Essential oils are a booming industry under a very well marketed pyramid scheme selling you on the “good” and keeping the “bad” hidden. We are here to expose the bad or unsafe practices not properly disclosed to most consumers leading to deadly toxic poisoning and support the essential oil companies that are doing good for the people.
Not every essential oil company is the same just like not every food product is the same or products you find online. There is an interesting article you should read about the most popular essential oil companies participating in these pyramid schemes.
We will just summarize that article that those pyramid scheme essential oil companies have been doing bad things and started selling with money in mind and not the safety of their consumers.
One thing they have not been doing until very recently is disclosing the serious and deadly hazards some of the essential oils are capable of and other risks involved with ALL of the essential oils.
Along with the massive uptick in interest among moms has come an increase in calls involving young children to poison control centers in Oklahoma and across the nation. – Juliana Keeping, Oklahoma News Reporter
Some of these companies have been trying to make up for the past, but the information is not reaching the public fast enough. The safety information on essential oil uses and compliance actions only just started in 2017.
The news on home remedies gone wrong from someone’s story at the hospital will likely reach the public faster and is an unfortunate way to keeping kids safe from learning from other people’s bad experiences.
The New Health Cycle will do its best to issue essential oil warnings and keep safety in mind when recommending any natural plant extract remedies to help keep our kids safe from one mother to another.
With safety and precaution in mind, I still fully support the use of essential oils for many home remedies or natural medicine like making my own insect repellent, facial cleanser to keep acne away, aromatherapy and treating fungal and bacterial infections.
We have developed some key risks from other’s unfortunate home remedy fails to start our essential oils warning:
Key risks to keep in mind when delving into essential oils before we get into the 7 most deadly:
- Children and pets are more sensitive to essential oils than adults.
- Always do a one drop skin test on the back of the hand when trying new oils due to the possibility of an allergic reaction that can happen with ANY of the essential oils.
- Never try a new home remedy to be taken orally or anywhere with a mucosal lining (yeast infection home remedy fail) without first consulting a naturopathic doctor.
- Limit the use of essential oils to only be used when really needed. Overexposure of oils can lead to health risks in the future. There are acute toxicity levels and chronic toxicity levels.
- Be mindful of photosensitive essential oils (Bergamot, Grapefruit, Lemon, Lime, Bitter Orange, Cumin). These oils contain a chemical produced by the plant as a defense mechanism that reacts with UV light causing serious burns and long-term skin reactions.
- Always mix the potential deadly essential oils with a carrier oil (olive oil, coconut oil, castor oil, etc.) before use on the skin.
- Every oil has their own recommended dosage and dilution with a carrier oil and can differ between each individuals skin type.
- Essential oils are highly concentrated plant extractions, less is more!
Always keep these risks in mind especially for moms using essential oils to keep kids safe.
Now, the essential oils warning you REALLY need to read:
What are the 7 essential oils you should take caution for home remedies, natural medicine and how deadly are they?
Poison Control is your most reliable source for real health warnings regarding toxicity and has seen their fair share of essential oil poisonings from home remedy fails to misinterpretation or misleading information on natural medicine.
Here are the 7 essential oils the Poison Control Center specifically warns mothers who have these oils in their home to store them safely away from children:
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Tea Tree
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Eucalyptus
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Wintergreen
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Peppermint (pennyroyal)
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Nutmeg
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Sage
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Camphor
Tea tree oil can have serious side effects with the central nervous system leading to coma with just one teaspoon swallowed. Larger amounts can lead to death. Even smaller doses of just one drop swallowed can cause dizziness and rapid heart rate as I found out personally from a little test to see just how toxic Tea Tree oil can be.
Eucalyptus oil is known to cause seizures and don’t let it fool you into thinking it is good for respiratory infections at night. This concentrated oil with some species of Eucalyptus containing a chemical Cineole may have opposite effects if not used correctly causing respiratory distress, seizures, or leading to death at high amounts inhaled or swallowed. The vapor rub most mothers know about for treating nighttime cough contains a very small amount of Eucalyptus oil along with another deadly oil on our list, Camphor, but a very small amount is used and diluted. Warnings are still issued to prevent the use of vapor rub near a child or baby’s face.
Wintergreen oil is a surprising relative of aspirin. Have you heard of Reye’s syndrome? The consumption of Wintergreen oil can cause long-term brain damage and liver damage. This warning extends to teens as well. Much like taking a bottle of aspirin, an overdose can easily happen with a smaller amount of this oil consumed.
Peppermint (Pennyroyal) oil is part of the mint family containing the minty scent but can cause severe illness, liver failure, and death if swallowed. It only took one ounce for an 18-year-old girl to become highly poisoned leading to her death after 6 days of suffering. Young children are at higher risk with a lower dosage to cause death.
Nutmeg oil can cause hallucinations and coma is possible if you consume too much. It is often used in cooking but when cooking goes wrong and too much is added, there are some serious side effects.
Sage oil is another oil known to cause seizures with a small amount. No one knows what a large amount would do but if a small amount can cause seizures, nothing good can happen if a large amount is consumed.
Camphor oil is used commonly as an insect repellent around the home and is an ingredient in vapor rub that comes with warnings. Just a tiny bit consumed can cause seizures and is highly toxic. Poisoning can also happen when applied on the skin.
Toxic poisoning prevention tips:
For those practicing natural medicine with essential oils, do the following to keep yourself and kids safe.
- Keep essential oils stored safely away from children.
- Do extensive research on how to use essential oils properly and safely.
- Do not take any essential oils orally unless properly monitored by a naturopathic doctor.
Organic, pure, and properly tested essential oils we recommend
This post may contain affiliate links. Read our Affiliate Disclosure here.
After all the warnings involving essential oils, they are still very helpful in treating many ailments naturally this is why finding a company that is trustworthy is very important.
Companies that do not have that organic certification, 100% pure, or GC/MS testing report do not meet our criteria for a good essential oil to be using. With all the risks involved with essential oils, it’s wise to limit them and not have additional risks with any un-pure substance or chemical that could potentially be added from the collection or farming practice.
Plant Therapy Essential Oils meet all the criteria for a good essential oil company and they even have a “kid safe” label on the Lavender essential oil bottle. You can tell they are keeping up with the latest safety concerns with oils.
Nature’s Oil also meets our criteria and is certified organic from Oregon Tilth. They are the pioneers of organic certification and I use their Lemongrass oil quite frequently in my insect repellent and my facial cleanser.
Organic Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil – I highly recommend this award winning olive oil to use as a carrier oil and to cook with! This oil is the most used product in my household. I use it for so many things from mosquito repellent and sunscreen, nursing a virus, to solving many wintertime problems.
To be on the extra safe side, buying a case for essential oils that is lockable is a safe investment. This one holds 40 essential oil bottles with a nice locking feature. If you’re going for a more natural look for your at home medical supplies, here is a very popular wooden essential oils box that doesn’t look so serious and can be stored easily out of reach.
Bonus Recommendation: Get the right education from the oldest medical system growing in popularity. This is the book that will tell you everything about herbs, essential oils, aromatherapy, etc. with easy instructions to follow for many natural medicine needs.
Final Thoughts
We support natural home remedies but need to warn people, especially mother’s, of the potency of essential oils and that it is medicine requiring proper education before administering.
Call poison control 1-800-222-1222
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