A smell can take us back to old times and awaken memories that trigger feelings of happiness. Influenced specifically by scents, the sense of smell promotes well-being and health. Essential oils are the messengers in this process. Most people appreciate the soothing scent of lavender or a massage with lemon balm oil. Many confirm the headache-relieving effect of peppermint oil on the temples. Doctors recommend baths with a few drops of tea tree oil added for fungal skin infections. How essential oils can heal and what to consider when using aromatherapy, read below.
Healing with essential oils
Healing through essential oils – this is the goal of aromatherapy, to which more and more doctors and scientists now attribute an important role in holistic therapy. Yet aromatherapy is not a new branch of alternative medicine and is much more than lighting a fragrance lamp. Essential oils are used in the form of full and partial baths, as compresses and wraps, for inhalation, as massage oil sauna infusion, in fragrance lamps or as medicines. The purity and quality of the oil play a major role.
The long history of aromatherapy
For thousands of years, people have been making use of the fragrant essences of plants. Aromatherapy dates back to the ancient Egyptians and Greeks, but fragrances were also known to cure the sick by the Aztecs, the Incas and in Tibet. Aromatherapy reached a peak in the Middle Ages. Monasteries, in particular, planted medicinal herb gardens. In the 17th century, various aromatic substances were used to improve resistance to infections. Even the hospitals of the time used scents such as rosemary. In this context, medicine still owes many findings to phytotherapy (Greek phyton = plant), from which the modern pharmaceutical industry also benefits. The ancient roots can also be found in various records of the “Far East”, where plants were already used 5,000 years ago. In modern times, the triumphal march of essential oils began after 1900 with the work of the French chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé, who gave this branch of plant medicine the name “aromatherapy”. Dr. Jean Valnet discovered the healing properties of plant oils while treating wounded soldiers during World War II.
Fields of application of aromatherapy
In addition to medical indications, aromatic substances are also used in the environment of wellness and cosmetics for internal and external application. There is a proven effect in many areas, and even in clinics, aromatherapy has been used as part of physical therapy for decades.
How do essential oils work?
Essential oils are fragrances that are stored in the form of tiny oil droplets in plant parts (flowers, peels, fruits, roots, leaves) in varying amounts. As the name (essential) implies, the oils are highly volatile. Depending on the choice, natural essential oils stimulate, have a harmonizing or calming effect. The effect of the oils lasts longer than the “conscious perception” by the sense of smell, because it tires after about 15. minutes. The essential oils act directly on the brain and influence a variety of psychological, emotional and physical mechanisms through it, by which we are controlled without being aware of it.
Essential oils are actually used for self-protection
The healing effect of oils is related to the strategies of plants against pests. Namely, the leaves and flowers of plants contain essential oils for self-protection against bacteria or fungi, for example, and to attract beneficial insects. Among others, the “Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy” in San Francisco has been successfully researching the effect of such oils for years. It is the monoterpenes contained in most oils that easily penetrate cell membranes and can be detected in the blood after just a few minutes.
Essential oils: absorption through the nose and skin.
Essential oils are absorbed through the skin as part of aromatherapy, for example in a full bath, and additionally inhaled through the respiratory tract. What humans perceive as a pleasant smell can be explained medically. When the essence particles are drawn in through the nose, the aroma information is picked up by the tiny cilia of each olfactory cell and transmitted to the central brain. There, the electrochemical messages are sent on to the olfactory center.Neurochemicals are released that have either a dampening, relaxing, stimulating or euphoric effect. Other messages travel to other parts of the body where the physical effects of the fragrances are felt. When essential oils are rubbed into the skin with a carrier substance, the tiny molecules of the essential oil can get “under the skin,” so to speak. Through the pores and hair follicles, they penetrate all the way into the blood-bearing capillaries. Once in the bloodstream, they are carried throughout the body. Essential oils are also well absorbed by mucous membranes.
Studies on therapeutic efficacy
Some clinical studies demonstrate therapeutic efficacy for essential oils: for example, for eucalyptus, peppermint, or lavender oil. Overall, however, the number of studies conducted is small. This lack of exact scientific data is caused, among other things, by the fact that essential oils cannot be easily compared, as they are subject to variations in chemical composition. This makes it all the more important to look for good quality when buying. What you should pay attention to in this regard and how to properly use essential oils, you will learn below.
