What Makes An Essential Oil Therapeutic Quality

There are 2 forms of essential oils on the market currently. Those made for the perfume/flavoring industry and those made explicitly for the aromatherapy industry. The difference is that the oils manufactured for fragrance and flavoring are not suitable for healing purposes as the distillation methods are vastly inferior and not much attention was given to key notes, constituents, and chemical makeup during the distillation process. This is a growing concern as demand for essential oils has increased exponentially forcing many respectable companies to go to industrial suppliers of perfume and flavoring oils which are then sold off as aromatherapy oils for health and healing. Below are some of the finer points we would emphasize when purchasing essential oils and we guarantee that all of the essential oils offered by Mountain Rose Herbs are distilled according to strict distillation methods.

Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry Purity Testing (GCMS)
Also known as GCMS, this is the scientific method employed to determine the quality of essential oils. It measures whether basic components of an essential oil occur in a precise percentage. If only two primary constituents do not meet precise percentages, the oil cannot be AFNOR or ISO certified. Gas chromatography can also identify oils that have been synthetically manipulated. At Mountain Rose Herbs, we request the use of a 50-meter column during gas chromatography testing when applicable, and we would like to emphasize that most U.S. labs utilize a 30-meter column, which is adequate for vitamins or minerals--but is certainly not adequate for the chemical complexity of essential oils.
An essential oils purity can be affected by a myriad of environmental factors including: geographical region, altitude, climate, soil, growing conditions, harvest methods, and seasonal fluctuations. Even the time of day that the plant was harvested can affect the oil's purity! Producing genuine Therapeutic Grade essential oils is indeed a fine art, and Mountain Rose Herbs has measures in place to guarantee the quality of our distillers which includes knowing the harvesting location or region, methods employed to distill the oil, the equipment used, and a copy of the oils GCMS which ensures the integrity of the finished product. GCMS copies for most of our oils are available for customers.

Proper Distillation
The distillation method also affects an essential oil's purity--and the standards for producing therapeutic quality oils require that the producer preserves as many of the plant's compounds as possible. Therapeutic quality essential oils must only be distilled in glass, porcelain or stainless steel cooking chambers at the lowest possible pressure and lowest possible temperature. Glass and porcelain essential oil distillation is the most superior method employed today, however production is limited thus resulting in a slightly more expensive product.
Extremely high temperatures, high pressure, or contact with chemically reactive metals such as copper or aluminum can quickly destroy delicate compounds. And the method of distillation is one of the most important steps in the production of essential oils.
Every essential oil offered by Mountain Rose Herbs is 100% Pure Therapeutic Quality, and all of the essential oils we stock are obtained by steam distillation of the plant's volatile oils, with the exception of citrus oils which are produced using the cold pressed method, and some oils which are used explicitly for perfume compounding.
All of the oils offered by Mountain Rose Herbs are derived from the first distillation--never the second, third or fourth! The only exception to this rule is our Lavender 40/42, which is a standardized blend of many different lavenders; and our absolutes and resins, which are extracted by alcohol. These oils may not be suitable for therapeutic aromatherapy, however they are perfectly suited as a fragrance or perfume.

No Additives
The primary components of most commercial oils in the market are synthetic. They should not be used for therapeutic applications, and they potentially carry risks. Only pure essential oils should be used for therapeutic purposes. At best, synthetic oils may not produce desired therapeutic results--at worst, they could possibly be toxic.
Mountain Rose Herbs essential oils are 100% pure, natural plant oils. They are free of added water, alcohol, carriers or other dilutents and nothing is added to the oil after distillation. A very large selection of oils offered through Mountain Rose Herbs are certified organic through Oregon Tilth Certified Organic. Although organic certification is an intensely painstaking process that a few of our suppliers are still striving to attain, any oils we stock that are not yet certified organic are guaranteed to be free of pesticide and chemical residues. Mountain Rose Herbs essential oils are wholly suitable for aromatherapy, cosmetics, cooking and for the production of body care products.

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