Why I Recommend Not Using Certain Essential Oils
I have seen a lot of things lately talking about toxic essential oils. Warnings not to use certain ones, or to be aware that there are great risks associated with some essential oils. Other people talking about how it’s silly to be afraid of an essential oil and that it’s fear mongering to talk about the risks that come with certain oils. I felt it was time to make a post hashing out all my thoughts to this, and my view on essential oils that come with a heavy warning label.
First thing I want to say is that I tend to be on the more cautious side, so yes I will always let people know if an essential oil is more dangerous or needs to be used with caution (or avoided all together) and I do not say these things coming from a place of fear but rather a place of knowledge. Knowing the possible side effects of using these essential oils, and knowing how to properly use oils (and also seeing so many people casually using oils like these daily or even with their children) makes me want to be safe and also ensure other people are safe. When I say to avoid or not use an oil, I do it because it’s not worth the risk unless you really need to use that oil or you know how to properly utilize the oil.
Now I want to get into the oils that do come with heavy risks, and what those risks are. I think it’s important to inform others what oils I am talking about, and what these risks are (and what those risks mean, because I feel like often times people aren’t really sure what it means when an oil has a certain label) so that they know the reasoning behind why so many aromatherapists are giving the recommendations they do for these oils. For the sake of time, I am only listing common essential oils that I see regularly used or recommended, if I have never seen or heard of the oil outside of my studies than I won’t be listing it because chances are no one else has heard of it either. I am also only listing oils that come with a do not use warning, many other oils come with other kinds of warnings and safeties to know as well. And it goes without saying that none of the oils I talk about today are pregnancy, breastfeeding, baby or child safe so NEVER use these oils for any of those (breastfeeding is a bit more lax just be educated on the risks, though personally I wouldn’t use the oils on this list while breastfeeding) and please know and educate yourself on the risks of these oils.
Risky essential oils:
Allspice (Pimenta officinalis, Pimenta dioica): Anti-coagulant (blood thinner) and should be avoided in all methods with any blood thinning medicines, even aspirin, as well as before and after surgery. Avoid ingesting this oil (although my stance is to never ingest essential oils unless under the guidance of a trained professional) if you are using pethidine, MAOIs or SSRIs. Potentially carcinogenic (cancer causing) oil. Topical max of 1.5%
Anise (Pimpinella anisum, Illicium verum): Anti-coagulant (blood thinner) and should be avoided in all methods with any blood thinning medicines, even aspirin, as well as before and after surgery. Potentially carcinogenic (cancer causing) oil. Its a reproductive hormone modulator, do not use with endometriosis or estrogen dependent cancers. Topical max of 1.7%
Basil (Pungent Ocimum gratissimum): Anti-coagulant (blood thinner) and should be avoided in all methods with any blood thinning medicines, even aspirin, as well as before and after surgery. Potentially carcinogenic (cancer causing) oil. Do not ingest (although my stance is to never ingest essential oils unless under the guidance of a trained professional) if you are using pethidine, MAOIs or SSRIs. Topical max of .8%
Camphor (Brown) (Cinnomomum camphora, Laurus camphora): Do not use (this one doesn’t really have a lot, it’s potentially carcinogenic but due to lack of knowledge on this one honestly just don’t use this one at all there are some heavy warnings of not using with Brown Camphor)
Dill Seed (Indian) (Anethum sowa): Hepatotoxic (damaging to the liver), nephrotoxic (kidney failure) Topical max of 1.4%
Fennel (Bitter and Sweet) (Foenicululm vulgare): Anti-coagulent (blood thinner) and should be avoided in all methods with any blood thinning medicines, even aspirin, as well as before and after surgery. Potentially carcinogenic (cancer causing). It’s a reproductive hormone modulater do not use with endometriosis or estrogen dependent cancers. Topical max of (bitter) 1.8% (sweet) 2.5%
Ho Leaf (Camphor) (Cinnomomum camphora ct camphor): Neurotoxic (adverse reactions to the nervous system), potential convulsant do not use with epilepsy. Do not ingest if using diabetes medications, or drugs metabolized by CYP2E1.
Laurel Leaf (Laurus nobilis): Potentially carcinogenic (cancer causing) oil, do not use topically on damaged or broken skin
Myrtle (Myrtus communis): Do not ingest if using diabetes medicine. Potentially carcinogenic (cancer causing) Topical max of 1.9%
Nutmeg (East Indian and West Indian) (Myristica fragrans, Myristica officinalis, Myristica moschata, Myristica aromatica, Myristica amboinensis): Physcotropic (affects behavior, mood, thoughts or perception). Potentially carcinogenic (cancer causing) oil. Topical max of .8% (East) and 5% (West)
Parsley (Leaf and Seed) (Peroselinium crispum, Petroselinum sativum): (Leaf) Toxic, hepatotoxic (liver failure) nephrotoxic (kidney failure). (Seed) Do not ingest if using pethidine, MAOIs or SSRIs. Topical max 14.6% (Leaf) 1.1% (Seed)
Ravensara (Bark and Leaf) (Ravensara aromatica, Ravensara anisata): (Bark) anti-coagulant (blood thinner) do not use with any method on any blood thinning medicines, even aspirin, as well as before and after surgery. Do not ingest if using pethidine. MAOIs and SSRIs. Potentially carcinogenic (cancer causing) oil. (Leaf) Potentially carcinogenic. Topical max of .1% (Bark) 1% (Leaf)
Most of the oils on this list are either carcinogenic (cancer causing) or anti-coagulant (blood thinning) and are oils that absolutely need to be labeled as such if being offered to the public, however I have yet to find a company that adequately labels all of the oils that are of this concern properly. So people do not know and they are being used in many holiday blends, or kid blends and even just sold as single oils without any warnings on them. I do not say this, or share this information as a fear tactic. I have nothing to gain from telling anyone this anyways. I’m not paid to blog, I’m not paid to post or share any of this. I share because I care and people should know the risks. People should know that nutmeg can essentially be mind altering. People need to know what oils run the risk of liver or kidney failure; or if some oils have the potential to cause cancer. These are things that people need to and deserve to know.
Sadly most companies, or even people, are sharing oils like this without also sharing these risks. In a lot of cases there are other oils that can achieve the same things. If someone doesn’t know and then uses an oil that comes with one of these warnings than something could potentially happen. And while a lot of the time with proper usage, these oils could be fine, they just aren’t shared as such and are recommended to be used daily or at high dilutions. Sometimes they are even recommended to be used by children or babies, and unfortunately that is just not safe. If you knew an oil you were using could cause some (or all) of these issues, would you continue to use it? Would you use it on your children? I wouldn’t, I would only use them on occasion or if I really needed to. And I wouldn’t be using them on my children.
So, why do I care so much about the safety? Because a lot of the time you can opt for another much safer oil and achieve the same results. The other day I saw a post raving about how great nutmeg is for muscle relief or stomach issues because it is a warming oil and that we shouldn’t be afraid of this oil. But here is the thing, if you can achieve those same results using another oil (because there are many oils great for stomach issues or muscle issues) than why would you risk that with nutmeg? Again, this isn’t intended to make anyone afraid or use fear, but if you know the risks and it’s not worth it than why risk it?
So at the end of the day, these oils do come with heavy warning labels and they really should be used with extreme caution and at the choice of an adult. Adults are perfectly capable of making their own informed choices. These oils should not, however, be used with babies/children/pregnancies/breastfeeding and not at the harm of anyone else either. They are not to be diffused around other people who do not have a say or you do not know if they are on medications. They are not to be used at extreme dilutions or overused in anyway. I certainly do not recommend ever ingesting them (and really you shouldn’t be ingesting anyways unless working with someone trained to do so) and they should be used with the knowledge of their risks and potential side effects.
Do I think that these oils should absolutely never ever be used? No, when I say to avoid an oil or to not used one it’s not out of fear or me saying we should never use it. But in the world of essential oil companies, safeties are not shared and I think that unless you NEED that oil than it should be last on the list of oils we need to use. But I do love holiday blends just as much as the next person, and I have no qualms if someone is using an oil from this list responsibly. I take issue with people encourage ingestion, or using these oils on children. Children can not consent to these side effects. If an adult knows the risks and still wishes to use these oils than that is fine. I just want people to know the risks, to be aware and to be safe.
