Aromatherapy Primer

aromatherapy.jpg” align=”left” alt=”aromatherapy” width=”195″ height=”135″ />Many people are dismissive of aromatherapy as an alternative health method. They think aromatherapy is simply taking a whiff of some scented oil and miraculously being healed of an illness. Well, aromatherapy is much more than that. There is a large body of science behind it that says so.

Herbs contain chemicals that make them effective as medicine. Their curative powers also extend to their fragrance. If you think about it, disease and stench are associated with each other. Ever since the Black Plague of the middles ages, certain physical conditions are associated with particular smells. Death, the most obvious example, has its own distinctive smell; however, many diseases have a distinctive smell associated with them.

In modern times, preliminary studies show dogs can smell cancerous cells on the human body before they can be detected by laboratory tests. Smell, or scent, is a powerful indicator of health or disease. We’ve all met someone with chronic halitosis bad breath. Despite good oral hygiene, some people can’t seem to rid themselves of bad breath. That’s because an underlying medical problem is the root cause.

Medical science is not 100 percent sure about how the immune system and central nervous system work. It is known that certain smells activate the central nervous system and trigger a response in the immune system. People who practice aromatherapy believe it is possible to teach the body to release endorphins or activate an immune response by sniffing specific scents. Aromatherapy involves infusing scents via essential oils into commonly used products not just smelling them. The essences are obtained from various botanicals herbs, plants, flowers—such as basil, ginger, lemongrass, rosemary, or bergamot to name a few.

There are three ways essential oils enter the body—applied to the skin, inhaled, or ingested. For example, a cream made with black pepper and ginger could be applied to the skin for arthritis. Eucalyptus essential oil may be placed in a diffuser and used for a cough, or peppermint may be used for nausea.

In the U.S. it is not common practice to ingest essential oils; however, in some countries such as France, ingesting essential oils is common. This is something that should be done under professional guidance as essential oils can be toxic to the liver or kidneys when ingested.

The essential oil you choose will depend on what you’re trying to achieve. A good place to start is to get a good book about aromatherapy. It will teach you the various formulas that match your needs, how to dilute essential oils, and how to choose a carrier oil that’s the oil that will go on your body. Don’t experiment without knowing the effects of the oils. Done correctly, aromatherapy is a valid and wonderful alternative health therapy.