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Article 1: Essential Oils
How do Essential Oils Work?
by Ora Sapir
You might wonder how essential oils could make you feel relaxed, energized, or help with colds etc.
Let us look at what are essential oils to start with. They are highly concentrated substances found in plants, which are extracted for their therapeutic properties. They are so powerful that a few drops can go a long way, whilst on the other hand, too much can cause toxicity.
So how do they affect us? They work through smelling, inhalation and penetration through the skin.
Smelling. When we smell the aroma of an oil we may like or dislike it. It may bring emotions or memories. How does this happen? The aroma travels into our nose and triggers an electrical signal that is sent to the brain. Here the oils can affect the brain, the nervous system and the hormones. Firstly, the oils reach the part of the brain where our instincts, emotions and memories are located. So some, like lavender for example, may arouse memories of your grandmother's garden, or of a childhood friend, whilst ylang ylang may affect your sexual desire. The oils can affect the nervous system too by soothing or stimulating it. So lavender can help with balancing emotions, rosemary with stimulating whilst bergamot and sandalwood with depression and vetiver with relaxation. Hormones may be affected too. Menopausal women may find that geranium can help with balancing their hormones, for example.
Inhalation. Through inhalation the oils travel to the lungs. Some oils have an affinity with the lungs and can help with colds and difficult breathing. Eucalyptus can help with bronchitis, sandalwood with catarrh, pine and frankincense with breathing.
The skin can be penetrated through the tiny little pores. Some oils may can affect it. Camomile and lavender can help relieve acne and eczema, rosemary can regulate sebum (the oil produced in our skin) so is helpful for both greasy and dry skin, whilst neroli can help with wrinkles.
From here the oils travel into our circulation system, through the tiny little blood vessels, and reach where they are needed or the organ which they have an affinity with. So rose and jasmine have an affinity with the womb and can help with uterine disorders and childbirth.
Therapy using essential oils (aromatherapy) can help many conditions like stress, anxiety, depression, insomnia, lack of energy, menstrual and menopausal problems, skin disorders, aches and pains, poor circulation and more.