How would something “not there” in an oil impact its results?

When looking at reports on essential oils, you should remember that it is something that can be referred to as a “zero sum game,” meaning that a higher percentage of one component equates to a lower percentage in another area.  While many people have been schooled into believing that a super high percentage of a given component that the oil is known for will tend to indicate a higher quality oil, this is not really the case.  For example, in some oils such as Birch or Orange it’s given that the one component can be as high as 99%, while in some other oils this same component might be 80% or 90% of the oil. In an oil with over 90% of a single component, it means that the other components or cofactors have to be less than 10%.  And sometimes these other components or cofactors are extremely important for getting the best results.

One example of this is Oregano. Most people like to see the main component up at like 80%. When that is at that level, it is really harsh. I like to see that oil showing at like the lower 60% range for that same component and that allows for other necessary components to be there and in an amount to serve as “co-factors” that also contribution to how beneficial the oil is overall.