An essential oil is the naturally occurring oil that has the fragrance of the plant or other source it is extracted from. These are most commonly made by steam distillation or cold pressing. While essential oils have long been a part of complimentary and alternative medicine, they are rarely used in conventional medicine. In recent years their use is growing and they have become more common during pregnancy. The big question is whether essential oils are safe to use during pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding. The majority of information online about essential oils comes from the marketing of the companies that sell oils, or their representatives. There are a lot of claims made and it was tough to figure out which ones were valid and which may be exaggerated. The biggest challenge was trying to get evidenced based information. This episode covers what an essential oil is, how they work, the research available on efficacy and safety, using essential oils during pregnancy, birth, and in the postpartum period, and tips for buying and using oils.   Show notes: http://pregnancypodcast.com/episode122/   Thank you to Zahler for their support of this episode. Zahler makes a high quality prenatal vitamin that has the active form of folate, that I prefer after all of the research I have read on folic acid, plus it has omega 3s and DHA. This is the prenatal vitamin I take and the one I recommend. Zahler is offering an exclusive discount to listeners of the Pregnancy Podcast. To check out the vitamin and find out how you can save 25% when you buy a one month supply on Amazon go to http://pregnancypodcast.com/vitamin/