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| Frequently Asked Questions
Answers which may help you with selecting your essential oils, aromatherapy supplies or flower remedies - and make your shopping experience easier and more ejoyable. We want to offer you as much knowledge and information as we can, so you can make the best choices for you, your friends and your family. Just click on a question link to take you to the answer - of course, feel free to browse them all! |
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- Yes, all of our essential oils and carrier oils are of the quality known as "therapeutic grade". The mission of The Ananda Apothecary has been founded on the knowledge that essential oils have a wide variety of medicinal (therapeutic) properties. This is validated by a large body of research available in databases of scientific publications such as www.pubmed.gov.
We carefully select our oils through developing relationships with expert distillers around the world who focus on producing oils with the most potent therapeutic properties. It just so happens that these oils also have the finest aromas. An essential oil with a perfect balance of molecular constituents will be optimal both aromatically and therapeutically.
As you can imagine, there are several aspects to creating an exceptional oil: The right climate and growing conditions for the plants (not just that they are organically or wild-grown, but that the soil, light, water, and other factors produce the healthiest plant) ~ harvesting at the optimal time of year and/or of day ~ curing of the plant material if necessary ~ optimal distillation parameters (time, temperature and pressure) for that plant, and the best distillation equipment.
- All our essential oils are 100% pure, with no additives whatsoever. While the FDA states that there only need be 10% essential oil in a liquid to call it an 'essential oil', we guarantee ours are 100% of the essential oil stated on the label, and on the website.
There are three 'CO2' distilled oils which are emulsified in a carrier oil (either Jojoba or molecularly-distilled fractionated Coconut) which makes them liquid at room temperature. These are Carrot Root, Arnica, and Calendula. The distiller of these oils also distills oils for pharmaceutical, natural medicine, and cosmetic industries to very exacting standards. Only enough carrier oil is added so that the oils are liquid at room temperature, to make blending or any application easier. This does not reduce their potency; these oils have been available in this form for quite some time, and formulations and recipes take into account this emulsification process. Again, all other essential oils from The Ananda Apothecary are only 100% pure essential oil.
- Yes, our oils are verified using GCMS (Gas Chromatograph / Mass Spetrometry). We are in the process of making these GCMS reports available for download on the website.
- Each of our essential oils is labeled with their botanical name (genus and species), country of origin, distillation method, plant source (ie. wildcrafted, organic, etc.), and plant part.
- Our oils come from around the world, from some of the world's finest distillers. While some companies claim to produce their own oils, it is important to note that they actually produce only a very few of their own, and otherwise also work with distillers who make these oils. We have developed relationships with distillers whom we believe not only produce the finest essential oil of each variety, but do this consistently, from batch to batch, and year to year.
You can imagine the analogy of the making of fine wines. No one winery makes every type of wine, or even the best of each type they do make. The Ananda Apothecary continually tests new oils and new distillers for the possibility of offering a wider range of oils, and oils of even greater therapeutic potential should they exist. Our specialty is finding these exquisite oils and offering all of them to you in one place, with excellent service and prices.
- We are often asked, when we carry more than one type of a particular oil, "which is the most therapeutic?" In such cases, the oils are all of therapeutic grade, and vary somewhat in aroma or distillation method. The one with the greatest therapeutic value depends on your application, or your preference in aroma. For example, the wildcrafted lavender is somewhat sweeter than the lavender 'vera'. Both are very fine oils, though you may prefer a sweeter or less-sweet scent. Choose the one that you will use the most, because you enjoy it the most.
Other oils differ in distillation method. We offer steam distilled and CO2 distilled Frankincense, Cinnamon, Ginger, German Chamomile, Coriander and Juniper Berry oils (for example - this list continually grows). The oils will have somewhat different therapeutic properties and aromas. You'll find on each oil's page where more than one type is offered, a description of the differences which will help you decide which is the best for your application.
- Ananda's oils are examined using several quality control tests, including GCMS, optical rotation, specific gravity, refractive index, and organoleptic analysis. Our staff of professionals have years of experience in not only ensuring the purity and authenticity of essential oils, but that the oils are of the most potent therapeutic value.
This also means that essential oils that are best when fresh, ARE fresh (such as cold-pressed citrus oils); that other oils are not only pure, but have high levels of important constituents (Helichrysum italicum, for example, is considered most effective with high levels of ketones called "Italidiones", and a constituent called "neryl acetate").
Each oil is unique in this way -- some are better when aged (at least the aroma is better; whether or not other therapeutic properties of these same oils is changed significantly with age is still not agreed upon). Some oils matter little whether aged or not, and again others are best when fresh (from the most recent season's harvest). We take all these factors into account to provide you consistently with the finest oil available of each variety. Oils are also carefully stored until they are shipped to you to ensure they maintain this integrity.
- As noted above, some oils are best when fresher, the age of other oils matters little, and some oils may improve with age. The factors which age an oil faster are oxygen, light and heat. Highly-regarded therapists have said that even citrus oils, if kept in a closed bottle, with very little "air space" (meaning the bottle is full), in a dark, cool or even cold (as in the refrigerator) can keep for 2 years or more without loosing potency.
While we store our essential oils under such conditions, as well as receive those from the most recent harvest when this is optimal, you can extend the life of your oils by keeping them in a cool, dark location, tightly closed. If you buy a large quantity, you might consider buying one or more smaller empty bottles which you fill with your "stock bottle", and keep the stock bottle in cool storage, while regularly using the essential oils from the smaller bottles and not needing to be concerned about their storage conditions.
IN GENERAL, citrus oils have the shortest "shelf-life", followed by herbs and floral oils, then woods and resins. This is very general, and truthfully, as long as you take care of your essential oils by storing them properly, it's not likely you'll need to concern yourself about them loosing potency.
- Some therapists recommend ingestion of essential oils, though this is rare in the United States. However, it is common in France, for example. If one chooses to ingest essential oils, they should do so with the utmost caution and proper knowledge and/or direction from a professional therapist. Our oils are of the quality that one would use in such a protocol, being 100% pure, without additives of any kind.
- The vast majority of our oils are shipped in cobalt blue glass bottles. The 3, 5, and 12ml bottles come with standard "orifice reducer" caps. The 1.75m and 2ml bottles are clear glass so that they are easier to handle the precious liquid inside. The 30 and 60ml bottles come both with screw caps and glass eye dropper tops. It is recommended that the oils be stored with the screw caps if being kept for longer than a week, as the essential oil will eventually deteriorate the rubber of the eye dropper -- however, the dropper is very convenient for dispensing the oils, so both are supplied.
The 120ml and 240ml bottles are in simple cobalt blue glass with a "poly seal" screw cap. We make every effort to supply a measuring pipette with each of these bottles to make dispensing easier, though this is not guaranteed if we are out of stock of the pipettes, or they are not available for some unforeseen reason. We DO recommend purchasing a set of these pipettes if you are creating blends with these larger amounts of oils, as they really make accurate blending a much simpler process.
- As we sell our oils in milliliters, it is helpful to know that 30ml is 1 fluid ounce. That means that 5ml is 1/6th of 1 ounce, 12ml is 2/5ths of an ounce, and of course 60ml is 2 ounces, 120ml is 4 ounces, and 240ml is 8 ounces. We use milliliters, as many of the original medicinal recipes from Europe are in milliliters, and the Kilogram is also the international trading standard of essential oils. See an image of bottle sizes and conversions here.
To measure for blending, it is of course also helpful to know that 6 teaspoons = 2 tablespoons = 1 ounce = 30ml. These are all equivalent measurements. It is also helpful to know the number of drops per milliliter of each essential oil from a standard pipette or eye dropper. They are all different, and not the same as water, which is 20 drops per milliliter. See "measuring essential oils" for more information. |
- All orders are shipped via the US Postal Service, primarily using Priority Mail. Some small orders (under 12 oz.) may be shipped using First Class mail at our discretion, though we first take in to consideration the duration of time since the order was placed and when it will arrive. For example, all orders placed Friday evening through Sunday morning are shipped via Priority Mail on Monday, so that you receive your order in a timely manner. You may request even small orders be shipped Priority Mail during the week by making this request in the "comments" box of the checkout page.
- "Rush" and "Express" shipping methods are available. "Rush" orders are bumped to the front of the que to ensure they are shipped as quickly as possible, and are always shipped via Priority Mail. "Express" orders are
shipped the same day the order was placed (if the order is received before 2pm Mountain time) and are sent via USPS Express Mail. Express Mail is "overnight" to most locations, except for very rural areas, and then the transit time may be 2 days.
- Our "standard" shipping cost for domestic orders is a low flat rate of $5.75, no matter how large the order may be. "Rush" shipments are a flat rate of $11.00. Express shipments (same day order processing and overnight shipping in most cases) are charged what the US Postal Service charges for the order, plus a $10 rush fee (as we need to handle these orders differently, taking them to the post office by a certain cutoff time to ensure their arrival with you on time the next day). For example, a 2lb order may cost $22 for the postage, plus a $10 rush fee, resulting in a $32 charge. We've chosen the postal service for our carrier as these costs are actually significantly lower than other major shippers.
- Most orders are shipped within 24 hours of receipt on business days. Orders with "standard" shipping placed late Friday to Monday morning may ship Monday or Tuesday evening (depending on the volume of orders received). Rush and Express orders are shipped the first business day (if placed on the weekend) or the same day, if received by the cutoff time of 2pm.
- You will receive a shipping confirmation email when your order is shipped. The confirmation email includes a tracking number, which can be checked at www.usps.com using their "track and confirm" system. On occasion, the postal service does not scan boxes "in" when they are first received, and your order may not appear in their system until it is sorted through it's first main transfer location. This may take 24 hours between when you receive your order confirmation email, and the postal system has record of your package available on its website.
The "tracking number" also serves as a delivery confirmation number, informing us that your package has been delivered; we hope in a very timely manner!
- At this time, we have chosen not to use the system of account registration which our webhost has created. We are planning to upgrade parts of the store soon, which will allow for a much faster, more user-friendly system.
- Signatures are not required on orders less than $500. We include a request of a signature for delivery for orders over $500 (which you may, if you wish, ask to be waived in the comments section of the checkout page). You may also request a signature be required for ANY order if you feel this will ensure safe delivery. It is exceptionally rare, but packages have been picked up by those they do not belong to. If you wish a signature be required for your shipment, please request this in the comments section of the checkout page. There is a $1.75 fee for signature confirmation, which will be added to your shipping charge.
- Yes, all our receipt paper is 100% recycled, our packing "wadding" paper is also 100% recycled, and we use starch packing "peanuts" which are completely biodegradable. Further, we are partners with Carbon Fund, making donations to offset the emissions produced from shipping and other aspects of the business. We do our best, in every way, to be ecologically ethical. The company also donates a portion of sales to charities such as the Smile Train, the Dzi Foundation, and animal protection non-profits.
- Our store needs "cookies" enabled to function properly. You can turn them on just while you're shopping with us, then turn them off again if you like. We use them only to track items from The Ananda Apothecary store to the secure checkout pages hosted by Yahoo Merchant Solutions. There are one of two places where cookies may not being accepted: by your browser itself, or by firewall software on your computer. If you are running firewall software such as EZ Firewall, launch the software's control panel, go to the Privacy section, and set Cookie Control to "Off". Other firewall software which may prevent the use of the shopping cart is Zone Alarm, Personal Firewal, and Blackice Defender. For each of these, simply launch the software, navigate to the section with cookie controls and choose to accept cookies. Finally, if you are not running firewall software, you may need to enable cookies in your browser. In Internet Explorer, go to tools > internet options > privacy, and move the slider to "medium", which will then allow the transfer of your shopping choices between The Ananda Apothecary and our host's secure checkout pages. Of couse, you're more than welcome to call your order in if you prefer!
- You may call in your order if you wish anytime during business hours; it is best to call after 9am and before 4:30pm Mountain time to ensure you are able to reach one of our representatives. Ordering through the internet is the most efficient method, but we completely understand that you may have questions or concerns that are best handled by placing your order over the phone. Our direct numbers are 303-494-5561 and 303-543-1325, or toll-free 888-359-1389.
- Our webhost, Yahoo Small Business Merchant Services, uses the latest security technology to ensure your transactions placed over the internet are completely safe and secure. Over our 7 years in business, we have not had one customer inform us they had any information lost or stolen due to a purchase through our website. Our credit card processor also requires us to perform regular "PCI" audits, to further ensure we are meeting or surpassing industry standards for security of personal and financial information.
Further, we NEVER share your information with ANY 3rd party whatsoever. We despise spam, and think the internet would be a much nicer place without it, and we're certainly not going to contribute to it. Your name and contact information is stored on a secure network, and payment information is regularly "purged" from the system as a further safety measure.
- We do ship to all countries around the world via USPS Priority Mail International. We do not ship via First Class Mail international, as to many package go missing, or take several weeks to arrive. Even using Priority Mail International, we have absolutely no control over how long it may take for your order to arrive with you. To Canada, for example, orders can take less than a week to arrive. To Australia or Singapore, packages can sometimes take up to three weeks.
If you have received a shipping confirmation email for your international package, though it seems as it is taking longer than you'd expected it to arrive, often it is either awaiting release from customs in your country, or it is at your local postal service waiting for you to pick it up. PLEASE check the shipment status at www.usps.com, and if appropriate, contact or visit your local post office, and bring your tracking number with you. We have no means of tracing international shipments beyond this method, and cannot (we wish we could, but cannot) do anything further in finding the shipment. Should you choose Priority Mail International, please realize that while MOST packages arrive in a timely manner, some may sit in customs for up to a week, and some may be at your local post office without you being notified; you are accepting responsibility of these shipments when this method is chosen.
If you would like to ensure more timely delivery of your order internationally, we recommend choosing Express Mail international, which includes better tracing and faster transit. If you require your order within 2-3 days, request "Global Express Guaranteed" shipping in the comments box. This is a service performed by FedEx for the Postal Service, ensuring your package will arrive on a certain date.
- About International Shipping Costs: We charge the same fee the US Postal Service charges -- there is no additional "handling fee". Small shipments (the equivalent of 4x30ml bottles, or several 12ml and/or 5ml bottles) can be shipped to Canada and Mexico for $11.35. These same shipments to the rest of the world are $13.50 (these are orders that fit in a "small flat rate box" - note that 4 x30ml bottles is not the same as 1x 120ml bottle, as the 120ml bottle cannot fit in this box). Shipments which cannot fit in these boxes are charged by the pound. Estimates of shipping charges can be made at www.usps.com.
When selecting an international shipping method, you will see either a $28 or $45 dollar "authorization" associated with the shipping. THIS IS NOT THE AMOUNT YOU ARE CHARGED! Because we do not know the actual figure of the shipping cost until the package is ready, we simply ensure you are able to pay for the shipment SHOULD it be so large as to cost this much to ship. When your credit card or paypal account is actually charged for the entire order, plus shipping, the shipping is first adjusted to the ACTUAL shipping cost as per the US Postal Service.
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- We accept all major credit cards, Paypal, personal checks, and money orders for order payment. You may use any of these payment methods when ordering by phone; orders paid by check or money order can be entered and processed when the payment arrives. You may also simply mail us your order and payment together. Of course, the fastest method of processing your order is payment through the secure servers of our website via credit card or Paypal.
- The Ananda Apothecary offers its essential oils and blends wholesale to the public -- we do not offer traditional wholesale accounts, so that we can keep the prices of our therapeutic grade oils low enough as to be affordable by more users. This is why you will not find Ananda's products in retail stores (as the prices would have to be higher for you, the end user). However, if you are using our products professionally, as a licensed health practitioner, formulator, or retailer, please contact us with your business information to discuss the possibility of a further discount to assist you in offering your clients the best available therapeutic grade products.
- We generally do not offer free shipping, except during certain promotions. Realize that any company offering free shipping must absorb that cost somewhere, usually by raising the price of their products. We've chosen to offer a $5.75 flat rate shipping cost, and keep the cost of our products as low as possible.
- We DO regularly have promotions and specials, which are announced on our blog, through our newsletter, and on
our "New Products & Specials" page.
- By signing up for our newsletter, which is very easy to do on our newsletter signup page (and we do not bombard you with emails!), you would receive notification of sales and specials, new products, and information such as the latest scientific discoveries on the properties of essential oils. You can also sign up to receive our blog posts by email, which contain the above information, plus more frequent reports on how you can make use of essential oils in your life to improve your health and the health of your family - plus recipes and other interesting information regarding the use of essential oils as "medicines", in addition to the enjoyment of their aromas. You may easily unsubscribe from the newsletter or blog at any time, and your privacy is completely respected in both subscription systems.
- We offer a no-hassle return policy, and offer a full refund on return of unopened items. Should some of the product be used, we will refund the unused portion of the product, minus a small (15%) "restocking" fee (though it's highly unlikely these products would be returned to "stock". On electronic items such as diffusers, we pay return shipping cost of the item if it is defective, and will send replacement parts at no cost (of course) during the warrantee period noted in the product's description. Before returning an item, we simply ask that you request an RMA number, so we can keep track of what to do (exchange, refund, credit, etc.) with the item when it arrives here. You may request this number by sending an email to information@anandaapothecary.com.
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- We are able to assist you in describing what the "traditional" uses of the majority of the essential oils are, as well as what the latest scientific information is regarding the efficacy of certain oils for certain health conditions. For example, we can tell you that "Benchmark Thyme" essential oil has been shown highly effective in eradicating the MRSA bacteria, or that Melissa has been show effective at treating herpes simplex outbreaks, or that the essential oils in the Super Immune blend all have research backing their anti-viral effects. We can also tell you how oils are often used for a wide variety of applications.
We cannot, however, give you a specific protocol for use of the oils for any serious medical condition, due to both liability issues, and that we're not really the best source for you to get this information from. What would be much more appropriate is if you would see a natural health professional in person in your area that would help you create an optimal program of use for you and your lifestyle.
- There are a few excellent books that teach the new user about the entire practice of aromatherapy (really "aroma-medicine", which then enables the user to know how to select and use oils for certain conditions. We highly recommend "The Complete Book of Aromatherapy" by Salvatore Battaglia (despite its high cost, it's essentially a college textbook for Aroma-Medicine 101, and for many users, the only book they would ever need). Also, the Encyclopedia of Aromatherapy is also an excellent source, teaching all methods of essential oil use, with recipes, and a very enjoyable layout such that the subject matter is easily learned. These are our two current favorite texts for the beginning user.
In addition, you'll find that by posting questions in our forum, you'll quickly receive a response from either one of our staff, or another knowledgeable practitioner. Joining the forum and reading some if its posts is also an excellent means of expanding your understanding of the many ways to effectively use essential oils for a variety of health conditions.
- We do not yet offer an online course for aromatherapy. We do recommend the Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy, which can be found on the internet, for online certification coerces.
- The safety concerns of each oil, if any, are described on each essential oil's main page, linked from the table at the top of the main list of essential oils available at The Ananda Apothecary.
- To find out how best to use essential oils to support the healing of a particular condition (or make wonderful skin care products and the like) you must take it upon yourself to utilize the resources described above. There is a significant amount of information available by using the "search" box in the upper left corner on most pages of this site, in the forums, the blog, and in the many books available. It may be a little daunting at first, and you certainly may email us at information@anandaapothecary.com (this is more appropriate than the phone, as it gives our staff time to research what may be the best direction for you) to offer what we can in terms of direction.
The site is constantly growing, and including more information, and a wider range of products -- such as beginner's "kits" that will be online soon, -- to help you further in these ways. We hope we are able to pass on the information you need, or point you in the right direction, to best use the therapeutic grade products we've made available.
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