The knowledge about the healing power of herbs is old. Since a distillation device made of clay was found in a 5,000-year-old Pakistani tomb, it has been known that essential oils were already being produced from herbs back then – perhaps even for medicinal purposes as in aromatherapy today. Aromatherapy with essential oils got its name in modern times through the French chemist René-Maurice Gattefossé, who intensively studied plant essences. He published his findings about their healing effects in 1936 under the book title “Aromatherapy“.
Essential oils in aromatherapy.
Essential oils are easily evaporating (ethereal = slightly volatile) vegetable oils with a typical aromatic scent. The monoterpenes contained in most oils are what easily penetrate cell membranes and can be detected in the blood after a few minutes. If essential oils are added to bath water, for example, they can be absorbed through the skin as well as through the nasal and/or bronchial mucosa and thus reach the organs via the blood.
Essential oils have a significant effect on the central nervous system and mainly influence the mood. They can have a calming as well as a stimulating effect and positively influence the mood. Through smell, a sensory stimulus is created that triggers emotions and memories and influences various bodily functions.
Essential oils sit as tiny oil droplets in or even on plant tissue. Different methods are used to extract them, depending on their solubility and the plant part to be processed. However, steam distillation is the most common. Essential oils are mainly used as additives for expectorant inhalations (for example, eucalyptus), in full and partial baths, as compresses and wraps, as liniment (for example, to promote skin circulation), as massage oil, medicine or in fragrance lamps.
Effect of essential oils
Essential oils can be used for nervousness and stress, as well as for various diseases. However, depending on the situation, different aromatic oils are recommended.
- Cold: For bronchial catarrh, sore throat, cough or cold, add 1-2 drops of peppermint oil in a glass of water and drink in sips.
- Massage: massage oil is used mainly to stimulate energy. For a relaxing massage oil, mix 6 tablespoons almond oil and 2 tablespoons jojoba oil with 25 drops of lavender oil, 10 drops of rosemary oil and 5 drops of peppermint oil.
- Stress, anxiety, restlessness: for a bath against stress, add 250 g Epsom salt, 5 drops of lavender oil, 5 drops of sandalwood oil and 5 drops of ylang ylang oil to the bath water. Add the Epsom salt first, then the oils. Bath time about 20 minutes.
- Indigestion: Peppermint oil helps against belching and flatulence: Drink 1-2 drops of oil dissolved in fruit juice, tea or water daily. For inhalation, add 1-2 drops to a glass of hot water or drip 2-3 drops onto a handkerchief. Then inhale the steam or fragrance. Even faster wirskam against flatulence is a piece of sugar cube with 5 drops of anise oil. For babies, oil with caraway seeds helps against flatulence: To do this, the baby’s stomach is massaged in a clockwise direction with warm caraway oil.
Things to know about essential oils
Bath additives with essential oils are mixed quickly. However, they should never be put on the skin undiluted. To combine the effect of an oil with the care of the skin, a mixture of a few drops of essential oil and natural emulsifiers such as cream, milk or honey is suitable.
It is essential that the oils meet high quality characteristics: Essential for quality is purity. Diluted and thus stretched or synthetically produced oils can not achieve the full effect. To get good quality, it is best to contact pharmacies and designated retailers.
Caution: essential oils can cause allergic reactions. Caution should be exercised, especially with infants and allergy sufferers.
