Essential oils are NOT food.

When food has gone bad, you can either smell from its sourness or taste the difference. Other visible signs would be discolouration, changes in texture or the growth of mold. Still, people disregard the signs and consume them anyway. Fast forward a few hours later, that's where the consequences start to show - abdominal pain, fever, vomiting and diarrhoea.

When something that has spoiled, expired or turned rancid enters your body, the bacteria that accompanies it triggers a wave of symptoms as it tries to either fight the bacterial infection or expel the food. This is your body telling you that you have been poisoned... by the bacteria in your food. This is also known as food poisoning, and in most cases, it will resolve within three to five days as your body purges out the bacteria.

Essential Oil Poisoning

Sad to say, there are people who consume essential oils for "health reasons", not knowing that essential oils are toxic and can be fatal when consumed, but when you consume essential oils, the body doesn't react the same way as it does when you consume expired food. Why is this so?

Essential oils are often consumed in minute quantities. We're talking about a drop or two each time, and because the amount is too little, the body is unable to detect it when it is being consumed. In fact, most people don't suffer any adverse effects from consuming essential oil, and they still continue to do so periodically.

While we can't see what's happening on the insides of our bodies, it doesn't mean that nothing is harming your body. Here is a quick fact of what happens when essential oils enter your body. When you consume essential oils, even if it is just a small amount, the path that the essential oil takes is actually leaving a trail of mucosal burns from your mouth to your digestive tract. As you consume more and more over time, the mucous lining of your digestive system gets weaker and thinner, ultimately injuring your major organs.

By then, it's too late to reverse the damage done. After all, it has taken months, if not years of consuming essential oil, to get to this stage of damage.

 Essential Oil Education

When it comes to education, it takes two hands to clap. The educator can share as much useful information, tips and tricks about essential oils, but in order for education to be successfully imparted, one must also listen to the professionals instead of following unsupported hearsay.

So, the next time someone comes up to you and claim that essential oils can be consumed, you should stand firm and educate the person on the dangers of essential oils, rather than passing the claim onto another pair of ears. This way, we can not only strengthen knowledge among the community but also protect fellow essential oils users from harm.