What are Essential Oils?

The following information is taken from a lecture called How to Use and Apply Essential Oils by Debra Raybern. A large portion of this lecture (now article) was removed to provide a quick look at “what is an essential oil” and we feel Debra has done an excellent job at explaining this burning question that so many of you may have.

What are essential oils?

Essential Oils are the aromatic, volatile liquids distilled from plants. The oil can be obtained from the seeds, roots, an entire shrub, flowers, leaves, and trees. Each plant may contain hundreds of molecular chemical compounds with names such as terpenes, sesquiterpenes, phenols and aldehyes, just to name a few. For example, Clary sage has 900 different molecules and lavender over 400. Essential oils are very complex and currently under much study for their remarkable benefits to our health.

The majority of our plant essential oils are obtained by steam distillation to release their precious oil. Young Living uses a proprietary steam distillation process using low heat, proper pressure, time and of course fresh, properly, organic grown and harvested plants to deliver essential oils whose quality and purity are unmatched in today’s market. There are many essential oils out there to choose from. There are essential oils used in the textile manufacturing industry, cleaning products, in rubber and plastic manufacturing, for food flavoring, cosmetics and perfumes. Whether an essential oil is adulterated or synthesized in many cases makes little difference to these groups, as they are not looking for a therapeutic effect.

Young Living Essential Oils go through numerous independent lab tests and are graded to meet or exceed Young Livings own high standards which often exceed common AFNOR and ISO standards. They are never adulterated, synthetic or chemically enhanced. If they do not make the grade (which many oils from plants not grown on their 4,500 acres of farm land do not) – they are not given the Young Living label. They are returned and the grower simply sells to the next person in line – this was the recent case for helichrysum.

The old adage – you get what you pay for is true in the essential oil industry.

Let me give you an example = Cypress: It has 280 known chemical constituents. If it is distilled for 20 hours you only get 20 of the 280 properties. If distilled for 26 hours you get zero properties. Most market cypress is distilled for 3 1/2 hours. The correct length of time for distilling cypress is 24 hours, you will get the full 280 properties. If you want cypress to the job it is intended to do, you must get all 280 constituents.

Before YL, I used many brands of essential oils for nearly two years, names you would all be familiar with – but neither I nor my clients were very impressed, so I went back to my master herbalist background and just helped people with standard herbal preparations.

Then in early 2000 a student at one of my workshops told me about Young Living. I said thank you, I’ve tried essential oils and was not overly impressed. She persisted that Young Living was different so I decided to give them a try – it’s now been 9 years and I have seen Young Living oils change and save peoples lives. I, for one, would rather not use essential oils if I couldn’t use Young Living. There is a definite difference.

Did you know that in 2004 when the human genome was mapped, that more covered the olfactory system (smell) than any other part of the body?

Cheap, synthetic, diluted oils are potentially toxic. Therefore, it is very important that you use only high quality essential oils from a trusted source – right from the farms. Young Living has over 4,500 acres of aromatic farm land where properly grown, harvested, distilled, bottled and blended oils are produced. Young Living is the largest therapeutic grade essential oils producer. Other aromatic farms where we get oils are personally inspected by Gary Young, founder of Young Living, to be sure our high standard of cultivation, harvesting and distillation are met.

There are many essential oil resources available. There are a few that offer several helpful charts categorizing the essential oil as to topical applications, dietary supplements and aromatic oils. Safety guidelines are also listed. The most important guideline is to test an oil on a small area of the skin first, and start slow – unless you are following a specific protocol recommended by a professional. Use oils for everything and for everyone! Babies and children – feet are a great place to start, dilute other areas, start slowly, not with ten oils at once.

So to wrap up our time together, I wanted to applaud you for taking time to learn more about essential oils and how you can use these gifts from God. I hope you will begin to experience the hundreds upon hundreds of benefits of using essential oils and essential oil products for wellness, as well as to free your home of toxic chemicals, daily.

Required disclaimer: Please note that the information shared in this lecture is for educational purposes. The opinions expressed are solely that of Debra Raybern. If you suffer from a disease or illness, you should contact and work with the health provider of your choice.