Labeling of Essential Oils ** Sorta Long ** Was: Using EO in Foods

[Guest guest]

Howdy,

 

I will give my take on the below .. others can do as they please .. as I

do. ;-)

 

> Labeling on EOs usually says " not for internal use " but with extractives

of fruit and spices, I wonder why not?

 

Below is a post I sent to a fellow the other day .. its self explanatory a

will answer some questions that have not yet been asked but are in the minds

of many of the list members.

 

What is not explained is that he then went onto a cancer News Group and told

folks they should not deal with my company and I refused to reply to his

question .. and instead I gave him a hard time. This complaint was sent

to me by someone else but it does confirm what all of us sellers know ..

that is that some folks are difficult from the git go and lots of folks

refuse to hear anything except what they want to hear. If it were not for

the fact that 99% of the customers I have are nice folks I would have quit

long ago .. but that is gonna happen in time anyway.

 

> Flavorings from the grocery store these days, and even from health food

stores, are so highly diluted I could use half the bottle at a time and

still not get the effect I was after. Especially McCormick > and its related

brands; those don't taste right to me and I suspect they are actually

synthetic FOs.

 

I can say but one thing about McCormick .. during my many years living in

Turkey I know for a fact that they purchased (by the ton) the spent

(distilled) Oregano from distillers .. my friends would haul it to them in

large trucks. They mixed it with the pure Oregano and I was told that it

was because most Americans did not like the strong odor and taste of pure

Oregano.

 

> I've been told the reason why they are labeled " not for internal use " is

because in order to legally sell for food use they are supposed be tested by

some gov't agency, and most don't go to the bother

> and expense. Is that true? There's only one popular brand I know of that

doesn't try to restrict how the product is used, and that's 'Now' brand,

none of which is organic. People tell me 'Now' brand is

> really low quality stuff. But they all say " internal use allowed " .

 

See the below. Some sellers prefer to live dangerously.

 

> I'm especially fond of lemon. Two drops of pure lemon oil will flavor a

whole 2 pound tub of a plain yogurt. I recently purchased a small retail

size bottle of aromatherapy lemon oil of a brand called

> 'Nature's Alchemy' and of course it says " not for internal use " and I'm

wondering if anyone can tell me a good reason not to do just that? I've also

purchased Aura Cacia citrus oils in the past.

 

No comment .. but read on.

 

> Thanks for any info, and apologies if this has already been discussed to

death before I arrived.

 

Everything has been discussed to death for many years now but its

like taking a shower .. next day you gotta do it again. ;-)

 

> BTW, I don't mind an RTFM response, if there is a pointer to the

information.

 

Don't know what RTFM is but I have never had the time or desire to educate

one person at a time.

 

> dd

> Oklahoma City

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch

 

http://www.AV-AT.com <http://www.av-at.com/>

 

The Post ..............

 

> Butch I've received my bottles of Black Seed oil to take with the Oleander

Protocol for Cancer.

*First .. let me say that because I am not a medical doctor I have never and

will never sell a product with claims or even suggestions that it be used

with any form or protocol for any form of illness. I do sell proven

quality, pure natural products .. but how a customer chooses to use them is

their decision.

 

Then I will say that I have not used an over the counter or prescription

medication except for aspirin and a cholesterol lowering medication since

1995 .. I use my essential oils in manners that I know are both safe and

effective.*

 

*> *Your bottles are marked with no concentration info, only " DILUTE

PROPERLY " , and " EXTERNAL USE ONLY " .

 

*Correct .. it does have that warning on the label. ALL of my products

contain that warning. Why does the label on the oils contain such a

statement? The reason is .. because it is standard and common practice for

sellers in this industry who are responsible business managers/owners to

include warnings such as that on all essential oil bottles .. consider it as

a Cover Your Butt (CYB) warning .. similar to warnings on McDonald's coffee

cups now that say something like, " This Cup Contains A Hot Liquid ..

spilling in on your body could cause a burn. " McDonald's did get sued and

paid big bucks because a person spilled their coffee on themselves.

Domino's Pizza also carries a warning now on their pizza boxes, " Caution!

Contents hot!

 

Even Homeopathic products are now containing labels to protect the sellers

from being sued by the FDA or AMA .. one I have seen is

http://depletedcranium.com/warninglabel.gif .. are they going overboard?

Most likely they are .. but they want to protect themselves because the FDA

does do dumb things from time to time.

 

One very large company goes so far as to have the following on their web

site and has numbers 2, 3, 5. 7 & 8 on their labels:

* *ESSENTIAL OILS:

Hazards, Warnings, and Guidelines

*

 

*General Guidelines*

 

1. *Read and follow all label cautions and warnings *

2. *Keep out of reach of children and pets *

3. *Do not use on babies, children or pets *

4. *Keep away from flame, heat and ignition sources (essential oils are

flammable) *

5. *Do not apply undiluted (neat) essential oils directly onto skin;

dilute with a carrier oil first *

6. *Always conduct a patch test of diluted essential oil on the inner arm

before using; do not use if redness or irritation occurs *

7. *Do not ingest essential oils *

8. *Keep essential oils out of eyes, ears, nose, mouth and any body

opening *

9. *Never assume an essential oil possesses the same properties as its

plant *

10. *If you have sensitive skin, epilepsy, heart or kidney problems, or

any serious medical condition, do not use essential oils unless advised by a

physician or medical professional that it is safe.*

 

*I am told (hearsay information) that this company was warned by the FDA

that they were making too many claims so they decided to go overboard with

their warnings.

 

Check this out .. it is but one of thousands of examples you can find on the

I-Net*

**

*

http://www.insurancejournal.com/comments/?a=/magazines/midwest/2004/06/21/featur\

es/43391.htm & c=2059

 

I have a baby stroller that came with instructions to Remove Child Before

Folding .. there is a label on a Microwave now that states, " " Do not use for

drying pets. " Nytol, a brand of sleeping pills, says on the label ..

" Warning: May cause drowsiness. " I think you have the point.

 

Frivolous Lawsuits are common now in America and illogical juries have often

awarded ridiculous payments to people for their lack of common sense.

Therefore, it has been common practice in this and many other industries to

warn people in order to Cover Their Own Butts.

 

When asked if my oils are suitable for ingestion .. I reply in many ways ..

like: I am not a medical doctor, therefore, I am legally not authorized to

recommend or even suggest ingestion of an essential oil .. to do so could be

seen by some people as me practicing medicine without a license. However,

if one considers any oils as being suitable for ingestion based on the

quality and purity of the oil .. then they would consider mine as being so

because the quality and purity are above the norm and proven to be so by

laboratory analysis using Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry testing.

 

 

I go on to say .. though I can't recommend or suggest ingestion .. putting a

drop or three of various oils into a nice bowl of soup can make the soup

taste better and might even improve the nutritional value of the soup.

Sprucing up a tea with a drop or two of various EO can be a nice experience

... as can be the inclusion of some pure and tested Hydrosols. And on and on

... also, people ask me if I ingest EO and I often say .. Yes, some EO I

ingest .. as do many other professionals who are aware of the properties of

EO and know to use the proper EO in the proper amounts for the proper

problem or symptom. However, I can't recommend others do as I do.

 

If a spice or herb is safe to use in cooking .. then the EO from that spice

or herb is safe .. if .. used in a small amount. EO are highly

concentrated substances .. in some cases it takes tons of aromatic plant

material to produce just one pound of EO. Black Cumin/Black Seed (Nigella

sativa) is NOT concentrated because it is a pressed oil .. so the previous

statement does not apply. And it has been used in cooking and baking for

centuries .. it has been ingested for centuries. It is mentioned often as

a miraculous cure in the Koran.

 

One of the many fine articles Martin Watt has on his web site is on the

subject of ingestion or internal use of EO ..

http://www.aromamedical.com/articles/internal.html

 

That's it in a nutshell. Since I began selling EO in 1995 I have included

such warnings and I know of not a single responsible seller of EO who does

not include similar warnings. If a seller does not include them then that

seller might be a con artist or an amateur who is probably running an

expensive hobby rather than a responsible business.

 

The Lion's share of essential oils are produced for use in the flavorings

and fragrance industries .. just a very small percentage are used in

Alternative Complementary Treatments. Many foods we eat are flavored with

EO .. but in all cases .. the percentage of EO used in those foods have been

approved by the FDA .. the companies can control the amount of EO used in

their products. A seller of EO cannot know that some person might not try

to drink 10 ml of an EO that is not used in foods .. maybe even in a crazy

attempt to commit suicide.

 

Are these warnings logical? Not in my opinion! Are they necessary? Yes!*

 

> I need dilution instructions for oral use.

*Because I am not a medical doctor I am not legally authorized to suggest

ingestion of any essential oils .. and it I were to suggest dilution for

oral use I would be placing myself in harm's way .. according to my

attorney. I will say that there are many knowledgeable people who know

which EO can be ingested in small amounts .. and I myself ingest. I cook

with EO and from strictly a point of purity there are no problems with

ingestion of my EO.

 

As for Nigella sativa .. I have NEVER heard of anyone who wants to ingest it

diluting it at all .. and I know MANY people who do ingest it. I lived

over 26 years in Turkey .. 19+ years during my last trip which ended in

summer 2007 .. and I can say that it is quite normal for Turks (and many

Muslims) to include professors of Pharmacognosy .. to ingest Black Cumin

(Nigella sativa) on a routine basis .. without dilution.

 

Finally .. there are recommended rates of dilution for some oils in various

safety manuals .. these rates are based on the old form of LD-50 testing ..

but there has never been .. and in my opinion there will never be .. such

tests made on Nigella sativa because it is NOT a harmful oil.

 

Would I ingest my Nigella sativa without dilution .. in a heart beat I would

... and in fact I do .. but I am not in a position to be telling anyone else

to ingest anything at any rate of dilution. *

 

*> *If you cannot provide I must return the products.

T*hat is your call .. I will take back any bottle that is not opened. But

understand that regardless of where you obtain your product the facts I have

laid out above will still apply. Perhaps another seller will tell you

exactly what you want to hear ... perhaps they will tell you there is no

need to dilute .. but since your question is presented in a manner that

requires a reply for the purpose of ingestion .. and I can not recommend or

suggest ingestion .. I am between a rock and a hard place when it comes to

giving you a reply .. thus .. this long reply rather than a much easier

one. I would have preferred a shorter answer .. and if we had been face

to face I guarantee that it would have been shorter .. but this one is in

writing so I must be careful of what I write. *;-)

 

> Sincerely XXXXXX

*I wish you luck .. and good health .. and happiness.

 

Keep smiling. :-)

 

Butch ... http://www.AV-AT.com <http://www.av-at.com/>

**

*

Then his reply back to me.

 

> Hi Butch. Thank you for the very informative letter informing me of your

standards, etc.

*You are welcome .. but it appears that you would rather deal with someone

who will tell you what you want to hear rather than how it really is in the

real world of natural products .. and that you would prefer to gamble on

ordering unproved quality rather than known quality.*

 

> Please send me return instructions for my 4 unopened bottles.

*I will do this .. but reluctantly. Not because of the money .. its

peanuts .. or even the time required to reply to your surprising inquiry and

having to deal with a return .. its all about principle. Sellers don't

normally take returns on quality products when there is no valid reason for

a return .. but I'm not a normal seller .. so .. you can return them to:

 

Appalachian Valley Natural Products

P. O. Box 515

Friendsville, MD 21531

 

When the 4 bottles are returned in good shape .. safety seals unbroken .. we

will send you a check for $21.56 .. that is .. $5.39 x 4 ... to you.

*

> Unfortunately I opened one of them.

 

*Not sure why you think that is unfortunate .. odds are pretty good that you

will think its fortunate when you compare my product with whatever you get

later. *;-)

 

> Sincerely XXXXXXXXXX

 

*I wish you well .. in whatever it is you are trying to accomplish. :-)

Butch*