Living Magazine doTERRA Fall 2017 Living Magazine | Page 6

COPAIBA
Essential oil of the Amazon
Brazil occupies roughly half of South America, covering a total area of 3,287,357 square miles.
Within that area is 60 percent of the Amazon rainforest. Representing over half of the planet’s
remaining rainforests, the Amazon is comprised of the largest and most biodiverse area of tropical
rainforest in the world, with an estimated 390 billion individual trees. Therein lie the trees from
which we source Copaiba oleoresin, which is distilled to produce Copaiba essential oil.
Copaiba has been used in traditional
health practices. We now use it to help
support the health of the cardiovascular,
immune, digestive, nervous, and
res­piratory systems.* It’s also a power­ful
antioxidant that promotes immune health.*
Copaiba essential oil is so unique and
effective because of its high level of
beta-caryophyllene. Copaiba has the
highest levels of beta-caryophyllene that
we are aware of. Beta-caryophyllene,
also known as BCP, is a terpene. In 2008,
European scientists learned that beta-
caryophyllene had cannabinoid-like
properties. Like many other cannabinoids
and terpenes, BCP targets the body’s
CB2 receptors, ignoring the CB1
receptors that are involved in supplying
the high associated with cannabis and,
more specifically, the THC cannabinoid.
Thus Copaiba essential oil has the ability
to deliver major benefits without giving
you the high. For this reason Copaiba
essential oil has become an invaluable
part of the dōTERRA collection.
Copaiba essential oil can be found in
items such as soaps, creams, lotions, and
perfumes. Since the 16th century,
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Copaiba essential oil is derived from the
oleoresin of the copaiba tree, which can
grow from 60 to 100 feet tall. The process
of harvesting the copaiba oleoresin is
similar to how one would tap a maple
tree. A harvester will look for healthy trees
that have large diameter trunks. They
then drill a small hole approximately three
feet from the ground. Once the hole has
been drilled, the sawdust is cleaned off
and the oleoresin collector is put in place.
The harvester will generally be able to
collect some oleoresin immediately.
Once the oleoresin has been collected
from the initial tap, a plug is inserted into
the hole and the harvester will return to
the tree every few weeks to collect
additional oleoresin.
The Amazon rainforest is very dense and
nearly impossible to travel through with
conventional vehicles. As such most
travel for both personal and commercial
purposes is done by boat. The complex
network of smaller tributaries and larger
rivers become the roads and highways by
which goods are delivered.