Essential oils are compounds extracted from a plant’s buds, flowers, leaves, bark, twigs, roots, wood, bulbs, fruit, rhizomes, seeds, or resin. They capture the plant’s scent and flavor, and some can even offer health benefits because of the smell of the essential oil or from the physical application of the essential oil to the skin.
Essential Oil Uses
Essential oils have many uses, such as improving the scent of a particular room or supplementing healing practices.
They accomplish this second feat because, when inhaled, the scent molecules travel from the olfactory nerve to the brain. From there, they interact with the limbic system, a region of the brain in charge of regulating memories, emotions, and sensations.
Essential oils can also be combined with a carrier oil and placed on the skin, where the body can absorb them into the bloodstream and distribute them throughout the body.
A Note on Marketing
While essential oils have seen heavy marketing recently because of their many benefits, it is important to remember where their true strengths lie. Namely, remember that they cannot cure diseases and are not a magic pill, but they can still be a helpful addition for anyone looking to follow a healthy lifestyle.
For example, essential oils cannot replace surgery or medications such as antibiotics, but they can still relieve unpleasant symptoms, making them an effective tool in your healthcare arsenal.
The Health Benefits of Essential Oils
When it comes to the health benefits of essential oils, they serve less as a treatment for various conditions and instead as a way to boost both your physical and mental health.
For instance, peppermint oil can help relieve headaches, likely from its menthol component, while has analgesic and cooling properties. Research has found that these benefits are at their greatest when the peppermint oil is applied around the head and temple.
Yet another way that essential oils can help your physical health is through nausea relief. Peppermint and ginger are the most effective in this regard, with peppermint, in particular, showing an ability to relax the muscles of your gastrointestinal tract. As for ginger, it helps to encourage the digestive process, keeping food from getting stuck in the gastrointestinal tract. These benefits can help those with nausea from chemotherapy, pregnancy, or indigestion.
Mental health can improve from essential oils, as well, because of their ability to reduce stress and calm anxiety. In fact, this is often the number one reason why someone may seek out aromatherapy. A review found that inhaling or ingesting lavender essential oil or using it in massage treatments can help lower anxiety levels, likely from its linalool and linalyl acetate compounds that have calming properties.
Side Effects of Essential Oils
Even though essential oils are natural, they are not always safe.
Some potential side effects of essential oils include:
– rashes
– headaches
– asthma attacks
– allergic reactions
To limit side effects, be sure to use them correctly, such as by inhaling them or combining them with a carrier oil before being used on the skin.
Try Essential Oils to Improve Your Health
Are you ready to supplement your life and promote overall health? Give essential oils a try and see how they can address minor aches and pains, improve your well-being, and make your medical treatments even more effective.
For all your essential oil needs, whether body oil, lotion, or general essential oils, H2E Aromatherapy has what you need.