Essential Oils Will Not Cure Me
Nothing in this post should be taken as medical advice; all statements are from my own research but I am not a doctor. I also make claims about DoTerra and YoungLiving being MLMs; this is my belief, and is an allegation made on my interpretation of their business practices.
Anyone who has a chronic illness and/or disability (CID) can list off at least ten times someone has given them unsolicited medical advice. Some of the most common suggestions are yoga, meditation, and, you guessed it, essential oils.
I want to talk about this. This is the first in a series of posts I want to make debunking frequently recommended cures/cure-alls, pseudoscientific treatments, and other things people recommend. In this post, I’ll go over the history of essential oils because it’s important to recognize their roots and recognize that many cultures have used oils in medicine. I will also talk about scientific proof of when its useful, safety considerations, and why it’s problematic that people recommend essential oils (focusing on MLM reps who try to sell CID people essential oils as cures).
Essential Oils as Non-Western Medicine
It must be acknowledged that there is a history behind essential oils and their medicinal use that cannot be overlooked. This history is the evolution of the use of herbs and essential oils in medicine in India, China, Ancient Egypt, and other Eastern countries. I’m not trying to group all these countries together to imply they’re all the same; I’m trying to point out that the use of herbs and essential oils in medicine evolved in multiple countries at the same time and over time. This article from UTNE called “The History of Herbal Medicine and Essential Oils” by Sandra Kynes gives a history of essential oils and herbs in medicine; here’s an excerpt about Ancient Egypt:
Dating to approximately 1500 BCE, the Ebers papyrus is the oldest written record of Egyptian use of medicinal plants. Along with the physical details of plants, the manuscript contains related spells and incantations. It also mentions fine oils for perfumery and incense. Made from healing herbs, many of the perfumed oils doubled as medicines.
It can be helpful to note, reading this article, that the author has written a book about how to use essential oils for magic that, as far as I can tell from the reviews, doesn’t aim to heal the physical body but aid in spiritual pursuits.
What the Research Says
Research on essential oils is lacking, and what studies have been done aren’t conclusive. There is some proof that essential oils when used for aromatherapy can help people relax (a popular choice for this is lavender). According to Johns Hopkins, tea tree oil “was used by Australia's aboriginal people for wound healing. Today, it's commonly used for acne, athlete's foot and insect bites.”
When reading about the research, often any mention of ingestion will be qualified by saying that it’s only advisable when under the direction of a “health supplement provider” (as in the Johns Hopkins article) or other such provider. Healthline’s article says “Swallowing essential oils is not recommended, as doing so could be harmful and, in some doses, fatal.” (You can check out the article to see their references!)
The reality is, there is a lot of anecdotal evidence and some scientific evidence to point to aromatherapy being beneficial. There is a lot of historical evidence, anecdotal evidence, and some scientific evidence to point to essential oils being useful in some topical situations. And there is some anecdotal evidence that ingesting some essential oils can help with things like IBS, but there’s more evidence of this being possibly dangerous.
Safety
We already talked about how ingestion can be dangerous and even fatal. But what about other safety concerns?
YoungLiving essential oils will be covered later in this post.
Diffusing Oils: Diffusing oils for aromatherapy can be really great. Lavender can calm you down, lemon can energize you, lemongrass can make your home feel bright and clean… We all know how scents can effect us! That’s why scented candles, air fresheners, and cleaning products with scents that linger are so popular. If you’re going to diffuse oils, there are a few things to consider:
Pets: Some essential oils are very dangerous for your pets to either inhale or get on their fur, since it could hurt their skin or they may groom it off of themselves. To learn more about the danger and learn a bit about what oils might be safe, check out this article from a vet clinic. They discourage diffusing oils, but if you decide to take the risk their information is very detailed.
Children: Do not diffuse essential oils around babies or children.
If you or someone in your home has allergies or any sort of breathing issues like asthma, proceed with extreme caution. Consider diluting your oils a lot so it’s more like scented air.
Quality: Essential oils are not regulated, so there’s no assurance that the oil you buy at the grocery store or online is safe, reliable, and actually what people say it is. You can research on your own for what to look for, but this article might be a good starting point. I’d advise looking for resources that don’t sell essential oils/have any stake in the business.
Allergies: If you’re going to use an oil, do a patch test to check for an allergy. This article gives some good information on how to do so.
Other safety:
As this article from University of Minnesota states, “There is little published research on interactions between pharmaceutical drugs and essential oils. Given the complex chemistry of essential oils, however, it makes sense that this is possible or even likely.” They advise talking to your doctor about any supplements, including essential oils.
Basically, if you’re going to use essential oils, read this article.
Keep My Illness Out of Your Sales Pitch
Three DoTerra essential oils sit next to a container of a white substance with a toothpick sticking out of it, implying the mixing in of the essential oil into what seems to be a white lotion.
I have a lot of sympathy for people who join MLMs (multi-level marketing companies) because the picture the consultants paint is pretty tempting, especially to people who are desperate. They promise easy money as long as you put in the time and effort— and front money for possibly bad product, and you can recruit people under you. I have a lot of sympathy for people who buy into the dream.
But I have no sympathy for the companies themselves. And I find it very hard to sympathize with victims of MLMs who promise their product can cure me, treat me, fix me. Because, at the end of the day, what they’re doing is harmful.
This video goes through some of the dangerous claims essential oil MLM reps make.
The big names in the essential oil MLM game are Young Living and DoTerra. Both sell (reportedly) sub-par essential oils that their reps advertise as being cure-alls for all different kinds of illnesses, including cancer. Never mind that most essential oils aren’t safe for consumption or even just putting on your skin.
I’m focusing on MLMs here because I’ve never, not once, been recommended to use essential oils to treat my fibromyalgia or IBS by someone who wasn’t either selling Young Living or DoTerra or trying to refer me to a friend who did. And I find it extremely predatory of them to use my CID to try and sell me something, especially since almost all the claims they’re making aren’t scientifically backed.
Selling essential oils as a treatment for something when you aren’t a trained health professional (and even sometimes when you are) is dangerous, both because the oils themselves can be harmful and because it may mean the person who purchased it isn’t getting the treatment they actually need. This is the hidden harm in offering a fake cure.
Further Learning
To learn more about the fake claims circulating about essential oils, check out this BuzzfeedNews YouTube video. Some of the claims that are made are extremely harmful and dangerous (and have only gotten worse with covid).
To read a more in-depth article about essential oils, the research around them, and best practices for using them, check out this Washington Post article by Megan Beurger.
If you want a humorous podcast episode to check out, this episode of the podcast “Oh No, Ross and Carrie” is all about essential oils and the claims their sellers make.
I’m more than happy to have a discussion in the comments if you have a dissenting opinion. I’d also love to hear your complaints if you’re also tired of being told to try oils for your CID.
All images found on Pixabay and do not require attribution.