health topics > natural therapy >>  Topics >>> AROMATHERAPY

Aromatherapy is a branch of herbal medicine that uses the medicinal properties of the essential oils of plants and herbs. The use of plant essential oils dates back to the ancient times in Egypt, Italy, India, and China. French chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse coined the term aromatherapy in 1937, when he witnessed first-hand the healing power of lavender oil on healing skin burns.

Today, aromatherapy is widely practiced in North America and Europe. It is often integrated into holistic treatments, and is used in spa treatments and products such as candles, massage oil, and other relaxation products.

The essential oils used in aromatherapy are plant volatile oils from the flowers, leaves, stems, buds, branches, or roots that have been extracted using steam distillation, water and stem distillation or cold-pressing
 

How Aromatherapy Works

Essential oils can affect almost every organ system in the body. Each essential oil has a unique pharmacological effect, such as anti-bacterial, antiviral, diuretic, vasodilator, tranquilizing, and adrenal stimulating.

When an essential oil is inhaled, the molecules enter the nasal cavity and stimulate the limbic system in the brain. The libic system is a region that influences emotions and memories and is directly linked to the adrenals, pituitary gland, the hypothalamus, the parts of the body that regulate heart rate, blood pressure, stress, memory, hormone balance, and breathing. This makes the effects of essential oils immediate in bringing about emotional and physiological balance.

Essential oils can be toxic when taken internally so they should only be taken orally under the guidance of a qualified professional.
 

Conditions Treated by Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy can be used for a variety of health conditions, such as allergies, stress, bruises, burns, diarrhea, earache, prementrual syndrome (PMS), energy, insect bites, relaxation, poor digestion, headache, menopause, insomnia, nausea, bronchitis, colds, flu, sinusitis, sprains, wounds, shingles (herpes zoster), muscle and joint pain, arthritis, nervousenss, restlessness, and scars.
 

Home Treatments Using Aromatherapy

Essential oils can be used at home by inhalation or topical application. Steam inhalation is often used for respiratory conditions. Steam inhalation involves adding 2-3 drops of essential oil of eucalyptus, roosemary, tea tree, or other oil to hot water and holding the face over the pot with a towel draped to form a tent.

A few drops of essential oils can also be added to baths, compresses, or massage oils.

What are essential oils?

Essential oils are not oils as we generally think of oils. Most of them have a very light texture and evaporate quickly. Essential oils are found in all the various parts of plants including the bark, roots, leaves, flowers, seed, wood, resin, and balsam. Some plants produce rather large quantities of oil, some have very low content. Take for example one of the most popular oils, rose. There is so little aromatic content in rose flowers that it a ton of petals produces only 10.5 ounces (300g) of rose oil. It's important to note that essential oils should virtually never be applied directly to the skin until mixed in a carrier oil. Carrier oils are pure gentle oils, such as sweet almond oil and apricot kernel oil that "carry" the essence to the skin.
Today, essential oils are extracted from the plants used for aromatherapy, making them very concentrated. The two basic ways aromatherapy is accomplished is by applying the oils to the skin and by inhalation. The term "aromatherapy" can be a bit misleading because it's not only the aroma that is therapeutic. The oils also interact with body chemistry directly, thus affecting certain systems and organs. You can demonstrate this yourself by rubbing garlic on the soles of your feet. After awhile, the garlic aroma will be evident on your breath.
 

Ways to use essential oils

Common methods of using oils include inhalation, vaporization, massage, bathing, and compresses. Essential oils (except in rare exceptions) are not to be applied to the skin in an undiluted form.
 

Steam Inhalation:

Add a two drops of essential oil to a bowl of steaming water
Covering your head and bowl of water with a towel, inhale the healing vapours.
 

Vaporization:

Four to five drops of a single oil or combination of oils are sufficient. Too ascent a room place the drops in a vaporizer or in a small container of water set on a radiator. You can also place a drop or two onto a light bulb. For individual therapy you can place a drop or two of oil onto a tissue or pillowcase.
 

Baths:

For relaxation, pleasure, stress relief, or soothing achy muscles, a soak in bath water that has been treated with a few drops of essential oils is a delight.
 

Personal Care:

Treat yourself by adding romatic oils to your skin lotions, face creams, and mild shampoos.

 

Massage:

Essential oils are blended into a base oil such assweet almond or grapeseed oil.
 

Compresses:

Applying essential oil compresses is an effective way of relieving pain and reducing inflammation.
 

Feminine Care:

Tea Tree oil is a common essential oil used to treat candia or thrush. Add it to water for use in a douch or sitz bath.
 

It is the essential oil content in aromatic products and extracts that gives them their aromatic quality. The method used in extracting the oil from plants depends on the plant material as well as the type of end product that is desired. Delicate plants that are subject to immediate deterioration are processed as quickly as possible after harvesting. Seeds and roots, on the other hand, can easily be stored for a period before processing.
 

Extraction methods used in the making of:

Essential Oils:

Steam, water or dry distillation. This process isolates the volatile and water-insoluble parts of the plant. For therapeutic aromatic use distillation is the preferred process in extracting oil from plants that have a high-content of oil in them.
 

Concretes: Extraction by hydrocarbon-type solvents.

Solid concretes normally contain 50 percent wax and 50 percent volatile oil. Liquid concretes normally contain 20 percent wax and 80 percent essential oil.
 

Resinoids:

Extraction with a hydrocarbon solvent (petroleum ether or hexeme). Resinoids are prepared from dead organic matter. Resinoids are used in perfumery to prolong the fragrance effect.
 

Absolutes:

Second process of solvent extraction from the concrete. Subjected to repeated treatment with alcohol resulting in highly concentrated viscous liquids. A trace of ethyl alcohol can remain in the final absolute making it at a disadvantage to essential oils for therapeutic use. Because the amount of remaining solvent is minimal, absolutes can be used in true aromatherapy with care, respect and knowledge. Absolutes are more concentrated than essential oils, a little bit goes a long ways.
 

Pomades:

 True pomades are produced using a process known as enfleurage, which is seldom done today. Freshly cut flowers are laid upon a layer of fat (chassis). The final step would be an alcohol extraction of the fragrance-saturated fat to produce the pure absolute or perfume.
 

The information contained in this web site is for educational purposes only and is not intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified medical provider for all medical problems prior to starting any new treatment

Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites.