At Young Living farms, life is a little bit like it used to be . . .

Mineral-rich, pristine water from the mountains irrigates each plant -- grown in rich virgin soil, free from contaminants (herbicides, pesticides and insecticides). Only the finest non-hybrid seeds and plant starts are selected. These seeds and starts are nurtured to produce pure, organic herbs that will yield the highest quality essential oils, unparalleled anywhere in the world.

How the Plants Begin Their Life

Life begins in the greenhouse for many of the plants that become Young Living's essential oil. Five million starts are cultivated each year in the greenhouses in preparation for spring planting. These starts are carefully nurtured until they are large enough to harden off and plant in the fields, where they are tended diligently until ready for harvest.

The mountain soil is enriched and fortified the natural way -- with a combination of manure, organic biosolids, enzymes, and minerals. Nothing is wasted -- even the mulch left over from the distillation of the herbs is recycled in the fields, along with the manure from animals at the farm.

Only Mother Nature is used to control insects: nematodes eat shoreflies, spiders eat bugs, and lacewings eliminate harmful whiteflies. And instead of harsh chemical herbicides, a natural blend of essential oils, including pine, cinnamon, and oregano are used to protect the plants. Herds of bearded miniature goats can be seen roaming the fields, grazing on the tender weeds, but leaving the herbs intact.

Harvest

As the time for harvest approaches, the plants are carefully monitored and checked several times a day to determine when the plant is at its peak for harvesting. Because to get the highest quality essential oils, the fields must be harvested at precisely the correct time of year and even the proper time of day.

Nothing is left to chance. The quality and efficacy of the oils is ensured by factoring in a percentage of the plants in bloom, the amount of dew on the leaves, and even the amount of rainfall immediately before the harvest. All these can have a direct impact on essential oil quality.

The Three Critical Steps to Distillation

Once harvested, the plants are quickly taken to the distillers, located right there on the farm, and the distillation process is started.

"Distillation is both an art and a science. Gary has studied this science in France, Turkey and Egypt for over 15 years. He learned all of their procedures and techniques; improved on them and brought them here. He's designed and built this distillery, which, I believe, produces the finest oils in the world. I refer to them as 'gourmet oils'..                                     ----- John Derrick, Distillery Manager

At Young Living, there are three critical steps to distillation. The first is in the cooking process -- the plant material must be compressed just right, so that when the steam goes through, it can maintain proper pressure and proper flow. There are even special prewarming controls in the cooking chambers to reduce the risk of the essential oil being "refluxed" or burned during distillation.

Condensing is the next process. The condensing system is very critical. It must be balanced in such a way that it produces the maximum amount of oil with minimal waste.

The third step is the separation process. With three phases of separation, a higher percentage of molecules are recovered, giving Young Living oils the highest quality and the highest standard in the world today. That's why they are often referred to as gourmet oils.

You see, even a slight variation in processing conditions could cause a dramatic reduction in the quality of the oils. What D. Gary Young N.D. discovered in his studies was that,

"Even small changes in the length and temperature of distillation had huge effects on essential oil quality. Cypress, for example, requires 24 hours of distillation at 5 pounds per square inch of pressure at 245 Fahrenheit for all of the active constituents to be released. However, if it is distilled for only 22 hours instead of 24 hours, 18 to 20 constituents will be missing, some of which are essential to the powerful effects of this oil."

That is why D. Gary Young N.D. spent many years traveling throughout North America, Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East to research the optimal distillation conditions for a large variety of essential oils. Only by customizing the distillation of each plant species could he maximize the powerful benefits of essential oils.

Besides that, D. Gary Young N.D. took extraordinary pains to construct each of his distilleries directly on his farms in order to be as close as possible to the site of herb cultivation. This is because only freshly distilled herbs yield the highest-quality pure essential oils. If plants are transported long distances, they risk becoming dried out, with many of their valuable properties evaporated.

Equally important is the type of distillation equipment. After extensive investigation of both modern and ancient distillation techniques, D. Gary Young N.D. developed a specialized proprietary distillation process that uses extremely low pressure and low temperature. He found that this type of steam distillation produced essential oils that are among the best he has ever seen.

"Distilling using low pressure and low temperature is absolutely crucial for producing a pure essential oil," D. Gary Young N.D. emphasizes. "Although this process is far more expensive than the high-pressure and high-temperature distillation commonly used, it is the only way to preserve all of the powerful properties of the essential oil."

Quality Control Ensures 'Gourmet' Status

After distillation, the oil goes to the lab near the distillery. This quality control is the final stage that the oil goes through before being shipped on to cold storage for production. But before the oil is tested, it goes through two more important steps: first the oil is strained through a filter to remove any contaminants or particles that may have fallen in. Then, any remaining beads of water are removed - a necessary process because the water can oxidize some of the finer oils.

Then Young Living quarantines, inspects, and tests each lot of essential oils for purity and quality using state-of-the-art, high resolution gas chromatography analysis. Oils can go through as many as five separate levels of analysis before they are released.

Young Living takes special steps and extra time to ensure the purity of their oils. That is why James Kababick, director of one of the largest independent labs for chemical analysis of essential oils, even went so far as to collect samples directly from Young Living's Utah distillery. He concluded that:

"Young Living has united modern stainless steel technology (to prevent chemical reactions of oils to metal) with Old-World gentle distilling techniques to create full-bodied essential oils that are far different from what we normally see."                     ----- James Kababick, Director                     Flora Research (Independent analytical lab)

Dr. Robert Pappas, Ph.D., a specialist in essential oil chemistry and Director of Applied Essential Oil Research in South Bend, Indiana, agrees: "Young Living's essential oils are the finest I have yet analyzed. I gave their lavender oil my highest rating - 5 stars. It scored high in desired esters and low in the oxygenated compounds and ketones that can give the oil a bad-smelling, astringent quality. D. Gary Young N.D.'s uncompromising attention to quality as well as his never-ending pursuit of perfection are what make Young Living's essential oils so very different from many commonly available aromatherapy products."

Young Living's pure, unadulterated organic oils are nature's most powerful substances. They are truly the missing link. They cleanse, refresh, and revitalize. Through scientific validation, ongoing clinical research and university studies they are emerging as nature's most powerful antioxidants and immune support.

The company that Gary Young founded nearly a decade ago now leads the industry in production, distribution and nutritional use of essential oils and essential oil enhanced supplements. In Gary Young's words:

"At Young Living Essential Oils, we provide answers to those who are seeking truth. To our commitment to grow, distill, manufacture and market the highest quality products in the world, we're bringing better health, education, joy and prosperity to people everywhere -- improving longevity, and increasing the quality of life."

Now is the time to capture the essence of Young Living Essential Oils.