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The coagulation benefits of vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) are well known, however, the other congeners of the vitamin series are not as common (K2, K3, and K4), but equally contribute to a healthy disposition. K1 is abundantly found in leafy greens due to its role in photosynthesis. The absorption of K1 can be enhanced if a fat source like oil or butter is consumed with the greens, owing to the vitamin’s inherent lipophilicity.¹ Vitamin K2, or menaquinone’s (MK’s), are identified by their various isoprenoid sidechain lengths (4–13). The MK4 subtype, that is 4 isoprenoid repeating units, can be synthesized through normal gut bacteria, but the other subtypes are primarily produced through non-human gut bacterial modalities.

Essential oils have been a staple of the food, fragrance, and health markets for many years. Owing to their unique composition, essential oils can be used for a variety of applications including antiparasitics, antivirals, bactericides, fungicides, insecticides, repellants, as well as food flavoring and mood enhancers. Market growth, coupled with limited production of naturally occurring products, has led a large segment of industrial essential oil suppliers to turn to the addition of synthetic additives. The production of an essential oil through synthetic routes (arrived at through the use of petroleum products), was adopted for two main reasons; the price of natural oils, and for consistency of products (natural oils can vary in the percentage of individual components from year-to-year). Unfortunately, the addition of these synthetic adjuncts can give rise to a number of health concerns that are generally associated with petroleum products, such as allergic reactions, migraines, asthma attacks, nausea, eczema, and various other sensitivities.