Everyday items in our gardens like, flowers, plants, herbs & spices, or even our food, are natural antidotes to a variety of ailments. It is better to prevent rather than heal, so preventative treatments, like aromatherapy are using a combination of modern science and ancient wisdom to produce curatives, which also double as cosmetic aids. In fact, the recuperative and soothing effects of flowers, plants and have been known for centuries. Incense used in religious rituals also possessed the properties to soothe the mind, as did Indian myrrh and dhup made from juniper shrubs, used extensively in Temples.

In India, Ayurveda embranced herbs & aromatics as a part of the philosophy of healing, using fresh herbs, dried herbs such as tea, or herbs compounded into a powder and often hand rolled into pills, using fresh plant juices.

Essentials oils and natural ingredients can alter or enhance moods and treat a range of ailments from migraine to hypertension & arthritis.

What Is Aromatherapy?

Aroma reaches and influences the deepest human instincts. Aromatherapy means to treat with aroma through inhalation. Research has shown that we respond to aroma within one to three seconds. Aromatherapy also encompasses the topical application of essential oils. Because essential oils have a unique lipid-solution structure, they are able to easily pass through cell membranes, particularly of the skin, and diffuse into the bloodstream. They penetrate the skin the same way that the active ingredients in transdermal hormone or nicotine patches do.

What Are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are the volatile liquids that are distilled from various parts of plants, including seeds, bark, leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and fruit. Essential oils differ from vegetable oils, they are not greasy and do not clog the pores like vegetable oils can.

Essential oils are chemically very complex, consisting of hundreds of different chemical compounds. They are highly concentrated and far more potent than dried herbs. The distillation of an entire plant may produce only a single drop of essential oil.
Essential oils are subtle, volatile liquids. They are oxygenating and help transport nutrients to the cells of our bodies. Without oxygen, nutrients cannot be assimilated; so the oxygenating essential oils can help us maintain our health.

The essential oils of the plant and the human blood share several common properties: They fight infection, contain hormone-like compounds, and initiate regeneration. Working as the chemical defence mechanism of the plant, essential oils possess potent antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. They also ward off attacks by insects and animals. Both essential oils and human blood contain hormone-like chemicals. The ability of some essential oils to work as hormones helps them bring balance to many physiological systems of the human body. Essential oils also play a role in initiating the regeneration process for the plant, the same way the blood does in the human body.

This similarity goes deeper. Essential oils have a unique ability to penetrate cell membranes and diffuse throughout the blood and tissues. The lipid-soluble structure of essential oils is very similar to the makeup of our cell membranes. The molecules of essential oils are also relatively small, giving them the ability to easily penetrate the cells. When topically applied to the feet or elsewhere, essential oils can travel throughout the body in a matter of minutes.

Ways to Benefit Aromatotherapy

By breathing the aromatic vapours using an aroma diffuser or air freshener, and
by absorbing diluted oils through the skin in a bath or massage

Ways to Use Essential Oils

There are many ways to use essential oils for their fragrance and balancing properties. The proportions given for diluting essential oils are a guideline and you can adjust them to your preference. The key is - a little goes a long way. One drop of essential oil is often equal to one ounce of the plant.

Aromatic Effect

The simple, no frills way to use essential oils is to take the cap off the bottle and breathe deeply. It’s most effective and you can use it anytime and anywhere.

An aroma diffuser has a small container that is filled with water and heated usually by a candle. Add 6-10 drops of an essential oil to water in the bowl of an aroma diffuser. The aromatic vapours of the essential oils are diffused as the water is heated.

Create a natural air freshener to enhance moods or freshen the air at home, work or in the car. Add 50-75 drops of an essential oil to 2 ounces of pure water in a mist spray bottle. Shake well before spraying into the air.

Add 25 drops of an essential oil to a potpourri that has lost its scent. Or create your own potpourri by adding drops of an essential oil to dried leaves, flowers, etc. Mix together in a container, cover tightly and store for several days to allow the potpourri material to absorb the essential oils.

Direct inhalation of the aromatic vapours can be useful for quick effect of the essential oils and to help breathing Add 8 drops of an essential oil to a bowl of hot water, place a towel over your head, and breathe deeply for about 5 minutes.

Bath

Full bath: Add 8-15 drops of an essential oil to the tub after the water has finished running. Stir the water to mix the oils evenly. It is best not to use soap - simply the essential oils. Baths are very effective as you breathe the vapours and absorb the oils through the skin.

Foot or hand bath: Add 4-5 drops of an essential oil to a container filled with warm water and stir the water to mix the oils. Soak feet or hands and relax.

Jacuzzi: Add 3 drops per person (6 drops if only one person) of an essential oil to the Jacuzzi water before getting in.

Massage

Create your own massage oil by adding up to 18 drops of an essential oil to 1 oz of pure vegetable oil, such as jojoba, grape seed or almond. For children use only 6 drops of an essential oil per 1 oz of a carrier oil. The massage oil can be used for a full massage or spot massage at pressure points for quick effect.

Compress

Add 6 drops of an essential oil to a bowl of hot or cold water. Submerse a cloth in the water, wring it out and place it on the area needing healing. Hot compresses are useful for muscular pain and cramp relief and cold compresses are useful for swelling or headache.

Shower

Add 4-8 drops of an essential oil to a wash cloth and rub briskly over your body after showering.

Create Your Own Perfume

Add 25 drops of an essential oil to 1 ounce of water in a mist spray bottle or to a carrier oil. Enjoy a rich fragrance and harmonizing effects at the same time.

Tag: Nature’s Treasure - Essential Oils