This is a controversy I have heard come up so many times in the natural and green living community. Is it really safe to eat, drink or ingest essential oils? The answer really depends on many factors and the biggest one is making sure you are asking a professional. While I am not a professional, based on reading and researching this topic, I have figured out some things. While I can say that my lack of professional training means that I don’t recommend only taking my advice, there are some things when it comes to essential oil safety with ingesting that are pretty common sense. Here are some things I have learned in my research about essential oils and ingesting them.
Is it Safe to Eat or Drink Essential Oils?
Essential Oils MUST be diluted for any use- Essential oils are highly concentrated. This means in order to even use them, you must dilute them similar to how you would dilute a cleaning product before you use it if it’s a concentrate. Think about it; in order to apply essential oils to your skin, you must dilute them with a carrier oil such as sweet almond oil or coconut oil, so why would you take essential oils internally without doing so. There are many ways to dilute essential oils. Here are some of the ways:
Dilute with honey- Honey acts as a great medium to dilute essential oil. Just add a drop or two to honey and mix with warm water to dilute. This works well for drinks such as tea or smoothies.
Dilute with Oil- You can mix essential oil with vegetable or olive oil for use. This is a great way to do it if you will be making capsules for pills. Just mix it at a ratio or 1 part essential oil to 3 parts vegetable or olive oil. Not only does this make it much safer, but it helps spread out your oils as well.
Dilute with fats- You can dilute for cooking by mixing essential oils in with fats such as butter. This works well with no-bake desserts for things like peppermint essential oil and cinnamon essential oil.
Important Things to Know About ingesting Essential Oils:
DON’T dilute with water. Essential oils are an oil. Everyone knows oil and water don’t mix, so this is not an effective way to dilute as the oil won’t get mixed with the water and instead, it will just float. Lots of people suggest drinking essential oils in water but this practice can lead to serious mouth sores and burned throats and stomachs. If you want to drink your essential oils, do so in a diluted manner in a smoothie or a cup of tea.
Never take large amounts of essential oil for any reason- Essential oils should never be taken in large quantities due to their highly concentrated nature. Doing so can be dangerous and even life-threatening. It is also not wise to take essential oils over long periods of time. They are best for one time use every once in a while or for a short duration. They should not be taken as a daily supplement.
Just because they are natural, does not mean they are good for everyone- Certain people, such as babies, children, the elderly and pregnant women should really use caution when using essential oils in any manner, especially internally. Additionally, some essential oils can cause severe allergic reactions.
Always consult a professional aromatherapist before taking any essential oil internally- NEVER assume an essential oil is safe for ingesting without talking to a professional. Treat essential oils like you would any medicine. Some essential oils, if taken internally, can cause serious side effects and even coma or death! It is absolutely vital that you consult a certified aromatherapist.
Christine - thanks for sharing. It’s such a misconception that people think that using essential oils is always safe. I have a friend who is allergic to Tea Tree Oil. Hard to believe but true… She tried to use it to get rid of her warts and had an instant allergic reaction. As you say, natural does not mean that it’s good for everybody! Thanks for sharing.
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