Aromatherapy - What Is It & What Is It Good For?
A couple of days ago I become interested in learning and writing a piece about aromatherapy and how natural plant essences such as essentials oils can be used for healing and medical purposes.
Therefore in this blog post we will be taking a look into what aromatherapy actually is, how it works and brings about its acclaimed health benefits, as well as going through the various benefits and different uses that is offers. Lastly we will conclude with a useful rundown of the most commonly used essential oils within aromatherapy and look into what kind of exact effect they have on our body and mind.
I hope you find this piece useful and interesting, something a little different 🌺
WHAT IS AROMATHERAPY?
Aromatherapy is considered to be a type of practice or therapy which focuses on using natural aromatic plant extracts and essential oils to promote good health and wellbeing. It is proposed to positively impacts both our mental and physical wellbeing through different mechanisms of use of the essential oils.
But what exactly are essential oils?
Essential oils are concentrated plant extracts which can be produced via distillation from various plant parts such as the flowers, bark, roots, peels, petals or leaves. They are derived from the plant cells of the tissue they are extracted from and because they are highly concentrated they have a potent smell. Essential oils are considered “essential” because essential oils are derived from the essence of a plant which is considered to be the life force or smell containing part of a plant. Once the essence is extracted from the plant, it is considered an essential oil. To produce an essential oil, it takes a large quantity of the plant since you have to extract the essence of the plant which is found in small quantities within the plant and is known to perform other functions for the plant.
BRIEF HISTORY
Aromatherapy is believed to have been used already for 6000 years of human history, where evidence of its use has been recorded within ancient cultures of China, India and Egypt. These ancient cultures had incorporated vibrant plant essences and oils into balms, oils and resin which where then used for medical or religious regions in order to provide physical, emotional and mental benefits.
It is believed that the Persians in the 10th century and possibly even before that had invented the distillation of essential oils in order to extract them from plant materials where only around the 18th and 19th century, french and german physicians started to recognize the noticeably positive effects that such essential oils could bring about to the wellbeing of people.
Around the year 1937, a french perfumer and cosmetic chemist had coined the term “aromatherapy” which he then documented the use of inside one of his books where he discussed the impactful effect that essential oils can have on a verity of medical conditions.
HOW DOES AROMATHERAPY WORK?
Aromatherapy is able to work by using our sense of smell as well as the ability of our skin to absorb substances topically. This kind of therapy uses a variety of different essential oils to achieve a specific type of mood or change within the body, and this can be done through using methods such as:
Essential oil diffusers
Bath salts
Inhalers
Facial steamers
Various different body creams, lotions and oils which have fragrance
Aromatic spritzers
It is believed that when we inhale the scent of essential oils these scent molecules enter our nose and reach smell receptors in our nose, which are directly connected to the olfactory nerves that are responsible for conveying electrical impulses generated from smells from our environment and relaying them to the control center which is the brain. In this way, smells which we smell with our nose can be converted into electrical impulses that are then able to travel to the brain for it to carry out a suitable response, such as secreting more or less of a certain substance or chemical.
Within the brain, it is believed that the olfactory nerves directly impact the amygdala and the limbic system which are highly involved with generating and remembering emotional reactions which could explain why smelling essential oils can elicit a change in our mood. It is also important to mention that by impacting the limbic system, it is not only helping to balance emotions in our body by also our heart rate, breathing patterns, blood pressure, stress levels, memory performance and fine tune the balance of our hormones.
Scientists are also uncovering that essential oil scents can also reach the hypothalamus which may then respond by secreting more serotonin molecules which elevate our mood and levels of feel good molecules.
When such oils are applied topically, such as on the surface of our skin, a similar response is likely carried out, except that the substances pass through different layers of our skin as well as hair follicles and glands, during which it is absorbed and is then able to relay that external information internally towards different parts of the body such as muscles or joints.
Important: It is also important to know that when using essential oils topically (on skin), to always dilute them with water before hand as otherwise they can sometimes irritate our skin since they are very concentrated.
USES AND BENEFITS
MENTAL BENEFITS:
Treats and reduces migraines and headaches
Soothing anxiety, stress and depression
Elevating our mood
Boosts feelings of general relaxation
PHYSICAL BENEFITS:
Improving pain management
Boosting sleep quality by reducing insomnia and fatigue
Reducing side of effects of cancer treatments such as nausea and pain
Helping those who have asthma
Fights arthritis by reduce joint soreness
Fights against viruses, bacteria or fungi
Boosting overall immunity
Improves digestion
Helping with issues regarding menopause
Reducing the intensity of menstrual cramps
Soothing muscular aches
Preventing hair loss
Possibly cancer
WHICH ESSENTIAL OILS TO USE?
Nowadays you can find a variety of different essential oils being used in aromatherapy and that are able to be bought in stores. Each essential oil is said to have a different effect and healing properties on the body, so below I have mentioned some of the most popular essential oils you can find and what their functions are for the body:
Tee tree oil: This type of essential oil is most commonly sourced from Australia and has been used for its antiseptic and wound healing properties already by Australia’s aboriginal people. Other than that, tea tree oil is also beneficial for acne prone skin thanks to its antibacterial properties as well as fighting of the fungus which causes athletes foot.
Lavender oil: Many people find the scent of lavender to be relaxing so it is often used to reduce anxiety and stress as well as promote good sleep. It also functions to relive headaches and migraines.
Eucalyptus oil: Smelling the vapors of eucalyptus oil can help clear sinuses in those who have a cold or flu.
Lemon oil: Lemon oil is known to be a mood booster as well as being able to relive symptoms of depression and high stress levels.
Peppermint oil: This kind of essential oil when combined with eucalyptus had also been shown to help with treating the flu or colds as well as being able to relieve headaches when applied topically on the forehead.
Citronella oil: Citronella is a relative of the lemongrass plant and is well known for its insect repelling properties so it is commonly added within insect replant sprays and candles.
Clove oil: Clove oil is known to have antimicrobial, antioxidant and anti fungal proprieties with which it is able to reduce likelihood of vomiting and nausea as well as acting as a topical analgesic (pain killer) which can help with toothaches.
Rosemary oil: Rosemary oil is often added into shampoos and hair oils in order to stimulate healthy hair growth. Studies have also shown that rosemary essential oil can boost memory retention, prevent unwanted muscle spasms as well as supporting the nervous and circulatory systems.
Basil oil: It is used to sharpen mental concentration and alleviate some of the symptoms of depression as well as helping against migraines and headaches. It should however be avoided during pregnancy.
Bergamot oil: Some studies are indicating that bergamot essential oil can be useful for the urinary and digestive tracts as well as being able to help with skin problems when combined with eucalyptus oil such as those caused by chicken pox.
Chamomile oil: This essential oil can be useful for treating skin conditions such as eczema.
Thyme oil: Thyme essential oil is known for reducing general tiredness and stress levels throughout the body.
Black pepper oil: This spicy smelling oil can positively stimulate blood circulation and reduce muscle related aches and pains. When combined together with ginger essential oil, it has the ability to reduce pain related to arthritis and in this way improve flexibility.
When picking and buying essential oils, here are some things you should keep in mind:
Choose a reliable company: When picking an essential oil company make sure to choose a brand which is reputable in this field and has been doing this for several years.
Looking at the labels: Make sure that it is purely just essential oil that it inside and not some diluted version of it or just a “fragrance oil”. Make sure that it is 100% essential oil.
Choose essential oils which come in dark glass: By packing the oil within dark colored glass, it allows the quality of the oil to remain higher over time since sunlight does not damage it over time and also the oil is not able to dissolve the glass.
Comparing prices: Certain types of essential oils are naturally more expensive due to their production process or limited supply. More expensive oils such as these are sandalwood and rose oils so if you find such types of oils going for a very low price, double check the quality.
PRECAUTIONS AND SIDE EFFECTS
Aromatherapy and essential oils are considered generally safe to be used however there are still a couple of precautions to keep in mind when using them especially if alongside them you take any prescription medications.
Make sure to keep the following precautions in mind:
Always dilute the oils with some sort of neutral oil or by putting them in a diffuser as applying them directly onto the skin will likely irritate the skin since they are very concentrated.
Pregnant women as well as children should use essential oils with caution and for children, certain oils should never be swallowed.
When using essential oils, some people may also experience some of the following side effects, so if you do experience them, stop using the essential oil and ask your doctor about it.
Skin irritations and rashes
Excessive headaches
Asthma attacks or breathing difficulties
Allergic reactions
Nausea
Irritating the eyes or mucous membrane in the nose
⭐ KEY IDEAS
In this blog post we have discussed about the topic of aromatherapy, beginning with explaining what it is and how it works and then diving into the powerful effects it can have on the body and mind. We concluded with going through the most popular types of essential oils that are available and what kind of effects they have on our wellbeing as well as some general precautions when it comes to using them
✏️ REFERENCES
Cronkleton, E. (2019, March 8). Aromatherapy Uses and Benefits. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/what-is-aromatherapy#side-effects
Pagán, C. N. (2018, January 11). What Is Aromatherapy? WebMD. https://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/aromatherapy-overview
Brazier, Y. (2017, March 20). Aromatherapy: What you need to know. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/10884#essential_oils
Aromatherapy: Do Essential Oils Really Work? (2021, August 8). Johns Hopkins Medicine. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/aromatherapy-do-essential-oils-really-work#:~:text=Aromatherapy is the practice of,emotional center of the brain.
