Living Magazine Winter 2018 doTERRA Living Magazine | Page 17

Furthering Research
In order to fully understand how essential oils and their components
effect and have a lasting impact on the cells, we need to look
much closer than physical manifestations, such as improved skin
appearance or clear breathing. We need to take a journey into the
cell, and examine how essential oils work on a microscopic level.
However, even at a microscopic level, there are still more questions
being answered daily.
Beginning with one simple idea: we know essential oils work.
dōTERRA scientists are now going beyond the microscope to further
our understanding of how and why essential oils do what they do.
As discussed at convention, dōTERRA is currently implementing
molecular docking, proteomics (large-scale study of proteins) and
other fascinating methods of discovery to investigate the action of
essential oils at the molecular level. Much of this research is completely
new, not only to essential oil science, but to the world of science as a
whole, and being conducted in-house by dōTERRA scientists who have
become highly skilled in front-line research methods.
An in silico approach to essential oil research
Molecular docking is an in silico tool of discovery, used to
characterize interactions between two molecules. When the term
“in silico” is used to describe a scientific process, it simply means
that it is accomplished via computer simulation. Molecular docking
and computer-aided discovery are hugely beneficial to the scientific
community, offering a time and cost effective way to assess how
molecules will interact with one another. This tool gives insight
before evaluating how molecules might behave when assessing
them in cultured cells or in a living organism.
able to gain a clearer understanding of what essential oils do by
observing how they possibly interact with their protein targets.
Bringing You New Benefits
Technology is advancing, which is resulting in greater use of
synthetics and adulterants; data collected from proteomic testing by
our research partners allows us to not only further understand how
essential oils do what they do, but to also detect substances foreign
to the highest quality all-natural essential oils at a greater level. The
knowledge gained from in silico research regarding how essential oils
interact with our cells, such as molecular docking, allows dōTERRA to
gain insight on whether or not current usage models are effective, how
to improve blending for specific purposes, and to discover possible
further benefits of those unique aromatic compounds.
Conclusion
With the work being conducted daily by our own scientific
experts and research collaborations, dōTERRA continues to set the
precedent for innovation and science in the essential oil industry.
dōTERRA scientists and their collaborative research partners are
currently working on several projects and preparing to share the
results with the scientific community, and you, by adding to their
industry-leading and rapidly growing list of peer-reviewed scientific
publications. Although there’s still a lot of investigation ahead,
dōTERRA is beginning to piece together the complex scientific puzzle
of the profound essential oil experience. The knowledge gained
from these studies not only will advance our overall understanding
of essential oils, but may help us further prove CPTG oils’ unmatched
efficacy, purity, and quality, and assist in future product formulation.
New Methods of Research
Molecular docking in essential oil research involves the use of
special programs and parameters, designed to characterize the
interactions between essential oil constituents and protein targets
inside the cell. With these programs, dōTERRA researchers are
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