At the same time, regular use of aromatherapy treatments and home use products can help to strengthen the immune system, thereby establishing a preventative approach to overall health.
Stress Makes You Sick
It has long been known that stress accounts for a staggering amount of illness in modern society, and aromatherapy offers one of the finest ways of combating the ravages of stress without having to resort to drugs which can be habit forming and damaging to your health.
Scientists and doctors have known for a long time that negative and positive emotions really can change the complex chemistry of our bodies, and these changes can have a negative or positive effect on the immune system.
Aromatherapists, who specialize in the practice of aromatherapy, utilize blends of therapeutic essential oils that can be issued through topical application, massage, inhalation or water immersion to stimulate a desired response.
Aromatherapy is the treatment or prevention of disease by use of essential oils. Other stated uses include pain and anxiety reduction, enhancement of energy and short-term memory, relaxation, hair loss prevention, and reduction of eczema-induced itching.
Two basic mechanisms are offered to explain the purported effects. One is the influence of aroma on the brain, especially the limbic system through the olfactory system.The other is the direct pharmacological effects of the essential oils.
In the English-speaking world, practitioners tend to emphasize the use of oils in massage. Aromatherapy tends to be regarded as a complementary modality at best and a pseudoscientific fraud at worst.
History
The use of essential oils for therapeutic, spiritual, hygienic and ritualistic purposes goes back to a number of ancient civilizations including the Chinese, Indians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans who used them in cosmetics, perfumes and drugs.
Oils are described by Dioscorides, along with beliefs of the time regarding their healing properties, in his De Materia Medica, written in the first century.
Distilled essential oils have been employed as medicines since the invention of distillation in the eleventh century, when Avicenna isolated essential oils using steam distillation.
The modes of application of aromatherapy include:
Some of the materials employed include:
Oils with standardized content of components (marked FCC, for Food Chemical Codex) are required to contain a specified amount of certain aroma chemicals that normally occur in the oil.
There is no law that the chemicals cannot be added in synthetic form to meet the criteria established by the FCC for that oil.
For instance, lemongrass essential oil must contain 75% aldehyde to meet the FCC profile for that oil, but that aldehyde can come from a chemical refinery instead of from lemongrass. To say that FCC oils are "food grade" makes them seem natural when they are not necessarily so.
Undiluted essential oils suitable for aromatherapy are termed 'therapeutic grade', but there are no established and agreed standards for this category.The market for essential oils is dominated by the food, perfume, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, so aromatherapists have little choice but to buy the best of whatever oils are available.
Always purchase“cold pressed" oils. Oils that are not cold-pressed have been heated and have a minimal therapeutic effect.
Essential oils are highly concentrated which can irritate the skin when used in undiluted form. Therefore, they are normally diluted with a carrier oil for topical application, such as jojoba oil, olive oil, or coconut oil.
Aromatherapists, who specialize in the practice of aromatherapy, utilize blends of therapeutic essential oils that can be issued through topical application, massage, inhalation or water immersion to stimulate a desired response.
What Exactly is Aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy is the treatment or prevention of disease by use of essential oils. Other stated uses include pain and anxiety reduction, enhancement of energy and short-term memory, relaxation, hair loss prevention, and reduction of eczema-induced itching.
In the English-speaking world, practitioners tend to emphasize the use of oils in massage. Aromatherapy tends to be regarded as a complementary modality at best and a pseudoscientific fraud at worst.
History
The use of essential oils for therapeutic, spiritual, hygienic and ritualistic purposes goes back to a number of ancient civilizations including the Chinese, Indians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans who used them in cosmetics, perfumes and drugs.
Oils are described by Dioscorides, along with beliefs of the time regarding their healing properties, in his De Materia Medica, written in the first century.
Distilled essential oils have been employed as medicines since the invention of distillation in the eleventh century, when Avicenna isolated essential oils using steam distillation.
Modes of Application
The modes of application of aromatherapy include:
- Aerial diffusion: for environmental fragrancing or aerial disinfection
- Direct inhalation: for respiratory disinfection, decongestion, expectoration as well as psychological effects
- Topical applications: for general massage, baths, compresses, therapeutic skin care
Materials
Some of the materials employed include:
- Essential oils: Fragrant oils extracted from plants chiefly through steam distillation (e.g.,eucalyptus oil) or expression (grapefruit oil). However, the term is also occasionally used to describe fragrant oils extracted from plant material by any solvent extraction. This material includes incense reed diffusers.
- Absolutes: Fragrant oils extracted primarily from flowers or delicate plant tissues through solvent or supercritical fluid extraction (e.g., rose absolute). The term is also used to describe oils extracted from fragrant butters, concretes, and enfleurage pommades using ethanol.
- Carrier oils: Typically oily plant base triacylglycerides that dilute essential oils for use on the skin (e.g., sweet almond oil).
- Herbal distillates or hydrosols: The aqueous by-products of the distillation process (e.g.,rosewater). There are many herbs that make herbal distillates and they have culinary uses, medicinal uses and skin care uses. Common herbal distillates are chamomile,rose, and lemon balm.
- Phytoncides: Various volatile organic compounds from plants that kill microbes[citation needed]. Many terpene-based fragrant oils and sulfuric compounds from plants in the genus "Allium" are phytoncides[citation needed], though the latter are likely less commonly used in aromatherapy due to their disagreeable odors.
- Vaporizer (Volatized) raw herbs: Typically higher oil content plant based materials dried, crushed, and heated to extract and inhale the aromatic oil vapors in a direct inhalation modality
Choice and Purchase
Oils with standardized content of components (marked FCC, for Food Chemical Codex) are required to contain a specified amount of certain aroma chemicals that normally occur in the oil.
There is no law that the chemicals cannot be added in synthetic form to meet the criteria established by the FCC for that oil.
For instance, lemongrass essential oil must contain 75% aldehyde to meet the FCC profile for that oil, but that aldehyde can come from a chemical refinery instead of from lemongrass. To say that FCC oils are "food grade" makes them seem natural when they are not necessarily so.
Undiluted essential oils suitable for aromatherapy are termed 'therapeutic grade', but there are no established and agreed standards for this category.The market for essential oils is dominated by the food, perfume, cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries, so aromatherapists have little choice but to buy the best of whatever oils are available.
Always purchase“cold pressed" oils. Oils that are not cold-pressed have been heated and have a minimal therapeutic effect.
Carrier Oils
Essential oils are highly concentrated which can irritate the skin when used in undiluted form. Therefore, they are normally diluted with a carrier oil for topical application, such as jojoba oil, olive oil, or coconut oil.
Also the healing scent of an essential oil can evaporate quickly, which is another reason they are often combined with a carrier oil.
Carrier oils usually come from the fatty portion of a plant and help the essential oil's scent maintain for a longer duration of time.
There are intriguing myths and folklore associated with aromatherapy and essential oils. Essential oils—the fragrant, concentrated liquids extracted from the flowers, leaves, roots, bark, and fruit of an aromatic plant—are the main ingredients in aromatherapy treatments.
Some oils can be toxic to some domestic animals, with cats being particularly prone.
As with any bioactive substance, an essential oil that may be safe for the general public could still pose hazards for pregnant and lactating women.
While some advocate the ingestion of essential oils for therapeutic purposes, licensed aromatherapy professionals do not recommend self-prescription due the highly toxic nature of some essential oils.
Essential oils have become popular for a wide variety of purposes, but they can also cause harm. In the medical literature, there are common reports of serious skin problems, sun sensitivity and even seizures…sometimes fatal ones.
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Essential Oil Variety Set- 14 Pack - 100% Pure Therapeutic Grade 5 ml.
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What Are The Benefits of Different Essential Oils
There are intriguing myths and folklore associated with aromatherapy and essential oils. Essential oils—the fragrant, concentrated liquids extracted from the flowers, leaves, roots, bark, and fruit of an aromatic plant—are the main ingredients in aromatherapy treatments.
There are many, many essential oils ranging from spices and herbs to fruit extracts and florals. Each oil has a unique scent and properties that can be applied to many different conditions.
Here are some popular essential oils and the common uses and benefits for them:
- Eucalyptus: Eucalyptus is purifying and invigorating and is often used in topical preparations diluted with carrier oils.
- Ginger: Ginger can be used to stimulate the appetite and relieve headaches.
- Juniper Berry: The restoring and supporting benefits come from the berry of the juniper tree.
- Lavender: Used in baths, sprays, lotions, oils and more, lavender promotes a calm and relaxed feeling. This is the only EO that doesn't require a carrier oil. It can be dabbed on your temples to alleviate a headache.
- Lemon: Lemon is a refreshing and cheering oil that should be heavily diluted if you plan on applying to the skin. Good for household cleaning diluted with some water. Removes fungus & is anti-bacterial.
- Peppermint: Refreshing and cooling peppermint can invigorate you with its powerful minty aroma. Good for aches and pains when mixed with a carrier oil.
- Rosemary: This clarifying scent is often used in household sprays, soaps and shampoos.
- Sage: Just one drop is all you need to enjoy the warming effects of the camphor scent.
- Spearmint: This refreshing and cooling essential oil can help tighten pores if you add a few drops to your bathwater.
- Tea Tree: Tea tree oil can treat bacteria, fungi, viruses and stimulate the immune system.
- Ylang Ylang: The ylang ylang plant was originally cultivated in the Philippines, but it soon made its way around the world because of its distinctive scent and beautiful appearance. This essential oil is used to relax both the mind and body.
Safety Concerns
Some oils can be toxic to some domestic animals, with cats being particularly prone.
As with any bioactive substance, an essential oil that may be safe for the general public could still pose hazards for pregnant and lactating women.
While some advocate the ingestion of essential oils for therapeutic purposes, licensed aromatherapy professionals do not recommend self-prescription due the highly toxic nature of some essential oils.
Essential oils have become popular for a wide variety of purposes, but they can also cause harm. In the medical literature, there are common reports of serious skin problems, sun sensitivity and even seizures…sometimes fatal ones.
For example:
• Essential oils such as thyme, oregano, clove and cinnamon can irritate the skin—even cause blisters.
• Essential oils in the citrus family (bergamot, lemon, lime, orange, angelica) as well as cumin can cause phototoxicity…resulting in a burn when you’re exposed to the sun (or radiation from a sunbed) even briefly.
• Some essential oils can trigger seizures in people with epilepsy…including eucalyptus, fennel, hyssop, pennyroyal, rosemary and sage.
• Still others may interact with medications—peppermint and eucalyptus, for example, can interfere with the effectiveness of the cancer drug 5-fluorouracil.
• Allergic reactions are also possible. For example, if you are allergic to ragweed, you may be allergic to the essential oil of chamomile, which is in the same botanical family.
The good news is that serious issues are rare. “Most uses of essential oils are safe,” says Dr. Rubman. For reasons explained above, you don’t need to be concerned when your masseuse rubs oil that smells faintly like lavender or peppermint on your skin, or if you go into your gym’s sauna room and inhale the bracing aroma of eucalyptus.
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aromatherapy
• Essential oils such as thyme, oregano, clove and cinnamon can irritate the skin—even cause blisters.
• Essential oils in the citrus family (bergamot, lemon, lime, orange, angelica) as well as cumin can cause phototoxicity…resulting in a burn when you’re exposed to the sun (or radiation from a sunbed) even briefly.
• Some essential oils can trigger seizures in people with epilepsy…including eucalyptus, fennel, hyssop, pennyroyal, rosemary and sage.
• Still others may interact with medications—peppermint and eucalyptus, for example, can interfere with the effectiveness of the cancer drug 5-fluorouracil.
• Allergic reactions are also possible. For example, if you are allergic to ragweed, you may be allergic to the essential oil of chamomile, which is in the same botanical family.
The good news is that serious issues are rare. “Most uses of essential oils are safe,” says Dr. Rubman. For reasons explained above, you don’t need to be concerned when your masseuse rubs oil that smells faintly like lavender or peppermint on your skin, or if you go into your gym’s sauna room and inhale the bracing aroma of eucalyptus.
Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aromatherapy
RELATED:
Natural Face Lotion (DIY)
In our current economy, it can be hard to make room in your budget for pricey facial lotions purchased at retail stores. So why not reach into your cupboard or garden and whip up your own beauty boosting facial remedies that are also chemical and toxic free?
Essential Oil Variety Set- 14 Pack - 100% Pure Therapeutic Grade 5 ml.
Set includes- (Bergamot, Clary Sage, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus, Grapefruit,...
from Plant Guru
About the Product
- Set Includes 14 - Plant Guru 5 ml. Bottles. Essential Oil Variety Set- 14 Pack - 100% Pure Therapeutic Grade 10ml. Set includes- (Bergamot, Clary Sage, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus, Grapefruit, Lavender, Lemon, Lime, Patchouli, Peppermint, Rosemary, Spearmint, Sweet Orange & Tea Tree)
- HIGHEST SUPERIOR QUALITY ESSENTIAL OILS - STRICT QUALITY CONTROL !!!
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Sensori Aromatherapy Diffuser Humidifier - Portable Essential Oil Diffuser and Humidifier with Changing Colored Lights and Auto Shut-off (100ml) from Sensori
4.4 out of 5 stars 136 customer reviews
About the Product
- Surround yourself with the fragrance of your favorite essential oils and reap their aromatherapy healing benefits; relieve stress, enhance your mood, improve your wellbeing, feel revitalized
- Also acts as a cool mist humidifier, helping to prevent dry skin and chapped lips and relieving cold, flu and allergy symptoms
- Perfect nightlights for children or adults; the 7 color changing LED lights are great for soothing children scared of the dark or to create a relaxing ambience to reinvigorate you when you need it most