Did you know that some essential oils have constituents in them that are possibly dangerous to your health? That’s right. Some essential oils are carcinogenic meaning they have the possibility to cause cancer. This is because essential oils are very concentrated. They contain the most volatile parts of the plant. Read on to find out if an essential oil you are using can potentially cause cancer.
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Carcinogenic essential oils will contain one or more of the following constituents. Asarone, estragole (also known as methyl chavicol), safrole and methyl eugenol. To determine how carcinogenic an oil is 3 main factors are used to help identify essential oils that are carcinogenic.
- What percentage of a constituent in the essential oil
- The potency of that essential oil
- How much, if any, anti-carcinogenic constituents, found in that essential oil.
For example, some types of Basil essential oil contains both estragole and methyl eugenol, two of the constituents that contain carcinogenic properties. One is estragole Basil which contains high amounts of estragole at 75% to 87% of the constituent. Two others are Madagascan and pungent basils and are best avoided. Basil that is high in Linalool constituent is safe. The linalool constituent contains very little estragole. Linalool is anticarcinogenic and equals out the little bit of estragole that may be present in linalool Basil.
So, for personal use it is best to use the linalool Basil. Check the components of your oil before you order. I hope that makes sense. The science behind it all is very confusing to me and I just want to share a bit of it with you.
Carcinogenic Essential Oils
Here is a list of essential oils that may be carcinogenic. Please be aware that this is not an extensive list, meaning that there are others out there. If you happen to use these oils, don’t panic. Just stop using them. There are many factors (such as those listed above) to take into consideration when dealing with carcinogenic essential oils. Some factors also include genetics, family history of cancer, if you use them topically or inhaled, habits such as smoking or heavy drinkers and dose, dilution, and frequency of use. If you are concerned, please discuss this information with your health care professional.
This information is intended to educate and inform. Please do not replace this information with the advice and guidance from a doctor. This information is not intended to treat, cure, diagnose or cure any disease. Please consult your health care professional if you have any questions.
List of possible cancer-causing essential oils:
- Allspice (also known as pimento berry)
- Anise
- Basil (estragole, Madagascan and pungent chemotypes)
- Camphor (brown and yellow)
- Fennel (bitter and sweet)
- Laurel Leaf
- Myrtle
- Nutmeg (east and west Indian)
- Pine (Huon and ponderosa)
- Ravensara (both leaf and bark)
- Tarragon
Holiday Blends with Nutmeg
I bet you are surprised to see Nutmeg on the list since it is so often used in holiday blends. This essential oil is the main reason for this post. After the recent holidays I couldn’t stop thinking about all the essential oil users out there using nutmeg in their diffuser blends and felt the need to educate and inform on this subject. Nutmeg contains both safrole and methyl eugenol constituents. You might ask why is the essential oil unsafe, but we put nutmeg spice in our baked goods and sprinkle the spice on our hot beverages? Again, essential oils are highly concentrated plant extracts. Many pounds of plant matter make up just one tiny bottle of essential oil. All that “oil” is super concentrated, thus making it that much more powerful.
So, is it necessary to cut back on the use of a potentially carcinogenic essential oil? I personally won’t take the risk with my family and pets. There are other oils out there that will work as a substitute for any of the possible carcinogenic essential oils. If you are currently using them? I recommend that you stop using them. And I’ll place my disclaimer here again.
This information is intended to educate and inform. Please do not replace this information with the advice and guidance from a doctor. This information is not intended to treat, cure, diagnose or cure any disease. Please consult your health care professional if you have any questions.
In closing, I hope that I have shed some unknown light on this matter and that you have learned something of value. My hope is to educate people who use essential oils on the matters of essential oil safety.
Do you have any comments to share? I’d love it if you’d let me know if you found this post helpful or worrisome, or even just educational. Thank you.
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Sources:
https://www.abundanthealth4u.com/essential-oils-constituents