Tiffany Klenken

What is an essential oil?

Essential oils are naturally occurring, volatile aromatic compounds found in the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants.  Essential oils give plants their distinctive smells, protect plants and play a role in plant pollination. In addition to their intrinsic benefits to plants and their beautiful fragrance, essential oils have long been used for food preparation, beauty treatment, and health-care practices.

 

But what exactly is a volatile aromatic compound? These compounds are small organic molecules that tend to change quickly from their solid or liquid state to a gas at room temperature. They are called volatile because they change state quickly. When you first open a bottle of essential oil, you instantly notice that the aroma is potent and you can smell it typically even from some distance. The physical and chemical properties of the volatile aromatic compounds that compose essential oils allow them to quickly move through the air and directly interact with the olfactory sensors in the nose. Such unique properties make essential oils ideal for applications inclusion in aromatherapy – using these compounds from plants to help maintain a healthy mind and body – as well as other applications. The type of volatile aromatic compounds present in an essential oil determines both the oil’s aroma and the benefits it offers. 

 

Over 3,000 varieties of volatile aromatic compounds have been identified to date. The nature of an essential oil varies from plant to plant, within botanical families, and from species to species. The delicate ratio of aromatic constituents found in any given essential oil are what make it unique and give it specific benefits.  Essential oils can be used for a wide range of emotional and physical wellness applications.

 

Even with pure essential oils the composition of the oil can vary depending on the time of day, season, geographic location, method and duration of distillation, year grown, and the weather, making every step of the production process a critical determinant of the overall quality of the essential oil product. --https://doterra.com/US/en/what-is-an-essential-oil

​

Why is Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade so Important?

This is this is the most important characteristic to look at when deciding on which oils to use and purchase.  You are using this oils on yourself and your loved ones to better your health. Live free of excess toxins and substance so what you inhale, place on your body and ingest internally is so very important. My background is in quality to this topic really hits home.  I understand what it means and the importance of using CPTG oils. Read more on this topic at https://doterra.com/US/en/cptg-testing-process.

​

Essential oils are natural aromatic compounds steam distilled or cold pressed from the seeds, bark, stems, roots, flowers, and other parts of plants.

• Pure extracts from plants (50 – 70 times more powerful than herbs)

• Nature’s defense mechanism for plants and cells

• Used anciently and throughout history for health benefits

• Highly concentrated – 1 drop of peppermint essential oil = 28 cups of peppermint tea

• Safe, effective, affordable, and an alternative to synthetic remedies

Plants are nature’s medicine

Plants are medicine; in the food we eat and the essential oils we use.  For thousands of years, pure essential oils have provided simple health solutions.
 

Essential oils don’t replace traditional medication, however they provide a natural alternative to commonly used medicine

• 100’s of natural compounds that have many health and
  healing properties

• Ability to address the problem vs. mask the symptoms

• Option to take informed self-care by playing a proactive
  role in your health

• No side effects vs. known/unknown side effects and possible addictions

Pure Essential Oils Contribute to A Healthy Foundation

Essential oils help you build on a foundation of good nutrition and supplementation, and assist in proactive medical care. However they don’t replace traditional medication.

What they do do, is address the problem instead of masking the symptoms and give you the option to take informed self-care by playing a proactive role in your health with no known or unknown side effects or addictions.

​

Why dōTERRA?

When you choose doTERRA, you are choosing essential oils gently and carefully distilled from plants that have been patiently harvested at the perfect moment by experienced growers from around the world for ideal extract composition and efficacy.

Each doTERRA essential oil is also carefully and thoroughly tested using the strict CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® quality protocol. Experienced essential oil users will immediately recognize the superior quality standard for naturally safe, purely effective therapeutic-grade doTERRA essential oils.  

While there is a science to the distillation of essential oils, it is also an art. Distillers not only rely on years of experience, they also employ modern technologies and techniques. 

The most common method of extracting essential oils is a low-heat steam distillation process. In this process, pressurized steam is circulated through plant material. The essential oils are liberated from the plant and carried away by the steam. When the steam cools, the water and oils naturally separate and the oil is collected. To ensure the highest quality oil extract with the correct chemical composition, the temperature and pressure must be closely monitored. Too little heat or pressure and the oil will not release; too much, and the oil’s composition and potency will be affected. 

 

Steam Distillation

Steam distillation is the most common way to extract aromatic compounds (essential oil) from a plant. During the steam distillation process, steam passes through the plant material. The combination of heated steam and gentle pressure causes the essential oil to be released from microscopic protective sacs. As the vapor mixture flows through a condenser and cools, it yields a layer of oil and a layer of water. The essential oil rises to the top and is separated from the hydrosol (floral water) and collected.

Some have asked about the difference between first distillations in comparison to complete distillations. The temperature for steam distilling is usually between 140–212 degrees Fahrenheit. Since different plants require different pressures, times, and temperatures, using this particular distillation method makes it possible to adjust the temperature based on the plant type, making it a very effective and precise way to obtain the purest compounds.

 

Expression

Unlike steam distillation, expression, sometimes referred to as “cold pressed,” does not involve heat. In this process, oil is extracted from the product under mechanical pressure. doTERRA uses expression to extract all of its citrus oils, such as Wild Orange, Lemon, Lime, Bergamot, and Grapefruit, from the rind.

Proper distillation requires a consideration for the uniqueness of pressure, temperature, time, and harvesting practices, each of which may be as diverse as the plants themselves. A poor distillation process can alter or destroy the necessary aromatic compounds that comprise the essential oil, leaving a substance far different from the intended goal and something that would not be used to support health and wellness. For this reason, the best distillation artisans dedicate their efforts and work to only a few select plants. This focused effort develops proper knowledge and experience, helping ensure congruency between the oil chemistry of the plant and its distilled form.--https://doterra.com/US/en/why-doterra