Herbs vs. Essential Oil

[Savarna Rose]

Can essential oils be substituted for herbs? :whatgives

Wannabe Kitchen Witch,:)

SavarnaRose

[ObsessedFae86]

substituted how? I wouldn't burn it on charcoal blocks as you could with herbs..

[Anubis]

What were you planning on using it for? Some herbs and EOs are interchangeable.. but in most instances they are not.

For example:
You can make a tea from chamomile.. but it's not a good idea to use the EO to make tea.
Yet you can use lavender herb in a sleep pillow and a few drops of lavender EO can work as well...

So I guess we need more info before we can give you a good answer...

[leonora]

it al depends on what you want to use it for and how you want to use it. like fae said above you can't burn it on charcoal discs but you can burn oils in oil burners. if there is anything you need to know though please feel free to contact me.

bb leonora

[blueangel]

I'm not sure EO are safe to eat so it probably is not a good idea to put a few drops of EO into food instead of the herbs the recipe calls for.

[LadyCelt]

I'd stay away for the oils to eat, but I think things like rose water should be safe, though not rose oil. I"m not sure with dried roses either etc. I'd be sure to check herbs poison risks too

[Faery-Wings]

There are some oils that are generally considered safe to ingest- mainly the citrus oils and peppermint, off the top of my head. However, I wouldn't use any of them unless you 100% sure they are organic, steam distilled and then, only in very small amounts.

If you are using them magically, you can sub them for the herbs in poppets, dream pillows etc.
You can burn them in a oil burner, but they are flammable, so no, you can't burn them on charcoal and you shouldn't put them in a candle, although some people do suggest that.

HTH a bit.

[Savarna Rose]

I did know that you shouldn't ingest most EOs, or burn them. There was a specific spell that called for certian herbs to be used (not incense). I had the EO but not the herb. Sometimes the other way around, I have the herb, but not the EO.

Thanks,
SavarnaRose