Are essential oils considered medicine?
Are essential oils considered medicine?
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classifies essential oils as food supplements, not drugs. This means producers of essential oils are not allowed to market the compounds as medicine.
What are essential oils classified as?
An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (easily evaporated at normal temperatures) chemical compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetheroleum, or simply as the oil of the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove.
What are essential oils and why are they essential?
Essential oils smell great, reduce stress, treat fungal infections, and help you sleep. They are concentrated extractions from plants. A process called distillation turns the “essence” of a plant into a liquefied form for many medicinal and recreational uses. There’s a wide variety of essential oils available.
Are essential oils good for anything?
Essential oils can lift your mood and make you feel good with just a whiff of their fragrance. For some people they may even help alleviate the symptoms of various conditions. For more information on how to incorporate them into a healthy lifestyle, consult an integrative medicine expert.
Are essential oils edible?
Many essential oils are suitable for use as a flavoring and are safe for human consumption. The essential oils that LorAnn Oils labels as food grade (edible) are approved by a regulation of the FDA (a classification known as GRAS) or appear on the industry approved register of safe ingredients for the flavor industry.
Why is it called an essential oil?
Essential oil, highly volatile substance isolated by a physical process from an odoriferous plant of a single botanical species. Such oils were called essential because they were thought to represent the very essence of odour and flavour.
Can you use essential oils in place of Medicine?
No, it should not. Essential oils may be an awesome complement for health. But it should never replace medication, especially for those with serious or terminal health issues. In the case of essential oils vs medicine, always stop and reassess the situation.
Are there any interactions between essential oils and drugs?
Essential oils can potentially cause drug interactions. In particular, 6,7-dihydroxybergamottin (DHB) and bergamottin are thought to cause interactions between grapefruit and certain drugs. One of these furanocoumarins, bergamottin, is also present in several essential oils. Relatively small amounts of bergamottin can be found in grapefruit oil,…
What are essential oils to avoid when taking medication?
Anticoagulants/Beta Blockers (Asprin, Coumadin, Heparin, Warfarin…etc) – The constituent Eugenol, which is found in clove, thyme, and oregano, should not be taken internally. You should also avoid using birch and wintergreen oils topically and orally as well.
What are the effects of essential oils on your body?
While some oils may enhance medication effects, others could contraindicate them. Some essential oil constituents increase metabolism, which will mess with how quickly your medication is metabolized too. Some oils can slow down metabolism. Either way, altering the amount of time your body metabolizes can change your medication needs.