We are continuing to present our “Top 10 Worst Injuries from Essential Oils” from the 2014 injury reports. The list featured below contains the top five worst cases. This is Part Two of a two-part series.
Learn more and help spread information on safety and the costs of misuse.
Stop the unsafe use of essential oils! Save yourself, your friends and family, babies, and animals.
Here are summaries with direct quotes from the testimonials we received (please excuse the grammar). Most, if not all, of these were due to bad advice and misinformation.
Top 10 Worst Injuries from Essential Oils (Part Two):
5. Oral use. Due to ingesting a “lot of” oils—multiple drops multiple times a day—of Lemon and Grapefruit in water, one person now has been diagnosed with stomach problems, chronic digestive upset, and is looking at possible gallbladder removal.
4. Diluted blend on baby’s feet slows breathing. “blends X & XX were used on separate occasions on my son at 13mo. The blend was very diluted (topical on his feet), he was 13mo, and I was informed it was ‘safe’. His throat started closing on him and his breathing slowed to a very dangerous level. After further research, I found out they both contained eucalyptus & Rosemary, both unsafe for kids under six. We had applied it & diffused it around him before his reaction, so it wasn’t his first exposure to it. Very scary holding your child while they are helpless.”
3. Undiluted topical and oral use causes rashes. “It took months to accumulate in my system, but once the rashes started, I could no longer use any oils without the rash coming back. I was told by XX Reps that I was detoxing and that I should use more oils. I was told to try different oils for the rash. I was told to take sulfur. I was told that it’s impossible to be allergic to the oils. I was told that I must have a defective gene which is causing the rash.”
Please don’t buy this and other myths. The essential oil chemistry expert Dr. Robert Pappas previously addressed this, as well as other myths, on his Facebook page for Essential Oil University.
2. Vaginal yeast infection leads to permanent scarring. “Was advised by a consultant to soak a tampon in tea tree oil, insert it before bed, wear it overnight and by the morning my yeast infection would be cleared up. Before bed that evening I put 5 drops of Tea Tree Oil on the tip of a tampon (I was worried about soaking the tampon as she instructed & using too much), I inserted the tampon and soon noticed a warm sensation. I called the representative as she told me it was normal and how I knew it was working. I went to bed and woke up about 6-7 hours later feeling like napalm had been poured into my vagina. I could not remove the tampon myself the pain was so bad. A neighbor drove me to the nearest hospital; They removed the tampon immediately and treated me for chemical burns with a prescription of burn jelly to continue using for the next 10 days, and more antibiotics to prevent the burn from becoming infected. At the 30 days check the tissue had scabbed over & partially healed. The 60 day exam the scabs were all gone but he noted I may have scars remaining and at the 90 day exam he told me scarring was present and would likely not completely heal.“
1. Undiluted blend to six-month-old’s chest resulted in two febrile seizures. “…Fever was only 99 and stopped breathing, foamed at the mouth; after 10 min violent seizing, turned purple and stopped breathing. Companies need to start warning about the seizure effects with wintergreen, eucalyptus, fennel, etc! My son doesn’t have epilepsy or any medical conditions. Once I removed his shirt and washed his skin at the hospital 45 min later he stopped seizing and returned to normal.”
We were downright shocked by some of these cases. They’re getting worse, and the saddest part is, they’re totally avoidable with proper aromatherapy education.
We have to stop this from happening. You can help.
Share essential oil safety information with your friends! You never know who has been fed incorrect or incomplete information. Please make sure that your essential oil education originates from a qualified aromatherapy professional. There are a lot of voices of reason in this situation. Make sure you’re listening to them!
Holy SH*T! Sorry, but wow! This is so very unfortunate. I hope at least a few will read and realize they may not be using safe practices.
A "defective gene"? Wow. Just wow. I’m so glad the person felt qualified to diagnose THAT one.
yes they are grabbing at straws now because they are so misinformed they have to make up why you may be reacting to an irritant oil!
I was at a Health Fair, as a massage therapist. They wanted to put me next to a lady selling EO’s. I stated very loudly I can’t be here I am severely allergic to 90 % of what she has here. I am allergic to the entire mint family. Her response was "Oh, you need a liver cleanse!" My reaction was to run away. She proceeded to put the oils in a diffuser and turned it on. We were in a small store front space. I almost went to the hospital. I lost my voice, my throat was closing and breathing was difficult. I made a major complaint to the organizers she will not be back!
Rosetta thank you for your story. Many are allergic to mints I am finding out. And yes, surprised she didn’t say you had a bad gene! thanks for sharing!
maybe so but the oil ingestion put her over the top, jus saying. There is NO evidence for the bomb, totally made up to seller oils along with the other hoaxes
What kind of idiot thinks it is ok to soak a tampon in tea tree oil and insert it? I feel like that’s a common sense thing to know better than to do.
it IS common sense but when you are desparate and someone you trust says do this, you may do it…..
From what I was always told you ate never to ingest essential oils. Why anyone would ever advise this…
because it sells a lot of oils, and they have confused real fruit benefits with the EO from the peel and think it is the same. No one researches, just blindly follow upline to sell, sell, sell.
Like with all products natural or not you should use with caution. There is information all over regarding the use of essentials oils. Lists of what is not infant or pet friendly and what oils are to be ovoided for medical conditions such as epilepsy ect. These oils have worked miracles with our family but everyone using them should educate themselves. The warnings for eucalyptus for infants and pets are all over the Internet.. Yet even Dr. Ox recommends tea tree oil for pets. If you are taking your health into your hands with oils make sure you take them time to research to avoid issues.
I sprayed a pet area with air freshener that had Eucalyptus essential oil as an ingredient which I didn’t realize and inadvertently, my oldest cat was sprayed. It made her very ill. I got her washed off and as instructed by the vet, gave her benadryl. She recovered.
Thanks for sharing this story! I recently heard the same happened with orange oil and shows cats are way to sensitive for essential oils. So glad your cat was OK, hate to hear of any cat getting hurt 🙁
And peppermint oil will cause cats to have seizures! There are some sites (you’ll have to use a search engine) that list oils that are NOT good for certain pets. I’ve had to stop using an oil blend that really helped my asthma since we adopted a little cat that likes to sleep next to me. It had eucalyptus and peppermint in it and she was having seizures. I’ve found other oils to use for my asthma.
Does anybody use common sense? That includes prescription drugs which I won’t take until I have researched. As for ingesting oils, yes, I do but only certain ones. And thanks but no thanks, I’ll stick to EO since my migraines are gone, my deQuervains is gone, and I’ve lost 15 lbs in 8 weeks. Keep your aromatherapy – which gives me a headache.
Juli, may I ask how you are using EO for weight loss?
These people are not using common sense! You should bot take ‘medical advise" from a non medical professional!! I use EO and have love what they do for me and my family, I am also a RN- common sense people!! If the advise does not sound right then do not do it, soaking a tampon in tea tree oil – NO! That was just stupid. You should read the drug infor before taking RX drugs too but people just pop a pill because the doctor said so, again stupid!! There are more side effects and deaths every year from prescriptions but that is not mentioned! Yes there are EO distributors that should not be giving medical advise, FDA has guidelines to follow and these reps are in it to make a quick buck and will tell you anything to buy their oils. EO should never be advertised to treat medical diseases, or told that they cure anything. EO distributors should not be giving any medical advise ever!!! As a RN I do not give medical advise and would never tell anyone that EO cure or treat any medical condition. It comes down to common sense and sadly people want a easy quick fix to everything.
You can hardly type a sentence. I call bull on you being an RN. No self respecting nurse would promote essential oils. Rns tend to be hard working, intelligent people who promote things like vaccination.
James many self respecting nurses promote essential oils in a safe and efficacious manner. No need to get ugly.
And some of us don’t promote vaccines even… hmmm Imagine that. As with anything – you all need to do your homework instead of believing everything your fed. And you need to use common sense. After all it is your body and your family you are dealing with.
I promote Essential Oils because they cured me when what the doctors wanted to do would have killed me.
But I did my homework on both solutions and opted for the one that was lease likely to do the most harm…
All the case cited above could have been avoided if approached with caution and if the people involved would have checked the information they were given.
Essential Oils are not the problem here. Ignorance is. But with all that said… this is my opinion….
James – I personally know about 12 RN’s who use and promote EOs. They are in some emergency rooms and John Hopkins is researching them, so I have no idea what you are talking about. All the nurses I know are fans.
no they are not using common sense because they were told to do this by a friend or trusted person and many people believe there is an oil for that so they use it to sell more. So right the Reps are to blame but I hold the owners directly responsible for the negligence.
Hey people poison ivy is natural, but being very, very, allergic to it doesn’t mean I want to touch it, eat it or burn it. Just because something is natural doesn’t mean that you won’t have a reaction to it.
Can you please provide your source of data? Many of us that use quality EOs really do RESEARCH EVERYTHING and that includes blogs that post safety concerns. Please send to vf********@gm***.com. Thank you in advance.
Vicky you can see the data when the report comes out.
And when will that be? Perhaps you should have waited until then.
Karen
Julie, could you please share what you used for deQuervains and weight loss? Thanks!
Obviously using the wrong essential oils. God gave us the plants in the earth to use and that it why u have to use the correct ones that don’t have anything added to them to cause this.
mom! using the correct ones is matter of opinion, All oils have potential to harm if used undiluted or orally, even ones with nothing added, they may be the worst due to purity.
Terrible to hear that so many are very misinformed about the use of EO’s :(. Anyone can get an allergic reaction to any oil. I agree that many are misusing oils and touting their effectiveness incorrectly. I always say to dilute, dilute, dilute with kids. Do a small test area to see if there is an allergic reaction before applying oils on to your kids or yourself. And just one drop is enough! Just because something is natural does not mean you won’t get an adverse reaction. I hate that people are saying "your body is just detoxing", which is just a cover up for saying that you have no idea why there was a reaction. People are taking oils as an alternative to western meds but are not getting the right info! I like what Dr. Papas has to say about all this on his FB page- use common sense!
Not necessarily. Heart attack can be triggered by many different things. But with the way most people’s health is, there still could have been a partial blockage found – even if it wasn’t directly responsible for the attack. However, if you’ve had a heart attack and blockage was found, they’re going to cath it. Not necessarily related, but it’s also not necessarily unrelated.
And the oils could have also affected her enough to make a waiting problem get worse. Happened to my dad. Had blockage, but it wasn’t currently causing issues. WAY over exerted himself with exercise, and the increase in blood pressure caused some of the plaque to break free and triggered the attack. The oils could have definitely elicited a response that made the rest of things go haywire.
I had one of those EO gurus come to me when I was in the shop. Due to a back problem I had a numb toe. She claimed she could heal that with Essential Oils. It didn’t work. I am too concerned about people with absolutely no medical training of any kind trying to play doctor and I see it with some EO salespeople. As a soapmaker, I use essential oils to scent my soap. I am not a doctor, I do not have a degree and I will not make medical claims, and those medical claims that are made by these salespeople are a clear FDA violation.
"…of the 43,982 drug related deaths in the United States, 22,767 (51.8%) were related to pharmaceuticals." ~CDC
51.8% related to pharmaceuticals, deemed "Safe" by the all knowing organization we call the FDA. I think I’ll trust God’s creations instead of man’s creations. Education is key. Make sure the "guru" you’re listening to actually knows what they’re talking about. Shame on you if you fail to do your due diligence. Hundreds and hundreds of white papers published on the benefits of clinical grade essential oils. The problem is there is only one source of clinical grade that I’m aware of. Some are not what they appear to be. You must be careful. You get what you pay for most of the time.
What is that one source of clinical grade oil? Thanks!
there is no such thing as clinical grade, just a marketing term as many older companies carry good oils, look for companies with 25 yr track record of ethical sales.
No clinical grade. That is just a selling turn. Many oils coming from the same place, like Blue Tansy from Morocco.It is very ignorant to believe yours is better, because you paying more for it. I can go on the list, like Palo Santo, corsican helichrysum, muhuhu, ravensara etc. High price doesn’t equal quality, just you were told that. I am sure your company oils don’t expire either, they never go bad. I heard all this before, it is coming from brain washed people. Sad, very sad
lava is "all natural" so are rattlesnakes, hurricanes/tornadoes/monsoons, earthquakes/lightning strikes. it’s a meaningless term……
I like the idea of an injury report for essential oil use… the shared knowledge should help everyone.
BUT… looking at the data you gather on https://atlantic-institute.squarespace.com/injury-reporting, I see huge issues, from a scientific researcher’s viewpoint? Names are optional, email addresses are easily made and discarded. No doctor reports, no hospital records, and no "proof" of injury appear to be requested? Is any follow-up made??
It would be incredibly easy for anyone to smear a company with a fake report if this is "all there is"? It would be incredibly easy for anyone to give ALL essential oils use a bad name with fake reports.
If there is no follow-up to a report, how do you verify that there was, indeed, a valid essential oil injury?
Example: In the case of the person who had a heart attack (and I agree that was not a safe amount of essential oil to ingest for anyone; so I’m not questioning that), your report says the client said "I trusted this combination would [alleviate] my pain due to their claims. " What pain prompted her to use the oils? Was she, perhaps, ALREADY having heart attack symptoms?? Was there any medical history of heart issues? Those would be good follow-up questions to know, before reporting the injury.
Solve these issues, and your injury reports will have much more weight and use for all :-).
Cindy thanks for your comments. Names and emails are not put onto the report to protect the reporter. The companies want to contact them and this is the way we protect them. It the reporter chooses they can add pictures, dr reports and followup, we have no control over that, we publish what they write. The injury is from the person, we do not verify. We don’t know about the heart attack person. They can answer for themselves. So yes your points are valid but this is what we have come up with so far, and always open to change and making it better. If you can do better please have at it!! thanks again for your comments.
So, I hear you saying that you do not make any sort of effort to verify the stories are true and do not plan to start. How hypocritical of you!
You are talking of how these essential oil companies are not doing a good job of making sure that people know the proper way of using essential oils and are not properly reporting when there are adverse reactions — just continuing to push their oils. You are also doing the same thing. You are pushing an agenda, also — that essential oils are not safe. By posting reports of injuries without any sort of effort to verify them, you are providing a place for people to blame others and further retaliate against companies they are told are bad. Company rivalries breed liars. No, I am not saying that all the reports you get are false, but we have no way of knowing.
We are to trust what you are telling us without any questions, but that is not allowed for the oil companies. The old saying goes "what’s good for the goose is good for the gander." Equality. People should do their own research — into the essential oils, into their use, into the company supplying them, into the claims promoting it, and the arguments against it.
I personally get the emails (Sylla) I delete their names for privacy and they are posted as is. Does Poison Control vet calls? No this is a reporting of the facts that we are given by persons it happened to. I am sure if we had space to post we could post doctor records and photos. As this grows we shall do so for folks like you that need more. You can trust or not, your choice. Until there is a more useful way to report, or the companies themselves get a reporting department we will continue to collect and post to give a voice to these folks who need to be heard! My only "agenda" as you call it is to create safer use of EO, proper education coming from the companies so these reps stop recommending undiluted and massive oral use most especially for children, babies and animals. And to point out that these reps are giving bad advice, as witnessed in the new report just issued with all the details. Over 90% were caused by just that, well meaning moms looking to help selves and kids. People should do their own research, but when someone is selling you a product swearing it is safe who do you trust…..certainly not your friend or mailman….just saying. Thanks for your comments.
@ Cindy
The doctor I saw ordered me to discontinue the internal use of Oil of Oregano, Frankincense and an oil blend. The company’s protocol ones not call for proper dilution and my stomach (and other issues) are directly linked to the internal use of these products.
Now that I have decided to speak about what happened to me after putting my trust in someone I believed to be a friend and internally ingest the handwritten protocol she gave me, the CYA has begun.
I am sure many of them are now following posts on this blog, too. So, to those that are, I would like to say this: while I still do believe in some of the healing properties of EO’s, I find it sad that so many of you are caught up in the hype perpetrated by a multi-billion dollar company. One that condoned the trickle down method of training your sales people. One that condoned, until now, those sales people writing out prescriptions to those so desperate for help that they actually believed what they were being told was truthful and a tried and true treatment! Some of you are spouting about how prescription drugs are responsible for so many deaths a year, but you are failing to admit that by prescribing oils for internal use are all responsible for many deaths, as well as often irreversible damage to many! This is irresponsible behavior instigated by a company whose revenues seem to mean more to them than the real health and safety of it’s consumers.
I am deeply saddened that those who maintain they are Christians, and a company that claims to be one that is faith based, are carrying on behind the scenes conversations because someone has suffered ill effects of ingesting these EO’s on the advice of a sales person, not someone who was properly trained! How I wish I could turn back the clock and reverse the awful effect that putting my faith and trust in someone has caused me. How I wish I knew then what I know now. Am I gullible as it has been termed? No, I was trusting. I only hope I do not lose my gall bladder over this, or that the damage cannot be reversed!
I am so sorry that so many others have also suffered ill effects of misuse after being advised to partake in a practice that those dispensing medical advice without proper credentials have openly participated in.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and the experience after the report. You were trusting like so many others, and got burnt. Do not beat yourself up! move on and know your experience will help others!
I have to make mention of this, too.
Not one person, be it from any level in this company, has attempted to make any contact with me to see if there is anything they can do help. Not a soul!
They are aware of the situation, as I have not hidden it. I have made posts about how awful this has been, how awful I feel, etc. They have seen them. They have discussed me behind the scenes and I know this because not everyone is as loyal to them as they think. And, let’s face it, people gossip!
They have followed my posts because suddenly they are advising their people not to diagnose or prescribe treatments.
But, where is their alleged faith based compassion and concern? I could tell you where it is, but I think we all know!
That is a real shame, the company is obviously non caring about the injuries because they would have to report them and may not have that system in place.
I wish i had a website to pontificate without any real proof, just the word of the injured. This seems irresponsible too.
Xtal, please wait until the report comes out with the details.
What "real proof" is being offered by the EO companies? Just their own word that it works and is safe, yet they still market and sell to thousands.
Documented deaths please…where when how? Doctors notes of injuries are required. I can create an institute too, via THE web. Please explain the credentials of those reporting on this atlantic institute site? i tried to google, not impressed…do we call you doctors? Or ???? How do we validate you.
xtal, please wait until the report comes out and you can see all the details then rather than harass here.
Wish I could post the ER report that clearly states what I was using, as I took everything with me to be documented. The ER docs orders also clearly states, "discontinue use of oil of Oregano". It’s a shame some people just refuse to believe that these things DO happen!
Too bad some are so far under the spell.
http://www.agoraindex.org/Frag_Dem/toxicitymyths.html
If a trusted friend told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it? I don’t think so. Everyone is responsible for doing their own research before taking or using anything, whether it is a drug or essential oil. I look forward to seeing this " report" when it comes out.
How can I get a copy of this "free" safety sheet without giving a credit card?
email us and we can send, or you can make up a number, we only need your email for our list which you can unsub from
Thank you for doing this. I am alarmed at the irresponsible practices promoted by a couple of MLM companies who use aggressive marketing with people who don’t realize how seriously one can be injured by misusing EOs. There are a number of case reports on PubMed of children who have been poisoned by eucalyptus oil being rubbed on their skin undiluted. I agree: stop the madness. Thanks! I’m passing this on.
YES! Thank you for all the links!! and your comments.
Apparently some commenting here doubt the veracity of these adverse reactions. Here are a few:
443 incidents of tea tree oil toxicosis in dogs and cats: 2002 – 2012
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24344857
Seizure caused by dermal application of over-the-counter eucalyptus oil head lice preparation. (4 year old girl)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21867365
"Callers to the Poison Information Centre reported that 251 children had ingested an essential oil or product: eucalyptus oil 50 children; camphorated oil 18 children; VapAir (Drug Trading, Canada) vaporizing liquid 93 children; and Vicks VaporRub (Procter & Gamble, Canada) 90 children. The most common symptoms were cough, vomiting and cough associated with vomiting. Two children had seizures but recovered. The MEDLINE search found 18 reports of paediatric ingestion of the oils or oil products. The main symptoms were vomiting, lethargy, coma and seizures. One child died."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20084213
Accidental intoxication with eucalyptus oil–a case report.
" We present a case of 58 yrs old chemist, who due to intense delusions consumed 4-5 drops of concentrated EO in order to self-medication of ascariasis. Despite the low dose of ingested xenobiotic the course of poisoning was severe. The intoxication was complicated with acute lung and heart injury, tachycardia and hypertension. "
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22010466
Topical eucalyptus oil poisoning.
" We report a case of systemic eucalyptus oil toxicity from topical application. A 6-year-old girl presented with slurred speech, ataxia and muscle weakness progressing to unconsciousness following the widespread application of a home remedy for urticaria containing eucalyptus oil."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9838728
Eucalyptus oil poisoning among young children: mechanisms of access and the potential for prevention.
" Eucalyptus oil was a leading agent associated with hospitalisation for poisoning among Victorian children aged under five years."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9270157
"With significant ingestion of camphor (> 50 mg/kg), neurologic toxicity is common. "
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8858658
Eucalyptus oil poisoning in childhood: 41 cases in south-east Queensland.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8240865
"Accidental ingestion of eucalyptus oil by a 3-year-old boy caused profound central nervous system depression within 30 minutes, but he recovered rapidly after gastric lavage. The extreme toxicity of eucalyptus oil is emphasized."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7436478
I’ll stop there for now, but there are more. Those are just the most easily found.
Arborvitae oil- on the list of those considered unsafe for diffusing. I read a post about a mom who diffused it and she and her ones began vomiting within an hour. I tried to tell her it was on the list of oils not recommended for diffusing. But, of course a WA stepped right in and claimed theirs was safe and free of the chemical Thujone. Sorry, but an adverse affect such as vomiting, and by ALL exposed, leads one to feel that toxicity occurred.
It scares me that representatives of these companies always seem to have an answer for, or better yet, an excuse for everything. If that were me, I think I would have sought medical help, especially for the children!
Thujone is not in the arborvitae true but there are some unknowns in there that we have little information on. Besides the oil has no formal safety testing that I can find for oral and dermal toxicity. If there is some I would love to see it. And yes it is always best to consult with medical and poison control rather than a sales rep. Thanks for sharing.
Thujone, wither in AV oils or not is a poison, and natural.
I was removed from a FB oil page because I advised the person who posted about her friend diffusing Arborvitae oil to have her friend and her children to seek medical help. Sorry, but vomiting IS an adverse reaction to this oil. An oil company can make claims it’s oils are free of chemicals, but no one knows this for sure! Also, as omeone else pointed out, there are other properties of some oils thy can cause adverse reactions.
I just won’t understand how people can become so entranced thy thy refuse to see or admit that adverse reactions can and do occur ! For pete’s sake, people have averse reactions to all kinds of natural things in this world! Why would anyone risk further harm to others by being in denial?
For those from this company who are following my posts, Shame on you all for not being vigilant enough, or open-mind enough to admit these things happen!
thank you for sharing! And claims of free of chemicals refers to added chemicals I am sure. Truth is essential oils ARE chemicals and solvents, not to be overused! and you nailed it, it is denial of fact and truth.
I am alarmed at the ppl who took word of mouth and did anything without researching it themselves!! no brainer! I also do it before following Doctors orders. We have to be our own best advocates!!
You made some good points there. I looked on the internet for additional information about the issue and found most people will go along with your views on this site.
I am an essential oil advocate but I always say, educate yourself about the oils and the company they come from. You can never do enough research if you truly want to help people because of cases like this out there where it may not be totally safe!
I read your post very interesting post
I have always wondered how it is that EO reps who diagnose and recommend treatments with various oils are not ALL charged with practicing medicine without a license. It’s refreshing to see that there are people out there who are willing to acknowledge that being "natural" does not equal safe, and that these oils are not the cure-alls that it seems almost everyone believes they are. I run medical tests as my profession, and believe EOs are placebos at best and harmful at worst. Thanks for reporting this information… hopefully it will help keep people safe! Keep up the good work!
Placebos at best? Not at all in my personal experience. I have found them EMENSLY helpful. I’d still be "living" on my bed without them, which isn’t really "living" at all. At least now I can function for part of the day.
I you saying all FO use is bad?? If not where is the best place to do research on safe use? Also is there a ;place where you can find out which are the best brand of oils.
It is important for EVERYONE to be very careful when using essential oils for the first time. As evident by the stories above, they are very potent and can have very adverse reactions if used improperly or if someone has an allergy to them. Unfortunately, the people in the stories above seemed to have received completely false information from sources they apparently trusted, and then did not research or consult a legitimate source to corroborate the info. Even the oils themselves, depending on who manufactured them, could have been compromised. I use essential oils from DoTerra, and have a trusted network of consultants who know the oils and their best uses inside and out. They never rush anyone into using too many oils without first testing how their body reacts to them very carefully. Just because one oil works to alleviate pain on someone else does not mean it will work on everyone. Be careful where you get your recommendations – and oils – from. And use your head, people.
Good Ashley, we like to say "There is an organ for that, called your brain" use your head people!!
I walked into my chiropractor’s office they had essential oils out. They said it was to help you breathe better, but I went into a bad asthma attack. Any time I’m around them or anyone wearing them I can’t breathe.
Sorry, but some of this is just common sense….soaking a tampon in oils?…..putting on infants…..
One would hope so, yet these cases were told to do so by sales reps. …..
I was told to use tea tree very diluted for a yeast infection. By a rep? Nope. By an aromatherapist. Oh, no shock!
For the record, it worked very well, and I was aware it was a risker move. However since the otc DO land me in the hospital with intense chemical burns, I decided the benefit outweighed the risk. (Also VERY diluted – so that that is on record.)
It’s not just sales reps for mlms. You have a vendetta against them, that’s fairly obvious. But even the aromatherapists can’t agree. French, german, english… Only topical, only aromatic, only internal. TONS of aromatherapists use oils internally. If you disagree, thats fine, but you really need to stop blaming EVERYTHING on sales reps. There are good reps and bad reps. There are aromatherapists with degrees, and ones who have gotten their certifications for $50 online. I’ve heard crazy advice from everyone. The eo world is very big, very deep and can be murky.
Thank you for this! I have recently started using EOs and am still doing research on safe use. I started by using them undiluted because that is what my manual and reps were telling me, but have learned otherwise since! I never had any side affects, but who knows what was happening that I didn’t notice. I know for sure that I will be very careful with them from now on!
I have a bath and body company and I do recommend using EO to people with different problems. I NEVER sell them the pure EO. I always dilute it into a carrier oil and inform them that it is not safe to apply directly on the skin which is why it must be put into an oil and that it is not safe to consume. Many of them are shocked by hearing this.
I would like to see reference links to each of these cases. What I don’t understand is how the internet is filled with thousands of blogs in which people are giving there (anecdotal) proof of the safe use of undiluted essential oils, even internally. So these are isolated cases, and should have reference links. Otherwise they’re just hear-say.
I would like to feel educated on the potential negative affects but can’t do that without reference links to the original source of these claims.
Thanks for providing them!
Eve, if we accept anecdotal cases of healing then we have to accept anecdotal injuries. These are cases that are linked in detail in the report 2015. Go read for yourself. They are not hear-say any more than the proof on blogs recommending the uses that caused these injuries. Thanks for commenting.
Ok, if that’s the theory, lets weigh the anecdotal evidences against each other. If I can easily find thousands of people sharing testimonials on how they have helped, and only a few handfuls sharing testimonials on how they injured them, this kind of speaks for itself, doesn’t it?
Nope that argument doesn’t work at all when there are companies and representatives saying they are safe, you can’t be allergic, etc etc.
Since the risks are often totally unacknowledged by those selling the oils, reports of injuries are extremely troubling, especially when people who have an adverse reaction are told things like "you’re detoxing"
Very interesting informinformation, was glad to read about essential oils. Thank you!
It’s really too bad you’re scaring people about essential oils. I believe we need to educate on safety so more people will USE them, not to scare them so they won’t. These reports are so unscientific. They’re experiences are not verified, additional information should be gathered to learn from these, if in fact they were used as noted. This is just garbage and poor research. Annoying how people can’t just search for truth and be open to what they find, verses trying to skew the truth to fit their beliefs. Ugh!
This info does come across bogus not saying it is but it’s not presented very scientifically. It seems more like scare tactics. I am appalled to hear about oil reps prescribing oil and oil blends. That’s crazy! I do my own research by cross referencing many different sites and then decide for myself what I need. And I also read about safety and proper use during my research. And like another comment or said I also look up everything I can about meds my Dr prescribes. Prescription medications can be extremely dangerous even after years of testing. There are constantly commercials on TV about class action lawsuits over horrible injuries and deaths caused by FDA approved drugs. I just found out that warfarin the most prescribed blood thinner was originally used as rodent poison and is still sometimes today. I didn’t believe it so I looked it up on Wikipedia and it was true. I always look these up and cross reference never take the word of one site until you’ve gotten to know the site very well and know you can trust it. Don’t take anyone’s word for it when it comes to your health, not even your Dr, listen and then do as much of your own research as you can. I don’t mean don’t do what your Dr says but be informed look up your symptoms and try to have some idea what’s going on with you before you even see her/him then you’ll be better informed and you can communicate with and understand them better.
This info is testimonials, doesn’t need to be scientific.
That’s totally fine – but then present it as such.
Just because warfarin kills rodents doesn’t make it bad. It kills rodents by massively thinning their blood. ANY blood-thinner would have the exact same effect on rodents!
What would you expect to happen to an animal that ingests a massive amount of blood thinners?
I just happen to see on the Mayo clinic website a recommendation of a tampon soaked in 20% tea tree oil solution inserted into the vagina and left overnight for vaginal infections. I was looking to see if they said the oil was safe for a different use and there it was, but it should only be 20% not the pure oil.
it is what they call a mix of oils, they are not making morphine!
I’m not sure who the Rep for Atlantic Institute is on this site, but you are incredibly snarky and rude and totally unprofessional in your responses to people.
Thank you for what you are doing!! It is disconcerting how freely essential oil information is being handed out without concern for the effects they might cause. I have used essential oils for 10 years and have found them to be an aid to my family. I know the MLM companies have done a great job of bringing eos to the forefront of alternative and conventional thinking people. What bothers me is how "loose" they are with their application and science (or lack there of). I am amazed to see the chiropractors who advise their use and they use the same lingo as an untrained MLM consultant. If I can’t find any studies or at the very least several different sources for information, I can’t recommend the use to someone. When I watched the EOS summit the other month, YOUR podcast was the one I learned the most from and would advise others NOT to miss. Keep up the good work!
I love essential oils, but I had a pretty bad injury from a YL oil. In 2009 I had a began to get an ear infection, I rubbed the oil on the exterior of my ear like my rep suggested. Unfortunately the oil migrated into my ear canal and caused the most extreme pain in my life. I ended up in the ER, by the time I arrived my ear was bleeding and I could barley sit still from the sharp pain. After a pain shot, steroid shot and the doctor cleaning the canal, I was finally able to calm down. The doctor explained it could have done irreversible damage. On top of the pain, I also had to pay over a $1,000 medical bill.
Here is my story, not of an injury from misuse but a blatent lie from an mlm eo company. Shortly after my mom passed away I went to an eo class with a friend at a local health food store. I was curious and mainly wanted to see about cleaning oils because commercial cleaners always give me a migraine. My friend must have mentioned that I had recently lost my mom from copd because not 5 minutes after we got there the mlm "expert" decided to use me as an example of how modern medicine killed my mom and had I found eo’s sooner my mom would still be alive. I was mortified and walked out. I later found out she continued her spiel using me as an example and the only reason I left was because I couldn’t handle the truth. Also the spiel was mainly how wonderful this particular mlm oils were and others were crap and join now for the low low price of you too can have all this. All you need to do is get 5 of your friends to sign up under you. No thanks!!!!
That is horrid behaviour.
This makes me crazy. YES there are people giving awful advice, but this is just as bad. My husband and I spent 4 hours digging through this "injury database," and let me tell you, if the medical community looked at these "reports" they would laugh you out as fast as they would the reps who are making inappropriate claims. If you are using scare tactics like this you MUST have irrefutable data. This database is a bunch of emails from upset people- there are no follow through, tests, doctors diagnoses, etc. etc. There are about 8 reports that say the EXACT SAME wording, so I’m gonna go ahead and guess that was all the same person – could be legit, but could be a vendetta (much like this seems.) There IS NO WAY to know, without a doctors report, if that heart attack was caused by eos or anything else. None of this has any proof to back it up, none has been looked into. I do not agree with taking one person’s anecdotal opinion and using it as a platform for scare tactics.
I became very alarmed after hearing the Safety Talk you did at the oil summit (I listened to every single talk, for an entire week) and IMMEDIATELY went to your database, where I spent hours reading through a mismosh of unreliable information and ridiculous claims. Here are a couple examples: "I dumped an entire bottle of lemongrass on me and then was throwing up." Well of course. This is an accident, and would never be included in any other reliable safety study. Why is this here? Complaints of people getting sick from Aura Cacia internally – it says NOT FOR INTERNAL USE on the bottle. Also would never be considered in a legit study. Neither would the heart attack one, without some medical confirmation that the oils indeed caused it.
Even with including any person that emails you and calling it a "database," there are something like under 20 injury reports (if I remember – I’d have to look again for the exact number). In a year. Among millions of essential oil users.
My point is simply that you are doing an awful lot of crying "danger! alarm! insanity!" without much to actually back it up. If I consider all the "injury claims", it seems like there are about a half a dozen that can conclusively be said eos caused it – like the tea tree tampon (which was actually recommended to me by a trained aromatherapist, because I actually get horrible chemical burns inside if I use the stuff from the store, and I had no issues at all, but I diluted it heavily), one was the oil getting in the ear (sad and scary), and most of the rest were temporary skin irritations.
Yes, skin sensitivities happen. Yes, allergies happen. No, you are not detoxing, you are having a negative reaction to that oil. Stop using that one. Yes, ALWAYS heavily dilute with kids especially. Dilute for yourself – it only helps and takes one second. Don’t be crazy with internal use (btw every trained aromatherapist I have personally spoken with does use oils internally, but occasionally, not constantly.) Read your bottles and follow your labels. I’m sure injuries happen – allergies, bad reactions, etc. – just like anything else on this earth. But let’s not abuse the facts just to make mlms look bad. You’ll get reps for anything who are idiots, whether its a car salesperson or an essential oil rep – that’s why educated people should do their own research before following just any old person’s advice.
No one should be recommending unsafe practices, but no one should be implying that these are "dangerous". Your cleaning supplies, pills and body products are more deadly than essential oils. Water can kill you if you drink too much. Anyone can cry about anything being dangerous.
Stop the insanity, sure – but STOP THE SCARE TACTICS TOO. Essential oils are very easy to learn to properly use, and have been one of the biggest blessings I have ever experienced. No offense at all, but I’ve been following you quietly for quite some time, and I believe you are not educating on the proper use of oils, like you say. I believe all you are doing is making people run screaming away from eos and back to popping a pill for everything – how about we consider the injuries, deaths, and dangers with those?
Why can’t there be a middle ground? How difficult is that? Use common sense in your eo practice. Remember that these are still being studied, and for every study you find saying one thing you can find an equally good one saying the exact opposite.
Use common sense, perhaps some moderation, but please do not think essential oils are nearly as dangerous as this pseudo-study implies. I find this vendetta just as negligent as someone telling you that an oil will definitely cure your cancer.
well you certainly have some time on your hands to write such a lengthy note. Too bad you did not see the newest report from 2015 which has close to 80 reports and the next one will have 150. And it is unfortunate you feel that you have to bash someones work here. What have you done to help the situation. Of course people should use common sense. This is why we report to show that many dont, and to show that the reps are making this all happen with dangerous recommendations. Take the time to check back later when we put up the Fall report. Have a great day.
and have a look at the comments below, many more injuries not listed.
You bash people’s work with every article you write. You love to imply that every single rep is a bad, money hungry person and it upsets a lot of people. I actually don’t have the time on my hands – I took an hour out of my day because I believe it’s important, and you belittling that is small of you. If it matters to a person, they take the time – just like you when you are writing these posts. What have I done to help the situation? Hopefully helped one single person see the scare tactics here, and helped them not be fearful. I’m sorry if I came off callous – you do, too – but it was not my intent. Admittedly my frustration has been growing for months with every fear-based motivational post, and I let it all out at once. I will certainly look at the newest reports – due diligence is my creed and my opinions are subject to change with good proof, as anyone’s should be. Although, unless you’ve implemented some sort of screening process, I’m not sure what good it will do… I just wish, in fairness, that you presented your findings as anecdotal experiences, just as the "reps" have to with their positive feedback. It absolutely hurts your credibility, and it absolute hurts the name of essential oils and aromatherapy – which, since you’ve chosen it as your career, you’d think you would realize. I know you use oils internally – you spoke of it in your revolution speech, when the doctors asked you in the Q and A. Yet you treat anyone else who chooses to as if they are idiots. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. I dislike the hypocrisy and the scare tactics. If it were not for that, I would actually enjoy your work.
Oh my goodness! There is soooooo much incorrect information encouraging unsafe uses of essential oils all over the internet, and you take the time to cone here and go off on THIS? You’re accomplishing nothing. Obviously if someone is reading this page, they are doing their research, and your long ranting comments are not helping anything. I appreciated the information I found here, and it is information that needs to be shared and considered.
Also want to say, since scrolling through more comments, I am SO GLAD there are others who see this issue and are asking these same questions. I was afraid I was the only one who noticed how unscientific this injury database is.
Perhaps "bunch of email complaints" would be a better name than "database"? I’m not saying these people don’t have the right to voice their opinions – but stop trying to pass it off as fact.
this is not to be a scientific database! it is reports from individuals who have been injured. Please read what it is before you start bashing others work. We have spent a long time compiling this to show what is happening. The Fall report will have over 150 entries. I regret you cannot understand that and rather complain it is not scientific, when it is fact whether you want to believe it or not.
How is it not fact? Are you saying all of the people who’ve gotten rashes from essential oil are just liars? Just because it’s not a scientific database does not mean it is not fact.
These are anecdotes from peopel who used essential oils and were injured. The EO companies are always posting anecdotal stories of people who use essential oil and were "cured." How is that any different?
After having read most of the comments on this thread I’m sad to see so much negativity and personal attacks in them. Personally, even tho the information is anecdotal (I don’t recall it ever being represented as scientific "research"), I found the information helpful from the standpoint that it’s more information than I ever got from the mlm I signed up with! I’ve been aware of EOs for years but never knew how to use them and how much was our there, so I signed up with XX company to learn more about how to use EOs. The WA that signed me up is a friend who was able to share her own experience and websites where I could get more info. I was surprised to learn that the mlm company is really all about selling their products and is sorely lacking in the educational aspect of it, which is what I was really searching for. So, I’ve had to go out and try to find that information wherever I can and I’m finding that there’s A LOT of info out there, much of it contradictory, and its hard for a newbie like me to sort fact from fiction, reason from hysteria. My friend who signed me up gave me acopy of the book Modern Essentials, from which I’ve learned a lot, but it has left me with many more questions. Fortunately, I attended the recent EO Summit where I got to hear Dr. Axe, Sylla and others talk about the safe and practical use of EOs. I never thought of them as being "dangerous," but clearly one can suffer injuries from improper use. As a result, I’ve learned that there’s much to know about the safe and effective use of EOs and I’m trying to learn as much as I can, whether it’s anecdotal or scientific. The bottom line for me is to take it slow, read as much as I can from as many sources as I can, test and apply common sense. My Christmas wish list for 2015 is Robert Tisserand’ s book, Essential Oil Safety. Until then, I appreciate the knowledge of someone who’s been studying oils for decades and is willing to share what she has learned. Thank you, Sylla!
Having read almost all the comments and reviewed a lot of other sights I decided to try the tampon soaked in tea tree oils, and my god it was instant relief. I did not let this so called injury report sway my judgement mainly because it seems like a load of bull…for anyone deciding to let this scare you I advise you otherwise, not as a critic, but as someone who needed relief just like you.
Putting tea tree oil in you vagina for a yeast infection is very foolish. Tea tree oil has antibacterial properties. Sure, it will kill yeast, but it will also kill the bacteria, which will likely just cause another yeast infection.
I have used tea tree oil for both bacterial and yeast infections…just a drop in a solution I make in an empty tincture bottle, with raw apple cider vinegar and miso paste, and inserted a dropper full and didn’t use a tampon or anything…fixes the problem in minutes. I am wowed the woman using five drops on a tampon didn’t immediately scream and take it out, that’s just too potent. A clove of garlic works amazing inserted for yeast, as well, and it stays put walking around all day.
Finally, someone talking about this. I always raised the questions of allergies Young Living and was told they never heard of any one having allergies. I have seasonal allergies especially pine etc and certain herbs….
Why the denial.
I’m with yl and no where have I read or heard that. It’s always cautioned to test it out on part of your skin. Remember e.o.s ard chemicals. And pure theraputic grade would be the only one I would ingest.
I am with YL and they did tell me you could not be allergic. I was allergic to something in the tooth paste.
They gave me back my money and I’m still with them learning, learning, learning!!! So much information out there!!!
The only other question I’d like to see on the reports is if the injury was a result of someone telling them to do this or if they did it on their own. Many selling oils claim to be aromatherapists and are not – it would be interesting to see….
This all comes down to the lack of regulation with regards to essential oils. Using words like "pure", "natural", "organic", and "therapeutic grade" give people the illusion that they are safe and of good quality when the truth is, there is no regulation, so we don’t really know what is in these oils. There are good, reputable, companies out there, but without regulation, no one knows what they are getting into. And the amount of information and misinformation out there on the internet, no wonder people are getting injured. You cannot take all of these situations and blame everything on "essential oils" as there are too many other factors that could have contributed to these unfortunate events.
Interesting information and useful. I guess no website shows the entire picture so we need some that show each part.
One thing to keep in mind while reading this is that 100,000 people DIE every year from properly taking prescribed medication. Many more die from improper usage and even more get adverse reactions. I think it’s important to keep this all in perspective.
The number of people taking essential oils nowadays, to see that this is all that is going wrong is pretty good. These are mainly improper uses.
Just for the record, I’ve been taking about 40 drops of undiluted essential oils in capsules every day for 3 years now. I have a brain illness that there is no cure for, yet now I am out of my electric wheelchair (sold it even) and am actually working again for the first time in 25 years. I was never supposed to have any improvement, and everyone else with this is getting much worse.
I’ve talked to experts about what I take and was told that it’s a whole lot better than the drugs that I was taking every day that were not helping. I was on 11 drugs per day that had a high chance of interaction. They had no idea how those 11 drugs would interact over time.
I have my life back.
There are two sides to everything. Safety is important. I’m glad you’re talking safety. It’s also important to have alternative treatments for people available. There is a whole lot that doctors can’t cure. I’m living proof.
I’m a very cautious EO user, and not allied with a MLM company, either. Tea tree oil certainly can burn — I can’t use it on my face, even heavily diluted — and I would never use any of them on a baby. I am skeptical of the heart attack report. I would like a hospital pharmacist to look at these oils and report on what compounds in those oils, at that amount, would bring on a myocardial infarction. Did they raise the subject’s blood pressure, for instance? Did they produce an arrhythmia? What is the causative factor?
But otherwise, yes, EOs are great but anything that has power to heal also has power to harm. There is no such thing as a truly powerful but harm-free substance….including water.
Agree
You are aware that there are some oils that bring on seizures in those with epilepsy? No, the oil may not have been causitive, but it may have been the trigger…..
As a former EMT that has taken the "morphine bomb" I completely agree with sispowgp
I got interested in EO after hearing about a teen being cured of brain cancer using frankincense, however, trying to find out how to use the oil and which companies are reputable has been such a chore. SO I was happy to come across a rep in a health food store who advised me on using the oils. The person turned out to be a DoTerra Rep and she immediately pushed the internal use of the oil. Having done a little research, I told her I was hesitant to use them internally as I’d read that it shouldn’t be done. That’s when she launched into the purity and therapeutic quality of the oils and how no other company’s oil can be ingested but theirs could. Then she wrote me prescriptions for taking 3 drops each of 3-4 oils 3 times per day, along with the capsules of a few of their digestive oil blends as well. In addition to that, I was to use the drops topically (diluted, thank goodness!). It was a very hard sell, and she sent me links to various sites, no doubt written by other DoTerra reps, about the safety and efficacy of taking the oil internally. I tried the lemon internally, but noticed after a few days that my heart would start racing and my blood pressure would also get elevated, and I stopped taking it internally. I think my rep was just spouting the DoTerra party line and truly believe in this therapeutic grade nonsense. I no longer trust this rep and I have been exploring the oil from other companies on my own.
It’s disheartening to see so many disparaged the experiences of those posting these injury reports. I’m happy to read these reports as a warning to take essential oils seriously. Initially, the idea is that these are simply oils and how much harm can there be, especially when the directions come from people who you think are educated about the oils. many of the reps speak very convincingly, and mine was a Naturopath. I actually prefer personal experiences to tests done on mine and anecdotal experience is preferential to no experience. Why should this database be seen as any different than the one the government is using to report vaccine injuries. They are both using the same method; mostly self-reported, although doctors can also log injury reports on behalf of their patients. The reps could log EO injury reports as well, if they were so defensive and in such denial as to the harm that can come from internal or neat oil use.
my dog had "old dog warts". i read on the internet to apply 1 drop of Tea Tree Oil to it. I applied 1 undiluted drop to my finger and then transferred it to the old dog wart. Now, this is a 98 lb German Shepherd Dog. Soon, my dog became lethargic. His nose and paws became cold. I went back to the internet and searched for side effects of tea tree oil on dogs…. found that he had a significant drop in blood pressure that could have killed him. I cried and prayed, and he survived it.
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I dab a little tree tea oil on any blemish on my face occasionally and if my dog accidentally licks my face, he gets sick.