Essential Oil: Everything you need to know

Essential oil therapy, better known as aromatherapy, refers to therapies that make use of essential oils and other plant mixtures.

For several thousands of years, essential oils have been used to improve a person’s mood and health. Note, these therapies are not meant to treat any diseases, but do in fact help and fit easily into any daily health routine.

Even though it’s a natural product, it still contains chemicals that could still be hazardous if used in the wrong way such as swallowing it, etc. Therefore I recommend following a trained professional’s advice before using essential oils.

Making Use Of Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is commonly used through inhalation or as an application. Let’s take an in-depth look at how it’s used:

Inhalation

Making use of a diffuser, the essential oils are broken down into smaller particles and spread into the air for inhalation. An alternative would be to pour it into a steam bath.

Not only does it bring a pleasant smell to the room, but aromatherapy oils also help with decongestants, and respiratory disinfection, and have some psychological benefits.

The olfactory system, which is the part of the brain that is connected to your smell, gets stimulated through aromatherapy. With this, the particles enter through the nose and the mouth to the lungs, and from there spread to other parts of the body.

When the particles reach the brain, it affects the limbic system, which is linked to emotions, heart rate, breathing, memory, stress, blood pressure, and hormone balance.

Application

This is when essential oils are used as a cream, massage oil, or bath skincare product to be absorbed through the skin.

Please note that essential oils are never applied directly to the skin.

Benefits Of Aromatherapy

As I mentioned before, aromatherapy does not cure diseases or illnesses but does support treatment for various conditions.

Aromatherapy has shown to reduce:

• pain and body aches

• nausea

• stress

• depression

• fatigue

• insomnia

• headaches

• menstrual cramps

• hair loss

Different essential oils have different effects:

Eucalyptus: commonly used during colds and flu to help relieve the airways.

Basil: To be avoided during pregnancy but basil can alleviate the symptoms of depression and can relieve headaches and migraines.

Bergamot: is used to help with the urinary and digestive system.

Black Pepper: is used to speeding up the recovery time of muscle pains and bruises.

Chamomile: is used to treat eczema.

Lavender: is commonly used among buyers. It helps with sleep and the relieves headache symptoms

Lemon: essential oil is used to improve your mood, and helps with stress and depression.

Rosemary: essential oil is used to promote hair growth, and memory and supports the nervous system.

Yarrow: is used to treating symptoms such as colds and flu.

Risks

Each essential oil has its reason for use, therefore it is made up of its chemicals. If you’re seeking essential oils for specific healing purposes, you must speak to a trained aromatherapist or pharmacist.

Essential oils cause reactions in the body so it’s important to know that not all oils will benefit everyone. For example, a person with high blood pressure should avoid using rosemary. The concentrated oil can be poisonous before its diluted so should be handled with care.

Conclusion

Essential oils can help with many conditions, but they should be used correctly with the help of an expert, and label guidelines should be followed.