Russian Essential Oils ** Bad to Use?

[Guest guest]

Hi Kristerae,

 

My opinions follow .. they are not a slam on Russia .. that is something

I am not at liberty to do right now. ;-)

 

> I cannot remember WHERE I read this, but recently I read an article that

> stated that essential oils from Russia are often plants grown in bad soil

> and also radiation is still found there, thus making them inferior.

 

Its not unusual to read such things about Russia. I've studied that

area for better than 30 years .. a lot of those years learning to hate

them and training to do battle with them (if necessary) .. now I spend

an inordinate amount of time loving one of them .. and lately missing

her as she has been visiting her mother for the past week. ;-)

 

There is no question that many regions of Russia (and some of the former

republics) are polluted .. and some of the pollution includes radiation.

Its doubtful that we will be able to learn the total extent of that

radiation pollution without getting into classified sources.

 

As for bad soil .. yes and no. There are areas where the water is so

polluted that the soil becomes polluted .. there are other areas where

fruits and veggies are organically grown in Gardens of Eden and you can

swim and fish in crystal clear streams .. and drink the water.

 

To expect a Russian dealer in essential oils to come clean with us about

the area in which a particular aromatic plant was grown is expecting a

bit too much. Economic conditions are such in Russia that in almost all

cases survival takes precedence over ethics .. ethics makes for a very

poor soup.

 

Easy it is to understand the motive of survival for a little guy but

this is not always the motive behind the adulteration of an essential

oil. Was a time that one could purchase Rose Otto (Rosa damascena) from

Bulgaria and be assured of getting a 5 Star product .. the USSR did have

some procedures in place that ensured quality control .. in certain

areas .. and those who violated those procedures for personal gain often

went " missing " as an example to others who might have similar ideas.

 

With the fall of the USSR and the elimination of the " Old Guard " in the

KGB .. suddenly there was chaos where previously there had been a form

of somewhat efficient and highly organized administrative control. As

it became apparent that there was a vacuum .. the gap was filled by what

is now termed as " mafia " .. but in fact .. are organized ex-KGB agents

doing the only thing they are trained to do .. terrorize and control.

 

Its widely known that Russia is now a " Rich Man's World " . There is

NOTHING that cannot be purchased if one has the money .. and I include

influence and immunity from prosecution for simple crimes like selling

an adulterated product. There is nothing under the table about this ..

its open and blatant .. and wise people keep their mouths shut rather

than discuss it in public!

 

Though the above might appear to be a condemnation of Russia .. in fact

its merely an explanation of conditions that are not (in my opinion) at

all unusual or unexpected. One can not expect an economy as large as

that in the former USSR to make an instant transition from total central

control .. from a Socialist pattern .. to decentralized control and an

experiment with Capitalism and an immature form of Democracy!

 

In the last two years folks have seen an increase in the amount of badly

adulterated Rose Otto coming from Bulgaria. As a result of this there

was a run on Turkish Rose Otto beginning in the summer of 2003 .. the

price went from a bit over $4,000 a kilo to over $6,000 a kilo .. but in

fact it had been under priced for a long time .. take that to the bank.

In summer 2004 .. the total production of Turkish Rose Otto was not near

enough to meet the demand .. it was the first year since 1995 that I was

not able to offer bulk/wholesale Turkish Rose Otto.

 

As you read this the Rosa damascena harvest/distillation in Turkey is

about to begin .. I think it will kick off in the next week. It looks

like this year will be like 2004 .. supply will not meet the demands of

the European perfumeries and its likely that the price will increase.

 

IF one can find an honest broker in Bulgaria they can still get a 5 Star

Rose Otto from there .. but present conditions demand more scrutiny and

a bit more luck. One honest broker who had long dealt in Bulgarian Rose

Otto got shafted last year .. shafted by a person she had long dealt

with. Bottom line .. Caveat Emptor is the name of the game when dealing

with Bulgarian Rose Otto or any essential oil from Russia or any of the

former republics of the USSR.

 

The above is information to enlighten .. it is not a marketing ploy.

Again this year I will NOT be able to offer bulk/wholesale Turkish Rose

Otto .. so I have nothing to push. When I began in this business I was

selling 40-50 kilos a year .. now I am lucky to purchase 2 kilos.

 

> ALSO in this article, French essential oils were considered risky. The

> article stated that many Russian plants are sent to France for the perfume

> industries and distilled there, then labeled that the EO is from France.

 

True it is that France exports more essential oils than they produce ..

but this is not unique to France. Almost all of the Frankincense and

Myrrh that I (and anyone else) offers is probably produced in England or

in one of the European countries. That is not a negative as the gums

and resins are shipped to the stills in Europe .. there is little to no

production in the Arab countries.

 

As for the " Origin " of an essential oil .. or any other end product ..

for many years international trade agreements have allowed the change of

origin of a product based on conditions such as Value Added .. where the

value of a product is greatly increased due to processing .. examples

are Italian leather products made from animal skins imported from other

countries .. Extra-Virgin Olive Oils sold as Origin Italy when they came

from Turkey and Greece .. and .. change of purpose .. the skin has now

changed its purpose .. its been transformed into a totally different

product. The European Economic Community rules support this even now.

 

> Does anyone have any information to validate or rebut this claim?

 

What I have presented is not sufficient to validate or rebut the claim

but it is factual information. I recommend you not expect a lot of

information above and beyond what I have presented. ;-)

 

Would I purchase Russian essential oils? No Way! But its not due to a

fear of the plants having been grown in a polluted environment .. nor is

it due to a fear of the oils having a high level of radiation. I defy

anyone to detect radiation in any Russian essential oil .. they can use

whatever means of detection they wish but they'll not find it. I also

defy anyone to find (through Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry) any

difference in any essential oil based on the soil it was grown in .. and

this includes oils that are " alleged " to have been extracted from plants

grown in " Certified Organic " soils.

 

This business of Certification is very political and very haphazard and

in some cases .. its a scam. If someone wants to hear more about this

subject I'll be happy to post on it.

 

Russia has great caviar and vodka and some pretty good cuisine for

those who can afford it. The Russian language is a beautiful language

and the history of the country is well worth a read for those who are

into such things. Even the Russian peasants have a great appreciation

for classical music and the ballet .. they are far ahead of the West in

that regard. Finally, there is no shortage of cultured, well educated,

beautiful, sweet and sensuous ladies .. and I will admit that I am sorta

prejudiced in that regard. ;-)

 

As for their essential oils .. I will not offer them simply because the

ones they produce are not as high in quality as similar oils found in

other countries .. and that is not due to pollution .. just a matter of

geographic location.

 

> Thanks bunches,

> Kristerae

 

Welcome fer'shur .. and y'all keep smiling. :-)

 

Butch http://www.AV-AT.com Wholesale/Retail GC Tested EO/Rose Otto

and other Rose Products, Tested Hydrosols, Carriers and other nice

goodies shipped from my store in downtown Friendsville, MD. Pop: 597

[Guest guest]

Butch, as always I really enjoy the glimpses

you provide of life in a totally different part

of the world.

 

Thanks for all the education!

 

Ien in the Kootenays

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Healing Body, Mind and Planet

with Wild Whole Foods

http://wildhealing.net

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