Are essential oils safe to ingest?

If essentials are all-natural, they must be safe to ingest, right? Wrong. 

You drink peppermint tea, so why not add a drop of peppermint to your water? Here's why…

One drop of peppermint oil is equivalent to 28 cups of peppermint tea. 

By definition, essential oils are concentrated liquids made from plant substances. 

Because they're so concentrated, essential oils are great for cleaning products, making your whole home smell great, and using diluted on your skin for various concerns. However, this also means they're not intended for ingestion and could be harmful when misused. 

Let's take a look…

Essential oils don't absorb in water but instead attach to fatty substances. When used topically, this fatty substance is a carrier oil. If ingested, they can connect to the fatty tissue with which it first comes in contact. This fatty tissue could be your throat, tongue, mouth, or stomach and can cause irritation or severe damage.

What if I add oils to a veggie cap or carrier oil? 

I see many essential oils users online adding oils to a veggie capsule, in a carrier oil, or even cooking with oils before ingesting, but this still isn't safe. 

Diluting the oil or using it in a veggie cap or cooking will ensure your mouth, tongue, and throat won't get irritated, but your stomach will be breaking down the veggie cap or other substances, and the oil will be released.

What if it's a high-quality brand? 

There are some brands whose oils are considered GRAS, Generally Regarded As Safe. That is true, but let me break it down for you.

When the FDA considers an essential oil GRAS, they measure the percentage in parts per million (ppm). 

For example, that's one grain of sugar to 273 sugar cubes.

So for an essential oil to be consumed internally safely for personal use, you'd have to fill up 8.5 gallons of water per drop of essential oil and combine more ingredients, so the essential oil mixes in properly instead of floating to the top.

All in all, essential oils are not safe to ingest. The only time someone should be ingesting essential oils is if they're working with a licensed professional one-on-one.

The good news is that you can reap all the benefits of essential oils by using them aromatically or topically! 

Schedule an aromatherapy call with me to get some personalized recommendations on using essential oils (tailored to your needs!) with appropriate safety guidelines! Link is below, or you can check it out on my website www.liv-holistic.com!

See you next time!