For those in the holistic health and lifestyle world, essential oils are ubiquitous. Even common, perhaps. 

In fact, for those of us who have been using essential oils for a long time, we may feel that we know all there is to know about these incredible substances. 

But, in chatting with people, even seasoned veterans of essential oil use, I find there are a few surprising facts that have escaped our notice for the most part. Here they are!

Fun fact: essential oils are not oils, in the truest sense of that word. 

Surprising facts about essential oils you need to know

1) Essential oils are not oil. 

Nope. Not even a little bit. And by that, I mean that essential oils are not lipids, aka fats. 

Lipids are fatty acids like waxes, oils, and steroids. These organic compounds are insoluble, for the most part, in water. This is sciency. But stick with me. 

Essential oils are secondary metabolites of plants. These are extra substances that the plant does not need to make in order to stay alive. They have in common with lipids that they are not usually soluble in water. This is great because that means they do mix well with carrier oils which also have their own therapeutic properties for the body. 

While lipids are made of fatty acids, essential oils are made of organic chemicals. Examples of these organic chemicals are monoterpenes, sesquiterpene lactones, esters, and ketones, to name just a few.

Shockingly, only .11% of the world’s plants produce essential oils. 

#2. Not all plants contain essential oils. 

In fact, most do not. Only the plants that have been around long enough to have time to evolve what is essentially functioning as an immune system have learned how to produce secondary metabolites, including essential oils. 

At most recent count, there are 391,000 species of plants in the world (WOW!). But of those, only 450 of so plants produce essential oils. Of those, an even smaller percentage are used in therapeutic aromatherapy. This means that .11% of plants in the world produce this kind of secondary metabolite. This is astonishing. When we use essential oils, we truly are using some special plant intelligence.

You know the power of the essential oils of the pepper family if you love spicy food or if you have ever made salsa. 

3#. Not all essential oils smell great. In fact, some are super duper pungent. 

Do you like horseradish? I find it to be absolutely vile, personally, except when it is in fire cider. Nevertheless, it does have culinary and medicinal uses. Here where I live, the descendents Germans from Russia immigrants regularly made horseradish paste. I also understand the Native Americans use it as an ingredient in fire cider. Processing this plant requires goggles and gloves due to the strong aromatic components in the plant. 

So my friends. Can you imagine putting horseradish essential oil into your diffuser? So gross. 

There are some essential oils like this that are used as flavoring agents in foods, but are not typically used in therapeutic aromatherapy. Horseradish essential oil may be analgesic, but as a practitioner, I can think of about 40 other choices for that purpose before I would ever reach for horseradish essential oil.

Mustard is a beautiful plant to look at, and I love mustard on my hot dogs, but NOT in my diffuser. 

Similarly there is mustard essential oil distilled from the mustard plant. Yep. Same plant that you spread on your hot dog. But in a lotion or serum? Not really my idea of a spa experience, personally. 

Many of these more intense essential oils are used as pesticides and fumigants in industrial settings. 

The capsicums (pepper genus) also have essential oils. As you might imagine, these essential oils can cause burning to the skin and eyes (ever rub your eyes after making salsa?). This is an essential oil that is best to stay in food form or as a flavoring agent, in my opinion. The essential oil does exist for purchase for the general public but comes with a laundry list of cautions, and for good reason. 

Camphor is another strong-smelling essential oil that needs to be used with extreme caution. My husband had a severe skin burn from a common product containing camphor essential oil. This product is used for muscle soreness/tightness. Instead of helping with that, it basically made his skin melt off. It was a big lesson for us both that even natural things need to be treated with respect and spot-tested to make sure there are no skin reactions. 

And even essential oils that smell good to us need to be used with proper precautions, especially cinnamon leaf and bark, wintergreen, and birch. (Learn more about essential oil safety at naha.org)

Here where I live, there are several invasive weed species that, according to studies, produce essential oil. One of these is kochia (Bassia scoparia). It would be great if we could take this invasive species and turn it in to aromatic medicine. But. Have you ever smelled a kochia? I cannot imagine this essential oil would smell good, even if it does have therapeutic benefits. Perhaps there is room for exploration here, but I am not chomping at the bit as kochia is also LOADED with pollen and nearly impossible to work with for anyone who has allergies. 

Hopefully all of this makes you hungry to learn more. Check out all of my available online essential oil classes to continue to deepen your knowledge. 

Or, consider joining us in the Rewild + Untame Community