Blending Safety & Plant Aromatics ** Was: One More Question For Butch

[Guest guest]

Hi Susan,

 

> I saw an old post you commented on and I can't remember what the

> original post was about to find your reply BUT this is something I've

> wondered about and you touched upon it in that post:

 

I hear you on not being able to find all the old posts I have sent to

this list for many years .. kinda frustrating it is since my PC crash.

I do recall making such a post .. did a bit of research on it prior

to making it but as I don't have access to it now, I'll just reply off

the top of my head using what little memory I have left. ;-)

 

> When blending oils together is it possible to blend oils that share

> much of the same chemical makeup thereby exposing yourself to too much

> of a particular chemical? I don't know if I'm expressing my thoughts

> right here-it's not about " blending " as in for scent or to gain a

> certain therapeutic effect but blending oils together for whatever

> purpose that may somehow expose the user to too much of a chemical

> whose exposure should perhaps be limited? Perhaps this isn't even an

> issue with eo's but since these are chemicals we are working with it's

> something I've wondered about. I remember your comment had something

> to do with this and I wish I could remember to post as a reference.

 

Your question was well put .. its easily understood .. and the answer

to your question is .. Absolutely! Remember .. all of the tests we

have access to are for individual oils .. I know of no tests that have

been conducted on the various blends aromatherapists could possibly

come up with .. though there have been tests on commercial products

that contain various EO. It is logically and theoretically possible

to stay within the safe guidelines for blending a single oil but when

blending a large number of oils we could likely be outside the safe

guidelines .. there is a cumulative effect.

 

This brings up something I have often written on .. that is that many

of the so-called blends we read about in the many AT novels .. and on

the many News Groups contain as many as a dozen oils blended together.

This is (in my opinion) a potential danger, a waste of money and it

accomplishes nothing .. odds are a lot of those blends have never been

tried by those who posted them .. and maybe some of them were posted

by sellers who want buyers to purchase a lot of different oils so

their profits can be increased.

 

Aromatherapy is NOT perfumery .. in perfumery there is usually a good

reason to blend a lot of oils .. Anya and some of the other perfume

producers can tell y'all more about this .. but in Aromatherapy there

is little reason to blend a half dozen oils together.

 

In the Safety Manual, " Plant Aromatics " , Martin discusses " Systemic

Allergic Sensitization & Cross Reactions " , and " Adverse Reactions to

Individual Chemicals Occurring in Essential Oils " , and many other

topics that should be of vital importance to anyone interested in

using Essential Oils.

 

For example .. one can possibly experience sensitization problems

using the safe limits of a number of essential that oils share similar

chemical profiles .. like the chemical a-pinene .. present in the

Pines, Junipers, Rosemary and Carrot Seed. Or from I-Limonene which

is present in the Pines, Junipers and Mints. Or from Phellandrene

which is present in the Pines, Fennel, Eucalyptus' and Angelica.

 

I have just touched the surface here .. there is far more important

information to be found in the Safety Manual, " Plant Aromatics " .

 

> Thanks, Susan

 

Welcome you be .. y'all have a good one .. and keep smiling. :-)

 

Butch http://www.AV-AT.com