Essential Oil Poisonings

“I read your article on essential oil poisonings. How can something made from something grown in your own garden be dangerous?”

Well, a lot of things are “natural” and dangerous. Foxglove is a perfect example. Foxglove is toxic to humans, livestock and household pets, among others. Think about it for a moment. Anything that can affect your body in a positive way has to be able to affect you in a negative way, doesn’t it? That’s just common sense.

As far as essential oils go, it’s very important to remember that botanicals and essential oils—like everything else on this planet—are made up of chemicals. And some of those chemicals can be dangerous. Just because something is “natural” doesn’t guarantee its safety. Did you know that a 10 mil bottle of wintergreen essential oil contains more salicyclate than 40 aspirins? That’s well more than it would take be toxic—even to an adult.

“One bottle of wintergreen essential oil is as toxic as 40 aspirins.” 

And there are other problems with essential oils, too. Peppermint oil, for example, can change how your skin absorbs certain chemicals. Taken internally, peppermint can actually speed up your absorption of certain medications. This means that you can absorb too much medication—or absorb it too quickly.

Essential oils are wonderful botanical gifts. But they can also be potentially dangerous, especially if used improperly. If you’d like to read more about essential oil poisonings, please take a moment to look at my full article on this topic, Avoiding Essential Oil Poisonings at AssociatedContent.com. 

Essential Oils & Allergies

“There’s an article on [URL] that claims that pure essential oils don’t cause allergies. Is this true?”

I’m not at all familiar with the writer of that piece but it absolutely is not true. All essential oils—like all other herbal products—have the potential to cause allergic reactions and both mainstream and alternative medical journals have documented this. And don’t believe the suggestion in this article that allergies result from impurities in the oils. There are just far too many cases for them all to be attributed to “impurities”.

“It is absolutely NOT true that essential oils can’t cause allergic reactions. (By the way, the person who wrote that article … . sells essential oils.  And not just any essential oils.  Hers are, of course, ‘the only therapeutic grade essential oils produced in North America.’)”

Most allergies reported on in medical journals are “contact” allergies, which means that patients had to actually come into direct contact with a particular essential oil. But in researching an article for another of my sites, I ran across a fascinating case of a woman from Germany who had to have the entire interior of her house removed because of a previous use of rosewood oil.

And Allergy Isn’t All You Need To Worry About

Allergies to essential oils aren’t the only reactions possible. In early 2007, several medical journals reported the story of a pair of brothers, ages 9 and 13, who developed a rare medical condition called gynecomastia, or swelling of the breasts, that was linked to lavender essential oil in their toiletries.

And, of course, there’s the possibility of what’s known as phototoxicity, too. Associated mainly with citrus oils, especially bergamot, this reaction can lead to long-term discoloration and sometimes lesions when essential oils are applied to the skin then exposed to sunlight or tanning lamps.

So There You Have It

As well-intentioned as the writer of the Suite101 article probably was, her advice is void of any scientific research and … I’m just going to say it … could be potentially dangerous.

References:

Anisman-Reiner, V. (2007). l. (1998). Reactions to Essential Oils. Retrieved December 4, 2007 from

http://naturalmedicine.suite101.com/article.cfm/reactions_to_essential_oils.

Williams, J., et al. (2007). Recurrent allergic contact dermatitis due to allergen transfer by sunglasses.

Adisen, E., et al. (2007). Allergic contact dermatitis from Laurus nobilis oil induced by massage.

Wei, Q., et al. (2006). Toxicity study of the volatile constituents of Myoga utilizing acute dermal irritation assays and the Guinea-pig Maximization test.

Schaller, M., et al. (1995). Allergic airborne contact dermatitis from essential oils used in aromatherapy.

Wasniewska, M., et al. (2007). Non-classical 21-hydroxylase deficiency in boys with prepubertal or pubertal gynecomastia.

Kaddu, S., et al. (2001). Accidental bullous phototoxic reactions to bergamot aromatherapy oil.

Distilled Water

“Does drinking distilled water during a fast really cause you to lose minerals?” 

I’m not sure where this myth got started but every credible “natural” health expert I know agrees: drinking distilled water doesn’t pull minerals from the body. Perhaps, like most health myths, this one has a kernel of truth in it. A few studies have linked excessive minerals like copper and aluminum in drinking water to certain diseases like Alzheimer’s and some types of organ damage. But, there’s no evidence that drinking distilled water “pulls” minerals from your bones or your body’s soft-tissue cells. The cells of your body simply don’t work that way.

It may be true that people who drink “soft” waters—whether the water is naturally soft or distilled mechanically—may be at higher risks for some mineral deficiencies, but that’s probably because “hard” waters—waters full of minerals—are an important source of minerals for some people. In other words, the deficiencies aren’t being caused by what people eat or drink—deficiencies are being caused by what they’re not eating or drinking.

“What about Mercola’s claim that soft drinks made with distilled water leach minerals?

A piece on the alternative website mercola.com, suggests that the leaching effect of cola drinks is due to the fact that colas are made with distilled water. But the truth is, the mineral-leaching effect of colas has been directly tied to their phosphorus content—not the water used to make them.

Colas are the only carbonated drinks linked to lowered bone mineral density. If distilled water was the culprit, ALL carbonated beverages should cause mineral loss—it shouldn’t just be associated with colas.

References:

Sparks, D., et al. (2007). Influence of water quality on cholesterol induced systemic pathology.

Tucker, K., et al. (2006). Colas, but not other carbonated beverages, are associated with low bone mineral density in older women: The Framingham Osteoporosis Study.

Other “Natural” Experts Weigh In:

Weil, A. (2001). Is Distilled Water Dangerous? Retrieved November 12, 2007 from http://www.aquaprix.com/archive/drw_cda.html.