This question has been on my heart recently, “Should Christians use essential oils?” Let’s look at the first Book fo the Bible to begin, God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.”
+Genesis 1:11-12
When I started using Young Living Essential Oils, I had some questions and concerns, like “Should Christians use essential oils?” I had a few “gut checks” that I needed to sort out.
I was fine with using single oils, Lemon or Orange, Lavender or Peppermint. I was even fine using some of the blends, Raven for a healthy respiratory system, or Deep Relief to support tired muscles. But some of the essential oil blends were another story.
Essential Oil Blend Names and Descriptions
When I saw blends like “Abundance” or “Humility” I had a little pause. This is why I wondered, “Should Christians use essential oils?” I mean, abundance and humility don’t come from a bottle, they come from God or a close and loving friendship with God. The names alone were enough to give me pause, but the descriptions in the reference book I use were even more.
When in doubt I contacted my spiritual director, a man known for being exceptionally intelligent–he teaches at a traditional and orthodox seminary. He is Biblically, Philosophically, and spiritually wise yet has a sound grasp of common sense. (And he would completely fall into hysterical laughter reading that description of himself!) He thought I was hilarious asking about these blends.
I kept asking. He kept explaining and reassuring me. He finally ended my rapid-fire “What if…” and “What about…” texts on the funny note to get some sleep, he heard Lavender was good for that!
I went ahead and ordered some blends, like “Abundance” and I’m so glad I did. It contains three of my favorite oils in one bottle and there are a couple more in there that is sure to become a favorite! The blend makes me feel happy when I smell it. And the day before my order came in, I had this great revelation.
Plants and Oils for Our Benefit
•God made the plants for our benefit.
•God made plants to support our health and wellness.
•Essential Oils are made from the plants God made for us.
I figured anyone can put a silly name or goofy description on a bottle; that doesn’t change the plants or the oils that are derived from them. Using the blend “Abundance” as an example, would I be so cautious if it were called “Happy Momma” or “Afternoon Stress Buster”? What if the description were along the lines of, “This invigorating blend of essential oils can uplift and energize any momma with subtle undertone scents that support feelings of peace and relaxation, like an afternoon walk in the fresh air.” Would I even think twice?! No way!
So the obvious answer to my question of “Can Christians use essential oils,” is yes, if they want to.
But back to considering more about health and wellness; we’ve already established God made the plants to support our health and wellness. But have we considered who doesn’t want to see us healthy and well?
Tired, Unstable and Dis-Eased
See if the enemy can take the good God created, and use a name or a description to imply that it’s removed from God or a tool of the New Age movement, he knows well-meaning Christians will “drop it like it’s hot” to use an appropriate slang term. We’ll choose fatigue, unstable emotions and hormones, and bodies not at ease and comfort, “dis-eased bodies,” before we would do or use anything that might lead us to renounce our faith and walk away from God. And that fear, leads many well-meaning and God-loving people to say “no” when asked the question, “Should Christians use essential oils?”
Healthy, well, vibrant, abundant bodies and lives are not contrary to God! A Christian can absolutely use essential oils for health, wellness, support, stability and an abundant life!
If the enemy can keep us mentally unhealthy, emotionally unbalanced, and physically at dis-ease it’s easier for him to taunt and torment and eventually take us down. For goodness sakes, he used a piece of fruit in the Garden of Eden! Do we avoid fruit? Let’s not forget the fact that we’ve already established plants, herbs, and essential oils can aid and support us in a healthy life–mentally, emotionally, and physically!
Real-Life Examples
Let’s use the oil “Abundance” from above as an example because it contains three of my favorite oils: Orange, Cinnamon Bark, and Frankincense.
Orange
•derived from the outer peel of the common orange fruit
•highly sought after for centuries because of its immune and mood-boosting effects
•contains limonene–especially considered a powerful antioxidant that fights free radical damage and inflammation
•supports healthy circulation
•improves complexion–decreases wrinkles
•eases nervous tension
•decreases stress
•supports healthy blood pressure
Dr. Axe lists more benefits of Orange Oil.
Cinnamon Bark
•extracted from the outer bark of the cinnamon tree
•stimulates the immune system
•supports healthy digestion
•highly concentrated source of beneficial antioxidants
•important ingredient in Thieves and Inner Defense
Dr. Axe lists more of the benefits of Cinnamon Bark
Frankincense
•historically has been considered more valuable than gold
•calming and relaxing
•helps smooth the appearance of skin
•helps decrease and manage stress
•supports a healthy blood pressure
•boosts the immune system
•helps with stressful emotions
•helps with memory
•supports healthy hormones
That’s an impressive list of health and wellness benefits! And for each benefit, consider the disadvantage. The symptoms and place of disadvantage is where the enemy would like to keep us. Of course, he’s going to make us shy away from anything that can bring us into a full and vibrant life! A life of abundance.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”
+John 10:10
Abundant Life
An abundant life encompasses so many areas. Let’s start with a foundation, marriage. A woman who has found natural, plant-based ways to regulate and support her hormones is one happy girl! She isn’t cranky, moody, or irritable. She wants to spend time with her husband and doesn’t avoid or even dislike the marital embrace–a good meant to keep couples intimately connected to each other. That marital enjoyment has got to make the enemy fume!
Now consider a momma with energy, a strong immune system, and a positive outlook on life. She is a force to be reckoned with! She is engaged and enthusiastic in her motherhood. She is healthy and happy and doesn’t see or feel like this life is a burden…at least not all the time. Essential oils aren’t magic! Life is hard and we just feel bad sometimes.
Now, are oils the be-all and end-all of life? Will we never have a bad day, mood, or period again? No way! We’re far too complex for that. But essential oils will help support every system and function of our body, making allowances for the natural rhythms of life–meaning they won’t mask symptoms that need to be investigated for the root cause, not bandaged up like a “boo-boo.”
I am not anti-medication at all! I am anti, let’s slap a bandage on and hope it goes away. Or let’s throw some medication or diagnosis at it like a wet spaghetti noodle and see if it sticks.
Can Christians Use Essential Oils
This post got long. If this is only a little peek into my ponderings and question concerning should Christians use essential oils? Be thankful I didn’t let all the thoughts spill out into this post! No one who knows me will ever be able to say I didn’t under-think things!
I want you to be at peace with the good things of God. I want you to be aware that we have a very real enemy who wants to keep you down. If you have a gut check or feel unsettled, think it through, seek wise counsel–women, if you are married, this means from your husband first, too, or as well. And if you’re still not at rest, skip over the oils with names that make you uncomfortable; it’s as simple as that.
And if you’re ready to learn more about essential oils, chat me up girl! I would love to share what I’m learning and how I’m learning. I would love to help you get the toxins out of your body and out of your home. My gift to you is $25 back or a free reference handbook for your Premium Starter Kit purchases..
It is so important who you walk alongside in your wellness journey! It does matter who you choose to learn more about essential oils with. If you’re ready to learn about effective essential oil use from a former family practice medical doctor join me as I do the same! It was important to me that I learned how to use essential oils functionally and not recreationally.
I pray this post has encouraged you in your own ponderings and questions as to whether Christians can use essential oils.
Susan Peek says
Thank you for this post. I pray that many people will read it and have their fears set aside. For hundreds of years, Catholic monasteries used plants for healing and health. Even today, many monks and nuns (especially in Europe) still widely use herbal teas and ointments from their gardens. Why would the oils from these plants be any different? God made them for our good and it surely gives Him glory to see His children using His creation for an honorable purpose. And even those oils that merely give us pleasure from their beautiful scents — why would our loving Father not want to see us enjoying what He made? I’m so happy you posted about this!
Jenny says
Yes!! The enemy tries to make us fear what is good, thank you for pointing out herbal teas and ointments.
Desiree says
Thanks for this post. Must say I have had the same thoughts, but so many different times oils are mentioned in the Bible. So my mind is at ease. I do however believe that we should not allow essential oils to replace the word of God in our lives but should rather use it as an enhancement of that makes sense. I must say I am loving the essential oils so far and love the fact that some are mentioned in the Bible such as frankenscense and myhrr. Cannot wait to try these out. Still new and don’t have all the oils yet, Again thanks for your post and I agree if you unsure about something pray and ask for guidance! Be Blessed!!
Jenny says
Yes! I think we get all antsy about oils when people misuse them or make them a “god” forgetting they are mentioned in the BIBLE for goodness sakes!
Aika says
Great post! Some things, or in this case names, really make us think sometimes. I’m glad you’ve managed to put your worries at rest after knowing all the great health benefits those plant-based essential oils provide. Thanks for sharing!