Intelligent Chemistry
The Many Molecules of an Essential Oil Heal Synergistically
"Intelligent chemistry" enables herb and plant oils to fight bacteria and viruses and to support the immune system without being outpaced by fast-mutating pathogens.
Before there were antibiotics… before there was penicillin… before there were vaccinations… the human race depended on plant medicines to heal all kinds of injuries and disease. The active ingredients in any medicinal plant are usually in the essential oil – the vital liquid that seeps from a crushed leaf or stem. Essential oils contain oxygen, hormone-like substances, and ingredients that kill viruses and bacteria - precisely balanced to nourish cells, destroy pathogens, and restore health.
The Healing Power of Essential Oils
Essential oils are composed of thousands of unique molecules - some small, some large, some with similar structures that our bodies can convert at need to enzymes or hormones. The healing power of a true essential oil lies in this amazing variety of molecules.
Most pharmaceutical drugs were originally made from chemicals found naturally in plants. (Aspirin, for instance, is based on salicylic acid derived from the salicin in willow bark. Willow was used by both the Native Americans and the Ancient Greeks for pain relief.)
A processed drug has a dosage and potency that can be accurately measured, predicted and controlled. But unlike a pharmaceutical drug, taking a medicine whole from the plant has more than just the required medicinal ingredient – the single chemical that chemists and pharmacists have isolated as being the active part of the plant. The variety of other molecules in a natural remedy (such as an essential oil) have a synergistic effect in treating disease and healing the body.
Why Use Essential Oils?
If you think that any whole or “natural” plant remedy will do, you’d be wrong. Different forms of a plant will have different properties and yield different results, depending on how they were harvested and processed.
Essential oils are one of the most potent forms of plant medicine (see also Herbs vs. Oils). They are hundreds of time stronger than most dried or fresh herbs, and work on both an energetic level (vibrational frequency) and a physical (chemical) level in the body.
Why are Essential Oils so Effective?
1. Essential oils are liquids and they are fat-soluble. They pass easily into the body and can travel through the fatty cell membranes to quickly reach every cell in the body. (To see how quickly essential oils move through the body, try a home experiment: Rub the wet side of half a garlic clove against the bottom of your feet. Within minutes, you can taste the garlic in your mouth.)
2. Essential oils such as peppermint, lemon and eucalyptus contain light molecules that evaporate easily into the air (these are considered “volatile” organic molecules). When we inhale aromatherapy oils, they are drawn into the throat, lungs and from there can be picked up into the bloodstream and travel to the rest of the body. Aromas are also known to trigger the centers of the brain that process emotional patterns – enabling deep emotional release and the capacity to change bad habits, fears, and old traumas.
3. Many essential oils are known antibacterial and antiviral agents. Oregano and cinnamon, for instance, are documented to kill several types of bacteria and viruses – yet they are harmless in our bodies and support the immune system even as they destroy pathogens.
4. Bacteria and viruses do not become resistant to essential oils. Because they are not processed and chemically altered like a drug, each batch of a natural essential oil will be unique – preventing bacteria and viruses from developing resistance. No matter how pathogens mutate, essential oils continue to be as effective against bacteria and germs today as they were centuries ago.
5. Essential oils are easy to use and, if you’re using real therapeutic-grade oils*, almost always safe. Try a drop of lemon oil* in a glass of water, or rub some lavender into tense shoulder muscles and feel the essential oils’ potent impact.
* Not intended to prescribe or diagnose. Therapeutic-grade oils are the only kind that are safe to consume internally or apply on the body – and be aware that labeling on essential oils may be inaccurate or misleading. Please consult with an expert before using essential oils or any natural product for therapeutic benefits or with a health condition.
Related articles: The Real Quality of Essential Oils
