Essential Oils and your Microbiome
This one will be a long one so buckle up, but if you have ever wondered if you are doing your gut a disservice by using essential oils this blog post is for you. I will try to keep this as researched as possible but I also have my own personal experience to add as well as information from the education that I received. We also have to remember that with essential oils they are constantly being studied (either by the whole oil or within a single constituent) and things may change for the better or worse as far as information. With that being said, let us dive into the world of our microbiome and gut health and find out if essential oils are actually as dangerous as some people like to say.
This thought process often stems from the fact that it’s often said that essential oils are antibacterial. While this is technically true we need to look at this claim objectively. Individual constituents (components) of the essential oils contain antibacterial properties. When an individual constituent of an essential oil is studied in this manner it can tell us a lot, but it also doesn’t tell us everything. We are missing key information like: how this particular constituent works with the other constituents present, how much of the single constituent is in a particular oil. So while many oils are known for their antibacterial properties, we have to take it with a grain of salt as well because it is not a perfect science here and it may or may not work that way for a particular person. People also hear antibacterial and automatically assume that it’s a bad thing, that antibacterial properties cannot distinguish between and bad bacteria and therefore are incredibly dangerous. The thing is though, our bodies are generally pretty well rounded and tend to not attack themselves (unless other issues are present in the body such as an autoimmune disease) so while I agree that we shouldn’t over use antibacterial things (let’s give our bodies a chance to build immunity against things) it’s not always so dire if we use something antibacterial. I handle a lot of farm ick on a day to day basis so you will definitely catch me adding some of these oils to my hand soap.
That all being said, while studies point to antibacterial properties of essential oils that doesn’t make it a bad thing and we need to recognize that it is referring to and induvial constituent(s) of the essential oil in question. But, it is not something to fear as there are no current studies pointing to essential oils destroying the microbiome or attacking anything good in the body. We can see a quote from a blog post of Robert Tisserand addressing this exact thing.
“But in the meantime, it is rash to assume that essential oils negatively affect the balance of bowel flora, because there is no clinical evidence that this happens. On the other hand, decades of clinical experience by doctors in France suggests that essential oils frequently heal both acute and chronic infections without the damaging, and often long-lasting effect on bowel flora that comes from the use of antibiotics.” -Robert Tisserand, Essential Oils and Gut Flora July 14th 2014
I could wrap this post up here and call it a day. There simply are not the studies to support this claim, and many studies point to essential oils being incredibly beneficial to our guts and actually help to support/balance the microbiome. Let’s not stop there though and lets look at some of the studies that have happened.
Let’s look at a study that was done by Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications on the use of Sweet Orange in a study for weight loss and gut microbiota.
“Highlights
Sweet orange essential oil (SOEO) microcapsules had weight loss effect on obese SD rats induced by high-fat diet.
SOEO microcapsules increased the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium (genus-level) in gut microbiota.
SOEO microcapsules protected gut barrier and decreased gut endotoxin levels by increasing the content of Bifidobacterium.” -BBRC Volume 505, Issue 4, 10 November 2018, Pages 991-995
In this study they explored the effects of sweet orange oil with weight loss and an abundance of bifidobacterium in rats. This study is certainly a step closer to seeing what good essential oils can do for gut health but we do also have to keep in mind that this was done on rats and isn’t entirely conclusive until we see the effect on humans as well. However the study does indicated that sweet orange oil could be incredibly beneficial to gut health and weight loss.
We have another study looking at the effects of peppermint essential oil in the treatment of IBS (irritable bowl syndrome) from the the BMJ (British medical journal) there was favor found in this being helpful for IBS treatment.
“Conclusion: Fibre, antispasmodics, and peppermint oil were all more effective than placebo in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome.” -BMJ 2008;337:a2313
This study was done on humans and used peppermint, other drugs and a placebo and everything did better than the placebo (which was nothing) and indicated a use for peppermint essential oil in the treatment of IBS. Now this study also indicates that it is not necessarily a replacement for medicine as other options worked well for IBS but it is interesting to see how an essential oil is fairing in a human trial. The entirety of the study is also way more complicated than simply claiming “peppermint oil cures IBS” because it does not and is not what the study was about. The peppermint provided relief for IBS more than the placebo but this was also compared alongside other methods that faired better than the peppermint in some instances.
There are several studies working on essential oils and gut health, so it is important to consider the different studies and what they have to say. However indications in studies favor essential oils being beneficial and to reiterate Tisserand there is no clinical evidence that the essential oils are bad for the microbiome/gut health. This could be because they are incredibly beneficial or because we simply haven’t discovered negative reactions yet. I tend to lean more towards the beneficial side because there are several studies already done that point to the positives on essential oils and gut health. But it can be hard to really garner information like this when essential oils are still studied on a smaller scale, are still being studied and significantly lack in actual human studies at times. Animal testing is questionable both morally and accurately but it does provide some answers. Invitro (testing on a cellular level) is also helpful but doesn’t give us the same answers as a human test subject would. Also testing altogether is a questionable area in my opinion because it does open an ethical question (like animal testing) and is not exactly a perfect science when it comes to giving solid answers. So far we do the best with the information that is out there, and so far current research points towards essential oils being safe and effective for the microbiome.
Okay so we got all that out of the way, I’m not sure about you but as interesting as studies are they can be a bit much to sift through and sometimes I just want my answers. It is important to look at these studies as whole though, so I do encourage everyone to click the links and check them out. I purposely picked only 2 studies, contrasting ones at least, because it is a lot of reading and I didn’t want to waste time or link things that would be overlooked as it is incredibly important to see these for ourselves and at least see what the research has to say.
Let’s talk about essential oils for gut health and the microbiome too, because I am not going to throw together a blog post and ignore the fact that essential oils can help us as far as the microbiome is concerned. I will be breaking this up into 3 parts: Skin, digestion and Immunity as this will encompass most of what consists of our microbiome (even though we have talked about gut health a lot here that is not the only portion in regards to the microbiome). It is also important to note that essential oils are never considered a cure, while they may be beneficial in many areas or for many symptoms it is also important to seek help for the underlying causes.
The integumentary system (skin)
Essential oils can be useful for the skin in many ways. Some oils contain moisturizing properties that help with dry skin, some have soothing properties that help with irritation. Many essential oils are sought after for skin care and helping balance the skin in a variety of ways. I will list some common conditions and several essential oils that would be good to use. Remember that this might vary by person and that we should also maintain a proper dilution when using essential oils topically. 1-3% for daily adult use with a .5%-1% for facial use. Always properly dilute your essential oils and never use undiluted essential oil on the skin especially sensitive areas such as the face, armpits or genitals.
Normal/Combination Skin
Lavender
Roman Chamomile
Rose
Rosemary
Cedarwood
Cypress
Ylang Ylang
Dry Skin
Marjoram
Geranium
Myrrh
Clary Sage
Sandalwood
Orange
Oily Skin
Bergamot (I recommend buying this one from Plant Therapy as it’s generally phototoxic but Plant Therapy makes a non-phototoxic one)
Tea Tree
Basil
Peppermint
Germain Chamomile
Petitgrain
Aging/Mature Skin
Carrot Seed
Geranium
Rose
Jasmine
Frankincense
Puffiness
Oregano
Cypress
Rosemary
Roman Chamomile
Stretch Marks
Frankincense
Lavender
Neroli
Mandarin
Rose Geranium
Vetiver
Myrrh
Sagging Skin
Lavender
Helichrysum
Patchouli
Cypress
Cellulite
Juniper
Cypress
Lemon (phototoxic essential oil- it will react in sunlight use at nighttime or underclothes)
Grapefruit (phototoxic essential oil- it will react in sunlight use at nighttime or underclothes)
Lavender
Geranium
Itchy Skin
Lavender
Helichrysum
Jasmine
Patchouli
Acne
Tea Tree
Frankincense
Helichrysum
Lavender
Sandalwood
The Digestive System
Topical and aromatic use can be incredible beneficial to the digestive system. I strongly recommend that you work with a trained professional (or just don’t) before ingesting essential oils. You can exasperate conditions or cause more harm with ingesting.
Essential oils for the digestive tract
Dill Seed: helps with bloating and gas
Carrot Seed: helps with digestion
Spearmint: helps with dyspepsia or heartburn. Great for flatulence, constipation, vomiting and nausea.
Peppermint: Helps with digestion, heartburn, nausea and vomiting.
Ginger: Good for nausea
Coriander: Helps heartburn pains, indigestion, diarrhea and cramps.
The Immune System
Essential oils are a wonderful tool for supporting the immune system, so I thought I would also include this portion as well because a large part of microbiome is what the immune system is exposed to. While essential oils are not a cure, they can be incredibly beneficial with amazing properties that may help support our immune system in various ways.
Essential oils for immune support
Tea Tree: a popular choice for three different types of infectious organisms; bacterial, fungal and viral.
Bay Laurel: with chemical constituents of cineole and linalool this oil has noted antiseptic, antibiotic and analgesic properties as well as many other noted properties.
Eucalyptus: an effective oil for helping combat cold and flu symptoms-typically congestion related issues.
Bergamot: has antiseptic properties.
Frankincense: Often used for respiratory issues.
Oregano: antiviral, antifungal, antibacterial and ant parasitic properties.
Now, it is important to note that essential oils are not a replacement for proper care and medicines. They can be incredibly useful though and are a great option for immune system support with properties ranging from antibacterial to antiviral as well as many oils noting properties that help to clear congestion and/or provide relief and support with cold/flu like symptoms.
Thank you so much for reading, your support means a lot. If you have any questions feel free to email me at holisticary@gmail.com or call/text me at 641-631-6355This blog post was meant to educate and entertain, it is entirely my opinion and not meant to treat or diagnose anyone or to be taken as absolute unwavering fact. Please seek proper medical care and advice. Some links might contain affiliate links, this is at no cost to you and helps the blog. Sources cited in this blog post are not my own and I do not claim them as my own, I have linked and cited them accordingly.