How useful are essential oils?

Andrea Varga-Darabos How useful are essential oils? 15 April 2016 | 2 minute reading time

Humans have used essential oils (gained from different plant parts with different methods) for millennia. They have been widely used mostly in popular and traditional medicine, beauty care and even for religious rites.

Many are anxious to know if the health benefits associated with essential oils can be confirmed in a laboratory environment. If the answer is yes then all bets are off as to how many different ways we could use these natural raw materials.

What we do know more and more about is the danger posed by synthetic chemicals – whether it’s food, cosmetics, packaging or adhesives. Many of those have already been named and shamed as potentially dangerous materials. Some cause instant irritation, allergy, or symptoms linked to hormonal- and neurological anomalies. Many of them only pose a danger if used on a daily basis over a period of several years – like talcum powder.

Given all that, it’s little wonder that people are ever more interested to know about vegan ingredients and materials that have been used since ancient times.

Who would have thought a few years ago that in 2015 the Noble Prize would go to a piece of research into medicinal herbs used in Chinese medicine – and potentially against malaria?

Today, there’s a raft of scientific data to underpin the health benefits of natural vegetable oils. The biggest buzz is around essential oils.

At the same time, it’s more or less common knowledge that artificial scents contained in cosmetics, detergents and air fresheners are bad for our health. Many people are all but allergic to those substances. Replacing those chemicals with natural scents sounds like a no-brainer. But it’s important to know what a particular essential oil can do for us. Is it antiseptic, antibacterial or fungicide? Does it deter pests or bloodsuckers? Does it work as air freshener? Do those effects vary based on the area or surface of application?

Interesting questions, right? I can’t wait to see researchers deliver evidence for all those health effects – so that essential oils may get the place and prestige they deserve.