Myth #15: A synthetic molecule is different than the same molecule made naturally.

That's right, you read it correctly, its not a mistake and know its going to be hard for some of you to accept that this is in fact a myth, but I assure you it most certainly is. But, as always, there is more to this story that just leaving it there without further explanation and the truth really takes nothing away from the specialness of essential oils over synthetic fragrances.

First, we need to accept and understand that a molecule has no "knowledge" of the pathway by which it was created and how it behaves in any system is a function of its structure. A molecule of say L-menthol (the main component of peppermint essential oil) will behave EXACTLY the same in any environment whether that molecule of L-menthol was made by the peppermint plant or the BASF Chemical plant. Molecules are simply 3 dimensional arrangements of atoms held together by shared electron densities that we call bonds. When 10 carbon atoms and 15 hydrogen atoms come together in the arrangement shown in the picture we have L-menthol, regardless of who or what orchestrated the atoms coming together in this arrangement. L-menthol is L-menthol because of its structure. The structure is what defines the molecule, not its source.

Now, for the rest of the story. Yes its true that isolated individual molecules are universally the same regardless of who are what synthesized them. But this in no way means that essential oils can be re-constructed, molecule by molecule, in a lab. The reason this is so is because of the vast complexity of essential oils. Essential oils are almost always a collection of hundreds of molecules when you look at all the minor and trace components. The problem becomes infinitely more complex when you consider that almost every one of those components has an enantiomeric form to worry about as well. So, for example, while peppermint oil consists of 40-50% L-menthol, there is also a small amount of its mirror image (D-menthol) in there as well. Not to mention that menthol has not one, but 3 chiral carbon atoms, so when you consider all of the diastereomers (things like iso-menthol, neo-menthol, neo-iso-menthol) and their mirror images there are a total of 8 menthol isomers to worry about! And this is just the molecular system of menthol, trying to exactly recreate the correct ratios of every enantiomer and/or diastereomer of every molecule in an essential oil would be a monumental task that is basically impossible from a practical standpoint.

So, the thing to take away from this is that there is nothing magical about a molecule simple because its made in "nature" (a meaningless term to be because what is not natural? Basically, if it exists its natural, you cannot separate man from nature). The "magic" if you will, is in the complexity that plants construct their molecules that humans in a lab cannot even come close to reproducing, at least not yet. Understanding the science doesn't it make it any simpler or less interesting, in fact, if you really understand whats going on, you realize that things are how incredibly complex and intricate things are and the more you know, the more you know you don't know about the universe. The complexity is the real magic.

Dr. Robert Pappas is a chemist with more than two decades of experience in the essential oil industry. He has worked extensively with professionals from around the world, and focuses primarily on essential oil analysis and education, performing quality and purity testing for clients large and small. His opinions are widely respected in the essential oil industry. For a time, Dr. Pappas' relationships with growers prompted him to begin sales of essential oils to better serve the needs of his customers as they sought the best options for essential oil purchases. It was during this period of time that Welcome to Life! began. Although Dr. Pappas later sold the burgeoning business to his brother, we continue to provide our oils exclusively from from this source. We feel confident that the oils remain as pure and amazing as they were under Dr. Pappas, and are pleased to offer them to our clients.

Dr. Pappas continues to study, analyze, and educate about essential oils. With his permission, we reprint his Essential Oil Myths so you can know the truth among the lies in the essential oil industry. For further study and verification, please visit Dr. Pappas' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/search/top/?q=essential%20oil%20university