For Science!

My inner science geek was calling to me as I continued to experience the amazing benefits of my essential oils. I wanted to know how they work and what exactly they do. I started a lengthy research project and found multiple sources on the chemistry and biology behind how these oils affect our bodies. Here's what I found...

The essential oils, since they are lipophilic (fat loving), are able to enter cells through the fatty lipid membrane. They can enter your blood stream and aid in immunity. This is so great because this means essential oils can help fight against bacteria, antibiotic resistance, and viruses in your body. Many antibiotics on the market today are only made to target one or two pathways the bacteria need to survive. Since bacteria can adapt and become resist to that one pathway the antibiotics are trying to destroy and utilize another mechanism for survival, the antibiotics are no longer effective. This leads to the antibiotic resistance we are hearing a lot about these days. And most of us know that viruses hide out inside the cell so medications can’t target them very easily. This is where essential oils come to save the day! Since essential oils can actually enter your cells, they work with your body on a cellular level to aid in maintaining homeostasis. For those non-science people out there, this is the system your body uses to regulate temperature and balance function of the body’s internal environment in response to external conditions. This means the bacteria can never become resistant to the essential oils because it’s not just targeting one pathway… it’s helping out the whole system! The essential oils are helping to regulate and maintain a balance within our healthy cells and destroy cells that are abnormal. And those viruses don’t stand a chance once the essential oils cross the lipid membrane.

Interesting Fact: Essential oils are great for helping maintain healthy cells in the body by regulating the mitochondria, or energy producing organelles, of our cells. Therefore cancer cells, which over produce mitochondria to aid in rapid cell growth leading to formation of cancer cells or tumors, are shut down by properties in the essential oils using a process called apoptosis, or programmed cell death.

Science Article: If any is like me and wants to know the science behind how essential oils are antibiotic resistant free, here is a link to a scientific article published in 2014 by The Open Microbiology Journal.

Science Article: Here is an article that talks about cancer and essential oils. I know both of these articles are a bit lengthy, but they are very interesting and explain the mechanism behind how essential oils work to combat the bacteria and destroy cancer cells.

DoTERRA Science Blog: For more information, visit the Science Blog DoTERRA hosts to learn more about essential oils.