Did you know that there are various grades of essential oils? The vast majority of essential oils (over 95%) are produced for flavor and fragrance purposes. Here are the four grades of essential oils:
- Grade A oils are pure therapeutic quality and are usually made from organically grown plants, and are distilled at the proper temperatures.
- Grade B oils are food grade, they may contain synthetics, pesticides, fertilizers, extenders, or carrier oils.
- Grade C are perfume grade and may contain the same type of adulterating chemicals as food grade oils. They usually contain solvents which are used to gain a higher yield of oil per harvest. Solvents are not healthy.
- Floral Water is a byproduct of the distillation process, a very high quality, IF it comes from a Grade A distillation process. Accordingly, it is a low quality if it comes from poor quality raw materials and/or poor distillations processes.
These four grades fall into two categories: oils that heal and oils that do not. Only therapeutic grade (Grade A) oils have healing properties. Authors of aromatherapy literature often do not identify which kinds of oils they are referring to. So, when a writer issues potential warnings or risks about using a certain essential oil, it is not clear that they are only refering to non-therapeutic grades. A reader could be misled to believe that certain oils should always be avoided, not realizing that there may be therapeutic versions of that species which are safe and effective. Conversely, using non-therapeutic grades of essential oils for the purpose of healing are likely to be ineffective, and may even be harmful.
So how do you know if the oil you are using is therapeutic grade? If the bottle isn’t labled “therapeutic grade”, then it isn’t. And, if there is a warning on the label that says “For external use only”, then you know for sure that it isn’t. Every one of Young Living’s essential oils is therapeutic grade. We take extreme measures to ensure the quality, potency and purity of each oil – from the soil the plants are grown in to the bottling process and everything in between.
The Four “P’s” of Therapeutic Grade
In order to achieve therapeutic-grade classification, each essential oil must achieve the designation naturally, without excess manipulation and refinement, and meet specific criteria in four key areas: Plants, Preparation, Purity, and Potency.
- Plants – Young Living products are produced from the right plants, grown in exceptional soil, and harvested at exactly the right time.
- Preparation – Honoring a strict commitment to respect and protect the time-honored methods of distillation, Young Living makes every effort to preserve “nature’s living energy” in a manner as close to its natural state as possible. Using pure mountain water free of additives, Young Living has a proprietary, stainless steel distillation process that uses low temperature and low pressure to better preserve plant properties, capture the pure essence of the plant, and preserve the quality of the oils.
- Purity – Achieved through the use of quality plants and meticulous preparation, and not through ultra-refinement, our finished product is 100% pure. Young Living essential oils are unadulterated, uncut, and free of chemicals, pesticides, and heavy metals.
- Potency – To guarantee our products exceed existing world standards and meet our own higher internal standards for potency, we analyze the finished oil’s phytochemical profile to ensure it delivers optimal amounts of every key plant compound.
Watch a video on Young Living’s “Sead to Seal” production process to learn more about how we produce oils of utmost quality.
If you haven’t yet tried therapeutic grade essential oils, why not give them a try? I recommend Young Living’s Everyday Oils Kit. It includes nine of the most common and versatile oils that used on a daily basis for improving health and wellness. It’s a great way to get started in the wonderful modality of healing with God’s forgotten gift – essential oils.
Contact me to learn more or visit my website: www.youngliving.org/lmarino
~ Lori
Lori Marino
lori@oilsforliving.com
