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Defining Essential Oils and their Uses

March 7th, 2010    Subscribe To Our Feed

Essential oils have many practical uses for many individuals. Essential oils are concentrated, hydrophobic liquids containing volatile aromatic compounds from plants. The oils are produced by distillation, or through expression, and extraction. The essential oils can be used in aromatherapy, perfumery, cosmetics, incense, for flavoring in food and drink, and in household cleaning products. These oils are vital in the fragrance and flavorant industries. The term essential indicates that oil is a fragrant essence of the plant. An aromatherapy massage is the most common use of essential oils. Using essential oils in aromatherapy can provide a healing and soothing massage for many people.

The path the essential oils take to affect an individual’s body is through the olfactory system. A person absorbs the oils by inhaling the aromatic chemicals that comprise the essential oils. The oils then affect the central nervous system, and cross the “blood-brain” barrier. The essential oils can be used in combination with bath salts to provide a soothing effect. Blending essential oils with Epsom Salts, Sea Salt, and Baking Soda, are perfect for sore and aching muscles. Only a small amount of essential oil should be blended with the bath salts. The blend of salts and oil can be added to a warm bath or may be used as a “salt glow rub” before taking a bath. The oils may also give the skin feeling soft, but it may leave a messy residue in the bathtub.

Essential oils may also be used in laundry. The oils may be used in the washing machine, or put on a cotton cloth and added to the dryer. However, there are some precautions that must be taken before adding any oils to the dryer. Adding lemon oil to the dryer will remove oily smells, and adding Eucalyptus Globulous to the washing machine may kill dust mites in bedding. lavender essential oils may also be used in the dryer to scent bed linens.

Essential oils may also be used for general household cleaning procedures. The oils can be used in cleaning counters, mirrors, and other fixtures. lemon oil can be used in the dishpan to cut grease in dishes. Oils can be used to freshen a home as well as clean it. Essential oils are used in aromatherapy candles and lamps. A few drops of an essential oil may also be used to freshen trashcans, drains, vacuum bag filters, or to freshen drawers. Oils such as citrus, spice, or floral may be added to certain foods and drinks to provide flavoring. It is important to mix the well and always let it stand before eating the food or drink. The oils may also be used as a bug repellant. Many essential oils such as citronella, lavender and peppermint can act as natural repellant against insects. The essential oil can be placed onto tissues or cotton balls, and placed near doorways and windows to help repel bugs. Although the oils help repel insects, it is not safe to use them around household pets. It is also not advisable to apply essential oils directly to fragile surfaces.

Essential oils may have many practical uses, but there are some dangers of using these oils. Essential oils generally cannot be applied directly onto the skin in the undiluted form. If essential oils are applied to the skin before dilution, it will cause severe irritation or provoke an allergic reaction. The oils should be applied with plant oils or carrier oils, such as olive oil or hazelnut. There are some essential oils that are photosensitizes, which increases the skin reaction to sunlight and making it more likely to burn. There are some professionals that advocate the ingestion of essential oils for therapeutic purposes, but this should never be done unless under the supervision of the professional. Some essential oils, such as Eucalyptus are toxic when taken internally.

Making Scents of Treating High Blood Pressure

December 14th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Although some alternative health practitioners advice their clients to never use essential oils to treat high blood pressure, there are certainly essential oils that can drastically change the condition of high blood pressure. The key to doing it safely is to avoid the types of essential oil therapies that involve ingesting the essential oils, especially in their non-diluted forms. This does not mean that essential oils can not be used to treat high blood pressure, it simply means that it should be used as aromatherapy, skin care, and bath scents instead of ingesting the oils themselves. A popular form of ingesting essential oils is to put a drop or two in hot water to make a tea; a smarter way to get the benefits of a particular element is to buy a tea that is aromatized with that element. For example, if you’re tempted to make peppermint tea with peppermint essential oil, take the safe route and simply buy some peppermint tea at the supermarket; this is a much safer route to ingesting herbs than by ingesting essential oils, which are extremely potent. The FDA checks tea, essential oils are not.

Beyond ingesting essential oils, there are many ways to use them on the body (not inside) and to keep them in the air around you for fringe benefits. Probably the two most popular methods for using essential oils to reduce high blood pressure are by infusing bathwater with oils and by making massage oils with essential oils. For baths, what you need is a large bathtub so that your body can be fully immersed in water, body-temperature water, and some essential oils added into the bathwater. Some of the most effective essential oils for this type of high blood pressure treatment are lemon, marjoram, rosemary, geranium, lavender and ginger. Some nice combinations are lemon and ginger or rosemary and marjoram. lavender is nice enough to be used all by itself and is best not used with other floral scents, especially musky ones like rose scents. Bathing with essential oil-infused bath water helps to lower blood pressure and increase circulation; the best time for this type of therapeutic bath is right before bedtime.

Massage is also a very effective way of treating high blood pressure by applying essential oils to the body in some way. Generally, massage oils are effective for two reasons: first because the oil is much more concentrated in essential oil than bathwater is and secondly because the massage action itself enhances the initial effect of the essential oil on its own. The synergy of the essential oil and the massage creates an effect that is better than the result of the two independently used added together. In order to make a nice massage oil, use some of the beneficial scents listed above, diluted in a carrier oil, almond is especially nice for massage as it is sweet to the skin. Once you have made your oil, massage it into your pulse points yourself, as well as your chest. An extra benefit can be gained from having someone massage it into your back as well.

High blood pressure can be helped with essential oils and aromatherapy, but the best way to get results is to combine these essential oil tactics with a healthy (low cholesterol) diet and a proper amount of exercise. Combining these three healthy elements will make your blood pressure start dropping almost immediately, and you’ll find that life is so enjoyable you won’t even want to go back to your old habits of a high animal fats diet and no exercise!

Looking for more info on how Aromatherapy can help, and interested in learning more have a look at Learn the Power of Aromatherapy

The Ins and Outs of Pain Management through Aromatherapy

December 6th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

While aromatherapy can be incredibly successful for a lot of people when it comes to pain management (among other uses), there are also some drawbacks to using aromatherapy and using essential oils in general. When it comes to pain management, the difficult thing about aromatherapy is keeping it safe, as most essential oils should not be ingested. Read on to find out how to use essential oils for pain management without creating new problems for yourself and your body.

While essential oils are 100% natural (at least the good quality ones are), that doesn’t mean that they are safe for all manners of usage. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that if it’s natural it must be safe; in order to keep yourself healthy, you have to be better informed than that. Essential oils are extremely potent and should be used only in ways that are completely safe for all aspects of the human body. You should never use essential oils on your children—especially never have your child ingest essential oils! As for yourself, a little common sense goes a long way.

Some common pain management aromatherapy uses are for menstrual pain and other physical, muscular pains. One of the most widely used essential oils in this sort of context is peppermint oil. Other mints are also used, but peppermint oil has a particularly relaxing effect on muscles. Many women apply peppermint oil to their bellies when menstrual cramps turn up; this sort of essential oil usage is essentially the same as applying a hot pack to the abdomen. peppermint oil relaxes the muscles and has a slightly numbing effect to help you forget the pain. While many women do this, ask your doctor in your specific case if he or she would advise you to do it. On the one hand, applying essential oils to the skin is generally safer than ingesting essential oils; however, diluting essential oils is also a good idea. You might consider diluting peppermint oil in carrier oil before using it on your abdomen in this way.

Many athletes also use peppermint oil to help relax and numb overworked muscles or aching joints. Sufferers from arthritis often enjoy the effect of peppermint oil applied to aching joints. As with menstrual cramps mentioned above, consult with your doctor before using this sort of treatment, especially if you will potentially be using this technique daily or very often in the week. Not all doctors are convinced that essential oils are safe for use by everyone.

A highly contested form of pain management is in managing internal abdominal pain with either peppermint or basil oil. Typically, essential oils should not be ingested because they are not tested by the FDA for this type of usage. On the other hand, many faithful essential oil users swear by this remedy for tummy ache. If you’d like to try this but are unwilling to ingest essential oils, you could try an herbal tea that is either peppermint or a mint mix, or simply make your own basil tea.

The safest way to use aromatherapy for pain management is to keep it only in the air and breathe it in through steaming. What this does is calm the senses and relax the body so that you can easily sleep. If going to sleep is an option for you, it’s the best way to relieve pain, as a sleeping body does not tend to notice pain unless it is severe, in which case you probably wouldn’t be considering aromatherapy anyway. lavender oil is a good choice for steaming and falling into a relaxing sleep.

If your interested in learning more about Aromatherapy, and how it can help with a variety of conditions have a look at Learn the Power of Aromatherapy

Rose Essential Oils

May 13th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Damask rose oil is extracted from Rosa damascena from the Rosaceae family and is also known as Bulgarian and Turkish rose, Otto of rose and attar of rose. Damask rose has a deep, rosy, fresh aroma, the color ranges from clear to a pale yellow or greenish tint and the viscosity is watery to crystalline, when warm or cold respectively.

Origin of rose oil: ‘Rosa’ comes from the Greek ‘roden’ meaning ‘red’, as the ancient rose was thought to have been crimson.Anicenna, the 10th century Persian physician, used the rose as his first plant to distill and a rose distillery existed in 1612 in Shiraz, Persia.
rose petals were scattered at weddings to ensure a happy marriage and are still a symbol of love and purity and is also used to aid meditation and prayer. It takes about 60,000 roses (about 180 lb) to make one ounce of rose oil.

Extraction: rose otto oil is extracted from the fresh flowers, picked before 8 am in the morning, by steam distillation and the yield is 0.02-0.05%. The aroma can be damaged if the heat is too high at distillation.
Chemical composition: The main chemical components of rose otto oil are: Citronellol, Geraniol, Nerol, Farnesol, Geranic and Eugenol.
Precautions: Damask rose oil is non-toxic, non-irritant and non-sensitizing but should not be used during pregnancy.
Therapeutic properties: The therapeutic properties of Damask rose oil are: anti-infectious, anti-depressant, antiseptic, anti-spasmodic, aphrodisiac, astringent, bactericidal, diuretic, emmenagogue, hepatic, laxative, sedative, splenetic and general tonic.
Uses: Damask rose oil soothes the mind and helps with depression, grief, nervous tension and stress and is helpful for poor circulation and heart palpitations.
For the respiratory system Damask rose oil can assist in cases of asthma, coughs and hay fever, and on the digestive system for liver congestion and nausea.
rose otto oil can be used for irregular menstruation, leucorrhea, menorrhagia and uterine disorders. On the skin it can be used for broken capillaries, dry skin, eczema, herpes, mature and sensitive skin, wrinkles, and rose water can be used for conjunctivitis.
Summary: Damask rose oil gives a feeling of wellbeing and happiness, it helps a nervous mind, can be helpful on the respiratory tract, for digestive problems, for menstrual problems and as skin care.
Burners and vaporizers: In vapor therapy rose otto oil can be helpful with: allergies, asthma, baby blues, headaches, migraine, nervous tension and as a relaxant.
Blended oil or in the bath: As a blended massage oil or diluted in the bath rose damask oil can assist with: allergies, baby blues, asthma, hay fever, headaches, depression, migraine, scar tissue, nervous tension, stress, poor circulation and as a relaxant.

If your interested in learning more about Aromatherapy have a look at Learn the Power of Aromatherapy