I'm curious about the experiences other raw fooders have in using oils.
I find extracted oils to be difficult to digest, so normally don't eat
them directly. Instead of eating oils directly, I find it best for me to eat
oily foods such as avocadoes, coconuts, soaked nuts, sprouted sesame and
sunflower seeds.  However, I have found that raw oils are *excellent* for the
skin and hair when used for massage, and oils also have specific medicinal
uses. Refined/cooked oils, other than castor oil or medicinal oil/herb blends,
should be avoided.

Some raw fooders refuse to eat oils on the grounds that they are incomplete
or processed foods. Others recommend consuming certain oils - flax, sometimes
hemp; for example, both N.D. Santillo and Gabriel Cousens recommend eating
flax oil.

One of the problems with oils today is that most of them are cooked and/or
refined. Genuine extra-virgin olive oil is usually raw and it is an unrefined
oil. However, the term "extra-virgin" has a legal definition (specifying
the oil pH) that allows some unscrupulous producers to take "pure" olive
oil, adjust the pH with lye, and sell it as extra-virgin. So, be careful
when buying extra virgin olive oil.  Jaffe Bros., a well known mail order
company, carries a superb raw, unrefined sesame oil. Crude flax oil is
available in health food stores, but it spoils quickly and is expensive.
Hemp oil is available but if made in the U.S., is made from heat-sterilized
(cooked) seeds, and is very expensive. Crude sunflower oil is available in
some areas. Crude safflower oil is available but its use is not recommended,
as it is very drying to the skin.

Try using olive oil as hair conditioner for a week - apply some to head and
hair about an hour before shampooing. You might never want to use commercial
conditioners again, as the oil is very soothing and makes your hair beautiful.
(Caution: dripping oil can stain clothing, carpets, furniture.)
The one oil that is always refined is castor oil. The castor bean, source of
castor oil, contains ricin, a very powerful toxin, so refining is necessary.
Almond oil is often refined as it is usually made from tropical, bitter almonds
(rather than the sweet almonds grown in temperate zones), and tropical almonds
are very high in cyanide and other alkaloids - hence refining is necessary.

Anyway, just wanted to comment on oils and see if others find them useful.
Others are invited to comment on this topic.

Tom Billings
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