Aromatherapy Benefits

The first thing I think of when discussing aromatherapy benefits is the lovely fragrance each essential oil emits. I prefer some aromatherapy oils to others, but each has their own aromatherapy benefit to healing and promoting a sense of well-being. Aromatherapy is one of the most popular remedies in the world of alternative medicine. It’s not hard to imagine why.

Aromatherapy is a creative and artistic world of scent. It isn’t often that science and technology combine with fragrance and intuition creating a balanced harmonic product. The creativity is expressed in knowing the scientific properties of each aromatherapy oil. Aromas and oils are made up of thousands of chemicals intermingled into a fragrant elixir of magic. The affects on the human body and spirit are wonderful and enlightening and can change how you feel.

What benefit does aromatherapy have for calming a stressed out individual? Essential oils open up the olfactory nerve receptors in our nostrils. The aroma goes directly to the limbic system where memories, pleasures and emotions are stored. The limbic system releases chemicals that affect the central nervous system. Every time you inhale a particular aromatherapy oil, a pleasurable emotional balancing dance occurs. Balance has great therapeutic effects on a stressful mind. Use aromatherapy everywhere in the home or business. Sprayed and diffused aromatherapy scents in an office increases production. Aromatherapy candles release scent that can be aphrodisiac, calming and relaxing. Scent and aroma diffusers disperse aromatherapy oils throughout a room for immediate enjoyment.

Aromatherapy is also good for the body, because they are quickly absorbed through the skin. These oils intermingle with the body’s natural oils for a chemical fusing of perfection. Some of the chemical properties of aromatherapy oils include cleansing, lymphatic draining, toning, deodorizing, and balancing. Have you had an aromatic massage lately? It is fabulous when the scent is one you have asked for yourself. Better yet, find a spa that allows you to blend your own customized massage oil or aromatic lotion. Gift spa gifts to your friends and let them enjoy fragrance too. Aromatherapy is fantastic for facial steams and footbaths. Since the essential oils are so concentrated, be sure to dilute them per instructions. See favorite aromatherapy blends. Carrier oils or water is the perfect medium combined with your favorite pure essence.

The last benefit is for the soul and spirit. When aromatherapy and essential oils are diffused in a room, there is a mystery and magic happening. Wafts and waves of pure decadent fragrance are like no other scent. You know natural essential oils are different form the man-made synthetic smells on the market. The pure nature of plants and flowers speak volumes when they dance around your senses. These highly concentrated drops of liquid gold rise take our spirit to the heavens and affect us on every level of our being. Create a truly unique experience in your life. Use aromatherapy oils in your life everyday and reap the benefits they so richly provide

Aromatherapy - Top tips for buying essential oils

Aromatherapy - Top tips for buying essential oils
by Duncan Bain

Essential oils are highly concentrate liquids that are extracted from various plants. They contain aromatic compounds and are used therapeutically for aromatherapy applications such as inhalation, massage and bath. They can be taken from different parts of the plants including leaves, stem, seeds, flowers, bark, roots and fruit. They also require special handling and storage.

These tips will provide you with information on buying and storing your essential oils.

Buying Your Essential Oils

* Always buy from a reputable source. Some unscrupulous vendors will cut or dilute essential oils compromising their integrity and effectiveness. You should only use pure, natural essential oils for health and wellness purposes.
* Do not purchase essential oils that are stored in clear or plastic containers, or bottles with rubber stops or seals. Essential oils degrade materials like plastic and rubber and light will damage them.
* Do not confuse fragrance oils, perfume oils and synthetic oils with essential oils. There is not substitute, especially when you are using them for health and wellness purposes. Additionally, some synthetic oils can cause adverse reactions in some people.
* Watch for synthetic essential oils. Oils such as strawberry, cucumber, rain, carnation and lilac are always synthetic. If they are in the vendor's stock it may be an indication that the rest of the inventory is synthetic as well.
* Make sure that your essential oils pass the purity test. Place a drop of essential oil on a piece of paper. Ideally, it will evaporate quickly, leaving no oily mark behind. If there is an oily mark left, it is an indication that the oil has been cut with vegetable oil.
* Give your essential oils the sniff test. Take a good whiff. Pure essential oils will give out a full, round scent that is rather strong. A little bit will go a long way. Diluted versions are not as strong.

Storing Your Essential Oils

* Store essential oils in a cool, dark, dry place, away from heat, light and moisture. They should be sold in dark glass containers and should be stored in them as well. Light, heat and moisture will degrade the oils altering their effectiveness. Bottles should be closed tightly when they are not in use and do not touch the inside of the lid or the reducer top when you use the oils. Your own oils from your skin can affect the essential oils and cause them to lose their effectiveness.
* Oils that are old should not be used for health and wellness purposes. Pay attention to the shelf life of essential oils. Some oils will break down and change over time which can be a few months for some oils and years for others. Some old oils, however, can still be used for fragrance purposes like in potpourri.
* Some oils such as Citrus varieties are prone to oxidisation, so you should store them in a cool place, preferably refrigerated if you have the space. However, you must make sure the refrigerator settings are not set too low, temperatures around five or ten degrees celsius are fine.
* If you store your carrier oils in this way during the summer it is worthwhile taking them out of the fridge twelve hours before you need to use them, so it gives them a reasonable amount of time to adjust to room temperature. You may find some carrier oils have small fatty particles forming, but a simple shake of the bottle will help them dissolve again as the oils warms up.
* Having space in your fridge for your essential oils may be a luxury for many of us, so a good alternative is to invest in a storage box. It does not need to be anything fancy, just a dedicated box that helps keep all of your oils together and away from ambient temperature changes.

Methods of Extracting Essential Oils

Application

While the practice of aromatherapy is sometimes thought to be confined to inhalation, it may include various methods, including:

* Inhalation (directly or diffused into the air)
* Absorption through the skin (baths, massages, compresses)
* Absorption through the mucous membranes (oral rinses and gargles)
* Ingestion (occasionally prescribed, with caveats)

Therapeutic Effects

Aromatherapy is based mainly on the following therapeutic effects:

* Antiseptic effects: viricidial, bactericidal, fungicidal
* Anesthetic action (menthol, camphor)
* Central nervous system effects
* Metabolic / Endocrine effects
* Psychological effectsImmunostimulator

Distillation:
The vast majority of true essential oils are produced by distillation. There are different processes used, however. In all of them, water is heated to produce steam, which carries the most volatile chemical of the aromatic material with it. The steam is then chilled (in a condenser) and the resulting distillate is collected. The Essential Oil will normally float on top of the Hydrosol (the distilled water component) and may be separated off.

Steam Distillation
True Steam distillation uses an outside source of steam which pipes the steam into the distillation unit, sometimes at high pressure. The steam passes through the aromatic material, and exits into the condenser.

Hydrodistillation
The botanicals are fully submerged in water, producing a "soup", the steam of which contains the aromatic plant molecules. This is the most ancient method of distillation and the most versatile. It's the method most often used in primitive countries. The risk, of course, is that the still can run dry, or be overheated, burning the aromatics and resulting in an EO with a burnt smell. Hydrodistillation seems to work best for powders (ie, spice powders, ground wood, etc.) and very tough materials like roots, wood, or nuts.

Cold Pressing
We are all familiar with the spray of orange essential oil that can be released by scoring or zesting the skin of the fruit. The cold pressed citrus oils are commercial produced just this way, by machines which score the rind and capture the resulting oil. Although many citrus oils are also produced by steam distillation, they seem to lack the vibrancy of the cold pressed oils.


Carbon Dioxide Extraction
When CO2 (carbon dioxide) is subjected to high pressure, the gas turns into liquid. This liquid CO2 can be used as a very inert, safe, "liquid solvent." which will extract the aromatic molecules in a process similar to that used to extract absolutes (above.) The advantage, of course, is that no solvent residue remains, since at normal pressure and temperature, the CO2 simply reverts to a gas and evaporates. CO2 extraction has given us essences of some aromatics that don't yield essential oils, Rose Hip Seed, and Calendula, for examples. If the same essential oil is available both as a steam distilled EO and a CO2 extracted essence, the CO2 seems to have a richer, more intense scent, since more of the aromatic chemicals are released through this process.

Water & steam distillation
A water and steam distillation arrangement can be compared to a kitchen steamer basket, with the botanicals supported in a "basket" over boiling water, thus exposing the plant material only to the rising steam vapors. This is the best method for distilling leafy materials, but doesn't work well for woods, roots, seeds, etc.

Florasols/Phytols
This extraction method uses a new type of benign gaseous solvents. In the late 1980s Dr. Peter Wilde first recognized the unique properties of these solvents for the extraction of aromatic oils and biologically active components from plant materials, for use in the food, pharmaceutical, aromatherapy and perfume industries. "Florasol" (R134a), is the solvent upon which the process is based Extraction occurs at or below ambient temperatures, hence there is no thermal degradation of the products. The extraction process utilizes the selectivity of the solvent and produces a free flowing clear oil free of waxes.

Thank You to Christopher McMahon of White Lotus Aromatics for providing much of the information below.

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Getting Started
Some of you have asked how to get started using essential oils. Which oils should you have on hand? Well, there are many essential oils to choose from, over 100 are readily available. You do not have to purchase all of them to get started. I suggest you start with a basic kit that contains some of the more common oils then add some of your favorites. Purchase small quantities and experiment with blending different oils together. Purchase one or two good books on aromatherpy to guide you.


Many are offered at health food stores, adult education classes and aromatherapy boutiques.

Some of the oils to have on hand are:
Lavender::known to be calming, used for insomnia.General first aid, burns, bites. Use in baths (wonderful), massage, perfumes, inhalation.
Tea Tree: Antibacterial, Antiviral and Anti fungal use for cuts, bites, dandruff, athletes foot. A first aid must. A drop may be used neat.
Eucalyptus: A must have for this time of year. Diffuse daily to kill cold germs in the air. Use for colds, sinus congestion, Use in diffuser, inhalation and massage peppermint: Aids headaches, a digestive aid, pain killer, travel sickness. Use in massage, compress, diffuser, inhalant.
Orange: Think happy! Another basic. Calming, yet uplifting, blends well with the other citrus oils and Lavender.
Lemon: Great for cleaning. Fights germs and bacteria. Another refreshing citrus scent. Helps concentration.
Peppermint: Energizes, great when driving a long trip. Reduces nausea and headache. Improves digestion.

Aromatherapy Overview

Welcome!
We hope to share our love of Aromatherapy and the use of pure essential oils to you.

OVERVIEW

For centuries essential oils have been considered the most theraputic and rejuvenating of all botanical extracts. They are highly concentrated, regenerating, oxygenating and contain hormones, vitamins, and antiseptics that work on many levels.

While in the plant, the essence molecules play a key role in the biochemistry of the plant they are located between the cells of the plant and these molecules act as regulators and messengers. By giving thjavascript:void(0)e plant its aromatic essence, they are also thought to give the plant its "life force". They also protect the plant from parasites and disease, and play an important role in fertilization and assist the plant's adaptation to its environment.

In order to obtain essential oils the aromatic essence molecules of the plant must be captured by using a technical distillation or extraction method. In earlier times, the art of distillation was held in the hands of the few and was considered to be an alchemical transformation of spirit, a bridge between the two realms.

The term "essential oil" is used somewhat loosely as it is often applied to all aromatic products such as essence oils, absolutes, resinoids, and concretes. In Aromatherapy, the most common method of extraction is steam distillation. However, cold expression is used for citrus oils, and a method of solvent extraction for absolutes, concretes and resinoids. The newest technological process of extraction is the hypercritical carbon dioxide method: in part due to high cost, it is not as commonly available.

Aromatherapy works in two ways: through the sense of smell or inhalation and through the skin during massage or bathing. Essential oils are very concentrated and should be used with care and respect. Always dilute for use on the skin. The exception to this rule is with Lavender and Tea Tree which may be applied neat (undiluted) one drop to the area. Remember Less IS More. When using essential oils, use the smallest amount of essential oils that will get the job done. If one drop will get the job done, for example, don't use two drops. For theraputic results purchase only high quality oils.

In Aromatherapy it is held that once extracted, the chemical constituents of a particular essential oil will determine its primary action. Generally, essential oils consist of chemical compounds which have hydrogen, carbon and oxygen in their building blocks.

The primary functional groups of the essential oils used in aromatherapy are:
Monoterpenes: anti-viral, antiseptic, bactericidal, and can be highly irritating to the skin.
Examples: lemon, pine, frankincense.

Esters: fungicidal, sedating, and very aromatically pleasing
Examples: bergamot, Clary sage,lavender.

Aldehydes: sedating and antiseptic.
Examples: melissa, lemongrass, cirtronella.

Ketones: ease congestion, aid flow of mucus, can be toxic.
Examples: fennel, hyssop, sage.

Alcohols: very antiseptic, anti-viral with uplifting qualities.
Examples: rosewood, geranium, rose.

Phenols: bactericidal and strongly stimulating, can be highly irritating to the skin.
Examples: clove, thyme, oregano.

Oxides: expectorant and bactericidal.
Examples: rosemary, tea tree.