Essential oils have numerous benefits. They can be used for aromatherapy to boost mood and reduce anxiety, nourish your skin and hair follicles with an abundance of nutrients, and even be used as medicine to treat infections.
The uses of essential oils don’t end there – some also ingest essential oils to get their benefits internally. Since there are also various types of tea used for treating different things, those who are planning to take essential oils wonder about their safety. If you’re asking if you can drink essential oils in tea, continue reading to get your answers.
Our article will cover whether it is safe to drink essential oils in tea and review the safety precautions to take when ingesting essential oils.
Can You Drink Essential Oils in Tea? Is It Safe?
The answer to this question depends on the type of essential oil. While some essential oils are safe to ingest, others are not. It ultimately comes down to the specific essential oil. Typically, essential oils that have the Generally Recognized As Safe label for internal use are safe to drink in tea. For instance, peppermint and lemon essential oils are considered safe to drink.
However, you shouldn’t add any of these essential oils to your tea directly. Essential oils aren’t safe to consume by directly adding them – even a single drop can cause severe burns or irritations in the mouth, throat, or stomach.
We will cover the safe way to drink essential oils tea down below.
Can You Drink Essential Oils in Tea Without Dilution?
Before we get to how you should drink essential oils in your tea, let’s answer this commonly asked question on whether you can drink essential oils in tea without dilution. The answer to this is a big no – you should never drink essential oils in tea or any other product without dilution.
There are many reasons why you shouldn’t drink essential oils in tea without dilution. First and foremost, essential oils are hydrophobic, meaning they won’t mix with water and float on top of your tea. When you sip your tea, you will ingest the undiluted oil undispersed, which is almost always likely to cause irritations.
Given that essential oils are also extremely concentrated, even a single drop of certain essential oils can lead to severe stomach upset, ulcers, and other allergic reactions. There’s also a risk of toxicity involved with ingesting essential oils, which can cause serious health problems. For these reasons (and health risks), you must dilute essential oils before adding them to your tea.
How to Drink Essential Oils in Tea?
To drink essential oils in tea, you must follow strict safety guidelines to avoid potential health issues. Below is a quick overview of how you can safely drink essential oils in tea.
Choose an Edible Essential Oil
Firstly, look for certified organic essential oil that’s edible and has the Generally Recognized As Safe label by the FDA for internal use. Since many essential oils aren’t safe to ingest, inspecting for this label is critical in ensuring your safety.
You should also purchase your essential oil from reputable places, like Wholesale Botanics, to ensure you get pure, organic essential oil, without any added ingredients.
Dilute the Essential Oil
Essential oils don’t dissolve in water, so diluting them is a must. Since you’re using it for tea, some of the best ways to dilute essential oils are adding one drop to a tablespoon of raw honey, coconut oil, or agave syrup.
Once you combine everything, you can then stir a teaspoon of this mixture into your tea to get the benefits of the essential oil. The key here is sticking to lower amounts and gradually increasing how much mixture you add, but never more than one drop of essential oil per cup of tea.
Sipping Tea With Essential Oils
We’ve covered how you can drink essential oils in your tea. While the above guides you on how to use essential oils safely, it is best to consult a certified aromatherapist or your herbal medicine practitioner before you use any to drink in your tea.
If you get the green light, don’t just drink your tea with a diluted essential oil, which will likely alter the taste of your tea in an unpleasant way– make everything taste better by balancing the flavors using lemon juice, ginger slices, fresh herbs, and other suitable ingredients.
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