Essential Oil Chemistry

by Dr. Gary Young, N.D.

Essential oils are chemically very diverse in their effect and cause different actions, unlike synthetic chemicals, which have basically one action. For example, lavender has been used for burns, insect bites, headaches, PMS, insomnia, stress, etc. Plants in nature are chemical factories. They take in the elements of the sun and earth, light and darkness, individually to receive the energy, converting them into molecules, carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Essential oils are made up of chemical groups and individual chemistry elements. oxygen, as the key element in essential oils, plays an extremely important role along with other chemical elements. Essential oils play a major role in their effect on blood circulation, not only in the delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the tissues but also in assisting in the disposal of toxic waste from the tissues.

Various constituents in essential oils have been adequately validated to increase the oxygen intake of the cells as well as their ability to utilize oxygen from other sources. Essential oils have many different chemical components in their various molecular structures. No two oils are alike in their affect on the body. Some constituents, such as aldehydes, are anti-infectious, sedative and calming to the nervous system. They are found predominantly in lavender and chamomile oils. Eugenol is antiseptic and stimulating and is found in cinnamon and clove oil. Ketones, found in lavender, hyssop and patchouly oil, stimulate cell regeneration, liquefy mucous and are helpful with dry asthma, colds and the flu. Phenols are antiseptic and kill bacteria and viruses and are found in oregano and thyme oil. Sesquiterpenes, which are predominant in frankincense and sandalwood, are anti-inflammatory and work as liver and gland stimulants. They were found in 1994 to go beyond the brain blood barrier, increasing oxygen around the pineal and pituitary glands. Imagine how long the list would be if we were able to list all the constituents and just a few of their major activities. Because of the incredible complexity and hundreds of different chemical constituents within one single oil, it becomes very clear that the value of essential oils is equally as immense.

In 1985, Dr. Jean C. Lapraz said he couldn't find bacteria or viruses that could live in the presence of the essential oils of cinnamon or oregano. He found many other oils displaying the same qualities. This is very significant when we are faced with life-threatening viruses that are drug resistant. In our world today, we see incredible microbial mutations that are starting to create a panic in various parts of the world. The immune system is an important area we want to examine and understand, especially with the tremendous weakness and continual degeneration caused by the chemicals we ingest, our polluted water and air, our denatured food and our hectic lifestyles. I saw a tremendous need in this area, so I created an oil formula called ImmuPower to help give us some support and protection. This formula contains the oils of ravensara, oregano, thyme, mountain savory, clove, and black cumin, which are all antiviral and antifungal. Oregano, frankincense, clove and cistus are immune stimulators. Frankincense and clove are antitumoral and anticancerous. The action of the oils in this formula have all been documented by medical doctors and scientists in Europe and published in Dr. Penoel's medical text on Aromatherapy. Further research has shown that with their immune-stimulating properties, essential oils enhance and support the building of the immune system, whether they be inhaled or applied on the body topically. Even those who contract a cold or the flu recover 70 percent faster using essential oils.

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