Aromatherapy is the fastest growing complementary therapy in medicine, but it is one of the most misunderstood. To better understand its value, the definition is clearer when the compound word is taken apart: aroma and therapy. Therapy means remedy or healing. Aroma means fragrance. So it is a therapy that comes from aromatic plants which contain medicinal and nutritional components that are healing to the body.
“Clinical aromatherapy can be used to encourage healing and promote relaxation, but it can also help fight infection and chronic illness,” according to Jane Buckle, R.N. author of Clinical Aromatherapy: Essential Oils in Practice. Most of the Western world including Americans are tired of pharmaceuticals as the “cure all” and are yearning for an approach with better long term holistic benefits.
It isn’t surprising that there is such growing interest. People are seeking ways to be more prudent with medications and so have found essentials oils are excellent to support in multiple ways. C. Norman Shealy, M.D. says essential oils within the body operate in three ways: pharmacologically, physiologically, and psychologically in his book The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Healing Remedies. Therefore, families are finding them useful proactive tools to keep their families healthy as well as providing home remedies for everything from sore muscles to indigestion.
Essential oils have also proven themselves as powerful defenders against germs so many families are finding great value for creating an environmentally healthy home. Check out the information in “oils as natural defenders” button under this aromatherapy section. There is a difference in essential oil quality and consumers must be cautious.
Essential oils are the natural plant extracts that are found in plant leaves, flowers, stems, etc. They are the life-blood of the plant, protecting it from bacterial and viral infections, cleansing breaks in its tissue and delivering oxygen and nutrients into the cells. In essence, they act as the immune system of the plant. That is why they are so essential to the plant — without them, plants could not survive.
In the human body, they have a similar action — such as transporting valuable nutrients to the cells; increasing oxygen intake, and digesting toxic waste in the blood. This is because the three primary elements – carbon, hydrogen and oxygen-are common to both human beings and essential oils. This shared chemistry makes essential oils one of the most compatible of all plant substances with human biochemistry.
Not only that, but the lipid-soluble structure of essential oils and the fact that they have a protein-like structure similar to human cells and tissues makes them even more compatible with human tissue.
Essential oils are very different from vegetable oils (also called fatty oils), such as corn oil, olive oil, peanut oil, etc. Fatty oils are produced by pressing nuts or seeds. They are quite greasy, are not antimicrobial nor help transport oxygen, and will go rancid over time. Essential oils, however, are not greasy nor do they clog the pores like vegetable oils can.
Essential oils are highly complex substances. They are mosaics of hundreds – even thousands – of different natural chemicals. The average essential oil may contain anywhere from 80 to 400 known chemical constituents. Many oils contain even more, occurring in minute quantities – but all contributing to the oil’s therapeutic effects. It requires years of study to understand these constituents, their activity and functions.
In addition, essential oils can be processed in different ways, which dramatically effects their chemistry and medicinal action. Oils that have been redistilled two or three times are obviously not as potent as oils that have been distilled only once. Also, oils that are subjected to high heat and pressure in processing have an inferior profile of chemical constituents, since excessive heat and temperature fractures and breaks down many of the delicate aromatic compounds within the oil — compounds that are responsible for much of the therapeutic action of the oil.
Of even greater importance is the fact that some oils are thinned or cut (i.e. adulterated) with synthetic chemicals.
Further research has shown that with their immune-stimulating properties, essential oils enhance and support the building of the immune system, whether they be inhaled or applied on the body topically. Even those who contract a cold or the flu recover faster using essential oils.
Perhaps one of the greatest attributes of essential oils is their ability to purify the air we breathe. When diffused in the home they release oxygenating molecules into the atmosphere where they stay suspended for several hours to destroy and prevent bacteria, fungus, mold, and freshen the air with natural fragrances.
This is the most perfect way to improve our home environment, either to help us relax, relieve tension and headaches, dispel odors, or just create an atmosphere of peace and harmony. If you have children, or suffer from Emphysema, Sinusitis, Asthma, and allergies, diffusing essential oils into your home will make an essential difference for you and your family’s health.
There is a misconception that pure essential oils should first be diluted before applying them topically on the skin. Pure oils, with the exception of those containing the natural chemical constituent known as “phenol,” (such as with cinnamon, clove or oregano) may be applied “neat” (undiluted) directly on the skin. Oils containing phenol can cause an irritation or burning sensation. Users of essential oils should always test an unknown oil first on a small area of skin to determine sensitivity.
CAUTION:
Because many commercially available Essential Oils have been adulterated with solvents and/or man-made chemicals, you should not apply Essential Oils directly to the skin…unless you know them to be safe. There is but one major producer of Essential Oils in the U.S. that is known for producing ONLY pure unadulterated oils. Essential Oils from this producer are, with few exceptions, considered safe to apply directly to the skin without diluting first with a carrier oil. That producer is Young Living Essential Oils, Inc. If in doubt, always try a small amount first to test for a possible reaction.
When applied to the body by rubbing on the feet, essential oils penetrate the skin and travel (via the bloodstream) throughout the body and affect every cell, including the hair, within 20 minutes. They may have a lasting effect for as long as five months from only one application. The oils do not build up and store in the body because they are very subtle and volatile, having a high evaporation rate. Because of their chemical structure, they are metabolized like other nutrients in the cells.
In addition to the feet, the oils may also be applied directly to affected areas of the body, such as to joints, muscle and tendons needing relief from aches and pain.