Essential oils are derived from the aromatic essences found within plants, tree resins and flowers. It is these aromatic essences that give the plant/flower its unique smell and many of its characteristics and so they are often referred to as the spirit or soul of the plant.
Plant essences are normally extracted from the plant and transformed into essential oils through a process called distillation. Each essential oil or plant essence has its own specific set of therapeutic properties which bring the body and mind back into balance.
There are a number of ways in which essential oils can be used for healing including topical application/compresses for wounds, ingestion, in the bath, in a vapouriser/oil burner, as a room freshener and by massaging them (diluted never neat) into the skin. The choice of oil or oil blend will depend on the reason for using it.
When applied topically i.e through the medium of massage, essential oils are absorbed into the blood stream through our skin and are also inhaled through our nose where they pass into the blood stream via the lungs. They leave no trace after excretion and so have proven to be an effective, non invasive and non toxic treatment for many physical conditions.
When inhaled i.e through the use of an oil burner/vapouriser, tiny molecules of essential oils stimulate odour receptors at the top of our nose which are directly connected to a part of the brain called the Limbic system. This area of the brain is responsible for our emotions, memory and behaviour and so explaining why essential oils can be helpful with treating many psychological conditions.
A small selection of aromatherapy oils are also available for you to buy and use at home as well as a very good book on aromatherapy which I have found to be very helpful over the years.
The benefits....
Because each essential oil has its own set of therapeutic properties and because there are so many essential oils available and so many different combinations of blends, it is difficult to list all of the benefits that aromatherapy has to offer! Here are just a few examples of how essential oils can help...
- Fennel and chamomile can help with digestive problems.
- Rose and geranium are good hormone balancers and so very helpful for 'women's problems' like PMT and menopausal symptoms
- Eucalyptus is helpful for congestion and colds
- Frankincense is very good for the skin, helping with acne, weeping eczema and wrinkles! It is also very 'grounding' and so helpful with depression and emotional turbulence.
- Rosemary is good for circulation and also helps with mental and physical tiredness.
- Oils like pine, sandalwood and cedar wood are beneficial for the lungs and help with coughs and asthma.
- Lavender and Clary sage encourage a good night sleep if you are feeling overworked!
- Orange oil wakes you up and gets you feeling happy and Bergamot helps clear your mind of worries.
- The warmth of black pepper and ginger are great at penetrating into tight knotted muscles and so relieving muscular pain.
- Oils such as juniper berry, grapefruit and lemon are very cleansing and so great for detoxing the body.
