken internally as they may contain potentially harmful fillers and
are not subject to rigorous testing.
4)
Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade (CPTG) - these are held to a beyond organic
standard. Each batch undergoes multiple rounds of 3rd party testing to
ensure the oils are pure (only the oils are present) and potent (are powerful
enough to provide the maximum benefit). Many of these oils can be taken
internally (the ones that can, have a supplement panel on the bottle).
CPTG is the standard for dÅTERRA essential
oils ONLY. No other essential oils should be taken internally.
- Make sure you are buying from a trusted
source. Oil bottles are easy to refill and re-cap, so they should not be
purchased from a third party source like Amazon.
If you have specific questions, feel free to
contact our resident oil expert Nicole Torres at ntorres@llatherapy.com
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
* Only CPTG oils should be taken
internally
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