Herbs and essential oils are popular home remedies for all kinds of ailments. But how effective are essential oils, and does controversy surrounding these natural chemicals mean they shouldn’t be trusted?

As with so many things in the natural world, what you get out of herbs and essential oils depends on what you’re willing to put in. Because they are 100% natural, plant based medicines like these are not standardized like pharmaceuticals. This means you should definitely source your essential oils from high quality providers like Gaia Herbs and Mountain Rose Herbs. But once your oils and herbs arrive on your doorstep, your job has only just begun.

The fact that herbs and oils aren’t standardized means that you have to pay close attention to their effects. Conventional medicines have undergone rigorous testing. Science understands much of how they behave in the body, and what their effects will be, because these processes have been analyzed thousands of times before the drug was brought to market. This doesn’t mean that all drugs are safe, or that unforeseen problems or misuse can’t occur, but in most cases safe use has been described.

Most essential oils haven’t undergone that level of study. This means that when you use them, you have to be the scientist. Take careful notes about your observations when using essential oils. When you have good results, try to replicate them. The same goes for herbs. Many herbs are much more mild than pharmaceutical drugs (many of which are based upon compounds found in herbs), so you’ll have to be more careful in observing effects.

Another good pointer for using herbs and oils is to take it slow. It can be tempting to buy all of the oils that strike your fancy, but you probably won’t be able to appreciate their individual potential if you jump right into the deep end.

Instead, start with a couple of oils and herbs. Read all about them and carefully try to understand the work they do in the body, and why these effects occur. Use them in various applications and take note of what happens. Take a month or two to really get to know this first round of herbs and oils. Once you’ve formed a ”relationship” with them, you’ll be able to derive benefit for them for years to come. If you just bought a bunch of stuff all at once, you probably wouldn’t be able to notice to effects of one, as they might be mistaken for the effects of another.

Another good thing to remember when using herbs and oils is not to use them as a “hail mary”. The concentrated essence of medicinal plants can be very powerful, but they’re no replacement for professional medical care for serious illness and injury. It’s important to respect medical expertise, and the decades of training that create it, when finding the best course of treatment for illness. Herbs and oils can work in concert with conventional medical remedies.

Finally, you can have a lot of fun with essential oils and herbs by making and growing your own. There is no better way to appreciate the power of these things than by putting in the blood, sweat, and tears to develop your own specimens. Growing herbs from seeds and cuttings can give you access to exotic species that you might not find in an herb shop (or which might be far too expensive if you did). Similarly, making your own essential oils can be done with a crock pot, which will give you affordable and custom tailored batches.

Have fun with your herbs and essential oils, and we hope you derive real benefits from them!