Essential Oils - How and Where to Use Them
January 21, 2016
|
33,834
views
By Dr. Mercola
Essential oils are concentrated, aromatic plant extracts that have
been used for thousands of years for emotional, cosmetic, medical and
even spiritual purposes. The term “essential oil” actually comes from
the idea of “quintessential oil.”
Aristotle believed that in addition to the four physical elements
(fire, air, earth and water) there was a fifth element, quintessence.
This was considered to be the “spirit” or life force of the plant.1
Today, essential oils are extracted from plants via two primary
methods, distillation, which has been used since ancient times, and
expression or cold pressing, which is used to extract citrus essential
oils.
Back in the 17th and 18th centuries, physicians including
Hippocrates, Galen, and Crito, promoted the therapeutic use of scents, .
Even the plague was treated with fragrances!2
Pharmaceuticals edged out the use of essential oils in the 19th century, but now, however, they’re making a strong comeback.
What Are the Benefits of Using Essential Oils?
There are probably as many uses for essential oils as there are
varieties, but research shows particular promise in relieving stress,
pain and nausea, stabilizing your mood, and improving sleep, memory and
energy levels.
As noted by the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA):3
“It [Aromatherapy] seeks to unify physiological, psychological
and spiritual processes to enhance an individual’s innate healing
process.”
Anxiety is one health condition for which essential oils may be particularly beneficial.
A systematic review of 16 randomized controlled trials examining the
anxiolytic (anxiety-inhibiting) effects of aromatherapy among people
with anxiety symptoms showed that most of the studies indicated positive
effects to quell anxiety (and no adverse events were reported).4
Sweet orange oil,
specifically, has been found to have anxiety-inhibiting effects in
humans, supporting its common use as a tranquilizer by aromatherapists.5
Further, a blend of peppermint, ginger, spearmint and lavender
essential oils has been found to help relieve post-operative nausea,6 while lavender aromatherapy has been shown to lessen pain following needle insertion.7 Essential oils have even been suggested as a replacement for antibiotics.8
Essential Oils May Impact Your Brain’s Emotional Center
According to the National Cancer Institute’s PDQ online database, one way essential oils work is via your brain’s limbic system:9
“The effects of aromatherapy are theorized to result
from the binding of chemical components in the essential oil to
receptors in the olfactory bulb, impacting the brain’s emotional center,
the limbic system.
Topical application of aromatic oils may exert antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects.
Studies in animals show sedative and stimulant effects of
specific essential oils as well as positive effects on behavior and the
immune system. Functional imaging studies in humans support the
influence of odors on the limbic system and its emotional pathways.”
Essential oils also contain three different types of medicinal
organic compounds called terpenes, each with its own set of benefits:
- Phenylpropanoids have antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral
activity. As noted by Healthy Holistic Living, "phenylpropanoids clean
the receptor sites on the cells. Without clean receptor sites, cells
cannot communicate, and the body malfunctions, resulting in disease."10
Oils that contain this type of terpene include: clove, cassia, basil, cinnamon, oregano, anise, and peppermint.
- Monoterpenes, which are found in most essential oils, help "reprogram miswritten information in the cellular memory."11
- Sesquiterpenes help deliver oxygen to your tissues, which makes it
more difficult for viruses, bacteria, and potentially even cancer
cells, to survive.
Essential oils that contain sesquiterpenes include cedarwood,
vetiver, spikenard, sandalwood, black pepper, patchouli, myrrh, ginger,
and frankincense.
Essential Oils May Help Relieve Autism Symptoms
Many parents report success in using essential oils to ease symptoms associated with autism, especially at bedtime or while transitioning from one activity to another (which is often difficult for autistic children).
It may not work for everyone, but it’s natural, non-invasive and easy
to apply, so there are far more advantages to trying it than not. Among
the success stories is one mother who diffuses Roman chamomile into her
son’s room at night, which has helped him to sleep.
She also uses frankincense, orange, or vetiver (a type of Indian grass). She told The Epoch Times:12
“Vetiver really seems to calm him. When I get vetiver oil on him,
it can pretty quickly end the meltdown. I always have it handy so I can
get him to breathe it in. I do see a shortened time period of rage when
he is having a meltdown. It has been a definite help.”
Ohio State University (OSU) researchers are even planning a study to
determine if essential oils may help with emotional and behavioral
challenges faced by children with autism. It’s likely they could help
with other conditions as well.
Essential Oils Show Promise for Relieving Symptoms of ADHD, Boosting Emotional Health
Research by Dr. Terry Friedmann showed, for instance, that vetiver oil
was beneficial for children with attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD). When the children inhaled the oil regularly for 30
days they had improved brain wave patterns and behavior and did better
in school.
Eighty percent of the children also improved when using cedarwood oil similarly.13 Since there is variation in how different people respond to different oils, the Ohio State researchers plan to use a blend of oil in their autism study. The Epoch Times continued:14
“There is some trial and error involved ... parents have found that
an essential oil that works for one kid’s ASD [autism spectrum
disorder], may not necessarily work for another.
So instead of just looking at single oils, OSU researchers will
evaluate two mixtures of 18 essential oils typically used by parents for
treating ASD symptoms.
‘We believe the blends improve the ability to relax even more so
than an individual oil by itself,’ [OSU researcher Dr. Jill] Hollway
said.
‘Some people only use lavender oil, or sandalwood, but we are
studying multiple oils because we feel that this would give us an
increased boost of relaxation.”
The infographic that follows, from Holland & Barrett, shows
additional ways you can use essential oils to help manage your emotions.15,16
How to Use Essential Oils
If you’re using essential oils simply because you like their scent,
they should be diluted in a carrier oil or water (for misting) first
before you apply them to your skin. Contrary to popular belief, to get
the most scent out of an essential oil fragrance on your body, you
needn’t apply it to your pulse points.
It’s commonly thought that increased heat in these areas helps to
diffuse the scent, but in reality the temperature of your skin doesn’t
vary much from place to place. To get the most lasting scent, spray a
mixture of essential oil and water onto your shirt collar or hair, where
the oils will take longer to evaporate.17
NAHA has compiled instructions for additional ways to use essential
oils, including via massage, inhalation, bath or facial lotion, as
follows.18 For more information on which essential oils to use for different purposes, check out the Ultimate Guide to Herbal Oils.
Massage Oil
For infants and young children:
.5 to 1% dilution = 3 to 6 drops of essential oil per ounce of carrier
For adults:
2.5% dilution = 15 drops of essential oil per ounce of carrier
3% dilution = 20 drops of essential oil per ounce of carrier
5% dilution = 30 drops of essential oil per ounce of carrier
10% dilution = 60 drops of essential oil per ounce of carrier
Essential oils used in massage blends are often used for:
Stress/anxiety | Headaches/migraines |
Insomnia |
Chronic or acute pain relief |
Arthritis & rheumatism (sub-acute phase) |
Chronic muscular/joint aches and pain |
Pregnancy and childbirth massage |
Reducing inflammation |
Enhancing immunity |
Relieving muscle spasms |
Relax and soothe the nervous system |
Aid in the treatment of sprains, strains, and repetitive movement injuries |
Steam Inhalation
Place 3 to 7 drops of essential oil into boiling water. Some essential
oils to consider include eucalyptus, thyme, lemon and tea tree. Cover
head with towel and breathe through the nose. Keep eyes closed! Steam
inhalation of essential oils may be used for:
- Congestion in upper respiratory tract (cold or flu)
- Sinus infection or sinusitis
- Enhancing respiratory function
Bath
Add 2 to 12 drops (depending on essential oil) into a teaspoon of honey,
whole milk, vegetable oil or other dispersing agent then add to bath
once you are in the bath. This is often used to:
Reduce stress/anxiety | Alleviate muscular aches, pains, and tension |
Soothe mental or physical fatigue |
Stimulate circulation |
Enhance lymph circulation |
Reduce pain and stiffness |
Increase local circulation |
Improve tone and health of skin |
Aid detoxification |
Facial Cream
You can purchase unscented facial creams or body lotions to add
essential oils to or create a facial oil by using a variety of
vegetable/herbal oils [such as coconut oil] and then adding essential
oils into the mix.
For adults:
Sensitive skin: .5 to 1 percent dilution = 3 to 6 drops per ounce
Normal, healthy skin: 1 to 2.5 percent dilution = 6 to 15 drops per ounce
Essential oil facial creams may help:
Enhance wound healing | Influence and slow aging of skin |
Scar reduction and improve appearance |
Support and enhance immune cells of the skin |
Balance sebum production |
Aid the process of detoxification in the skin |
Increase local circulation |
Improve tone of skin |
Encourage hydration of the skin, when used in conjunction with hydrosol/water or cream. |
Soften and soothe the skin |
Address emotional issues |
|
-
Spread the Word to
Friends And Family
By Sharing this Article.
-
-
-
25
inShare
-
-
-
No comments:
Post a Comment