WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL OILS?

Essential oils are actually not oils! They are the aromatic and volatile chemicals contained within certain plant species. About 1% of plant series on earth are aromatic in nature.

Essential oils have healing properties. There are chemical constituents in essential oils. They are hydrocarbon based. Then they have different functional additions depending on the plant - such as alkenes, alchohols, phenols, aldehydes, ketones, esters, ethers, furanocoumarins.

The compounds are stored in specialized cells of the plant. The essential oil can also be different in various parts of the plant. For example cinnamon can be from the bark or the leaf - Cinnamon Leaf has a main component of Eugenol, whereas Cinnamaldehyde is in Cinnamon Bark.

Essential oils can be obtained from many different parts of plants: flowers, leaves (peppermint), fruits (orange), seeds (fennel), grasses (lemongrass), roots, rhizomes (ginger), woods (cedar), barks (cinnamon), gums (frankincense) tree blossoms (ylang-ylang), bulbs (garlic), and dried flower buds (clove).

These essential oils are used by the plant for various functions - such as attracting beneficial insects or as a defense against insects. They can be helpful to the plant in healing an injury such as damaged leaf or torn bark. Animals get benefits such as reparatory, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-bug and immune and digestive support from essential oils.

Essential oils are created in the plant by several processes. One of the ways is a biosynthetic pathway that creates the building block of essential oils. Plants and animals (including humans) share this biosynthetic pathway in common. So this makes the essential oils useful for animals as well as the plant.

The body metabolizes each individual component separately of the essential oil. Each has its own specific enzymatic pathway to process and eliminate the constituents. Hydration is important when using essential oils.

Essential oils can be absorbed by the body in various ways. Inhalation is the mildest method and is highly effective and highly safe. Absorption through the lungs and into the blood stream means it by-passes the need to go through the liver. Essential oils absorb easily into the grease of skin or hair follicles. So even essential oils present in the air can permeate fur and be absorbed transdermally. When taken orally, the essential oil is less available to the body than via other routes of absorption since it is first metabolized by the liver (vessels in the stomach go directly to the liver).

Melissa Shelton describes essential oils as “plant based medicine” and says it’s about “the syngergy and magic that the entire plant creates” not just its individual constituents.

CARE OF essential oils

• Keep in dark, cool conditions in sealed container.

• Essential oils are degraded by oxygen (exposure to air) and heat and light.

• When stored in these conditions, the pure essential oils from AnimalEO last several years.

APPLICATION of essential oils

Essential oils can be absorbed by the body in various ways. Some constituents are more readily absorbed through a certain mode. The best method will depend on the species of animal and the essential oil being used. Dr Melissa Shelton says that exposure to small amounts more frequently has better results than a large dose at a higher concentration.

DIFFUSION: Inhalation is the mildest method and is highly effective and highly safe. Absorption through the lungs and into the blood stream means it by-passes the need to go through the liver. Essential oils absorb easily into the grease of skin or hair follicles. So even essential oils present in the air can permeate fur and be absorbed transdermally. If the animal has hair follicles then dermal absorption occurs as well through diffusion of essential oil into the air. Only neat essential oils can be diffused, not the ready to use (RTU) ones that have an added carrier oil.

PETTING: This very simple method of applying essential oils to animals can be used with either neat or diluted essential oils. The method called “Petting”, involves applying the essential oil (single or blend) to your hands. Your hands are then rubbed together, and a varying amount of essential oil is allowed to remain on your palms. This amount may vary from completely absorbed for a smaller animals (for say gerbils) to an obvious coating of oil spread out over your hands. Your hands are then used to pet the animal. This technique can be used “all over” the body, or can be concentrated on specific locations.

ORALLY WITH FOOD: Certain essential oils are best ingested (such as Any-Itis). However, when taken orally less of the essential oil is available to the body than via other routes of absorption since it is first metabolized by the liver (vessels in the stomach go directly to the liver). So this is not usually the best application method for essential oils. The essential oils drops can be added to moist food (so the oils are absorbed in the mouth rather than just swallowed).

IN DRINKING WATER: Dogs are much easier to work with for this method. Starting with small amounts and gradually increasing the concentration is still advisable, along with careful monitoring of acceptance and water intake. While 1 drop per liter of drinking water is average, there are many dogs who drink from horse troughs with much higher concentrations of essential oils added to the water. Use of a ceramic, glass, or stainless steel drinking bowl is still advised, and mixing the oil thoroughly into the water is needed. Although the oil may separate slightly with time, this does not appear to cause huge concerns. Be careful that the essential oils are not putting the animal off drinking their water. Hydration is especially important when receiving essential oils.