Q: Hello Tracey!

I had someone call me and ask about myrrh and frankincense, they are wondering if the one you supply is alright to take internally at 1 drop on the tongue (or do you recommend in something?) They are also interested in doing it topically mixed with coconut oil.

They are referencing some cancer research.

Seems alright? I discovered the magic of eating sap right off the trees.. and sometimes lots of it..

Thankyu!

A: Hi (colleague),

From an aromatherapist's point of view, essential oils should not be ingested and should always be diluted with a carrier.

ALL evergreen essential oils have mono and sesquiterpees which are anti cancer. These should be inhaled, applied in 1% dilution on the skin if necessary and one can drink teas from the needles, not drops of the essential oil.

To treat for cancer under the care of a knowledgeable health professional such as a Naturopath, myrrh and frankincense are taken as gums. Your instincts here are correct. I do have frankincense and myrrh gum here for sale and you might also. One "tear" or "drop" of gum is let to dissolve in the bottom of a litre of clean water with up to 3 litres of such drunk daily. (Note it won't completely dissolve as it's mostly gum with @5% essential oil in it).

"My" essential oils are fine therapeutic quality just like those that people advocate ingesting. Worthy of note that essential oils are on average 70 times more potent than the herbs they come from. So for instance, unless you want to drink 70 cups of peppermint tea to quell your tummy ache, it's best to drink a cup of the herb tea! 70 cups of peppermint tea would probably stress your liver.

In short, on the tongue is useless and eventually quite harmful.

And people don't tend to like my answer because some Young Lying Oils and Ludicrous Libations and Do Terror people are telling them to ingest essential oils and it will cure them.

Plants demand respect.