PurSleep Product Safety

-SWS wrote:..that Bubble Gum aroma you mentioned earlier in the thread, for instance, may not work primarily at the biochemical level. Surprisingly, I found that Bubble Gum aroma to be one of the more relaxing aromas, once I managed to get the concentration down.

A man walks into a doctor's office and says "Doctor, my head hurts."

The doctor takes a 7-pound sledge hammer and, in a mighty swing, smashes the guy's foot.

The patient, screaming in pain, yells "What did you do that for?"

The doctor replies, "I'll bet you forgot all about your headache!"

ozij wrote:I'm sure you know that some people are given the recommendation to drink a glass of red wine daily

ozij wrote:And a dab of Lorann's extra strength candy oils on your mask is OK?

LorAnn flavors are certified Kosher by Star-K

Frequently Asked Questions About Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO)
What is Dihydrogen Monoxide?
Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is a colorless and odorless chemical compound, also referred to by some as Dihydrogen Oxide, Hydrogen Hydroxide, Hydronium Hydroxide, or simply Hydric acid. Its basis is the highly reactive hydroxyl radical, a species shown to mutate DNA, denature proteins, disrupt cell membranes, and chemically alter critical neurotransmitters. The atomic components of DHMO are found in a number of caustic, explosive and poisonous compounds such as Sulfuric Acid, Nitroglycerine and Ethyl Alcohol.
For more detailed information, including precautions, disposal procedures and storage requirements, refer to one of the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) available for DHMO:

Kemp Compliance & Safety MSDS for DHMO
Chem-Safe, Inc. MSDS for Dihydrogen Monoxide
Applied Petrochemical Research MSDS for Hydric Acid
Original DHMO.org Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for Dihydrogen Monoxide (html)
<snip>
Should I be concerned about Dihydrogen Monoxide?
Yes, you should be concerned about DHMO! Although the U.S. Government and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) do not classify Dihydrogen Monoxide as a toxic or carcinogenic substance (as it does with better known chemicals such as hydrochloric acid and benzene), DHMO is a constituent of many known toxic substances, diseases and disease-causing agents, environmental hazards and can even be lethal to humans in quantities as small as a thimbleful.

What are some of the dangers associated with DHMO?
Each year, Dihydrogen Monoxide is a known causative component in many thousands of deaths and is a major contributor to millions upon millions of dollars in damage to property and the environment. Some of the known perils of Dihydrogen Monoxide are:
Death due to accidental inhalation of DHMO, even in small quantities.
Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe tissue damage.
Excessive ingestion produces a number of unpleasant though not typically life-threatening side-effects.
DHMO is a major component of acid rain.
Gaseous DHMO can cause severe burns.
Contributes to soil erosion.
Leads to corrosion and oxidation of many metals.
Contamination of electrical systems often causes short-circuits.
Exposure decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes.
Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and lesions.
Given to vicious dogs involved in recent deadly attacks.
Often associated with killer cyclones in the U.S. Midwest and elsewhere, and in hurricanes including deadly storms in Florida, New Orleans and other areas of the southeastern U.S.
Thermal variations in DHMO are a suspected contributor to the El Nino weather effect.

ozij wrote:http://www.dhmo.org/

Frequently Asked Questions About Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO)
What is Dihydrogen Monoxide?
Dihydrogen Monoxide (DHMO) is a colorless and odorless chemical compound, also referred to by some as Dihydrogen Oxide, Hydrogen Hydroxide, Hydronium Hydroxide, or simply Hydric acid. Its basis is the highly reactive hydroxyl radical, a species shown to mutate DNA, denature proteins, disrupt cell membranes, and chemically alter critical neurotransmitters. The atomic components of DHMO are found in a number of caustic, explosive and poisonous compounds such as Sulfuric Acid, Nitroglycerine and Ethyl Alcohol.
For more detailed information, including precautions, disposal procedures and storage requirements, refer to one of the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) available for DHMO:

Kemp Compliance & Safety MSDS for DHMO
Chem-Safe, Inc. MSDS for Dihydrogen Monoxide
Applied Petrochemical Research MSDS for Hydric Acid
Original DHMO.org Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for Dihydrogen Monoxide (html)
<snip>
Should I be concerned about Dihydrogen Monoxide?
Yes, you should be concerned about DHMO! Although the U.S. Government and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) do not classify Dihydrogen Monoxide as a toxic or carcinogenic substance (as it does with better known chemicals such as hydrochloric acid and benzene), DHMO is a constituent of many known toxic substances, diseases and disease-causing agents, environmental hazards and can even be lethal to humans in quantities as small as a thimbleful.

What are some of the dangers associated with DHMO?
Each year, Dihydrogen Monoxide is a known causative component in many thousands of deaths and is a major contributor to millions upon millions of dollars in damage to property and the environment. Some of the known perils of Dihydrogen Monoxide are:
Death due to accidental inhalation of DHMO, even in small quantities.
Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe tissue damage.
Excessive ingestion produces a number of unpleasant though not typically life-threatening side-effects.
DHMO is a major component of acid rain.
Gaseous DHMO can cause severe burns.
Contributes to soil erosion.
Leads to corrosion and oxidation of many metals.
Contamination of electrical systems often causes short-circuits.
Exposure decreases effectiveness of automobile brakes.
Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and lesions.
Given to vicious dogs involved in recent deadly attacks.
Often associated with killer cyclones in the U.S. Midwest and elsewhere, and in hurricanes including deadly storms in Florida, New Orleans and other areas of the southeastern U.S.
Thermal variations in DHMO are a suspected contributor to the El Nino weather effect.

wikipedia article wrote:The dihydrogen monoxide hoax involves listing negative effects of water under an unfamiliar scientific name, then asking individuals to help control the seemingly dangerous substance. The hoax is designed to illustrate how the lack of scientific knowledge and an exaggerated analysis can lead to misplaced fears

The research reported in this book was conceived when a scientist friend showed us a copy of a letter written by a biochemist which seemed to indicate by its tone that there was a raging and, so we thought, sociologically interesting controversy going on in an area of biochemistry called 'oxidative phosphorylation'. Like other sociologists of science, and like our scientist friend, we assumed that part of the job of the sociologist was to strip away the formal side of science, and show what was really going on; an area of lively debate would, we thought, be an excellent site for such investigations

StillAnotherGuest wrote:Although I wonder how you get to "food quality". Must have something to do with the FDA.

SleepGuy wrote:I prefer to stand by Tisserand's Essential Oil Safety and the FDA list of essential oils that are "Generally Recognized as Safe" for human consumption.

ozij wrote:Speaking of the guise of science.... A fascinating book about the guys* of science is "Opening Pandora's Box" by G. Nigel Gilbert and Michael Mulkay -- and I have just discovered it is there on the net - to be read for free! Highly recommened.
http://www.soc.surrey.ac.uk/books/OPB/prelim.htm

Man is by nature a political animal.

-SWS wrote:

StillAnotherGuest wrote:Although I wonder how you get to "food quality". Must have something to do with the FDA.

Apparently it entails what Bret mentioned on page one about how he selected PurSleep oils (the underlined part about FDA GRAS designation):

SleepGuy wrote:I prefer to stand by Tisserand's Essential Oil Safety and the FDA list of essential oils that are "Generally Recognized as Safe" for human consumption.

Y'know there, -sws, and as noted by other posters, the I don't think that the "GRAS" designation alone guarantee safety. What does that really mean? When you think about it, does "generally regarded as safe" really inspire confidence? Especially as it relates to long term inhalation exposure?

Perhaps the next step in the "search for safety" is to try to get some standards together. Given the "standards" presently in aromatherapy, creating our own standards are probably good as any.

Whoa! Let's hold off on "food-grade" for now. Although LorAnn seems to have provided product for medical research and has a great track record, looking at some grading methods for EO (gleaned elsewhere):

The Four Grades of Essential Oils:

Grade A ~ pure therapeutic quality and made from organically grown plants, distilled at correct temperature, time, pressure and harvested at proper season.
Grade B ~ food grade, probably contain synthetics, pesticide, fertilizers, extenders, or carrier oils.
Grade C ~ perfume grade, probably contain same type of adulterating chemicals as food grade oils. Usually contain solvents which are used to gain a higher yield of oil per harvest.
Floral Water ~ a byproduct of the distillation process and is very high quality IF it comes from Grade A distillation process.

Georgio wrote:As long as it doesn't contain Georgia Peanut Butter I'm OK with it!

sleepyhead63 wrote:This is the article I found on www. aromanotes.com that talks about essential oils:

What You Should Know About Essential Oils


Unfortunately, not all essential oils are created equal. Most of the essential oils on the market are what is called "perfume quality" or "fourth & fifth quality" oils. This includes oils found in health food stores.

To maintain all of the therapeutic qualities, it must be extracted by steam distillation using extremely low pressure & low heat so as not to defile the quality of the oil.

Many people think that when they buy an oil that is labeled as "pure" they are getting good oils. This is far from true.


There are 4 levels of therapeutic oils:

! PURE - This means the oil was not diluted with a lesser quality essential oil. For example: lavender oil is often cut with lavendin, which has very little therapeutic quality. "Pure" does not mean it has no chemicals added to it. In the U.S., all you need is 5% of essential oil in the bottle in order to label it "100% pure."

! NATURAL- This means the oil was not adulterated with vegetable oils, propylene glycol, SD Alcohol 40 or other chemicals.

! COMPLETE - This means the oil was distilled at low heat & low pressure so that all the therapeutic properties are there. They have not been rectified or purified (which means stripped or redistilled.) Essential oils are often redistilled to make a small amount of oil go farther. They can make more profit that way. The problem is, when you redistill the oil you lose the therapeutic properties. It's like using a tea bag over & over again. An example: France is the number one producer of lavender oil. In 1997 they produced 25 tons of lavender and 67 tons were shipped to the U.S. alone. What is wrong with this picture?

! GENUINE or GRADE A - These are the cream of the crop. Great care is taken at every step of the process. Seeds- not from hybrids, soil- organic soil that never has chemicals put on it. Chemicals are never used on the plants in the field. Distillation by steam at low pressure & low temperature in upright containers & no chemicals are ever used in the process. Must have clarity of definition (one plant could have 200 species.) The time in the distiller is also important- cypress oil needs to be distilled for 24 hours. Many companies will distill at higher temperature for a shorter time. This will destroy the quality of the oil. The distiller must be no more than 50 miles away from the sight where the plants were harvested.

They must have Gas Chromatograph readings with an embossed seal that does not come from their own lab.
Then & only then can they have the words "Grade A" on the label.

-SWS wrote:rubbers .... that can earn the FDA designation of "food grade."