Re: cautions about Raindrop therapy......

Actually, I find there is a lot of misinformation being spread on this forum about essential oils. First of all, an essential oil is NOT the "essence" of the plant-- it is only a very small portion of the whole plant to begin with, and since heat has been applied to extract the oil, it's original chemistry, and also it's aroma has already been altered before it is bottled. Although it is true that there are so many unscrupulous dealers in the aromatherapy trade that an aromatherapist needs to be ultra-cautious as to what oils they are getting, who their source is, doing proper chemical analysis to test and see if their oils have been adulterated and extended with synthetic oils, there ARE (although rare...), pure therapeutic grade essential oils available that can be taken internally, if diluted properly. But a properly trained aromatherapist has to stay on top of it-- you can't get lazy simply because the company you buy from assures you their oils are organic and pure. You need to demand the chemical analysis sheets from the company you are ordering from and know how to decipher it to see if your oils have been adulterated. Many essential oils have been approved by the FDA as safe for internal consumption, and are thus used as flavourings and additives by the Perfume and Flavouring trades. Are you saying because toothpaste and mints contain peppermint oil, they are only ever the synthetic food grade counterpart? And if that is the case, then why would a synthetic chemical of the oil be given a status of a "safe" food grade oil over it's original form? Rubbish. Even pure oregano essential oil, when properly diluted, can be safely taken internally as medicine to protect one's immune system (along with many other E.O's!), although this oil can cause serious sensitization if not handled properly. You just have to be careful and know what you're dealing with. As long as your oils ARE pure and properly diluted, and the safety data on the oil indicates that it is safe for internal consumption for medicinal purposes, then you can take them internally. The problem is knowing for certain that your oil is pure. The french have been prescribing internal use of pure essential oils medicinally for decades. Generally, training for aromatherapy is given to doctors there. So whoever is saying that essential oils are not for internal consumption should realize this only applies when you don't know what you are getting... and since the majority of time most oils sold in even the health shops have been adulterated in some way, despite what the labels say, obviously the safest route to take is not to ingest them at all... Too bad it's so confusing and there are just too many unscrupulous people in the aromatherapy trade that only care about making money...:( That's why so often oils get extended and adulterated with synthetic oils, or cheaper hybrids of the plant. Aromatherapists are at the bottom of the chain when it comes to the interests of most growers and the companies that provide the oils from the plants that are harvested for these purposes, so we don't carry a lot of weight in this field, since we represent only a very small percentage of sales for them. Obviously, providing aromatherapists with pure essential oils are not usually their foremost interests and we are not their biggest customers! oh well... just keeps you on your toes I guess.

Thanks*