Young Living’s Whispering Springs Farm, Mona Utah, 2010. Photo courtesy Rudolphine Eggink, Certified Raindrop Therapist, The Netherlands

A Comparison of Young Living and dōTERRA Essential Oils Companies – Version 6

By

Brenda L. Tippin YL #1204181

,

Oregano Field Young Living Whispering Springs Farm, Mona, UT – photo courtesy Kerri Watts, YL Member # 1055164

Cedar Harvest Young Living Highland Flats Farm – © Young Living, used with permission

Introduction Legal actions, and many stories on the internet have raised questions about two major multi-level marketing companies which distribute essential oils and related natural health products. This is an attempt to gather some background, facts and information in one place and try to set it forth in an objective manner – particularly for Young Living Distributors to help them answer questions they may encounter. But also for anyone interested in essential oils who may be confused about misinformation they have come across or may simply be looking for answers. On the surface, the two companies have many similarities, especially in both stressing the importance of pure, uncontaminated essential oils. Unless some of the background and history is known, this makes the

issue even more complicated as both sound convincing and some are unsure who is right or who to believe when differences do occur. I have tried to represent the information as it is listed in the sources named, which can be documented or referred to, but it is by no means complete, and I will continue to work on this as I am able to find new or more accurate details. If anyone notices errors or inconsistencies, or has additional information which might be helpful, please contact me at ocequine@yahoo.com. Many thanks to all who have shared photos and provided helpful suggestions, especially members of the Pinehill Group, and thanks also to Young Living corporate for graciously granting permission to use company photos. Thank you for your interest. DISCLAIMER: This work is presented for INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY and does NOT represent any official position of Young Living or dōTERRA and has NOT been reviewed by them or by any individual mentioned in this report. It simply represents a compilation of facts and information on the company websites, public profiles, and other resources named in my personal attempt to gather references in one place for those who have interest. I have tried to be objective and as accurate as possible, nevertheless, it still represents my own personal opinions and viewpoints and is not an official document. Brenda Tippin, Young Living Independent Distributor #1204181 Part I - Why is Comparing Companies Important? What is the big deal, anyway? Most consumers shop and buy many different brands of things for different reasons – sometimes based on what we think is the best price or value, or for some things we may develop a preference for a certain brand of particular products and another brand for others.

Or, in some cases we may feel certain brands work or perform better for different things. Choices may be influenced by packaging or which brand offers the most information or most appealing description. Yet, for many things, such as shampoos or laundry detergents, or cough medicines, for instance, consumers may often switch back and forth or be willing to try different brands. A “generic” brand of a cough medicine may list identical ingredients in the same order and amounts as a leading brand, and the packaging may have a similar look, but the generic product is usually much less expensive. Some are willing to pay for the brand name while others may feel the product is identical for practical purposes, so would rather not pay extra for a name. Still others may detect subtle differences for some products, while for others, a generic brand may serve perfectly well. In baking, sugar is pretty much sugar regardless of brand, while for shortening or flour, using a generic brand might make a difference in your recipe. With essential oils, however, the question is much more complicated, especially if one is concerned with purity and therapeutic benefits.

Separating the oils at the Mona, UT distillery 2010 Photo courtesy Kerri Watts, YL Member # 1055164

For years, the Young Living company which is now more than 20 years old, was the undisputed leader in essential oils, and was the first company in recent history to call attention to their therapeutic benefits. Therapeutic use of essential oils had been commonly known from ancient history dating back to early Bible times and had been used by doctors in treating patients as recently as World War I. As medical technology advanced, therapeutic uses of essential oils were largely forgotten in favor of synthetic drugs which could be patented and sold for profit by pharmaceutical companies. For many years, essential oils sold in North America were primarily fragrance grade, for cosmetics and beauty products with a few such as peppermint that were popular as food additives or flavorings. Most of these products were mixed with or contained synthetic additives, and few, if any, actually pure oils were available for purchase. And, for oils that might be pure, little if any research had been done in regard to producing them with regard to refine growth, harvest, and distilling techniques to maximizing therapeutic techniques. Young Living was the very first to pioneer this kind of research. In recent years, other competing companies have sprung up, in particular a company known as dōTERRA which claims to be the leading essential oils company, and also professes to be built around a focus of offering pure oils with therapeutic benefits. Certainly there is room for competing companies in this field, but the question in this case has led to confusion and a desire on the part of many on both sides to find facts and answers with a minimum of emotional coloring.

Flipping Melissa so brix level would rise for optimal distillation at YL St Maries Farm - Sonja Hurt YL member # 1182325

Many simply don’t realize the complexity of essential oils when it comes to the question of therapeutic benefits. A single oil may contain up to several hundred chemical constituents, which may have an effect on their therapeutic properties even when present in tiny amounts. Whether and to what degree these may be present in the finished product of a distilled oil depends on a multitude of factors. Some questions to consider include:

1. Have expert botanists identified the correct species of plant being grown, and verified that seed sources indeed come from these species and have not been contaminated with seeds of hybrid plants or other varieties?

2. Are the plants being grown in native soils, regions and climates? Because Young Living owns three farms in the US (two in Idaho and one in Utah, besides six others in other parts of the world), some websites have mistakenly reported that Young Living sources all of its oils from the US and that therefore many of them are not being grown in native soils and climates. This is incorrect. Young Living offers more than 300 different oils and blends, with many sourced from quality partners all over the world in addition to those grown on the nine farms of their own.

3. For oils sourced from partners, are there qualified experts making on-site inspections through all steps of the planting, growing, harvesting, distillation and bottling processes to ensure that no contamination occurs along the way? Or does the company rely on the word or reputation of the partner selling them oils that the oils are pure and untainted in making the claims of purity that it passes on to its customers?

4. Are soils and climates where the plants are grown verified as native by expert botanists? 5. Are soils tested free from pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and proper mineral content for

optimum growth of the plants? 6. Chemical composition of oils can vary considerably just based on whether they are picked and

harvested at the precise time of optimum growth, season, time of day, and differences in weather conditions. Is the grower knowledgeable in all of this?

7. Are plants distilled promptly after harvest or are they transported a long distance to a distillery before this can be accomplished?

8. Does the distiller have proper distillation equipment and have they been properly trained in its use? Do they know the correct times and pressures for distilling different oils to obtain the maximum quality?

9. What specific tests are conducted on batches of oils, and by whom are these tests conducted?

10. Do the laboratories conducting the tests have the latest most sensitive equipment and are these tests conducted by scientists specifically trained in operating such equipment and correctly interpreting the results? Are the tests verified by more than one lab?

11. What is the background and experience of the leaders of the company? Where and how did they obtain knowledge about essential oils? Are they involved in continuing research, and if so, what? Have they authored or collaborated with other professionals on research published in scientific journals?

Gary Young checking Melissa distillation at St Maries Farm - Sonja Hurt YL# 1182325

12. What is the company’s record as far as length of time in business and continued growth and

operation? 13. Does the primary focus of the company seem to be using multi-level marketing as a means of

sharing oils and their health benefits with the widest number of people? Or is the focus primarily one of using a growing interest in the benefits of essential oils to build a profitable network marketing company?

14. Are the company leaders transparent in listing dates, names, and places of how they acquired experience and knowledge in the field of essential oils?

PART II – Why Purity Matters As explained by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the skin is the body’s largest organ, accounting for more than 10% of body mass. We know that essential oils absorb easily through the skin, but it is important to remember that harmful chemicals do as well. Just because certain synthetics and chemicals are common additives of household cleaners, beauty products, cosmetics, and much more, does not necessarily mean they are safe and do not cause harmful effects. Many of these ingredients have been used for years in producing these types of products to help reduce costs and result in more profits for the manufacturer, but many damaging effects are subtle, long-term, and only recently are being discovered. One good example, Phthalates, are found virtually everywhere, in plastics, vinyl, toys, cosmetics, shampoos, lotions, and much more. A recent study identifies Diethylhexyl Phthalates (DEHP) as associated with insulin resistance and oxidative stress in the elderly: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23977034 . There is also concern with many of these as hormone disruptors and/or endocrine disrupting compounds which may lead to health and reproductive issues for both men and women. Another example is parabens which are widely used in cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, personal care products and as food additives to inhibit microbial growth and extend product shelf life. These also have a low estrogenic effect which may be thought to be negligible, but recent studies indicate that cumulative exposure to the many products we use containing these may have a significant impact on human health: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23909435. These are just a few examples. In the same way, we know harmful effects of chemicals and environmental toxins are easily absorbed through the lungs, just as positive effects of therapeutic grade essential oils may be absorbed through aromatherapy. Many prescription drugs also have a record of harmful side effects. One good example is Nitrofurantoin (also known as Macrobid, Macrodantin, Furodantin, etc) which is commonly prescribed for urinary tract infections and has been on the market for more than 50 years. Yet it has been known to cause many deaths by destroying the lungs: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18495029 . Before discovering essential oils, I was forced to watch helplessly as my own mother’s lungs were destroyed by this drug which had been prescribed to help her for a common, minor condition which should have been easily treatable. In recent years, many studies have documented therapeutic benefits of essential oils. Just a few of these include:

Mymensingh Med J. 2013 Jan;22(1):27-30. Efficacy of Peppermint oil in diarrhea predominant IBS - a double blind randomized placebo - controlled study. Alam MS, Roy PK, Miah AR, Mollick SH, Khan MR, Mahmud MC, Khatun S. Mymensingh Medical College Hospital, Mymensingh, Bangladesh.

Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2012 Feb;18(1):66-70. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2011.02.003. Epub 2011 Mar 16. Episiotomy pain relief: Use of Lavender oil essence in primiparous Iranian women. Sheikhan F, Jahdi F, Khoei EM, Shamsalizadeh N, Sheikhan M, Haghani H. Islamic Azad University, Khalkhal Branch, Department of Midwifery, Khalkhal, Iran.

Nat Prod Commun. 2011 Aug;6(8):1199-204. Aroma-therapeutic effects of massage blended essential oils on humans. Hongratanaworakit T. Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, Srinakharinwirot University, Rangsit-Ongkharak Road, Nakhonnayok 26120, Thailand. tapanee@swu.ac.th

J Agric Food Chem. 2011 May 11;59(9):4913-22. doi: 10.1021/jf200017h. Epub 2011 Apr 1. Variation in essential oil composition within individual leaves of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) is more affected by leaf position than by leaf age. Fischer R, Nitzan N, Chaimovitsh D, Rubin B, Dudai N. Division of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Agriculture Research Organization, Newe Yaa'r Research Center, Ramat Yishay, Israel.

J Clin Oncol. 2007 Feb 10;25(5):532-9. Effectiveness of aromatherapy massage in the management of anxiety and depression in patients with cancer: a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Wilkinson SM, Love SB, Westcombe AM, Gambles MA, Burgess CC, Cargill A, Young T, Maher EJ, Ramirez AJ. Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Unit, Royal Free and University College Medical School, Department of Mental Health Sciences, Cancer Research UK London Psychosocial Group, Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom.

Part III - Establishment and Origins of Young Living and dōTERRA Gary Young’s Credentials and the Start of YOUNG LIVING The Young Living Company was founded by Gary Young in 1993, based on his own personal journey in finding healing relief from a serious logging accident he had suffered in 1973 which left him in a wheelchair with doctors telling him he would be unable to walk again. Mr. Young was not happy with that and began looking for other answers, slowly progressing over the next 13 years. He began to recover some mobility, but it was intense pain which led him to essential oils, which finally brought relief. In 1986, 13 years after his accident, he was able to run a half marathon, finishing 60th out of 970 participants. Wanting to share his discovery, he spent years of study and experimentation to find and produce oils with therapeutic benefits as he learned about the importance of pure oils and proper growth, harvesting and distillation techniques. Young has never claimed any medical degree other than his ND, Doctor of Naturopathy degree, obtained from Bernadean University, where he studied from 1982 – 1985. Bernadean was the only school offering such a degree at that time. However, he has continued to travel the world studying and researching with medical doctors to increase his knowledge base. In 1985, Gary Young received the prestigious Humanitarian Award from State Medical Examiner’s office of Baja, California, after opening a natural healing research clinic. Mr. Young was honored for his dedicated and extensive research and treatment of degenerative diseases. Gary Young, Farm Day 2013 at Mona Utah, photo courtesy Gail Christian, YL# 109665 During the late 1980s, he studied oncology, anatomy, chemistry, anesthesiology, biochemistry, and hematology with four doctors in Mexico. He traveled to Egypt and studied essential oil chemistry with Dr. Radwan Farag, PhD, dean of the Biochemistry Department at Cairo University, who at that time was the most published authority on essential oils in the world. He also studied essential oil

chemistry, absolute extraction and gas chromatography at Anadolu University in Eskisehir, Turkey and also has studied with experts such as J.C. Lapraz, M.D., in France (effects of essential oils on the respiratory system).

Lavender and Melissa at Young Living St Maries Farm - Sonja Hurt YL member # 1182325

In 1989, Young began cultivating his own plants and built his first distiller, soon producing very high quality oils of his own. Mr. Young designed and built advanced equipment for essential oil distillation that has garnered reviews from authorities, such as Marcel Espieu (former president of the Lavender Growers Association) and Jean–Noel Landel. The Young Living Company now has been thriving and continuing to grow for more than 20 years. Young was in his fifth year of growing and distilling his own oils at the time it was begun.

During 1990 – 1994 Mr. Young also studied essential oil distillation with experts in southern France. Young Living was the first essential oil company, and has always been the leader. Through the years there have always been a few competitors and others who, for various reasons, have sought to discredit Gary Young and Young Living, and unfortunately have published incomplete, misleading, and incorrect information on the internet to accomplish this. However, the fact that Mr. Young has steadily led the company all this time and that it continues to grow and to lead all other essential oil companies is a testimony to his integrity and the quality of the oils Young Living produces. Young

owned the Young Life Research company and health clinic which operated from 2000 – through October 2005. Moving his primary base to Guayaquil, Ecuador, to establish a farm there and tap into the rich resources of oils from the Amazon, the Utah clinic was closed, and he founded the Nova Vita Research Center in 2006 to study use of therapeutic oils for rejuvenation and DNA repair. This center has state of the art diagnostic equipment and treatment protocols for helping patients to incorporate proper diet and lifestyle changes to achieve optimum health, as well learning to use the oils for therapeutic benefit.

Young has authored many books, including the popular Essential Oils Desk Reference, which is in its 5th edition, and the Essential Oils Integrative Medical Guide, both available from Life Science Publishing. Other titles include NinXia Wolfberry: Discovery of the Ultimate Superfood; Raindrop Technique Revised; Pregnenolone; The One Gift; and Shutran’s Ancient Apothecary, all of which are also available from Life Science Publishing. He has also collaborated in important research articles listed on PubMed.(See Part VI on The Frankincense Dilemma). The Young Living Company has grown in double digits every year since its founding, with an average of 10 – 12% even in a weak economy. 2013, however, has seen a huge upsurge with record breaking sales growth through the third quarter, in a series of record months beginning with October 2012. Several things have contributed to this, bringing in new leaders with fresh ideas for a complete overhaul of the Executive Team, formulation of new products including the New NingXia Red formula developed in fall 2012, updated website and product labels, and a renewed effort to provide even more training and resources for distributors. The dōTERRA Leaders and Beginning of dōTERRA The dōTERRA Company was established in the fall of 2007 by David Stirling, Dr. David Hill, Emily

Wright, and Greg Cook, all former employees of Young Living, and is in its 6th year (as of 2013).

None of these people had any knowledge, training, or prior experience with essential oils prior to or

other than what they learned during their time with Young Living, but they did have experience in

MLM (Multi-Level Marketing), and launched their competing company in full production with oils

sourced, bottled, and had 25 single oils and 10 blends ready for shipping to a huge customer base

within 6 months of their CEO David Stirling establishing the company, and within 8 months of Stirling

leaving the employ of Young Living.

The following information about the dōTERRA founders is drawn from the dōTERRA website, and

their respective Facebook and LinkedIn public profiles:

David Stirling, President of dōTERRA had spent 4 years with Young Living as Chairman of the Executive Management Committee, leading it to a solid financial foundation. Prior to that, he served as Director of Technology for NuSkin Enterprises from 1997 – 2003. He has served as President of dōTERRA since meeting with the other three former Young Living employees in the fall of 2007 and deciding to establish their own competing essential oils company. Stirling earned a BS in Business Technology from Brigham Young University in 1991, and an MBA in Business from the David Eccles School of Business at University of Utah in 2004. He had no previous experience with essential oils. Stirling has a public profile on the LinkedIn Network.

dōTERRA Co-Founder and Vice President of Leadership and Development, Emily Wright, worked with Young Living in Executive Management from March 1998 to September 2007,

joining the Co-Founders of dōTERRA in Nov 2007. She served as Young Living’s Executive Administrator as well as being on Young Living’s Board of Directors, a position of high trust . Prior to Young Living she worked as Manager of Account Services for NRP/Jones from 1994 – 1998. She had no prior experience in essential oils. Ms. Wright attended Snow College from 1990 – 92. Ms. Wright has a public profile on the LinkedIn Network.

Dr. David Hill, dōTERRA’s Chief Medical Advisor and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Committee, according to his Facebook page, is one of the World’s leading experts in essential oils, natural health, and wellness. Dr. Hill earned his DC degree from Parker College of Chiropractic in Dallas, TX. This is a Doctor of Chiropractic medicine, accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Chiropractic Education. He lists no other degree. The DC is not the same as an MD, Doctor of Medicine degree. Different schools vary in their requirements for acceptance into a DC program, Parker is one that allows the more typical prerequisite of completion of 90 undergraduate semester hours rather than full completion of a four year undergraduate degree. Entry into schools offering an MD degree is much more difficult with extensive additional requirements, residency and so forth. After graduating from Parker, he relocated to the small town of St. Maries, ID where he began practicing as a chiropractor in 1996. He became acquainted with Gary Young somewhere during this time, as Young started his first essential oils farm in St. Maries in 1992. Hill lists experience as “administrator of a large health clinic for several years, treating hundreds of patients in the process”, although as a rule administrators generally do not treat patients. This clinic was in fact owned by Gary Young, in Springville, Utah, and Dr. Hill was hired as the administrator. He did not become licensed to practice in Utah until September 16, 2005 (license # 5711114-1202, expires 05/31/2014). He is also licensed in Idaho, with the Idaho Board of Chiropractic Physicians, license # CHII – 830 issued 8/3/2009, listed as inactive, and expires 8/5/2014. It is not clear what license he previously may have held during his time in Idaho. Hill began working with Young Living sometime after Young’s clinic opened in 2000, and was listed as the administrator of this clinic by 2003. He did a presentation of Young Living essential oils on the Martha Stewart show in May of 2007, only to leave a few short months later to join the dōTERRA founders. Prior to this, he had no experience with essential oils, but as a charismatic speaker with credentials as a physician, he quickly rose to stardom using his Young Living position. However, this information is omitted from his Facebook and dōTERRA profiles, along with any dates, timeframes, or names regarding his past experience. Dr. Hill’s dōTERRA profile states, “Extensive experience qualifies Dr. Hill to stand at the head of a new era of education and understanding of natural medicine and essential oils. He remains on the cutting edge of technology by immersing himself in research.” Yet, none of his profiles explain just what his extensive experience is, or what research he is immersed in. He is listed as a successful author of many books, articles and brochures, yet no listing of his publications seems to be available and they are difficult to be found. He authored a short book titled Frankincense published in 2010, of 107 pages which is offered for sale HERE for $14.95. His most popular book, published in January 2007, was Nature’s Living Energy, which sold out of its first printing within a week, although it is not stated how many copies there were and apparently it has not been reprinted. A single used copy is currently available on Amazon (October 2013) HERE for $89.95. He has no co-authored research articles listed on Pub Med, but there are many video presentations of him on Youtube both during his time with Young Living, as well as dōTERRA. The dōTERRA page further states, “For nearly a decade, Dr. Hill worked locally as a physician in family practice.” This is difficult to calculate since Dr. Hill only began practicing in St. Maries, ID, population less than 2500, sometime in 1996, and had

moved to Utah sometime to become administrator of Young’s clinic between 2000 – 2003, and was not licensed to practice in Utah until mid-September 2005, and the clinic was closed less than a month later. So, how Dr. Hill managed to treat hundreds of patients in the process of serving as administrator of this clinic when he himself was not licensed to practice is unclear. On Dr. Hill’s Facebook fan page, he is described as a world acclaimed expert with special expertise in the use and application of essential oils, although his history with Young Living has been removed from the various sources posting his credentials online, and the reader is left to wonder where or how he became a world expert in essential oils before he appeared at dōTERRA already claiming this distinction. On dōTERRA‘s blog, February 1, 2008, it was posted in regard to Dr. Hill, “For the past three years, he and his team have developed educational seminars that have been seen by literally tens of thousands of people during his tenure. The demand for such education continues to grow which made these seminars a significant profit center.“ This dates back to early 2005 when Hill and other members of his team referred to were all an integral part of Young Living, and the majority of these were in fact Young Living presentations. Dr. Hill takes credit for recently developing what he calls the AromaTouch™ Technique and AromaTouch™ Hand Technique, which he presents as a clinical approach to the application of the oils. This technique uses a few different oils and some slight modifications in application from the highly regarded Raindrop Technique of Young Living which Dr. Hill learned about when he started working for the Young Living clinic and received his first introduction to essential oils. Dr. Hill does not have a public LinkedIn profile, but enjoys a Facebook Fan page with more than 7,500 likes as of October 2013.

Greg Cook, Executive Vice President and co-founder of dōTERRA had been with Nuskin as Senior Director from 1990 - 2006, and formerly worked with David Stirling who brought him into Young Living for a brief time, where he served as Senior Director of International Development and helped open Asian markets for Young Living for eight months, from February to September of 2006. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University where he earned a BA in International Relations in 1993, where attended from 1990-1993. Greg Cook has a public profile on the LinkedIn Network.

Part IV - Understanding the Multi-Level Marketing Model A Multi-Level Marketing company (sometimes called Network Marketing Company) is one which sells

its product or products through Independent Distributors, who in turn can build their own private

business by earning commissions on the orders of people they bring into the company, who in turn

bring in others, and so build a “downline”. Different MLM companies have variations as to the type of

compensation plan they use, and may often have other incentives to reward their distributors. The

natural health arena has been a popular one for MLM companies, but for many years, Young Living

was unique as one which focused on essential oils. When a new MLM company starts or “launches”,

generally a great deal of time and preparation and financial investment is required to be able to get

things in place in order to have sufficient product in stock to fulfill demand, ship orders, keep

replacement product coming in, pay commissions and keep things running smoothly so the new

company doesn’t collapse. This is not something that can be done quickly or put together in a few

months without meticulous advance planning.

Imagine for a moment what would be necessary if you wanted to start a new essential oils MLM

company offering pure therapeutic grade oils. Where would you find suppliers? How would you be

sure the oils you are sourcing from suppliers are truly pure with no contamination anywhere in the

growing, harvesting, or distillation process – do you have enough qualified personnel on your staff

capable of visiting the suppliers and verifying this or are you relying on the word of the supplier that

the oils are pure? You must have a supplier of dark bottles of the right sizes. You must have labels

printed with your new company logo and the names and ingredients of the various oils and blends

you are planning to offer. And who is doing the bottling for you to ensure no contamination is

occurring there – are you relying on your many different suppliers for this also? Do you do any

testing? How and when does that occur?

The chemistry of any given essential oil is complex. Correctly distilled at the proper temperature and

length of time from plants

carefully selected for correct

species, grown under optimal

conditions and harvested at

precise times, they may

contain hundreds of chemical

compounds, all of which affect

its therapeutic properties, yet

may only be revealed with the

most state of the art

laboratory testing. In other

words, it’s complicated, and

very necessary to know what

you are doing.

Gary Young inspects tea fields at Taiwan Tea Farm, photo ©Young Living, used with permission

How are you measuring the oils to ensure they have been properly distilled to have the constituents

necessary for the therapeutic benefits you are claiming? You must have a website site set up and

smoothly functioning, be able to provide customer service support, and have a workable

compensation in place.

It is also necessary to have a good sized base of independent distributors willing to invest their

money to purchase your products, sign on with your company and begin recruiting others.

Part V - Operations and Goals of Young Living and dōTERRA

In comparing dōTERRA and Young Living, both companies stress the importance of pure

unadulterated oils, grown on pure soils, free from chemicals, harvested at the right time, and correctly

processed. The question to ask then is how each company goes about achieving these goals:

Farms - Young Living has

9 of its own farms,

including 6 located in

Utah, Idaho, Ecuador,

France, and Oman, as well

as three additional new

farms established in 2013

which are located in Peru,

Taiwan, and Israel. The

Egyptian government is

also helping Young

Living to purchase land in

upper Egypt where Gary

Young hopes to grow Blue

Lotus. Original Young

Living farms include:

Lavender Fields, Farm Day 2013, Mona, UT. Photo Courtesy Gail Christian, YL Member #1096650

- Whispering Springs Farm, Mona Utah, on 1400 acres, has been for years the largest herb farm and

distillery in the world

(surpassed only by Young

Living's more recent Ecuador

farm) and is open to the

public year round.

Young Living Finca Botanica Farm, Ecuador, photo © Young Living, used with permission

Finca Botanica Aromatica Farm, Guayaquil, Ecuador - 2000 acres with a state of the art distillery and

open to the public every year for the Annual Amazon Adventure which includes farm tours,

essential oils training, jungle hikes, and more.

St Maries Farm, St Maries,

Idaho – Young’s first farm

established in 1992 on 200 acres

of previously untilled land never

exposed to pesticides, fertilizers

or other man-made chemicals.

The Visitor's Center here is also

open to the public for distillery

tours, and it is also possible to

participate in the Annual Melissa

Harvest and Annual Lavender

Harvest.

Young Living St Maries Farm – photo courtesy Sonja Hurt YL member # 1182325

-Highland Flats Tree Farm, near

Naples, Idaho, close to the

Canadian border. This 250 acre

farm harvests Balsam Fir, Pine,

Blue Spruce, and Red Cedar.

People may also participate in the

annual Spring Planting, an

important part of reforestation.

Idaho Balsam Fir Harvest Young Living Highland Flats Farm – photo courtesy Sonja Hurt YL member # 1182325

-

Young Living France Farm – © Young Living, used with permission

Simiane-la-Rotonde Farm, Simiane, France, which harvests clary sage, lavender, and einkorn wheat.

Young Living Oman Farm 2013 Diamond Retreat, © Young Living, used with permission

-Salalah Farm, Salalah, Oman. Established in 2010 for cultivating the rare Boswelia sacra species of

Frankicense, previously reserved only for royals, Young Living is the first and only company in the

world to obtain official permission to distill and export this precious oil to the Western world.

Commiphora myrrha, the biblical Myrrh oil, is also distilled here.

dōTERRA Farms – None. dōTERRA does not own or operate any farms.

b. Distilleries - As an

additional measure to ensure

proper distillation of the oils,

Young Living owns and

operates distilleries all around

the world; USA (2), Ecuador,

France, Oman, Taiwan, Egypt,

Israel, Kenya. These include

four large distilleries in Utah,

Idaho, Ecuador, and Oman.

The Utah distillery is the

largest and most

technologically advanced

distillery in North America.

A new distillery is also being

added to the Highland Flats

farm which would bring the

total to 10 distilleries. Distillers at Mona, UT farm, photo courtesy Melissa Wood, YL # 475854

dōTERRA Distilleries – None. dōTERRA does not own or operate any distilleries.

c. Partners - For oils unique to different parts of the world that need to grow in their own special

climate and soils where Young Living does not have farms, Young Living works with partners. In

these cases, Young Living does not simply rely on the reputation of the partner, but sends

representatives for testing and monitoring throughout the planting, growing, harvesting, and

distillation process to ensure their standards are met for the complete Seed to Seal® Process

because later testing alone is not sufficient to ensure such standards have been met. Oils obtained

from partners must also undergo rigorous third party testing as well as testing in Young Living labs

before they are accepted for the Young Living label.

dōTERRA partners - dōTERRA relies 100% on partners for the oils they obtain. They have no Seed to

Seal process or guarantee, but assurance for dōTERRA customers on the purity of their oils must rely

on the fact that dōTERRA accepts the word of partners who wish to sell them oils that quality

standards have been met during the planting, growing, harvesting and distillation process, and the

limited testing they provide.

Young Living Lab in Spanish Fork, Utah, photo courtesy Melissa Wood YL #475854

d. Laboratories – In May 2013, Young Living completed a major upgrade of its state of the art

laboratory in Spanish Fork, Utah, which includes many expensive instruments of the highest and most

recent technology, including a gas chromatograph and a gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer

(GC/MS), which break down components of the oil, identify purity and strength, and recognize any

possible contaminants. Also, an ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) instrument is used

to test the occurrence of vitamins and other critical components in Young Living’s dietary and

personal-care products. The lab recently doubled its staff, and employs PhDs, chemists, scientists,

and microbiologists with decades of experience in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical fields.

dōTERRA laboratories – None. dōTERRA has no laboratories or testing equipment of their own.

They do not submit to AFNOR/ISO for testing and use only North American laboratories. However,

most North American laboratories use equipment designed primarily for testing synthetic and

fragrance grade products. Young Living has the only North American laboratory using equipment

that meets European standards.

Quality Young Living offers a unique Seed to Seal® Process

which carefully monitors every step of production from

beginning to end. First, Young Living experts partner with

experts from respected universities to ensure diligent

selection of seeds and plants for correct species. Young

Living farms work continuously to perfect the best growing

and harvest methods. Young Living experts also

constantly travel the globe visiting partner sources to

ensure quality is maintained and Young Living standards

are met during each step for any and all suppliers we deal

with. Young Living carefully combines both ancient and

modern distillation techniques, using proprietary methods

of gentle steam extraction, cold pressing, and resin tapping

for select oils.

Melissa Wood, YL Member # 475854 visits the lavender fields at Young Living’s Whispering Springs Farm, Mona, Utah

All oils are tested both in Young Living’s own internal labs, as well as third party labs help to ensure

no dilution or contamination occurs. Cross checking with both internal and third party labs also helps

to ensure that optimal levels of bioactive compounds are achieved during distillation, and that

international standards are not only met, but exceeded.

Chamomile Field at Young Living Whispering Springs Farm, Mona,, UT – photo courtesy Kerri Watts YL Member # 1055164

The term Young Living Therapeutic Grade™ is clearly explained by Young Living as their own

internal standard which all oils bearing the Young Living label, both grown at Young Living farms

and those sourced from partners, must first pass rigid testing both at Young Living’s own labs as

well as third-party labs for quality verification. It is Young Living’s own backing of the quality of

their products, and is a standard comprised of the Four P’s:

Plants – Young Living has years of extensive experience in selecting the correct species of plant,

the ideal climate, soil, growing conditions, and optimal time of harvest to ensure the best quality

of essential oil is produced. Since they maintain their own farms, and work very closely with their

co-op partners, Young Living is able to monitor this directly and provide well documented

evidence for their statements in this regard.

Preparation – after ensuring the highest quality of plant material to work with, the next critical

step is the distillation process itself. Gary Young spent four years studying distillation methods

with the most eminent masters of the art in France, and has continued to research and refine

Young Living’s distillation process to determine precisely correct specifications for new oils that

are discovered. Young Living carefully oversees every step of this process, working closely with

co-op partners to ensure stringent standards are met. Young Living uses a gentle, proprietary

technique for steam-extracting the most potent

essential oils, which remains unmatched

throughout the essential oils industry. Solvents

and chemicals are never used.

Purity - Young Living Therapeutic Grade™

standards prohibit the acceptance of any diluted,

cut or adulterated oils. Every product Young

Living produces—essential oils, oil blends,

nutritional supplements, or personal care—meets

strict purity standards. Every batch of essential

oils is subjected to rigorous, state-of-the-art

analysis at the Young Living chemistry lab. Using

some of the most advanced equipment in the

world, our scientists subject every batch of

essential oils to Gas Chromatograph and Mass

Spectrometer testing, and heavy metals analysis.

Oils that exhibit even the slightest hint of

possible adulteration or tampering are rejected.

Young Living has three test laboratories of their

own as well as regularly sending oil samples to

independent laboratories for cross-checking and

verification. 6 specific tests are regularly

conducted on all oils and measured against

Young Living’s vast unmatched library of data

collected for over 20 years to ensure consistent

product and strict quality before they can be

labeled as Young Living Therapeutic Grade™ :

Essential Oil Separator, Mona , UT distillery, photo courtesy Linda Block, YL member #1206128

Potency - The culmination of the preceding three stages, Potency means that the naturally

occurring compounds contained in each essential oil product are of the highest and most

consistent bioactive levels. Without strict adherence to the Young Living Therapeutic Grade™

standard in the Plant, Preparation, and Purity phases, the final product would not have the

necessary potency to create the desired effect.

Testing - Young Living Young Living rigorously tests all batches of oils for at least six specific tests. These are o 1) Gas Chromatograph (GC)—Measures the percentage of constituents (plant chemicals) in the

oil. All GC instruments are not the same – many in the US are not designed for essential oil

testing and have only a 30 meter column which is not long enough to detect all the compounds.

The length of the column determines if all the molecules will separate. Also important is the

thickness of the column wall. Most in the US are 0.20 to 0.32. The thinner the wall, the quicker the

flash point, which works well for measuring petroleum and synthetic compounds because they

have very few numbers and have no need for great separation. With the essential oil complexity of

hundreds of compounds, the thinner the wall, the more likely multiple compounds will flash

together, giving an incorrect reading. To obtain more accuracy, a thicker column wall is essential

to get a great area width of separation and to reduce the chance of losing some of the molecules.

o That is why Young Living uses the same specification as Dr. Casabianca, Chairman of the

Committee for the Association Française de Normalisation Organization Regulation

(AFNOR)/ International Standards Organization (ISO) at the CNRS (National Center for Scientific

Research, France) laboratory with, which is 0.50 to 0.52. Young Living uses two columns, one 50-

meter and one 60-meter—polar and non-polar. Polar and non-polar have different wall coatings

that affect different molecules, enabling optimal molecule separation. These columns are

especially designed for fine- and multiple-complexity molecules found in essential oils. For

example: A 30-meter column will detect 8 to 9 major compounds in Melissa essential oil. A dual

50–60-meter column will detect 72 major compounds and 124 minor compounds. The proper

settings and calibration of the instrument is also critical to ensure compounds are not missed.

o 2) Mass Spectrometer (MS)—Identifies the names of each constituent in the oil. Performed after

GC, the MS testing will get an even greater separation and be able to identify a number of

additional compounds.

o 3) Optical Rotation /Chiral column testing - compounds have determined chirality, which

means a left enantiomer or a right enantiomer orientation (if you look at your left and right hands,

palms facing you, they are mirror images but opposite – this is a good example of chirality).

Young Living uses an optical refractometer to identify the optical rotation of molecules. If the “d”

or “l” form deviates from what is in the library of known markers, the essential oil will be sent

either to Dr. Casabianca or to Young Living’s laboratory for further chiral column testing. The

chiral column testing is more detailed and will identify a marker that reveals a synthetic origin.

That oil would then be rejected.

o 4) Refractive Index—Measures the density of the oil using a concentrated beam of light.

o 5) Specific Gravity—Measures how heavy the oil is as compared to water

Testing at Young Living Lab, photo © Young Living, used with permission

o 6) Flash Point—Ignites the oil and tests it against standard flash temperatures.

Additional tests conducted on certain oils include:

o 7) High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) – due to great strides in

technology, more sensitive and complex testing is available. High performance liquid

chromatography is now one of the most powerful tools in analytical chemistry. It has the

ability to separate, identify, and quantitate the compounds that are present in any sample

that can be dissolved in a liquid. Today, compounds in trace concentrations as low as parts

per trillion [ppt] may easily be identified. HPLC can be, and has been, applied to just about

any sample, such as pharmaceuticals, foods, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, environmental

matrices, forensic samples, and industrial chemicals. HPLC is particularly important in

testing for Boswellic acids in frankincense.** (for more, see Part VI, The Frankincense

Dilemma).

o 8) Isotopic ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) analysis - IRMS is a specialized technique

used to provide information about the geographic, chemical, and biological origins of

substances. This test can determine if a particular lot is naturally sourced or synthetic. The

ability to determine the source of an organic substance stems from the relative isotopic

abundances of the elements which comprise the material.

Young Living is the only North American Company which uses instruments calibrated to the

instruments used at the National Center for Scientific Research in France (CNRS: Centre National de

la Recherche Scientifique ) by Dr. Hervé Casabianca, Chairman of the Committee for the Association

Française de Normalisation Organization Regulation (AFNOR)/ International Standards

Organization (ISO) Young Living is also the only North American company which meets the

expensive quality testing standard of submitting its oils to AFNOR/ISO for testing, which it does on a

regular basis. However, AFNOR, founded in 1926 only sets general minimum standards for the

validation of safety, reliability, quality, and performance requirements which are described in French,

European, and International Standards. The Swiss based ISO sets standards for many products

besides essential oils, and is a worldwide federation including 130 countries. The ISO standards for

essential oils are the same as AFNOR’s. It is important to realize, however, that neither of these

organizations, nor any other authoritative organization in the world for that matter, actually

has any certification process of any kind for essential oils, particularly not for therapeutic

qualities. Those tests apply primarily to the flavor and fragrance industries which are the largest

purchasers of essential oils, but nevertheless, these tests are important for the validation of safety,

reliability, quality, and performance as mentioned. Prior to Young Living, there were no standards

by which to measure essential oils for therapeutic benefits, and all this work has been pioneered by

them. The Young Living essential oils reference library covers over 280,000 compound references

using the careful research of chemists, scientists, and other experts and constant testing, and has

always required a much higher standard than AFNOR/ISO to obtain the broadest range of therapeutic

benefits which depend upon hundreds of trace components for any given oil.

Testing - dōTERRA Do Terra offers several tests including GC, (dōTERRA does not specify the length of the columns used

in their Gas Chromatography testing, or the number of columns used. However, Young Living is the

only North American Company which uses the same state of the art equipment in their Gas

Chromatography as used by AFNOR/ISO, namely two columns of 50 and 60 meters in length

which is necessary to properly define all the constituents of essential oils. Other labs in North

America typically use a single 30 meter column for Gas Chromatography testing which is primarily

useful for testing synthetic oils.), MS, Microbial testing (testing in petri dishes for growth of fungi -

pure essential oils are naturally antifungal and anti-microbial), Organoleptic testing (human testing by

sight, touch, taste and smell), and FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy). This test involves

using a scan to determine the amount of light absorbed by chemical constituents and comparing it

against a historical database to ensure chemical composition, similar to what Young Living does with

the optical rotation/chiral column testing. Young Living however, has spent more than 20 years

developing its historical database, the only such library of its kind.

dōTERRA does not have a Seed to Seal process or anything comparable. According to dōTERRA’s

website, they offer CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® essentaial oils. dōTERRA states

“Proper extraction and quality control methods also ensure that dōTERRA essential oils are free of

any contaminants such as pesticides or other chemical residues.” However, dōTERRA does not

explain what quality control methods they use since they do not have any farms, distilleries, or labs of

their own, and since they have no process in place for sending qualified experts to regularly monitor

each production step of their many different suppliers. They also state, “if the right species or part of

a plant has not been used, or if the plant has not been grown in the right environment or harvested at

the right time, or if it has not been distilled under the right conditions, the natural chemical makeup

of the extraction will not provide as predictable and powerful a benefit. In some cases, the wrong

plant harvested at the wrong time may result in an extract that contains harmful levels of some

constituents.” The “Certified Pure” addition to their Therapeutic Grade label implies that their oils are

certified by some authoritative third party such as the FDA, however in fact it refers only to

dōTERRA’s own internal statement or claim that they “certify” that their oils are pure and of

therapeutic grade. According to the Fact Sheet on dōTERRA’s website, as of May 2012 there were

12.5 million bottles in dōTERRA’s supply chain – filled, unfilled and on order, with regular and

frequent days of selling over $1 million in product. Yet while they admit to the importance of proper

growth in the right environment, harvesting at peak times, and distilling under the right conditions,

dōTERRA offers no evidence other than their reliance the word of suppliers who wish to sell them oils

that the oil is pure, and that these important steps have been accomplished on all the 12.5 million

bottles in their supply chain. dōTERRA does not explain or mention any formal “certification” process

that is actually done either by any official body with authority to bestow a meaningful certification of

any sort, or by any third party at all, or even by their own employees for that matter. However,

dōTERRA registered the trademark “Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade®” and proclaim to their

customers that this is so, although by whom dōTERRA’s oils are certified, how it is done and what

standards are used to establish this impressive sounding designation of quality is unknown.

dōTERRA’s initial website as it began to form in 2008 offered very much the same look and feel as

Young Living’s website, differing primarily in having less content and fewer products, but was quick

to offer their own versions of Young Living’s top selling oils and blends with minor changes in the

ingredients. They also sought to offer helpful advice for their customers. As an example, on their

2008 page, they suggested the following advice for lavender oil:

“Try this at home: Compare the smell of dōTERRA’s 100% lavender essential oil to another lavender

oil or product in your home. If your product's fragrance is overbearing in any one note it may contain

synthetic chemical substitutes. A 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oil should have a balanced,

broad fragrance profile and should smell crystal clean. Now, compare the feel of your product to

dōTERRA’s essential oil. A pure essential oil should not feel slick or oily but rather absorb cleanly and

completely into your skin.”

This would lead the reader to believe that virtually any random person with no training or experience

is qualified to “test” one essential oil brand against another and be able to accurately judge its purity

(and a chemical composition that contains hundreds of minute constituents, if, indeed, it is a pure oil)

and whether or not synthetic additives are present simply by how they think it smells, or feels when

rubbed onto the skin.

Think for a moment, whether, in your judgment this might be true. Do all individuals have identical

development to their sense of smell, and the same experience and memory bank of smells they have

encountered in their life to accurately be able to differentiate subtle “notes” in a fragrance? Do all

persons have the same idea or concept of what they might consider to be an “overbearing note” in

some fragrance they smelled? Would all persons be likely to define such terms as “a balanced, broad

fragrance profile” or “a crystal clean smell” in the same way? If they all tried smelling the same oil

samples, but had no training or experience, nor any knowledge base of what they were trying to

compare it to, would they be likely to categorize the oils they tested in the same way?

dōTERRA also failed to caution that the overwhelming majority of brands of lavender oil DO contain

synthetic additives, many of which could be harmful or irritating if rubbed directly on the skin. True

pure lavender is gentle enough to apply directly to burned skin, while many brands of lavender with

synthetics could actually cause burns.

Yet this questionable advice remains on the dōTERRA website today (October 2013), having now

been repeatedly instilled into the minds of hundreds of thousands of distributors, customers, and

potential customers as accurate fact.

Third Party Testing Ordered and Paid For by Independent Consumers

Interestingly, in light of all the discussion about quality, testing, and possible synthetic additives or

adulterated oils, an independent group of consumers has banded together to pay for independent

third party GC/MS testing of oils from several companies, including Young Living, dōTERRA, and

several others. So far, tests have been conducted on Myrrh, Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia) and

Peppermint oils. This admirable effort has been led by Lea Harris of “Learning About EOs”. These

were tested against ISO standards. Remember that ISO standards do not address chemical

composition and balance necessary for therapeutic benefits, but these tests are designed as standards

for the flavor and fragrance industries, which measure only limited components and may require

more or less of certain other trace components to achieve desired therapeutic benefits. Myrrh oils

from 5 companies, including Young Living, and dōTERRA, were tested by Dr. Robert Pappas (labels

removed and replaced with numbers so he did not know which companies he was testing). All oils

were within normal specifications and, in Dr. Pappas’ opinion were all of very good quality, although

his personal preference favored some that were much less expensive than others (though he knew

nothing of which company the oils belonged to or how much they sold for).

A second test of 10 companies was done on Tea Tree, which included dōTERRA, (but not Young

Living) and was performed by Dr. Daniel Dantin of Sarl Pyrenessences Analyses of France. Dr. Dantin

did use a 60 meter column for this test and covered a much wider range of components than Dr.

Pappas’ testing, but still only those few components listed for ISO standards were measured for

compliance. Also, the thickness of the column wall he was using was only .25 m, which is in the more

typical range of column wall thickness used by American labs rather than the thicker column wall

used of .50 to .52 used by Dr. Casabianca at AFNOR as well as by Young Living. (Refer back to p. 21,

section on Gas Chromatography). This is important as using the thinner walled column results in a

higher flash point and may result in readings that are less accurate for essential oils. Lea Harris states

on her site that “Although a GC/MS report may not tell us the whole story, it does tell us the

constituents in the essential oil, and it is the best method known for revealing adulteration.”

However, this is not quite entirely accurate. The Essential Oils Desk Reference, 5th edition states,

“While gas chromatography (GC) is an excellent tool for dissecting the anatomy of an essential oil, it

does have limitations. Dr. Brian Lawrence, one of the foremost experts on essential oil chemistry, has

commented that sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish between natural and synthetic

compounds using GC analysis. If a synthetic linalyl acetate is added to pure lavender, a GC analysis

cannot really tell whether that compound is synthetic or natural, only that it is linalyl acetate. Adding

a chiral column can help, however, in distinguishing between synthetic and natural oils. This addition

allows the chemist to identify structural varieties of the same compound.”

dōTERRA’s tea tree for this test was found normal. Several other companies were found not in

compliance. Young Living’s Tea Tree was not tested.

The third test conducted on peppermint oil was perhaps the most surprising. Several companies

were initially said to be out of range for ISO compliance including both Young Living and dōTERRA,

However, it is important to note that ISO has separate standards for peppermint grown in the US and

peppermint grown out of US. The results were tested against the US standard rather than the one for

out of US. Most of the companies, including Young Living and dōTERRA, tested low for the

component trans-Thuyanol or TSH based on the US Standard. The consulting expert for these tests

was the well-known Dr. Robert Tisserand, author of The Art of Aromatherapy, the first book in English

on the subject. According to Dr. Tisserand, experts have stated that TSH levels as low as 0.1% for

non-US peppermint are considered normal. Again, based on the US Standard, the low levels might

indicate the presence of another species of mint, Mentha arvensis, or Cornmint. However, as

peppermint grown outside the US normally has lower TSH levels, this should not be considered a

reliable indicator that Cornmint is present in Young Living’s peppermint or other peppermints of

non-US origin that do not fall below 0.1 TSH.

Dr. Cole Woolley, Young Living’s Vice President of Research and marketing confirmed the

peppermint sample tested was from out of US and the .15% TSH was in fact within normal range. 12

of the 13 ISO markers tested were well within range and Young Living is investigating the single

exception. According to the Essential Oils Desk Reference, 5th edition, “As a general rule, if two or

more marker compounds in an essential oil fall outside the prescribed percentages, the oil does not

meet Young Living Therapeutic Grade™ essential oil standards.” Therefore, as explained, this

peppermint tested does meet the YLTG™ standards they advertise.

The very good thing about these independent tests is that it lets companies know consumers are

paying attention and willing to conduct expensive testing on their own that may not look good for

those who don’t adhere to the quality standards they advertise. As a caution, these reports may lead

consumers to use them as an accurate measure of the therapeutic benefits of the various oils tested,

and believe they can get the same health benefits by purchasing less expensive oils that fall within

ISO ranges when in fact this is not necessarily true.

For commercial grade oils, some plants, when first distilled are rectified with a specialized vacuum to

improve aromatic quality and remove weedy overtones. Pure and natural oils straight from the still

are not rectified.

Dr. Cole Woolley also added, “Those who understand the natural planting, growing, harvesting, and

distillation process will understand that many variables occur in nature that will impact the molecular

makeup of any given batch of essential oil. Because of that, we do not rectify or manipulate an

essential oil in order to meet ISO standards.”

The dōTERRA analysis for peppermint showed that “ethyl vanillin” is listed as the last constituent.

When Dr. Dantin was asked about the constituent, he said ethyl vanillin is a “synthetic

compound.” The sample only contains 0.07% ethyl vanillin, which is technically a trace amount.

However, Dr. Dantin further added, “ethyl vanillin is a huge odor, more than vanillin!”

Dr. Tisserand, after smelling

dōTERRA peppermint stated,

“This essential oil smells very

pleasant, but it lacks the

“clean” odor of a quality

peppermint oil. It is over-

sweet and reminiscent of a

peppermint and dark

chocolate candy. This would

be consistent with a low

concentration of added ethyl

vanillin, a powerful odorant

that smells of

vanilla/chocolate.”

Lavender, Thieves, and Peppermint - photo © Young Living, used with permission

Melissa Harvest 2013 St Maries, ID photo © Young Living, used with permission

Resin on Frankincense tree, Oman - 2013 YL Diamond retreat - photo © Young Living, used with permission

Part VI – The Frankincense Dilemma

Frankincense trees - The Frankincense trail, © Young Living, used with permission

o One of the major points of difference that arose between the Young Living and dōTERRA

companies was question of the presence of Boswellic acids in Frankincense. dōTERRA

presented a webinar conducted by Dr. David Hill and Justin Harrison, a former Director of

Young Living from 2000 until dōTERRA’s launch in April of 2008. Harrison had not joined

the original four dōTERRA founders and owners of the company when they began in fall

2007, but was willing at the initial launch and offering of dōTERRA oils for sale in April

2008, to leave his Young Living post and come into dōTERRA as one of the founding

members and one of the first, or possibly the very first, dōTERRA distributors, quickly

establishing himself at the highest rank of “Presidential Diamond” with an enormous

downline. This video presentation was entitled “Liquid Gold” and as of October 2013 is

still available online HERE. Unfortunately, the presentation contains some incorrect and

very misleading information based on the myth that the important boswellic acids are lost

in the distillation process. dōTERRA leaders obtained a copy of Young Living’s original lab

report and made changes to it to support their position. Although they had removed

Young Living’s name from the report, the inferences were clear with the implication that

since our Frankincense oil does contain boswellic acids and they were suggesting we had

therefore adulterated the oil by adding them back in after distillation, which of course is

untrue* (*see research article 3 in the list below). Young Living’s rebuttal to these

allegations and the original unaltered lab report and comparison with dōTERRA’s altered

version may be seen in this excellent video presentation by Doug Corrigan and Karen

Boren, which as of October 2013 may still be seen HERE, and is also available from

Abundant Health4U as a 39 minute audio CD for $2 HERE, or the full DVD presentation for

$2.50 HERE.

o Boswellic acids in Frankincense cannot be detected by older, less sensitive testing, which

led to the myth these cancer fighting components are not present in frankincense essential

oils, but only in the resins. This is not true. Research has proven that the oils of the

frankincense species of Boswellia sacra, Boswellia carteri, and Boswellia serrata when

properly distilled do contain significant amounts of Boswellic acids. The exception is

Boswellia frereana, in which the Boswellic acids are not present in the gum resin to begin

with.

1. Chemistry and Biology of Essential Oils of Genus Boswellia, Hidayat Hussain,

Ahmed Al-Harrasi, Ahmed Al-Rawahi, and Javid Hussain ; Evidence-Based

Complementary and Alternative Medicine, March 2013. PubMed:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3606720/

2. Frankincense essential oil prepared from hydrodistillation of Boswellia sacra gum

resins induces human pancreatic cancer cell death in cultures and in a xenograft

murine model; Ni X, Suhail MM, Yang Q, Cao A, Fung KM, Postier RG, Woolley C,

Young G, Zhang J, Lin HK; Department of General Surgery, Long Hua Hospital

Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Shanghai, China; BMC

Complementary Journal and Alternative Medicine, Dec 2012, PubMed:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23237355

3. Determination of major boswellic acids in plasma by high-pressure liquid

chromatography/mass spectrometry; Gerbeth K, Meins J, Kirste S, Momm F,

Schubert-Zsilavecz M, Abdel-Tawab M.; Central Laboratory of German Pharmacists,

Carl-Mannich Str. 20, D-65760 Eschborn, Germany. k.gerbeth@zentrallabor.com;

Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis, Dec 2011; PubMed:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21855244

4. Herbalism, botany and components analysis study on original plants of

frankincense; Sun L, Xu J, Jin H, Tian J, Lin R.; National Institute for the Control of

Pharmaceutical and Biological Products, Beijing 100050, China. dasunlei@sina.com;

China Journal of Chinese Materia Medica, Jan 2011.

5. Chemical differentiation of Boswellia sacra and Boswellia carterii essential oils by

gas chromatography and chiral gas chromatography–mass spectrometry; Woolley

CL, Suhail MM, Smith BL, Boren KE, Taylor LC, Schreuder MF, Chai JK, Casabianca H,

Haq S, Lin HK, Al-Shahri AA, Al-Hatmi S, Young DG. Journal of Chromatography A,

Volume 1261, 26 October 2012, Pages 158-163, ISSN 0021-9673,

10.1016/j.chroma.2012.06.073.

Part VI - Essential Oil Massage Therapies

Raindrop Technique was developed by Gary Young, Young Living in the mid-1980s, has since been

adopted and performed around the world on literally thousands with great success. I recommend

reading the small book, A Statistical Validation of Raindrop Technique, by David Stewart, PhD, which

summarizes the experience of more than 14,000 sessions of Raindrop. Over the years, other

practitioners have developed their own unique versions of Raindrop practice, such as Christi-Bonds

Garrett, MD, who offers Vibrational Raindrop which incorporates the use of tuning forks along with

the oils. All these others give credit to Gary Young's original Raindrop except for one. This is Dr.

David Hill, a chiropractor who was a former Young Living employee and learned everything he knew

about essential oils from Gary Young, and is now dōTERRA’s Chief Medical Officer. According to Dr.

Hill's Facebook page, he is considered one of the world's leading experts in essential oils (although he

had absolutely no essential oils experience prior to or other than his involvement with Young Living).

Dr. Hill developed for dōTERRA what he calls the AromaTouch™ Technique and AromaTouch™

Hand Technique which correspond to Gary Young's Raindrop and VitaFlex techniques. Dr. Hill claims

this is a recent invention of his own and makes absolutely no mention nor gives any credit to Gary

Young or Raindrop.

The Center for Aromatherapy Research and Education (CARE) offers training in Vibrational

Raindrop as well as a variety of courses, training, and certification to become a Certified Care

Instructor (CCI), Certified Raindrop Technique Specialist (CRTS), and Board Certified Raindrop

Specialist (BCRS). The full program has 23 requirements and 164 hours for BCRS, but one is eligible

for CRTS after 72 hours of training. Through this program one may also apply for Licensed Spiritual

Healer (LSH) which is required to practice Raindrop legally as a CRTS or BCRS if no other medical

related license is held. This licensing will allow one to practice Raindrop legally in all 50 states and all

10 provinces of Canada. The cost is $180 for either CRTS or BCRS alone, or $260 if application for LSH

is included. These certifications require intensive training and ongoing education to maintain, and

must use Young Living essential oils exclusively.

Raindrop Technique uses 9 essential oils, applied in order.

Valor - Spruce (Picea mariana), rosewood (Aniba roseaeodora), blue tansy (Tanacetum

annuum), and frankincense (Boswellia carteri) in a base of almond oil. Helps

balance electrical energies within the body, giving courage, confidence, and self-

esteem. It has been found to help the body self-correct its balance and alignment.

Is also a wonderful perfume.

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) – antiseptic, helps fatigue and exhaustion. It contains

thymol, which has been studied for its effect on gingivitis and plaque-causing organisms

in the mouth. It may be beneficial in helping to overcome fatigue and exhaustion. This plant

is grown and distilled at the Young Living Farms.

Oregano – (Origanum compractum) – was recently shown in laboratory research

conducted at Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, to have a 99 percent rate of reducing

airborne bacteria. Oregano scores 153,007 on the antioxidant ORAC scale. How to use: Apply

topically neat to bottoms of feet. Mix with V-6 Mixing Oil if applying elsewhere on the

skin. May be used undiluted in Raindrop Technique. Add to food or soy or rice milk as a

dietary supplement or flavoring. Diffuse to purify air.

Cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) is one of the oils most used to support

the circulatory system.

Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens) contains the same active ingredient (methyl

salicylate) as birch and is beneficial for massage associated with bone, muscle, and joint

discomfort associated with exercise.

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) can be relaxing to muscles that are sore or strained due

to exercise. It may also be used to soothe insect bites when applied topically. Beneficial

for mental fatigue, basil may help stimulate and sharpen the sense of smell. This herb is

grown and distilled at the Young Living Farms

Peppermint (Mentha piperita) is one of the oldest and most highly regarded herbs

for soothing digestion. Jean Valnet, M.D., studied peppermint's effect on the liver and

respiratory systems. Other scientists have also researched peppermint's role in affecting

impaired taste and smell when inhaled. Dr. William N. Dember of the University of Cincinnati

studied peppermint's ability to improve concentration and mental accuracy. Alan Hirsch,

M.D., studied peppermint's ability to directly affect the brain's satiety center, which triggers a sense

of fullness after meals. This plant is grown and distilled at the Young Living Farms.

Marjoram (Origanum majorana) is used for soothing muscle soreness due to

exercise. It assists in calming the nerves and is has antiseptic properties.

Aroma Siez – contains basil (Ocimum basilicum), marjoram (Origanum majorana),

lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), peppermint (Mentha piperita), and cypress (Cupressus

sempervirens). Applied topically, may help relax, calm muscles stressed from exercise. The

scent is highly aromatic with the energizing presence of basil.

Raindrop Therapy, photo © Young Living, used with permission

dōTERRA’s AromaTouch® uses 8 oils in a very similar approach to Young Living’s Raindrop and

the Reflexology and VitaFlex techniques developed by Gary Young which have been in use for many

years.

• Balance Grounding (dōTERRA’s version of Valor) blend with spruce, rosewood, frankincense,

and blue tansy According to Young Living Case 2:13-cv-00502-CW Document 9 Filed 07/18/13,

dōTERRA ‘s Balance Product Contains Synthetics, but Not Rosewood Essential Oil as Advertised.

Moreover, the product contains a synthetic linalool additive, which is not identified on the product

label.

• Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) According to Young Living Case 2:13-cv-00502-CW Document 9 Filed 07/18/13, dōTERRA’s “100% pure” Lavender Essential Oil Is Adulterated with

Synthetic Linalyl Acetate, Geranium, and Chamomile. In or about March 2013, Service Central

D’Analyse – Institut des Sciences Analytiques (“SCA”) analyzed three vials of dōTERRA lavender

essential oil bearing different lot numbers and expiration dates (representing three consecutive years)

using GC-MS. 50. Based on its tests of three vials of dōTERRA Lavender essential oils, SCA concluded

that these lavender essential oils contain added synthetic linalyl acetate in addition to the naturally

occurring linalyl acetate. Synthetic linalyl acetate is widely used to create a lavender aroma at a lower

cost than natural lavender essential oil. Additionally, SCA found the same samples of dōTERRA

lavender essential oil (which is marketed by dōTERRA as 100% pure natural lavender) contain

geranium and chamomile. Specifically, tests were conducted on sealed and labeled dōTERRA

lavender from different batches from three consecutive years. These were dōTERRA lavender batch

1133303, exp.2016.11; dōTERRA Lavender batch 123352A, exp 2017.11; and dōTERRA lavender batch

130431A, Exp 2018.02.

• Melaleuca (Melaleuca alternifolia) tea tree

• Peppermint (Mentha piperita) According to Young Living Case 2:13-cv-00502-CW

Document 9 Filed 07/18/13, Service Central D’Analyse – Institut des Sciences Analytiques (“SCA”)

tested three samples of dōTERRA’s peppermint essential oil bearing different lot numbers and

expiration dates (representing three consecutive years) using GC-MS. Its lab test results found a

manmade synthetic chemical additive, ethyl vanillin, in dōTERRA’s peppermint essential oil. Ethyl

vanillin is a manmade compound that gives an intense sweet vanilla aroma and sweet flavor. The

detection of ethyl vanillin explains the noticeably sweet aroma and flavor of dōTERRA’s peppermint

essential oil. Specifically, tests were conducted on sealed and labeled dōTERRA peppermint from

different batches from three consecutive years. These were dōTERRA peppermint batch 1118702 exp

2016.07, dōTERRA peppermint batch 1225402, exp 2017.09, dōTERRA peppermint batch 130311A

exp 2018.01.

• Wild Orange (Citrus sinensis) Cold-pressed from the orange peel. According to Young Living

Case 2:13-cv-00502-CW Document 9 Filed 07/18/13, dōTERRA’s Wild Orange Product contains

the synthetic 2-hexen-1-ol, which is not disclosed on the product label. The product also contains

synthetic linalool in addition to natural linalool, which is not disclosed on the product label.

• AromaTouch® Massage Blend (dōTERRA’s version of Aroma Siez) massage blend combines

the oils of basil, grapefruit, cypress, marjoram, peppermint, and lavender. According to Young Living

Case 2:13-cv-00502-CW Document 9 Filed 07/18/13, dōTERRA’s basil essential oil product

contains unlabeled and synthetic linalool. dōTERRA’s peppermint contains a manmade synthetic

chemical additive, ethyl vanillin, and dōTERRA’s lavender contains synthetic linalyl acetate.

• Deep Blue® Soothing Blend (dōTERRA’s version of PanAway) contains wintergreen,

camphor, peppermint, blue tansy, German chamomile, helichrysum and osmanthus. According to

Young Living Case 2:13-cv-00502-CW Document 9 Filed 07/18/13, Deep Blue contains a Synthetic,

but Not Wintergreen Essential Oil as Advertised. The labels on dōTERRA’s Deep Blue, Deep Blue Roll

On, and Deep Blue Rub products claim that these products contain Wintergreen essential oil.

Biomarkers of wintergreen essential oil are not present in these products. However, they contain the

synthetics methyl salicylate and dimethyl 2-hydroxyterephthalate, which are not identified on the

product labels.

• On Guard® Protective Blend (dōTERRA’s version of Thieves) contains Wild Orange essential

oil, combined with clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus, and rosemary. According to Young Living Case

2:13-cv-00502-CW Document 9 Filed 07/18/13, dōTERRA’s On Guard essential oil blend product

contains the synthetic 2-hexen-1-ol, as well as synthetic linalool, which are not identified on the

product label.

dōTERRA Corporate sets the price for Dr. Hill’s AromaTouch® certification at $149. The price

includes:

6 Hours of instruction (both classroom and experiential)

AromaTouch Essential Oil Kit

Aroma Touch Class Certification

AromaTouch Technique Manual

AromaTouch DVD

According to the AromaTouch® website, one may then be “certified” by dōTERRA to administer AromaTouch®. This requires filling out an online form stating the names and dates of three persons on whom you have performed AromaTouch®. Then dōTERRA sends you a certificate. This encourages many to present themselves as “certified” AromaTouch® practitioners and offer services with a minimum of actual training. (6 hours as compared to 72 for CRTS). No mention is offered or explained regarding the legality of this practice, or how practitioners may protect themselves by ensuring they are meeting legal requirements of their state if they wish to formally offer these services. However, 44 states plus the District of Columbia do require licensing. http://www.amtamassage.org/about/lawstate.html.

Four other states have legislation pending and only two currently have no regulation. A map of these states is available HERE. Practicing any type of massage (including Raindrop or AromaTouch® ) in return for money is generally considered practicing professionally and governed by the laws of the state in which you are practicing. Practicing massage without a license is, in some states, a felony offense. At the least, it could be costly and get one into serious trouble, so extreme caution is advised to ensure legal requirements for your particular locality are followed. To become an AromaTouch® instructor, dōTERRA’s version of BCRS requires certain specific steps:

• Submitting the AromaTouch® Technique (ATT) Instructor Application Form for approval. This form will include a documentation of your performing an additional 25 ATTs, an essay and also your personal information. • Enrolled as a dōTERRA distributor with Gold Rank or above and maintaining this rank • Must have attended 2 AromaTouch trainings taught by either Dr. Hill or one of his certified instructors within the past 12 months. • Must have administered the AromaTouch Technique 25 times This application must be approved by dōTERRA before you can go on to the next step which includes: • Once you have received approval regarding your Instructor Application (form 2), your next step is to contact a current ATT Certified Instructor as your Mentor for the Mentorship Program. • The Mentorship program will give you extensive opportunity to work with a Certified Instructor and enable you to not only perform the AromaTouch® Technique, but to plan and execute your own ATT Events. • Upon completion of your mentorship program, it is up to your Mentor to verify you are ready attend Dr. Hill’s training. At this time, your Mentor will then complete and submit the ATT Mentorship Commitment Form #3 on your behalf for final Approval from Dr. David K. Hill. *The mentorship program includes attending trainings with the Certified Instructor, practicing presentation and event structure, mastering technique, etc.

It is interesting that this instructor certification process is tied closely both to personal approval by Dr.

David Hill as well as to maintaining a high sales rank with dōTERRA products resulting in more profit

for the company, rather than focusing on study, training, and educational qualification of the

individual . dōTERRA’s Gold rank is a high level requiring one to maintain 100 PV of product

personally purchased each month, as well as three qualified legs personally enrolled at the Premier

Level. Premier level must also maintain 100 monthly PV, plus 5000 monthly volume in their group

and two personally enrolled qualified legs at the Executive level. Executive members must also spend

100 PV monthly and maintain 2000 monthly in group volume. In this way, AromaTouch®

instructors are sure to keep huge amounts of money flowing into dōTERRA’s coffers to maintain this

elite society.

The final step to the ATT Instructor certification requires attending the Instructor Training Event

taught by Dr. Hill. These events are announced through dōTERRA communications and also the

AromaTouch® Technique website. This can only done after the above requirements are met and

the additional final ATT Instructor Training Form has been submitted and approved. Certifications are

then given during the class. Thus for dōTERRA’s ATT, the focus and actual knowledge of essential oils,

understanding their chemistry and how they work in the human body as well as basic knowledge of

human physiology is very limited as compared the extensive knowledge and training required in

these areas for CRTS or BCRS Raindrop practitioners. Rather, the ATT focus seems primarily geared to

the sale of dōTERRA’s products and/or recruiting of new distributors. Again, no information is

offered on how to meet legal requirements for practicing AromaTouch® (nor any mention that such

requirements may be necessary). Certification is given to those who meet dōTERRA’s minimal

instruction requirements for practicing ATT, and instructor certification is given those who meet

dōTERRA’s strict sales requirements and follow the prescribed path outlined for obtaining personal

application approval from Dr. David Hill and finally attending one of his instructor events after

attending the 6 hr initial ATT training and then stating the names of 25 people on whom you have

performed the ATT procedure. There is no requirement to ensure the individual also obtains legal

license to practice before such certification is granted as is standard requirement with CTRS and

BCRS.

Balance Essential Rewards Kit, photo © Young Living, used with permission

Questions 1) Recently one Young Living distributor was asked, “I'm curious as to your choice of companies

to sell for too. Recently, I looked into that company and read some alarming things about the

founder. Also read that the oils, while claiming to be the purest, were found to have chemicals

and fake scents etc. Not a big deal to me, I was just bto see that you were selling under Young

Living due to my recent reading."

In fact, it is dōTERRA, not Young Living, which has been found to have fake scents and chemicals in

many of their oils which are claimed to be pure. Independent testing by more than five different labs

have confirmed the presence of chemicals, synthetic additives, and/or major discrepancies in the

presence or absence of certain oils claimed to be in various dōTERRA blends - in more than 20

different dōTERRA products. dōTERRA has attempted to claim that Young Living tampered with the

samples or altered lab reports based on an internal test YL ordered which did not use sealed

dōTERRA bottles. However, the tests referred to and verified by at least five different labs (and more

tests are ongoing) have all been conducted on sealed bottles of the dōTERRA label with specific

batch numbers, using representative samples from three consecutive years. dōTERRA has yet to offer

a reasonable explanation for this and the facts of these unarguable tests raise significant concerns for

anyone using dōTERRA products, even for the purpose of simply trying for oneself to compare with

YL oils.

2) Another inquiry thought a third essential oils company, Native American Nutritionals,

seemed to have the highest standards for quality.

Native American Nutritionals established its trademark in 2009 as a supplier of medicinal herbal

supplements featuring Native American Herbs, and was founded by Native American Paul H. Dean,

(Man Found Standing). According to their website, they do not have any farms, but do claim to work

with small suppliers and make some effort to be involved in monitoring the growing and distilling

process instead of relying on the word or reputation of the supplier that the oil is pure. However, no

information is provided as to any quality testing which may be conducted, so actual therapeutic

constituents cannot be verified or measured with consistency from batch to batch. It is important to

realize that even if an oil is pure, without testing to ensure the growth and distillation processes have

been conducted in a manner to ensure that percentages of therapeutic constituents are present in at

least minimal necessary amounts and measured against some standard or existing library for

consistency, there may be considerable variation in the therapeutic value of the oils.

AFNOR/ISO is to date the only such standard which has been developed, and Young Living is the

only company which tests with them and which maintains a library database compiled for more than

20 years of the therapeutic elements to maintain consistency. While there may of course be some

slight differences from batch to batch, you can rest assured with Young Living that the necessary

elements have been tested for and are present so you can order with confidence year after year and

expect to achieve the same results for therapeutic use. If a pure oil is not subjected to this testing, it

may have some degree of therapeutic benefit, but what elements are or are not present from batch to

batch, other than the word of the company and the supplier he sourced it from, that it is indeed

therapeutic.

Also, it should be noted that Native American Nutritionals does offer the Boswellia sacra species of

Sacred Frankincense on their site, which they correctly state is the species grown in Oman. I have

recently confirmed from Young Living Corporate that they have checked again with the Oman

government and have their word that Young Living is the only company which has legal permission

to export Boswellia sacra outside of Oman. This is the second company I have found which claims to

have available Boswellia sacra from Oman, so if indeed this is what they have, how they are getting it

out of the country without the necessary permits is unknown.

Part VII - dōTERRA /Young Living lawsuit It should be noted that in dōTERRA Case 2:13-cv-00482-TS Document 2 Filed 06/18/13 against

Young Living, they had found out YL was conducting tests on dōTERRA samples, and used an

informal internal test YL had conducted for their own knowledge and never intended for part of their

legal information, which used generic unsealed and unlabeled bottles. dōTERRA quickly filed a claim

before Young Living came out with theirs in an attempt to show Young Living had tampered with

their samples and altered the lab reports in claiming dōTERRA oil had synthetic additives. dōTERRA

used photographs of the unlabeled unsealed bottles attached as an exhibit to their claim. However,

they were unaware that Young Living already had collected and tested samples from sealed and

labeled dōTERRA bottles comparing three different batches from consecutive years, which suit

against dōTERRA Case 2:13-cv-00502-CW Document 2 Filed 06/19/13 was filed with lab reports

the next day, and the next month amended against dōTERRA Case 2:13-cv-00502-CW Document 9

Filed 07/18/13 to include evidence on even more dōTERRA products which now include more than

25 dōTERRA oils and products verified by at least 5 independent labs to have synthetic additives and

to be misrepresented on the labels.

Part VIII – Scientific Advisors

Both Young Living and dōTERRA have expert advisors in the fields of medicine and science. For

comparison, a brief overview of the credentials of these individuals are listed below.

Young Living Scientific Advisory Council

Alishia M. Alibhai - BS, MS, PhD (Psychology), Certified Reiki Master/Teacher, Coach

Dr. Alibhai earned her PhD in Social Psychology from the University of Calgary in 2009 and

began teaching at the college level. She is a Certified Reiki Master/Teacher, as well as a

Certified Soul Coach, and Past Life Coach, offering a variety of these and other services,

including Zyto Compass readings for Young Living essential oils which she offers through her

business, Divine Bliss. Dr. Alibhai received personal training from Denise Linn, who has taught

seminars in 20 countries, is the Founder of the International Institute of Soul Coaching®,

author of 15 books, and world-acclaimed expert in Feng Shui and Space Clearing.

Christi Bonds-Garrett - MA, MD

Dr. Bonds-Garrett earned her master’s in Counseling and Doctorate of Medicine from the

University of Nevada in Reno and was board certified in Family Medicine in 1992. She has

specialized in women’s health care for nearly 20 years, and is known for unique vibrational

medicine techniques using tuning forks, essential oils, special combinations of herbs, and

color/light therapy. She has also undergone the difficult requirements to become a Certified

Acutonics Practitioner, and has authored two books, Vibrational Raindrop Technique, and

Sacred Solfeggio VRT. Her groundbreaking Vibrational Raindrop methods employ a variation

of Gary Young’s original Raindrop technique incorporating the use of tuning forks.

Scott Johnson - ND, AMP, CPC - Young Living Director of Global Education and Sales

Schott Johnson has a Doctorate in Naturopathy (ND), and is a Board Certified Alternative

Medical Practitioner (AMP), as well as a Certified Professional Coach (CPC). He has

internationally published research on the subject of safety for neat topical and oral

administration of essential oils. Dr. Johnson is considered an expert on health, fitness, and

nutraceuticals, and has over 225 articles in online publications as well as being the author of

two books.

Dr. Hsueh-Kung (HK) Lin - PhD

Dr. Lin studied at Cornell University where he earned a Master’s degree in Genetics and a Phd

in Immunology. At present, he is Associate Professor of Urology and Adjunct Associate

Professor of Physiology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. He is also a

member of the prestigious Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma, as well as

a member of the Oklahoma Center for Neuroscience. He has been deeply involved in

researching a variety of alternative and health related issues, and especially his extensive work

in cancer studies using Young Living Frankincense oil.

Peter Minke – PhD

Dr. Minke is a Certified Aston Patterning Practitioner with a Bodywork and Movement Practice

in Bryan, TX. He earned his PhD in Biology from Texas A&M University in 1998, despite

surviving conventional treatment for bone cancer while in college, only to end up with

chemotherapy-induced lymphoma. This traumatic experience spurred him to seek and spread

wellness through natural medicine. He has used Young Living essential oils for more than 15

years and leads a healthy and active life with his wife and five children.

Carlos Orozco - BS (Experimental Biology, Biochemistry, Biophysics), MS (Immunology),

MD (Rep Med, Gynecological Oncology), PhD (Biochemistry), ND (Nutritional Medicine)

Dr. Orozco earned his BS in Experimental Biology, specializing in areas of Biochemistry and

Biophysics, from the Universidad Autonoma Metropolitana in Mexico City. He then earned his

Master’s Degree in Immuniology from the Institute of Biomedical Sciences from the

Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico in Mexico City. His studies next led to earning his

PhD in Biochemistry from the School of Biomedical Sciences at Griffith University in Brisbane

Australia. He served as a postdoctoral Fellow from the Lalor Foundation in Delaware in the US,

went on to earn his MD and has spent more than 15 years working in the areas of Oncology,

Gynacological Oncology, Integrative and Natural Medicine. He became Associate Professor in

Gynaecology and Fertility at the King Khalid University Hospital in Ryiadh, Saudi Arabia.

Currently, he lectures widely in Biochemistry, Chemistry, Nutrition, Bacteriology, and Hair

Pathology at the Institute of Applied Sciences in Brisbane, Australia, where he has completed

an advanced diploma in Naturopathy and continues to study acupuncture and Traditional

Chinese Medicine. He also practices Natural and Energy Medicine at a Brisbane Medical

Naturopathic Clinic. Altogether, Dr. Orozco has more than 20 years experience in Biomedical

and Clinical Research and has also served as an Associate Researcher in the Departments of

Biological Chemistry and Tumor Cell Biology at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden,

the Universitats Freunklinik in Tubingen, Germany, and the Instituto Nacional de la Nutricion

Salvador Zubiran in Mexico City. He is also a member of many professional organizations such

as the New York Academy of Sciences, and the Mexican Academy of Nutrition and

Endocrinology.

Tom Reed - DPM, DABPS, DABPM, FACFS

Dr. Reed is double Board Certified as a Medical and Surgical Specialist of the Foot and Ankle,

and has been in practice for more than 30 years. He is the author of many articles in national

medical journals, and has also invented medical devices designed to improve the practice of

orthopedic surgery.

Mahmoud Suhail - MD

Dr. Suhail is an expert on Alternative Medical Therapies who earned his Medical Degree from Al

Anbar University. He is the Chief Researcher at ATUB S42 Research, and also worked with Dr.

H.K. Lin in collaborative research with the University of Oklahoma’s College of Medicine on

Frankincense and cancer studies. Dr. Suhail has served as Scientific Advisor at the Dhofar

Frankincense Research Plant since August 2009, and also is a Pediatrician at the Al Afivah

Specialized Medical Complex. His research has been important in identifying the different

Frankincense species and devising innovative extraction methods for increased purity and

potency of frankincense essential oils distillation.

Olivier C. Wenker - MD, MBA, ABAARM, DEAA

Dr. Wenker is European Board Certified in Anesthesiology, Critical Care Medicine, and

Emergency/Disaster Medicine, as well as American Board Certified in Anti-Aging and

Regenerative Medicine. He is Professor and Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas and is

a Fellow in Integrative Cancer Medicine.

Cole Woolley -PhD, Young Living Vice President of Global Science

Dr. Woolley earned his PhD in Chemistry from Brigham Young University, and has spent more

than 20 years working with and consulting Fortune 500 companies in the analysis of foods,

flavors, and beverages. He is considered an expert instructor on essential oils and nutritional

and personal-care products, as well as the use and interpretation of Gas Chromatography. He

has helped invent many devices for determining the purity of essential oils and other

substances with a high degree of accuracy. Dr. Woolley has also developed more than 100

nutritional, personal-care and essential oil products and has given more than 300 natural

health-care presentations all over the world.

dōTERRA’s Scientific Advisory Board

Dr. David K. Hill – DC

Dr. David Hill is a popular and charismatic speaker who serves both as dōTERRA’s Chief

Medical Advisor, and the Chairman of dōTERRA’s Scientific Advisory Board. He obtained his

degree in Chiropractic Medicine at some time prior to 1996, but does not list the year of his

degree and very little about his education in any of his online profiles. Parker University

requires 90 hours of cumulative work to enter the school, located on Parker’s campus, and the

degree may be completed in less than four years. He is currently licensed to practice in Idaho,

though in active there, as well as in Utah. Previously he worked with Young Living for

approximately 6 – 7 years and served as administrator of Gary Young’s Young Life Research

Clinic, however he has removed all references to Young Living, as well as timeframes and

names and places of his past experience from his public profiles. He states that after

graduating from Parker, he served on the staff of many hospitals both as an active physician

and anciliary staff, although he holds no other medical degree. Dr. Hill’s profile indicates that

he still consults with large established hospitals such as Beth Israel, advising them in the use of

CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade®. Beth Israel Medical Center (BIMC) is in fact one of

Young Living’s active partners in a pilot study with the Urban Zen Foundation, which Dr. Hill

mentions having served on their advisory board. The Urban Zen Foundation was founded and

owned by well-known fashion designer Donna Karan. Ms. Karan is also an active Young Living

member and has been for many years. The pilot study uses YLTG™ essential oils as part of the

Integrative Therapy program for BIMC’s post-surgery cancer patients and those who wish to

seek ongoing treatment. Currently Dr. Hill most enjoys presentations, and claims to have

invented the AromaTouch® Technique, which is very similar to the popular Raindrop

Technique invented by Gary Young in the 1980s, and actively used by Dr. Hill during his time

with Young Living.

Dr. Paul Winterton - Scientific Advisory Board Member

Dr. Winterton is a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon who earned his medical degree from

Harvard Medical School in 1993, and completed his Orthopedic Surgical Residency at the Mayo

Clinic in 1998. He then completed two fellowships at The Institute for Bone and Joint

Disorders, specializing in shoulder and knee reconstructive surgery and sports medicine, and

also foot and ankle reconstruction in Phoenix, AZ. In 1999, Dr. Winterton opened the

Southtowne Orthopedics and the Utah Cartilage and Ligament Repair Center in Salt Lake City.

He has served as orthopedic consultant for the Utah Jazz NBA franchise and as team physician

for the IHL Utah Grizzlies professional hockey team. For a number of years, he has advocated

the integration of essential oils in his practice.

Tonya McBride, R.N., Charge Nurse - Scientific Advisory Board Member

Ms. McBride earned her Nursing Degree from Tennessee State University and has been a

practicing RN since 2001. She is currently Charge Nurse in the Adult Emergency Department

at Vanderbilt, University Medical Center in Nashville, TN. She is involved in leading a wellness

initiative in the Emergency Department at Vanderbilt Medical Center and is involved in nursing

research incorporating the use of essential oils in the hospital setting.

Teresa Sturges, R.N., Charge Nurse - Scientific Advisory Board Member

Ms. Sturges has over 10 years experience as an RN, mostly with Emergency Nursing, and is

currently a Charge Nurse in the Emergency Department at Vanderbilt University Medical Center

in Nashville, TN. She has been working with Tonya McBride to initiate a Wellness Committee

within the Vanderbilt Emergency Department which incorporates dōTERRA essential oils in the

to enhance staff health and wellness.

Nicole Stevens, MSc - Scientific Advisory Board Member

Ms Stevens earned her Master’s degree at Brigham Young University with her master’s thesis

on Bioassays to Determine Anti-Cancer Activity of Essential Oils. This project tested 70

essential oils and oil blends against five different types of cancer in vitro.

Jennifer Eddins, SM(ASCP) - Scientific Advisory Board Member

Ms Eddins is certified as a Specialist in Medical Microbiology with over 21 years in the medical

field, and 16 years experience with fungal air sampling. She earned her Bachelor degree in

Microbiology at Colorado State University and is currently studying the effects of some

dōTERRA oils on MRSA.

Part IX – Essential Oil Guides and other Resources

Young Living distributors have always been fortunate to have a tremendous wealth of resources,

including the popular Essential Oils Desk Reference, a massive treasury of decades of Gary Young’s

research as well as information on cutting edge essential oils research by other noted doctors and

scientists, compiled by Life Science Publishers. The latest 5th edition of the Essential Oils Desk

Reference with special notes from 2013 Convention is available here as well as many other books and

media. In addition, long time Young Living distributors Connie and Alan Higley offer a huge variety

of books, media, and other tools at their Abdundant Health online store, including their own new

2013 edition Reference Guide for Essential Oils. This book, authored by the Higleys, is a well-

organized companion resource as the two work well together for cross-referencing and finding

additional valuable information about specific oils and products. Almost as large as the Essential Oils

Desk Reference, It includes:

Comprehensive information on over 100 single oils including affected body systems, historical

uses, folklore, French medicinal uses, and safety data.

Information and usage data on over 150 commercially available oil blends, supplements, and

personal care products,

An appendix with concise, quickly accessible information on single oils and oil blends

including safety information.

Summaries and references for over 300 published research studies on essential oils and their

constituent ingredients.

A unique color-coding system that makes it easier to navigate through the book and find the

best oils for a specific application.

A comprehensive index covering all of the symptoms and health conditions listed in personal

guide section, individual oils and blends, and all of the Young Living products—this index has

been manually verified for relevancy.

dōTERRA, meanwhile, has been busy building resources representing their own specific oils

and blends. The Aroma Tools website is an ecommerce site created by Volusion on the same

identical template as the Higleys’ Abundant Health site. It offers many of the same identical

products, diffusers, etc for the same identical prices, however the persons operating this site

wish to be known only as “Aroma Tools” and do not offer their names or credentials. Many

books and media related to essential oils and wellness are offered here, searchable by other,

including a book by Dr. David Hill, his 107 page book on Frankincense. They presently have

the October 2013 edition of The Modern Essentials guide, which is their 5th edition essential

oils guide covering dōTERRA products. The author is listed simply as “Aroma Tools” with no

information given as to the actual authors, their background, training, or knowledge of

essential oils. This guide contains information presented from the dōTERRA viewpoint

including:

New dōTERRA products introduced at the 2013 dōTERRA convention.

New design with Single Oil and Oil Blends sections featuring a "Quick Facts" box to make it

simple to discover the basics about any oil.

A section on emotions and essential oils.

New research on benefits of essential oils and their constituents.

Updated essential oil-inspired products and information.

The old dilution chart has been added back to the book due to popular demand.

QR codes and URLs pointing to exclusive online video content with information on what

essential oils are and tips on how they can be used and applied.

Simple definitions for each medical condition listed in the Personal Usage Guide section.

Footnoted references to documented research studies.

Listings of all dōTERRA essential oils and essential oil blends with their chemical constituents,

historical uses, application suggestions, and safety data.

Essential oil solutions for helping with everything from common disorders such as acne to

more serious illnesses such as diabetes.

An introduction to essential oils, including their benefits and historical background.

Reflexology charts.

Illustrated instructions explaining how to perform the Aroma Touch™ Technique.

This information has been compiled from the following sources:

www.youngliving.com

http://blog.youngliving.com/

https://www.dgaryyoungfoundation.org/

http://www.dgaryyoung.com/blog/

www.doterra.com

http://doterrablog.com/

Public LinkedIn and Facebook profiles of dōTERRA and Young Living founders

Essential Oils Desk Reference, 5th edition

The Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple, David Stewart, Ph.D., D.N.M.

A Statistical Validation of Raindrop Technique, David Stewart, PhD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5TfqzhAoLE video posted by Julie Behling Hovdal

on YL and dōTERRA lawsuits,

dōTERRA lawsuit against Young Living, Case 2:13-cv-00482-TS Document 2 Filed

06/18/13

Young Living lawsuit against dōTERRA, Case 2:13-cv-00502-CW Document 2 Filed

06/19/13

Young Living amended lawsuit against dōTERRA, Case 2:13-cv-00502-CW Document 9

Filed 07/18/13

http://www.nativeamericannutritionals.com

Direct Selling News, Company Spotlight, July 1, 2013

http://www.aromatouchtechnique.com/dr-david-k-hill/

http://dopl.utah.gov/

Gail Christian, YL Member #1096650 – Farm Day photos 2013

Kerri Watts, YL Member # 1055164 – Mona, UT photos 2010

Rudolphine Eggink, Certified Raindrop Therapist, The Netherlands – Mona, UT photo

2010

Melissa Wood, YL Member # 475854 - Mona, UT photos

Sonja Hurt YL member # 1182325 – St. Maries, ID photos

Linda Block, YL member #1206128Essential Oil Separator, Mona , UT distillery photo

Essential oil photos and other images © Young Living, used by permission

http://carlosorozco.com/

January 2013

Winter Harvest,

Highland Flats

Farm, Idaho –

photo © Young

Living, used with

permission

Dorado Azul, Finca

Botanica Farm,

Ecuador - photo

©Young Living,

used with

permission