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I took a little hiatus from my ongoing series on essential oils and hormonal health. My desire was to share with you my knowledge and discoveries on these new wellness support tools ASAP. This is because many of you had purchased them, had questions about them, and/or were seeking knowledge on how to incorporate them into your lifestyle effectively and safely. *
In typical Dr. Sarah fashion, I went into a detailed series on the most recent addition to my single essential oils’ line, kunzea. If you aren’t aware of the potential of its special properties, I encourage you to consider reading more about it.
The discussion on hormonal harmony was further interrupted by my latest articles discussing the seasonally appropriate concept of phototoxicity. I felt this was another imperative and timely subject, especially for my sun-loving New England friends. I didn’t want anyone to be unaware of the unwelcome skin effects that can result from slathering on certain essential oils with constituents that are activated by summer sunshine.
Last week, I completed this topic by presenting my research on the (tiny) potential to have sun-sensitive-skin reactions from drinking citrus oils. The bottom line was this was a very low concern on my safety scale when essential oils were used properly. You can get all the details on this here.
Now, it’s time to catch up on understanding the connection between essential oils and hormones. This is not as straightforward as many blogs and news media posts tend to make one believe. Many times, headlines are skewed and studies are sensationalized with conclusions based on flawed assumptions.
For this reason, I’ve decided to acquit each essential oil that has been wrongly accused of causing reproductive harm on an individual basis. So far, the following suspects have been cleared of the claims of estrogenicity:
(1) Ms. Clary sage oil– she was a classic case of guilt-by-association due to one, lone constituent (sclareol) found among her many balancing companions.
(2) Fennel oil- this friend was first dismissed from the anethole accusations of danger. This was followed by my providing evidence that there was no estragole– estrogen connection.
(3) Finally, I took on the case of sage oil versus camphor and thujone. These two residents found within hundreds of a single oily drop of sage were claimed to be harmful. This was based on dosage and concentrations unlikely to be found in comparable amounts of our mindful sage.
In my latest release on NatPath, I reviewed these controversies of hormonal effects with essential oils. It is the first part to the conclusion of the sage oil verdict.
The summary states:
As you can see, claiming that essential oils are “estrogenic” or “disruptive” to any receptor, hormonal or otherwise, based on one or two compounds is not “scientific” … or rational. The complexity of plants and the innate healing potential of essential oils are not equal to the sum of its separate parts.
Essential oils have holistic effects. They are not a random arrangement of single compounds that manipulate receptor sites.11-12
Next, I will review the differences between extracts, herbs, and essential oils and studies assessing sage oil’s actions in vitro, in vivo, and in human trials.
Note: If you are new to essential oils, please review my safety resources guide here.
You can read the whole post here.
The conclusion will be released in the upcoming weeks.
In this week’s post on my Healing, Health, and Wellness Blog, I begin our journey with Mrs. Geranium Oil. You can get the overview here.
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Click here to read June 2018 Holistic and Integrative Health Top Reads.
More Resources
- Safety First! Please review the resources for essential oils safety here.
- Essential Oils Quality
- Get an essential oils consult from me. I apply the philosophy and principles of the naturopathic and functional medicine to guide you with which essential oils and supplements will work best for you!
* Please note that the studies from PubMed aren’t specific for any essential oils company.
This material is for information purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prescribe for any illness. You should check with your doctor regarding implementing any new strategies into your wellness regime. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. (Affiliation link.)
Disclaimer: This information is applicable ONLY for therapeutic quality essential oils. This information DOES NOT apply to essential oils that have not been tested for purity and standardized constituents. There is no quality control in the United States, and oils labeled as “100% pure” need only to contain 5% of the actual oil. The rest of the bottle can be filled with fillers and sometimes toxic ingredients that can irritate the skin. The studies are not based solely on a specific brand of an essential oil, unless stated. Please read the full study for more information.