Essential Oils: Their Environmental Impact
Essential oils have become the new norm. They’re part of the products wellness lifestyle experts have turned into a trend. This USD 20 billion industry is so popular, we can now find essential oils at gas stations, supermarkets, clothing stores, and on most holistic websites, with multi-million dollar corporations running this massive industry.
(Image by Unsplash)
We won’t get into the medicinal aspect of essentials oils since we are not doctors but we will take you on a tour of the impact this enormous consumption has on nature. Both Santiago and I study Syntropic Agroforestry and Herbal Medicine, and can speak from what we’ve learned digging our hands in soil, from books, and by making our own products with herbs from our garden.
By studying Syntropic Agroforestry, we learned that nature has it’s own rhythm, and it thrives with biodiversity. Acres of every type of tree, plant, herb, flower and fungi. This abundance is what helps plants nourish each other, fight pests, share information with each other, prevent soil erosion, attract water, and regenerate soil. Yes, nature excels without human involvement. She doesn’t need us, yet we absolutely need her to survive
Unfortunately, we live in a world where big companies want things fast, cheap and easy which translates into monocrops- acres of land with one single crop. Big Essential Oil companies are known to benefit from monocrops, or to work with middlemen that harvest their natural ingredients from monocrops. Vice News did an investigative piece on this issue that is worth watching. It shows both the terrifying environmental impact of the essential oil industry, as well as the human exploitation. Below is the video.
Monocrops are not only used to provide food to our entire world, but also to provide raw material for essential oils. By having acres of one single crop, soil begins to slowly lose its nutrients- becoming infertile after a few years. This nutrient depletion also means that crops can no longer protect themselves against pests, translating into companies needing to use more pesticides and fertilizers. Most, being very toxic to humans and nature.
Syntropic Agroforestry is the opposite to monocrops. It focuses on soil regeneration through an organic abundance and synergy between plants.
By studying Herbal Medicine, we discovered that we could use medicinal herbs in manners that did not solely involve essential oils. We could help treat our own symptoms, diseases and even fortify our immune system by using these plants in very conscious and earth-responsible ways. You can do wonders with plants, right from your garden or a corner in your kitchen. You don’t need acres of land like most people imagine and, with little, you can create your own herbal infusions, salts, ointments, cataplasms, and natural remedies for whenever you feel sick or for everyday use to fortify your immune system and prevent diseases.
By making our own medicine, we never take more than we need from our garden. ¼ to 1/3 of the plant to allow for it to regenerate, as is the rule in Herbalism. (Don’t worry, we’ll share more about our remedies in a next article.)
We also learned how to distill plants to create hydrosols and essential oils, and during this process, we realized how many kg of plants are needed to make a tiny 15ml bottle of essential oil. This visual image was so impactful, it helped us grasp the idea that millions of essential bottles sold worldwide will never be sustainable. This practice involves massive deforestation, monocrops and nutrient depletion in soil to keep up with demand.
Visualize this:
-It takes around 1 million rose petals to make 1 ounce of rose oil. 1 ounce = 591 drops, or two small 15 ml bottles.
-It also takes 15-20 kg of plants to make 15-40 ml of essential oil.
We are talking about entire bushes of herbs, dozens of them, to make one single essential oil bottle. This is a ratio of 0.03-0.2% of the raw material. If we talked in investment language, with the capital being NATURE, the return on capital would be depressive.
Now, we are not telling you to stop using essential oils completely since they’ve been used for centuries but to begin choosing the companies you support WISELY, and to use oils very consciously. Use each drop as if it were sacred. Support those small batch companies or those that practice Syntropic Agroforestry and are organic, pesticide-free and 100% plantbased.
Also, if you have the curiosity, time and a small piece of garden, learn how to make your own essential oils. Again, you don’t need a big piece of land to start your herbal garden at home. You can do it indoors in your kitchen, or outdoors in a balcony or garden. This practice will expand your connection with, and appreciation for, nature.
For more information on this topic, here are some resources:
1) Vulnerability of Soil Microbiome to Monocrops