The purpose of this book is to serve as a quick reference for essential oils and medication interactions. My wife introduced me to essential oils, which I initially met with skepticism, but used them daily as she advised. Several months later, I found myself in my physician’s office to have my blood pressure reevaluated. I had been on antihypertensive meds for 10 years. Two weeks prior to this appointment, I was having near syncopal episodes (near fainting). My physician advised me to stop taking my meds until I could see her in the office. Two weeks later, at my appointment, she checks my blood pressure and it was lower than it had ever been on meds. The only variable was the oils that I had been taking. She said “whatever you are doing is working, keep it up.” She advised me to stop taking the meds and keep a close check on my blood pressure. I was in disbelief. I would go to work every day for months and immediately check, expecting it to be elevated, and to my surprise, it stayed with in normal limits. After that, I began reading every clinical, and academic study on essential oils that I could get my hands on. I was blown away! There were so many benefits to using essential oils. As a healthcare professional, I felt a deep obligation to share this information with the world. There were volumes of information available on the uses and benefits, but very little information in the way of safety and medication interactions. I decided to compile this information and make it available to the public, as I have found very few publications with this information.
Essential oils are extracted by distillation from various parts of plants (seeds, stems, leaves, blossoms, bark, roots, etc.). These oils contain hundreds of unique compounds that can have physiological and emotional effects on the body. Most Western medicines are derived from these compounds. Pharmaceutical companies attempt to isolate individual compounds and synthesize them in order to create a consistent, stable and reproducible effect. The resulting medicine is now able to treat one specific condition. The drawback to this is that it is synthetic, and has additional compounds and chemicals added to produce the desired effect. This results in what we know as side effects. The end result is a medication that addresses one ailment and has numerous side effects, whereas one Essential oil can address numerous ailments and have very few side effects. For example, I can think of at least 50 uses for Lemon Oil alone. This is because essential oils retain their multitude of beneficial compounds.
It is imperative that one use only certified pure therapeutic grade essential oils. A majority of the oils that you find in your local grocery or health food store are not therapeutic grade. This means that they may have artificial additives, preservatives, scents or dyes. These will not give you the therapeutic effects and might be potentially dangerous to your health. Please choose your oils from a reputable source.
The benefits of using Essential oils for our physical and emotional well being are vast, when used appropriately. Inappropriate use can lead to very serious consequences and toxicity. Anything can be harmful if taken in excess, even water. When using essential oils, it is best to remember, “Less is more.” Essential oils are highly concentrated. For example, one drop of peppermint oil is equivalent to drinking 28 cups of peppermint tea.
Because Essential oils contain so many compounds, some of these can interact with medications, leading to increased side effects, alterations in drug levels, and other serious complications. It is not my attempt to dissuade people from using essential oils, but to educate and inform the public on safe and responsible use.
