Therapeutic-Grade Essential Oils…In My Ice Cream?

By Karina Klug, NutriOonal Supplements Buyer and Journalist

This article was a great excuse to talk to the dynamic, knowledgeable Melissa Farris who owns Veriditas Botanicals, a therapeutic grade essential oil line. Melissa has inspired me to cook with essential oils. I now understand that the fear generated around using essential oil in food in the United States has really been a misunderstanding. The queen of therapeutic grade oils mentioned all of the fabulous ice cream made with essential oil available in Provence, France. Imagine how refreshing and luxurious lavender, lemon verbena, rosemary or basil ice cream would be on one of these scorching hot days.

It is absolutely essential to use therapeutic grade essential oil. Problems with reactions to essential oil are most often due to synthetic fragrances in oil. When an essential oil is therapeutic grade be assured that it is the pure plant oil and has no synthetic additives. If you or someone you know has had a reaction to essential oil it could have been a synthetic fragrance in the oil. We cannot stress enough to use a therapeutic grade essential oil in cooking! When Melissa uses essential oils in cooking, she recommends 1 drop per 4 servings. Remember these concentrated oils go a long way. Melissa warmed me with another edible visual. When she makes ratatouille, she adds oregano, thyme, basil or marjoram in essential oil form instead of dried herb. She also noted to always put the oil in at the end because oils are volatile and evaporate in the heat.