D. Gary Young: the man behind Young Living Essential Oils

D. Gary Young at Young Living's St. Maries, Idaho herb farm

Who is Gary Young?

D. Gary Young, the founder and president of Young Living Essential Oils, is recognized in the aromatherapy world as one of the leaders in the cultivation, distillation and production of organically grown, therapeutic-grade essential oils. He is one of North America's foremost authorities on essential oils and medicinal aromatherapy, and produces some of the finest essential oils in the world.

He has lectured around the world, and was a featured speaker at the First International Symposium on Integrated Aromatic Medicine (Grasse, France; March 21-22, 1998), where he spoke on the cultivation and distillation of therapeutic-grade essential oils in the United States, as well as about his clinical work with essential oils.

He conducts on-going clinical and university research on the health-promoting properties of essential oils, some of which has been published in such scientific journals as the Journal of Essential Oil Research. (To see the scope of his research and clinical work, see the Essential Oils Desk Reference and/or the Essential Oils Integrative Medical Guide.

Gary's humble beginnings and emergence in natural healthcare

Gary came from very humble beginnings. He left home at the age of 17 and began building a ranching and logging operation in Canada. But, at the age of 24, he suffered a nearly-fatal logging accident. He spent three weeks in a coma, and four more months in intensive care. He was left paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair.

His doctors told him it was for life.

Not content to accept that prognosis, Gary researched alternative medicine on a worldwide scale. He studied herbology and acupuncture, nutrition and naturopathy, eventually earning (in 1982) a master's degree in nutrition, and a doctorate and naturopathy.

The significance of what Gary learned is demonstrated by the fact that, despite having been given up by his doctors as permanently disabled, within a year of his accident, he had regained sensation in his toes, and within two years, he had gone from a wheelchair to a walker, to crutches, and then to walking. Thirteen years after his accident, he ran a half marathon, finishing in a very decent position.

In the years since, he has regained robust health and has participated competitively in weight lifting, martial arts and, most recently, medieval jousting. In all of these, he has ranked very well for his class.

After receiving his degrees, he opened a clinical family practice in Chula Vista, California, and a research clinic in La Mesa, Mexico. There, he conducted cutting-edge research in many areas of natural healing.

Gary begins his clinical study of essential oils

In 1983, Gary began to study tea tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia), but his early results were disappointing. He discovered that there are many grades of essential oils, and that most essential oils available in the U.S. are of the lowest grade and quality.

He learned that even the slightest variations in the distillation process of the essential oils can produce a dramatic reduction in the quality of the oil.

But, when he began using a pure, therapeutic-grade tea tree oil in his clinic, he began to see significant results.

Gary's search to learn about essential oils

Realizing the amazing potential of therapeutic-grade essential oils, Gary began a multi-year quest to learn all that he could about these amazing substances of nature.

Gary Young doing botanical research in South America

He traveled across three continents and half a dozen countries to investigate both the traditional and modern uses of these oils. (What he found is included in the listing for each oil in the Essential Oils Desk Reference.) He has studied in Paris with Paul Belaiche, M.D. and Daniel Pénoël, M.D., who had studied with Jean Valnet, M.D., the first medical doctor to research and write about the medical application of essential oils. He researched essential oils at Warwick University, the University of London, the British Museum Library, the Library of London, Cairo University and Hebrew University in Jerusalem.

In the process, Gary gained insights into every facet of essential oil production, from seed selection and crop management, to harvesting and distillation. (He even patented his own distiller design.) And, he conducted some of the first clinical research on the medicinal properties of essential oils in North America.

Gary's initial studies with essential oils

One of his first stops was at a seminar at the medical University in Geneva, Switzerland (1985) on the treatment of respiratory disease with essential oils. This seminar was taught by the medical doctors Jean-Claude Lapraz and Paul Duraffourd. The lectures opened up entirely new thoughts for Gary on powerful therapeutic approaches using essential oils.

He returned to his clinic with 13 oils and great anticipation. That first year, he conducted research, and did various blood studies on lab animals, as well as on a few human patients. He began investigating the effects that essential oils have on the blood, as well as their ability to magnify the effects of other healing modalities, such as herbal medicine and acupuncture. He was amazed by the results, as he discovered how the oils could increase cellular oxygen and promote immune function.

His work at the Le Mesa clinic was of such magnitude that, in 1985, Gary received the Humanitarian Award from the State Medical Examiner's Office of Baja, California (one of only six ever awarded), for his research and successful treatment of degenerative disease.

But, despite the enormous power of essential oils, Gary found that he was unable to fully harness that potential, due to the widely varying quality of oils available at the time. While pure essential oils had the ability to produce spectacular results, he found that chemically altered or adulterated oils were often ineffective, and even harmful. The quality of the essential oils most definitely impacted their healing potential.

Gary's solution to the problem of essential oil quality

Lavender field on Young Living farm

After seeing the number of herb farms that were going out of business in France and Egypt, Gary was concerned that the day would come when quality essential oils would be difficult to obtain. Motivated by this (his clinical concerns), and what he was learning about the healing benefits of therapeutic-grade essential oils, he felt that he needed to locate farmland and begin cultivating his own crops, in order to guarantee a supply of quality essential oils.

Gary developed his own organic herb farming and distillation operation, under the name of Young Living Essential Oils, in 1993. He purchased land in Utah and Idaho, and began cultivating lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), peppermint, melissa (lemon balm), clary sage, and many other herbs.

Young Living distillation operation: right on site, close to fields for better quality

He designed and built the largest, most technologically advanced distillery for the production of essential oils in North America, and developed a proprietary distillation process that preserves the integrity of the oils.

Moving forward into better things

I've been involved with Young Living since 1997, and can personally attest to the growth I've seen in Gary over the years. He is not content to sit back and rest in his considerable accomplishments.  He wants to keep moving forward, to make himself and his company better and better.

This is my opinion, but I've heard several others — even those not connected in any way with Young Living — comment about this growth, and the significance of the work he is doing in medicinal aromatherapy.

Although I have my differences with Gary, I regard him very highly for the work he has done, and respect him for his integrity and honorable character.

This is the man behind Young Living.