Ingesting Essential Oils

Written by Kate Tietje, Earthley’s Lead Herbalist and Founder

We love that more people are getting into natural options. We love that people are getting healthier with the help of essential oils. However, there is a concern that not everyone is aware of their safe use, and this could lead to more problems down the road.

The safety data isn’t easily accessible to people, and everything feels controversial yet. Like herbs, there isn’t a lot of safety testing done so many can use that ambiguity to their advantage. Unlike herbs, there aren’t centuries worth of passed-down notes and stories for us to utilize.

Essential Oils are Potent

The good (and bad) thing about essential oils is that they're extremely potent. Sources estimate they are 50 - 70 times more potent than dry herbs, and that a single drop may be the same as 20 - 30 cups of tea!

We know that nothing is safe in excess, and this is especially true when it comes to pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young children. This is why we need to use essential oils with caution.

Of course, the strength is also very beneficial at times, too, if they're used properly. Small doses can have big impacts. They can help you greatly if you are struggling with certain symptoms. And they can be very cost-effective.

The active oil components are highly concentrated in essential oils, whereas in fresh or dried herbs, they are much more diluted and balanced by other natural compounds in the plant. Essential oils are close to 100% active constituents, while herbs typically contain only about 3–10% of those same active compounds.

Using both is great -- but we strongly recommend never taking essential oils internally.

You should know that, yes, there is evidence that essential oils are beneficial in health.

This study shows that geranium and tea tree essential oils were very effective against MRSA, but they were used topically and at distance -- they were not applied "neat" nor taken internally.

This study shows that lavender essential oil may be effective against migraines -- again, used as vapors (in a diffuser/inhaled).

This study shows that lavender essential oil was very useful in helping episiotomies heal after birth. It used a 1.5% dilution in olive oil.

There was one study that did look at the internal use of lavender oil (checking for effects on anxiety). This study used doses of 100 and 200 microliters. 20 drops is the equivalent of 1 mL (roughly). One drop is .2 mL, and 200 microliters is .2 mL. So, they were testing the effects of 1/2 - 1 drop internally in a carrier oil, inside of a capsule. Interestingly, this was the only study that did not find strongly positive effects.

There were many more studies than that (you can search for any essential oil you want, followed by "pubmed" to pull up the studies for yourself).

Essential oils work. There's plenty of evidence of that, for many different health issues. They're a good thing!

But they are incredibly potent. That's why, in these scientific studies, they were not used at full strength (or even close to it), and they were not usually used internally. They are so potent that they are effective as vapors in the air, or diluted to 1 - 2% in a carrier oil (or even less). There wasn't a single study in all the ones we pulled up -- and we didn't link all the ones we read here -- that studied undiluted, internal use.

So why are so many people casually recommending using them internally?

Why People Ingest Essential Oils

The truth? Quality information about essential oils is hard to find.

A lot of the information is coming from essential oil consultants, who have limited and biased training regarding safety in essential oil use. Plus, some of these companies are recommending very casual use. One company cited no scientific studies, and yet recommended using 2 - 3 drops of oil undiluted on skin (with no notes about which are safe, or on whom!) and also recommended putting a drop directly onto the tongue to swallow! The same company said to put "several" drops of oil into a capsule and swallow. That would be a huge dose!!

There are no contraindications mentioned, no cautions, no different recommendations for children or pregnant women, no notes about using specific oils differently. Basically, there is absolutely no safety information, leading many readers to believe that essential oils are so safe that they can be taken by anyone, any method, in any dose, and be just fine. And that is not the case.

An even bigger problem is that many are recommending these practices -- adding oils to capsules or to water (which will not disperse the oil, since oil and water don't mix) -- daily, as health-boosting or preventative.

In my opinion, essential oils are medicines and should be used as such.

They are concentrated isolates, mega-doses if you will. They should be kept for when they are needed and used in the smallest effective dose. But we'll get to that in a minute.

It's no wonder, if the majority of the information people are getting is coming from these companies, that they think essential oils are safe in any dose, any method! This is not appropriate safety or use information.

One source did say it's "fine in small doses," but as noted above, undiluted essential oils are never small doses because they are extremely potent.

In contrast, recognized herbalist Robert Tisserand says that internal use can be okay, if the oil is diluted to 1 - 5% in a carrier oil and put into a capsule. He recommends, though, using these only for specific conditions when needed, not for "prevention" or just because. And never in water!

Most other experts say similar things -- essential oils should rarely be used internally, only if diluted, for specific needs, and typically under the care of a professional. (So it's not that you should never ever do it, it's that you must be extremely cautious.)

But, in general, you shouldn't use essential oils internally – especially not so casually!

Why You Shouldn't Ingest Essential Oils

If you're under the care of a professional aromatherapist who is treating you and recommending essential oil use internally, then you can skip this part. If, however, you are using or planning to use essential oils internally because someone told you it was a great idea, or could help you lose weight, improve your immune system, etc. and that it basically has no side effects -- you need to keep reading.

Potency

Think about how potent those oils really are. Would you dose yourself or your child with 20 or more cups of tea in a single day? Most likely not. So why would you put a drop of oil that was the active constituent, medicinal equivalent into a child's drink, or your own? This is especially true if you are just using them for "flavor" or are using them daily for overall "improved health." And it's even worse if you are using multiple oils (and therefore, multiple drops of oil). These are massive doses.

Instead, try squeezing real lemon or grapefruit juice into your water. Prepare teas from whole herbs. Put the oils in a diffuser so you can breathe them in. Mix them into a salve or oil roller at a 1 - 2% dilution. Use the oils primarily when you have a specific need, and stick to herbs or whole fruits and vegetables for overall wellness measures.

Acidity

Because essential oils are so concentrated, drinking them can actually harm your body, especially in water where the oils don’t mix/dilute. There have been reports of citrus oils causing burns in the mouth and throat, or harming the acid balance in the stomach (because they're highly acidic). If you drink them in water, they're not dispersed or diluted at all -- because oil and water don't mix! In one swallow, you're getting more concentrated amounts of plant chemicals than you'd get drinking 20 - 30 glasses of water with citrus juice squeezed in!

Some others have reported long-term body chemistry issues from consuming essential oils internally. This is why it is important to get professional advice and monitoring when taking something that is so potent!

Gut Flora

Essential oils can kill bacteria and viruses, as noted in the beginning. But this means that they can kill good gut flora, too. That's another reason why they should be used very cautiously and treated as medicine. You don't want to mess up your gut flora by using them too frequently!

For the record, this is also an issue with certain herbs. No natural medicine should be assumed safe. There are certain herbs that you can take pretty much as much as you want to (like fennel, ginger, ones that we often use for kitchen spices) in relatively small doses with no issue. But super-concentrated is never good for frequent use.

How to Use Oils Safely

Bottom line? Essential oils are effectively medicinal, and should be treated as such. Nobody should be recommending ingesting essential oils on a regular basis, ignoring safety recommendations, or recommending using them undiluted. They are far too potent for that.

Be aware of who should and shouldn't use different oils. Use them safely in a diffuser to make your home smell nice, lift your mood, or kill germs. Don't self-diagnosis or prescribe oils internally for serious conditions...and don't listen to others who say you should.

A Final Note

I recognize that although I've not called out any specific company, that many will know which companies I've referred to and may have an allegiance to one of those companies. I know that many will disagree with my stance here and may even be upset about it.

Please be respectful in your conversations though. Essential oils can be extremely controversial, but we can have a mature discussion about this.