Are Essential Oils Essential?

When it comes to food, the colors you see in plants provide powerful information. They often signal the rich nutrient density of the plant. When you look at a blueberry and see that color, you see delphinidin-3-galactoside. When you look at a carrot and see that color, you see beta carotene. Our eyes are adapted to notice the critical nutrients in food. The flavor molecules that we taste and seek after in plants are often important molecules for our health. That’s why our tongue is adapted to taste them. The color in food can also be a sign that the plant is dangerous, like a poisonous berry. It’s meant to alert us to stay away. What Is Are Essential Oils? Essential oils are the essential smell of a plant — the essence of the plant. These are molecules that our nose is adapted to detect. Those aromas may be messages that we are near molecules of benefit, or they may be messages about molecules we should avoid. Either way, it’s a signal we should pay attention to. The Essential Oil Movement In the last few years, there’s been a lot of hubbub online, in the popular press, and possibly from your next-door neighbor about essential oils. Some of the proponents of essential oil products say, or at least infer, that these oils are special – they are essential. They have used the word to mean indispensable or required rather than the scientific meaning of the smell of the plant. The essence. The overuse and misuse of the term essential oil has caused some to dismi...
Source: Conversations with Dr Greene - Category: Child Development Authors: Tags: Dr. Greene's Blog Bambini Essential Oils Herbal Natural Source Type: blogs