Essential Oils as Antioxidant Supplements: Rules and Strategies

Introduction.

It’s quite surprising, but have you ever heard of edible essential oils? It turns out that these oils, which are commonly used for aromatherapy or in beauty products, can actually be consumed and added to food and drinks as a medicinal supplement. The benefits of these oils go beyond just flavor. Edible essential oils have incredible health benefits, both physically and mentally. They were used in traditional medicine from ancient times. Surprisingly enough, people today often overlook the power and affordability of essential oils in nutrition.

For example, one study published in the journal Frontiers in Medicine found that edible essential oils possess various health benefits such as antimicrobial, antiviral, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties (Ramsey et al., 2020). They may even help with issues like stress, depression, and insomnia. Some popular examples of these edible essential oils include ginger, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, oregano, peppermint, rosemary, spearmint, and thyme.

In this article, we will explore the benefits and limitations of using essential oils as supplemental antioxidants, and provide some examples of essential oils with high antioxidant capacity. We will also discuss how to choose, store, apply, and diffuse edible essential oils safely and effectively.

What are edible essential oils?

Essential oils are concentrated extracts that are derived from various parts of plants. These oils have distinct aromas and a wide range of properties that make them useful in different settings. They are used as aromatherapy, as medicine, and as food ingredients just for flavoring. The process of obtaining these oils usually involves steam distillation or in some cases when there is oil in the plant itself such as seeds, then it could be extracted by cold pressing of the seeds.

There are many types of essential oils available. There are potentially essential oils that can be made from every single plant out there. It’s crazy to think about all the different types of oils that could exist. The possibilities are endless. And not just out of the plant, but also out of different parts of the plant. Like seed oil, root oil, or bark oil. with each one having unique features and benefits. While some can be applied topically to the skin or used in aromatherapy to improve mood and reduce stress, others can be ingested safely as food additives or supplements.

By using these oils responsibly in our daily lives, we can reap numerous benefits from their natural properties that are derived from plant’s phytochemicals. They are super concentrated natural medicine. More potent than any raw or dried medicinal herb.

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What are the health benefits of edible essential oils?

Edible essential oils have a vast array of health benefits that can significantly improve your overall well-being and enhance your quality of life. Most of the patented drugs are just this, patented phytochemicals that are extracted and concentrated into clinically significant dosages. Dosages can be also reached in these oils. These essential oils are extracted from various herbs and plants containing potent medicinal properties, and I want to emphasize, essential oils are highly concentrated.

Health benefits include a wide range of characteristics, such as antimicrobial, antiviral, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties (Bakkali et al., 2008).

Edible essential oils are especially effective in fighting infections and reducing inflammation. They also provide relief for pain and boost the immune system to fight against diseases. Furthermore, these essential oils are an effective remedy for improving digestion issues while enhancing mood to reduce stress. They can even help treat disorders such as anxiety, depression, and insomnia (Bakkali et al., 2008).

Antioxidants are indispensable for maintaining overall body health because they protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals result from various internal and external factors like pollution, smoke exposure, alcohol consumption, UV rays exposure along with aging. Consequently accumulating toxic and inflammatory substances in the body can cause oxidative stress that damages cells while increasing susceptibility to chronic diseases like cancer or diabetes.

Thankfully edible essential oils contain natural phenolic compounds such as terpenes and flavonoids with high antioxidant values that are critical for protecting cells from other oxidative stressors (Bakkali et al., 2008). Phenolic compounds present in these essential oils act as strong free radical scavengers while protecting cells against this kind of damage caused by oxidative stress.

In similar importance, terpenes found in edible essential oil have been shown to protect cell membranes by inhibiting lipid peroxidation which is crucial for cellular function (Nuutinen, 2018). Terpenes have been the focus of numerous studies investigating their medicinal properties. Clinical trials suggest that terpenes exhibit a wide range of beneficial effects, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic, anticonvulsive, antidepressant, anxiolytic, anticancer, antitumor, neuroprotective, and anti-mutagenic properties (Nuutinen, 2018). Additionally, terpenes have demonstrated effectiveness in treating allergies and infections.

One noteworthy aspect of terpenes is their low toxicity level. This feature makes them safe to use as food additives or ingredients in cosmetic products. In fact, many products already contain terpene compounds for these purposes.

It’s possible to find edible essential oils with high antioxidant activity like clove oil or cinnamon oil among others(Bakkali et al., 2008).

In this article, I will only look into those antioxidant properties and will not discuss any other phytochemical benefits that these oils might have. There are too many of them and the research is lagging. When research is done it is done usually with the intention of extraction and patenting.

Incorporation of these edible essential oils into your diet helps you increase your daily intake of antioxidants naturally, and maybe more importantly easily and cheaply, leading to improved health over time (Bakkali et al., 2008).

Every single one of us can take a teaspoon of a mixture of essential oil in the morning without changing anything else in our diet and life. Furthermore using essential oils in your everyday routine also contributes to a more relaxed and stress-free lifestyle.

Overall, the high antioxidant value found within edible essential oils means that they have significant potential towards fending off the development of chronic diseases while maintaining good health. With an extensive variety available on the market today, getting started with essential oils is easier than ever.

Golden rule:

Most powerful antioxidants are a concentrated form of natural antioxidant-rich herbs. On top of the list will be essential oils, herbal extracts, dried herbs, and powders. Then we will have dried fruit, and superfoods like antioxidant-rich fruit, raw nuts, and seeds and vegetables. Then there will be regular fruit and regular vegetables, and then at the very end a whole list of animal products that have no antioxidant value and are pro-inflammatory.

Milos Pokimica

Not all plants are made equal. Some have higher nutrient density and phytochemical content than others. Some have unique phytochemicals that are not found in other plants. If we look at the antioxidant potential of the same plant species we will see that there are plants that have much higher ORAC values.

When we look at the ORAC values list of the most potent antioxidant-rich food sources we will notice that most of the items will be different spices or herbs.

Essential oils.

Some antioxidant-rich herbs or spices have measurable phytochemical content that content can be extracted and concentrated. Essential oils are fluid extracts from medicinal, aromatic, or any other plants, which have many applications in numerous industries. There are also a variety of different methods used for the extraction.

These essential oils have more concentrated phytochemical levels than the levels that are present in the raw plant.

In a nutritional sense essential oil would not be superior in terms of nutrient density then a row plant, it is essentially a refined product. We would be able to eat whole food sources and get to the same antioxidant content without extraction. The extraction itself would start the oxidation of the antioxidants. As soon as extracted oil comes in contact with air the oxidation starts.

Why use essential oils instead of whole foods for antioxidant content?

The reason for most people is just convenience but the real reason is that there are limiting factors in everyday life on the amount of some high antioxidant food source that we would be able to realistically consume. For example, we can only tolerate a small amount of freshly ground cloves.

The question is could we use essential oils that have super-concentrated phytochemicals and mega-dose ourselves in a way that nature never intended?

These oils have the potential to bring our ORAC levels to numbers that are not natural even if we compare them to the levels of all living primates. They are also a source of phytochemicals that have different health effects on top of antioxidative properties. Their ability to fight cancer has a long history and research. In the last 10 years, more than a hundred essential oils from more than twenty different plant families have been evaluated on more than twenty different cancer types (Bayala et al., 2014). Most chemotherapy drugs are created by this type of research.

In traditional medicine, there were no single monoterpenes. Essential oils were used because there was no scientific way for single phytochemical patented medicine. Regular allopathic medicine does the same just removes the oil itself and just uses selected chemicals as a prescription medicine. People don’t realize that more than 60 percent of all patented drugs are not synthetic but just extracted phytochemicals in a form that is potent enough to elicit clinical significance.

The question is also could this strategy be used to increase our antioxidant score to more normal levels and would it be a convenient and consumer-friendly way of balancing our antioxidative ORAC score?

There are essential oils that are very potent antioxidants like clove essential oil. We would be able to mix them and make an antioxidant-rich essential oil mix for consumption.

These oils are so potent that they will create burns and cannot be consumed without diluting them with refined cooking oils.

First problem.

Not all essential oils are edible. If you want to add them you will have to do the research yourself for every type of essential oil that you want. This review (Atabani et al., 2013) gives some examples of non-edible oilseed crops that produce non-edible vegetable oils.

The following table lists toxic essential oils that are not suitable for consumption. It is important to keep in mind that this table is not comprehensive and may not encompass all potential hazards and reactions associated with non-ingestible essential oils.

Second problem.

Some essential oils, in the same manner as herbal teas, should not be mixed because they might have adverse reactions.

There are some essential oils that may have interactions between themselves when mixed and consumed. Some examples are:

• Clove oil: This oil is high in eugenol, which can act like a blood thinner and inhibit platelet aggregation. Therefore, it may interact with other essential oils that have similar effects, such as wintergreen, birch, cinnamon, oregano, and helichrysum (Fung et al., 2021). 
• Grapefruit oil: This oil contains furanocoumarins, such as bergamottin and DHB, which can inhibit the metabolism of some drugs and increase their blood levels. Therefore, it may interact with other essential oils that have similar effects, such as angelica, bergamot, lemon, lime, and bitter orange (Fung et al., 2021).
• Lavender oil: This oil has sedative and relaxing properties that can enhance the effects of other essential oils that have similar effects, such as chamomile, clary sage, marjoram, neroli, and ylang-ylang (Fung et al., 2021). 
• Peppermint oil: This oil is high in menthol, which can increase the lung permeability of nicotine and slow down its clearance from the body. Therefore, it may interact with other essential oils that contain nicotine or other stimulants, such as tobacco, coffee, tea tree, and eucalyptus (Fung et al., 2021).

The following table lists possible interactions between essential oils themselves. It is important to keep in mind that this table is not comprehensive and may not encompass all potential hazards and reactions.

General rule.

This is a complicated subject and I will not go into depth here. Some general rule of thumb is that if the plant is edible like for example cloves, then essential oil from that plant will be edible as well. All known interactions for the plant that the oil is extracted from should be valid for the oil itself.

Clove oil is a superstar with a nice smell and taste and an ORAC score of more than a million.

Toxicity and dosage.

Some edible oils are also toxic because they are much more concentrated chemically than a plant that they are created of and if there is some toxin in that plant it will be much more prominent in the oil.

This might be a main problem and the most overlooked issue here that could essentially end you in a hospital or have some chronic effects if you do this on your own without previous knowledge. This is the main reason why most natural healers and nutritionists have essential oil phobia.

Some oils have been used in traditional medicine for thousands of years and have extensive scientific studies behind them. You and your doctor and your nutritionist have to know all available research behind every single essential oil and also this research has to exist in the first place.

Are these essential oils safe to consume?

These essential oils are generally safe to consume if they are pure, organic, and labeled as food grade or therapeutic grade. However, you need to be careful and follow some precautions before using them internally. Here are some tips to use these essential oils safely:

• Consult a doctor before using any essential oils internally, especially if you have any medical conditions or take any medications. Some essential oils may interact with certain drugs or affect your blood pressure, blood sugar, or liver function.
• Follow the instructions on the label carefully and use the recommended dosage for each essential oil. Do not exceed the recommended amount or frequency of use. Less is more when it comes to essential oils.
• Dilute the essential oils with a carrier oil before ingesting them. A carrier oil is a vegetable oil that can help dilute and disperse the essential oil and reduce its irritation or sensitivity. Some examples of carrier oils are olive, coconut, almond, jojoba, grapeseed, and avocado oils. To mix the essential oil with a carrier oil, you need to measure them with spoons and dropper bottles and follow a certain ratio depending on the purpose and strength of the essential oil.
• Do not use essential oils on children, pregnant women, nursing mothers, or pets without consulting a doctor or a veterinarian first. Some essential oils may be harmful or toxic to them.
• Do not use essential oils near your eyes, nose, mouth, or genitals. They may cause burning, irritation, or inflammation.
• Do not use essential oils that are expired, oxidized, or adulterated. They may lose their effectiveness or become harmful.
• If you have any unwanted responses like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, heartburn, stomach pain, headache, dizziness, or allergic reactions after using essential oils, it is crucial to discontinue their use immediately.

WARNING

If you don’t know the properties of the essential oil or the safe dosages, don’t know if you have an allergy, or confuse plant species, you can die, end up in a hospital or suffer from chronic issues that you might not contribute to the oil. You can have a miscarriage or other health complications if you are pregnant.

Compared to adults, children are more susceptible to negative effects arising from consuming essential oils. This is due to their smaller body sizes and underdeveloped liver and kidney functions which make it hard for them to metabolize the potent compounds in essential oils, essentially lowering the toxic threshold to minuscule amounts. Children also have more delicate skin and mucous membranes, making them more prone to allergic reactions or irritation caused by exposure to essential oils.

You should keep your edible essential oils out of reach of children and pets and never leave them unattended with them.

The same rule applies to pregnancy.

You can have a miscarriage or other health complications if you are pregnant. The use of certain essential oils during pregnancy can have negative effects on both the mother and the developing baby. Some oils have been observed to cause uterine contractions. These oils include cinnamon, clove, rosemary, clary sage, jasmine, and juniper. Hormonal imbalances may also occur due to the use of some oils, resulting in potential risks to the health of either the mother or the baby. Basil, aniseed, fennel, sage, and thyme are some oils that may produce this effect. Blood pressure changes induced by certain oils such as eucalyptus, peppermint, rosemary, and ylang-ylang may lead to hypertension or hypotension. Pennyroyal, tansy, wintergreen, and wormwood are some oils that have been observed to cause fetal toxicity and may result in birth defects or developmental problems.

This is a reason why in almost all situations most nutritionists will recommend whole food sources in realistic dosages.

In a topic like this one, you should educate yourself in a real way. This means that you should click and read scientific references.

The consumption of edible essential oils can potentially create risks for individuals, particularly those taking medications. This is because the active volatile compounds in the oils can interact with drugs.

For example, grapefruit essential oil contains furanocoumarins that may suppress specific enzymes in the liver and intestine that are responsible for breaking down drugs. As a result, this suppression might lead to higher blood levels and toxicity of statins, calcium channel blockers, and benzodiazepines. On the other hand, peppermint essential oil contains menthol that could influence drug absorption by lowering gastric motility and increasing gastrointestinal transit time. This interference could reduce the bioavailability and efficacy of medications like felodipine (a calcium channel blocker), cyclosporine (an immunosuppressant), and ketoconazole (an antifungal).

In addition to these examples, the lavender essential oil is prevalent due to its sedative properties owing to its rich content of linalool and linalyl acetate. However, these properties might exacerbate the effects of certain medications with sedative or central nervous system-depressant impacts like opioids (morphine), benzodiazepines (diazepam), barbiturates, or antipsychotics (olanzapine).

Oregano essential oil is known for its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties due to its high concentration of carvacrol and thymol. These compounds can also interfere with the anticoagulant effects of drugs such as warfarin, heparin, and aspirin by inhibiting platelet aggregation or prolonging bleeding time.

Certain essential oils may have an impact on blood sugar levels, such as cinnamon oil, blood pressure levels, such as clove oil, or liver enzyme function, like eucalyptus oil.

There is a growing trend to take these essential oils exactly for their side effects so that you could lower your prescription medication. People take them as medication and then just lower their drug dosage. Is this smart I don’t know. Most of the prescribed medicine is toxic with a long list of drug side effects.

You will find some of the interactions in the table but the table is just a reference point and it is not complete or comprehensive.

You need to research, and research fully about all of the potential interactions of each oil before using them internally and to seek professional advice on top of your research.

To minimize the risks of drug interactions with edible essential oils, it is recommended to follow these guidelines:

• Consult with a healthcare professional before using any essential oil internally.
• Inform your doctor or pharmacist about all the medications you are taking or planning to take.
• Start with a low dose and gradually increase it if tolerated.
• Use high-quality oils from reputable sources that provide purity and potency testing.
• Store your oils in a cool, dark, dry place away from heat and sunlight.
• Check the expiration date and discard any expired or oxidized oils.
• Monitor your symptoms and response to the oils carefully and stop using them if you experience any adverse effects.

By being informed and cautious about the use of edible essential oils when taking medications or having health conditions, you can enjoy their benefits while minimizing their risks.

Nutmeg.

Nutmeg is a good example. Nutmeg tastes great in cookies and eggnog, but too much can cause hallucinations. It has an amphetamine-like substance in it (Idle et al, 2005). The toxic dose of nutmeg for an adult is two teaspoons and for the essential oil is zero. Children who get into the container and people who deliberately swallow a lot of nutmegs trying to get high will be able to achieve hallucinations but also will become miserably sick. Nausea, vomiting, agitation, prolonged drowsiness, and coma are all possible. In the Middle Ages nutmeg was used as an abortifacient so eating nutmeg essential oil is quite dangerous, especially for pregnant women and children. It is truthful that in most cases, oil is the less toxic option than the nut because most of the toxins present in the nuts don’t get extracted when the oil is steam distilled from the nuts, but the elemicin and myristicin, the two psychoactive substances in the nutmeg are extracted. Even a tiny drop of  0.25 ml of 100% pure therapeutic-grade nutmeg oil will give you a mild trip with visuals, euphoria, etc. Even handling nutmeg oil can be dangerous because you can lick your fingers unintentionally. The effects begin in about 30 minutes and peak after about 3-5 hours.

In the video below you can see a case from the clinical practice of what happens when you drank a bottle of nutmeg spice.

Wintergreen.

The oil of wintergreen is another example and it is just a name for methyl salicylate, a relative of aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid). Small amounts are safe to use as flavoring agents, but the bottle must be locked up so that children can’t get to it. Small amounts of oil of wintergreen can poison children. Because the oil of wintergreen is rapidly absorbed, children can become dangerously ill very quickly (Methyl salicylate overdose).

More examples.

Peppermint is used for gastrointestinal discomfort. It’s important to choose the correct species of mint, as some types are poisonous; for example, pennyroyal oil is very poisonous to the liver.

Eucalyptus is used for its soothing effects when inhaled, for example during a cold or cough. If swallowed, eucalyptus oil can cause seizures.

Sage oil has been used as a scent, seasoning, and remedy. Swallowing more than a very small amount has caused seizures in children.

Camphor is used as a moth repellent and as an ingredient in skin preparations. Even a small amount of camphor is dangerous if swallowed. Seizures can begin within a few minutes. Camphor poisoning also occurred when skin preparations containing camphor were applied repeatedly on children.

Before using any essential oil first look into the GRAS table I provided here. You will have to find out if it is on the list at all. Then you look up the known associated health risks from reputable sources and also look up interactions to might have with prescribed medicine.

GRAS status.

Black cumin oil, oil of oregano, or clove oil are medicinal oils initially produced for human consumption. Some oils are used in traditional medicine or they are available as a supplement. Outside of these oils, there are essential oils. Some essential oils are considered food grade. If you ask FDA what essential oils are suitable for human consumption there will be classification under something they call GRASS. GRAS stands for “Generally Recognized As Safe,” which means that FDA experts believe the oil could be consumed in small amounts as a spice. For instance a few drops of orange or lemon oil instead of grated peel in a cake.

If you want to use essential oils for antioxidant value or for cooking you can search the FDA GRAS database first.

Which essential oils have the strongest antioxidant properties?

As mentioned before, edible essential oils have high antioxidant activity, which means they can protect your cells from oxidative stress and free radical damage. But not all edible essential oils have the same level of antioxidant power. Some are more potent than others, depending on their chemical composition and concentration of phenolic compounds. Phenolic compounds are the main substances that give essential oils their antioxidant properties, as they can scavenge free radicals and inhibit lipid peroxidation (Bakkali et al., 2008).

Some of the most potent edible essential oils in terms of antioxidant properties are clove, oregano, thyme, cinnamon, rosemary, lemon, eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint, and tea tree (Bakkali et al., 2008). These essential oils have higher amounts of phenolic compounds than other edible essential oils, such as orange, grapefruit, lime, basil, sage, or mint (Bakkali et al., 2008). They also have higher values of antioxidant parameters, such as DPPH radical scavenging activity, reducing power, and total phenolic content (Bakkali et al., 2008).

ORAC values

Remember that this is a value of 100mg and it would be hard to consume 100mg of these oils because they are very potent and could create a range of health issues if overconsumed from vomiting and nausea to seizures and coma.

What would this mean in real-life application, could the use of this oil realistically increase the ORAC value of your diet?

Let us look at the number one most potent, clove essential oil. It has more than one million (1,078,700) in ORAC value for 100ml. This would mean that for 1ml of oil, it has more than 10,000 units. There are approximately 20 drops for 1 ml. This means that for every drop of the clove essential oil, there are around 500 ORAC units.

People eating a standard American diet get around 2,500 ORAC units in a day and this includes all antioxidant properties from all foods and vitamins and minerals and everything else. When recalculated to ORAC value standard American diet is around 2500 units with coffee being one of the riches influx sources of antioxidants. When coffee became one of the main antioxidant foods in your diet you know you have a problem.

According to the study by (Yang et al., 2011), the estimated intake of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) from diet and dietary supplements of US adults was 503.1 mmol/d in 2003-2006. The study used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) and the US Department of Agriculture databases to calculate the TAC intake from different food groups and supplements. The study found that fruits contributed 43.9% of the dietary TAC intake, followed by beverages (18.4%), vegetables (16.4%), grains (5.9%), oils (5.6%), sweets (4.6%), nuts and seeds (2.7%), dairy products (1.3%), and others (1.2%). The study also found that dietary supplements contributed 14.3% of the total TAC intake, with vitamin C being the most commonly used supplement.

503.1 mg TAC is equivalent to 2010.6 microM Trolox and 2010.6 microM Trolox is 2010 ORAC units, assuming that 1 ORAC unit equals the net protection produced by 1 microM Trolox, as defined by (Cao et al., 1993). This is based on the original definition of ORAC by (Cao et al., 1993), who developed the assay to measure the antioxidant capacity of plasma and other biological samples. Trolox is a water-soluble vitamin E analog that acts as a reference standard for antioxidants.

So average ORAC score of SAD (standard American diet) is between 2000 and 3000 ORAC units. One drop of clove essential oil gives us around 500 ORAC units.

Antioxidant intake estimate for preventing postprandial pro-oxidant state.

Over the past ten to fifteen years, there have been a series of studies focusing on the effect that different fruits have on the postprandial oxidative state. This study (Prior et al., 2007) looked into other different studies that analyzed how much different fruit influences the postprandial oxidative state. This research showed that the majority of people’s diets contain animal products and refined foods, so it was suggested that for those consuming this type of diet, presumably many in the US, fruit with high polyphenolic content should be eaten with each meal or as a dessert to offset any potential oxidative damage that this kind of diet may cause. Prolonged periods of consuming a pro-oxidative diet, which is characteristic of the standard American diet, can result in serious illnesses like cancer, as free radicals will oxidase fat and cholesterol, raising the risk of cardiovascular disease. In the image below you can see the summary of the study.

Men with a basal metabolic rate of 2500 calories need 11000 ORAC units every day, whereas men whose basal metabolic rate is 1800 calories require 8000 ORAC units. People who burn more calories need a greater ORAC intake to counteract oxidation. I wrote about this study in more detail in this article if you want to learn more (Optimal antioxidant consumption – Recommended intake of ORAC units).

To reach this number, you would need a full 1 mL of clove essential oil or 20 drops, and that could have side effects. Also, there are different types of antioxidants. You need both oil-soluble and water-soluble for the body. Water and oil do not mix. Some antioxidants are also vitamins that have many other functions like vitamin C, for example, and vitamin E. Most antioxidants do not cross the blood-brain barrier, so you will need specific antioxidants on top of all the others to prevent cognitive decline, like lutein. Using essential oils for their antioxidant value is an addition to an already healthy diet and not a substitute for the rest of the missing antioxidant-rich food that we need. But then again, the SAD diet is so sad that even a couple of drops of clove essential oil would make a difference.

Clove essential oil.

Clove essential oil is an aromatic oil that is extracted from the buds, stems, or leaves of the clove tree. This highly versatile oil has a warm, spicy aroma that is reminiscent of Christmas.

One of the most notable benefits of clove oil is its potent antioxidant activity. It is the number one most potent antioxidant-rich oil by a big margin.

Clove essential oil has the highest antioxidant activity among all edible essential oils, as it contains up to 90% of eugenol, a powerful phenolic compound that can inhibit oxidative stress and inflammation (Bakkali et al., 2008). These natural compounds have been shown to scavenge free radicals effectively while also inhibiting lipid peroxidation. They chelate metal ions in our bodies while modulating enzymatic activities which helps regulate gene expression related to oxidative stress.

A study by Zhang et al., 2021 highlighted how clove oil ingestion may confer antioxidant activity alongside lifespan extension in Caenorhabditis elegans – a model organism for aging research purposes. The study showed that ingestion of clove oil increases survival rates by reducing ROS (reactive oxygen species) accumulation and enhancing activity levels within our antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase & catalase. Clove essential oil also affects gene expression by upregulating expressions relating to stress response genes like SOD-3 or GST-4 which act as key regulators within cellular defense mechanisms against oxidative activity.

It’s clear from this evidence how ingesting clove essential oils may prove beneficial to human health by protecting us against oxidization-related diseases along with slowing aging processes down.
However, clove oil ingestion may also have some side effects and risks, such as:

• Burning sensation, mouth ulcers, or tissue damage if applied undiluted or in large amounts to the mouth or skin (Zhang et al., 2021).
• Allergic reactions, such as skin rashes, hives, or breathing difficulties (Zhang et al., 2021).
• Bleeding disorders, such as increased bleeding time or bruising  (Zhang et al., 2021).
• Drug interactions, especially with medications that affect blood clotting, such as warfarin, aspirin, or ibuprofen (Zhang et al., 2021).
• Pregnancy complications, such as premature labor or miscarriage (Zhang et al., 2021).

Therefore, it is advisable to consult a doctor before ingesting clove oil, especially if you have any medical conditions or take any medications. You should also follow the dosage instructions carefully and avoid taking more than 0.5 ml per day. You should also only use high-quality clove oil that is pure and organic. I will analyze various essential oils in upcoming articles related to this topic. I will analyze the most potent and beneficial essential oils on a case-by-case basis. This is a vast topic.

Storage.

Light and oxygen degrade these oils. Presumably, these tests used fresh sources that had been exposed to minimal air and light. Essential oils break down relatively fast upon exposure to the atmosphere, heat, and light. It’s why they are stored in amber or dark-colored glass bottles. Air exposure causes the metabolites to become oxidized and rancid. If you have oils that you opened many months ago that have not constantly been kept tightly sealed in a cool and dark place such as a drawer, it’s likely the ORAC is much lower. In that scenario, they may be rancid. If that’s the case, it’s time to replace it.

The period of effectiveness of these oils depends upon the type, quality, and storage methods that one uses. According to Healthline, citrus oils have the shortest shelf life, lasting around 1-2 years because they are prone to oxidation and evaporation. Floral oils last around 3-4 years on average as they are delicate and sensitive to heat and light. In comparison, woody, resinous, and spicy oils last the longest at around 4-6 years due to their stability.
I would generally disagree with this because as soon as the oil is extracted it starts to oxidase even if the essential oil keeps its aroma. Oil might be in a sealed bottle for one year before you purchase it and might not be exposed to oxygen to that extent.

My suggestion is to find the freshest oil in the marketplace you can.

My second suggestion is to use the oil after the opening within a month and to keep the oil in the dark sealed bottle inside your fridge. I have special vacuum-sealed bottles for my oils.

In the video below, you can learn how to vacuum seal bottles or jars the easy way, without any kitchen appliances or expensive machinery.

If you open the bottle and you didn’t use the bottle for a month or two after opening it throw it away. If you open the bottle and you don’t want to use it for a month or two, it is better to vacuum seal it and/or freeze the oil completely. Frezzein is generally regarded as destructive to phytochemicals as same as heating but at least you would avoid the rancidity of the oil.

What I do is that I label these bottles with the dates that I opened them along with usage periods indicated on them.

Basic mix.

Traditionally, many essential oils have been used for their flavor-enhancing benefits. There are many recipes out there that explain how these oils can be used. When it comes to the health-promoting properties of antioxidants in these oils, there are a couple of rules.

Generally speaking, heat is considered damaging to phytochemicals, so you would prefer to use them raw.

Secondly, oxygen exposure is considered damaging to antioxidants, so blending extensively in blenders that are not vacuum-sealed is considered damaging.

You can use many of these types of oils in their traditional culinary role and also extract some more antioxidant power from them. The other option would be to research all the side effects of different oils and use them as a supplement.

I use both methods. I use them in the kitchen as a flavoring aid, and I have the medicinal basic oil mix that I use every morning with a combination of my spice and herb antioxidant-rich mix for medicinal and antioxidant benefits. Here are some examples of how you can use these oils in the kitchen.

• Create custom blends of essential oils in carrier oils, such as olive oil, for salad dressings or marinades.
• One essential oil that you can add to your muesli is cinnamon essential oil. Cinnamon is a warm and comforting spice that pairs well with oats, nuts, and dried fruits commonly found in muesli. It also has potential health benefits including being high in antioxidants and having anti-inflammatory properties. Create your own spice blends using essential oils, such as pumpkin spice using cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove oil, or Mexican taco seasoning using cumin and oregano oil. Alternatively, you can also add other oils such as nutmeg or ginger oil for a delicious twist on your traditional muesli or granola.
• Add 1-2 drops of oregano or thyme oil to soups or stews for added depth of flavor and immune-boosting properties.
• Add a drop or two of ginger, fennel, or peppermint oil to tea.
• Add 1-2 drops of rosemary or basil oil to pasta sauce for a delicious Italian-inspired dish.
• Add a few drops of essential oil to smoothies depending on the recipe for an extra burst of flavor and health benefits.
• Lemon, Orange, Grapefruit, and Peppermint go well with freshly squeezed juice for a more intense flavor.
• Vegetable juices can also benefit from the addition of essential oils as they can add flavor and potential health benefits.

If you want to make an antioxidant health-promoting oil mix supplement start with black cumin seed (Nigella sativa) oil and add clove oil and oil of wild oregano and then go from there. This is the basic mix I use every morning.

I substitute black cumin seed oil for olive oil as a carrier oil. It possesses greater potency than olive oil and has a rich history of use (Padhye et al., 2008). It also comes with a higher price tag. Black cumin seed oil was discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamun in ancient Egypt and was used by Cleopatra and Nefertiti for their hair and skincare. Prophet Muhammad was quoted as saying that oil has the power to heal all diseases, except death (PBUH) (Sahih Bukhari 71:592). Ayurvedic medicine employs black cumin seed oil to restore balance to energies and alleviate a variety of conditions, including respiratory issues, digestive disorders, headaches, and skin infections. In Chinese medicine, black cumin seed oil enhances vital energy circulation and is effective in treating asthma, allergies, and rheumatism. The Old Testament makes a mention of black cumin seed oil as well (Isaiah 28:25, 27).

I will do correlated articles about the benefits of these oils in more detail. You can start from here and do the research for every essential oil you want to add next.

There are a lot of phytochemicals in essential oils besides antioxidants that will have biological reactions in the body or even drug interactions.

You need to know exactly what they are and what effect they can have or you risk health implications.

You shouldn’t use essential oils in early pregnancy at all until more research is conducted on the topic.

You should never use essential oils in excessive amounts. Dosages are usually measured in drops.

One more consideration is that some oils don’t mix because they have adverse effects. I personally just use a couple of drops of clove and oil of wild oregano mixed in into two to three grams of black cumin seed oil a day on top of my spice-herbal mix (turmeric, black pepper, ginger, rosemary, cloves, and amla). You can read more about why I use this specific hers here (Spices as supplemental antioxidants- In vivo results with realistic dosages). I take one teaspoon of mixed oil (Nigella sativa as a base) and one regular spoon of my herbal mix and together they have more than 10,000 units on an ORAC scale. If I don’t do anything else this will be enough to provide me with an adequate level of antioxidant intake but I do eat healthily and do drink herbal tea and green tea and take some antioxidant supplements on top of that like astaxanthin. I was a little surprised that in the studies cinnamon and oregano showed no benefit in fighting inflammation in cooking dosages. Several health studies on both of them did show a significant health effect. I can only speculate that the dose was low.

How to Make Essential Oils From The Garden? In the video below you will learn how to do it simply with an at-home distillation kit.

In the video below you can see a case from clinical practice of what happens if you mishandle the use of essential oils. A Toddler Drank His Mom’s Essential Oils. This Is What Happened To His Brain.

Conclusion:

• Most powerful antioxidants are a concentrated form of natural antioxidant-rich herbs.
• Oils are fluid extracts from medicinal, aromatic, or any other plants.
• Essential oils have more concentrated phytochemical levels than the levels that are present in the raw plant.
• The health benefits of essential oils include antimicrobial, antiviral, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties.
• Essential oils are effective in fighting infections and reducing inflammation, providing relief for pain, and boosting the immune system.
• Essential oils could be used to increase our antioxidant intake.
• Essential oils are a convenient way of balancing our antioxidative ORAC score.
• There are essential oils that are very potent antioxidants like clove essential oil.
• The best approach is to make an antioxidant-rich essential oil mix for consumption with lower dosages of different oils than monotherapy.
• These oils are so potent that they will create burns and cannot be consumed without dilution in refined cooking oils.
• They are also a source of phytochemicals that have different health effects on top of antioxidative properties.
• Not all essential oils are edible.
• Some essential oils, in the same manner as herbal teas, should not be mixed because they might have adverse reactions.
• A general rule of thumb is that if the plant is edible like for example cloves, then essential oil from that plant will be edible as well.
• Some edible oils are also toxic because they are much more concentrated chemically than a plant that they are created of and if there is some toxin in that plant it will be much more prominent in the oil.
• If you don’t know the properties of the essential oil or the safe dosages, don’t know if you have an allergy, or confuse plant species, you can die, end up in a hospital or suffer from chronic issues that you might not contribute to the oil. You can have a miscarriage or other health complications if you are pregnant.
• Nutmeg was used as an abortifacient so eating nutmeg essential oil is quite dangerous, especially during pregnancy.
• Light and oxygen degrade these oils.
• If you want to make an antioxidant health-promoting oil mix supplement start with black cumin seed (Nigella sativa) oil and add clove oil and oil of wild oregano and then go from there.
• There are a lot of phytochemicals in essential oils besides antioxidants that will have biological reactions in the body or even drug interactions.
• You shouldn’t use essential oils in pregnancy at all until more research is conducted on the topic.
• You should never use essential oils in excessive amounts. Dosages are usually measured in drops.

Passages selected from a book: Passages selected from a book: Pokimica, Milos. Go Vegan? Review of Science Part 3. Kindle ed., Amazon, 2020.

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6. Fung, T. K. H., Lau, B. W. M., Ngai, S. P. C., & Tsang, H. W. H. (2021). Therapeutic Effect and Mechanisms of Essential Oils in Mood Disorders: Interaction between the Nervous and Respiratory Systems. International journal of molecular sciences, 22(9), 4844. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms22094844
7. Idle J. R. (2005). Christmas gingerbread (Lebkuchen) and Christmas cheer–review of the potential role of mood elevating amphetamine-like compounds formed in vivo and in furno. Prague medical report, 106(1), 27–38. [PubMed]
8. Methyl salicylate overdose: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. (n.d.). https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002683.htm
9. Bayala, B., Bassole, I. H., Scifo, R., Gnoula, C., Morel, L., Lobaccaro, J. M., & Simpore, J. (2014). Anticancer activity of essential oils and their chemical components – a review. American journal of cancer research, 4(6), 591–607. [PubMed]
10. Vigan M. (2010). Essential oils: renewal of interest and toxicity. European journal of dermatology : EJD, 20(6), 685–692. https://doi.org/10.1684/ejd.2010.1066
11. Aziz, Z. A. A., Ahmad, A., Setapar, S. H. M., Karakucuk, A., Azim, M. M., Lokhat, D., Rafatullah, M., Ganash, M., Kamal, M. A., & Ashraf, G. M. (2018). Essential Oils: Extraction Techniques, Pharmaceutical And Therapeutic Potential – A Review. Current drug metabolism, 19(13), 1100–1110. https://doi.org/10.2174/1389200219666180723144850
12. Amorati, R., Foti, M. C., & Valgimigli, L. (2013). Antioxidant activity of essential oils. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 61(46), 10835–10847. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf403496k
13. Tit, D. M., & Bungau, S. G. (2023). Antioxidant Activity of Essential Oils. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland), 12(2), 383. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox12020383
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