A Little Bit of the Science of Aromatherapy

I don't want to get real technical about the science of aromatherapy, but I thought you might want an idea of how aromatherapy works.  How can a small amount of oils or herbs affect the body, the mind, or the spirit?  Aromatherapy is the science of how pure essential oils can be therapeutic to your body and mind. 

Essential oils are oils which are contained within the flowers, the stems, the leaves, or the roots of the plant.  They are very aromatic and volatile. These oils are encapsulated in little cells in the plant, but these oils, though part of the plant, do very little for the life or the vitality of the plant itself.  They may be part of the fragrance of the plant, but they may also be contained in the root where an aroma would not be present.  Their reason for being, so to speak, seems to be mainly to be used by animals and humans.

Some essential oils are anti-inflammatory, antifungal, antiviral, mucolytic, or bactericidal.  All of the oils are antiseptic, some more so than others.  They are volatile, which means that they cause a chemical reaction.  The highest of the volatile oils are classified as top notes and are used mostly in the perfume industry. Being highly volatile means that they evaporate easily, thus the first fragrance that you smell when you first put on a perfume.  After the inital contact with the skin, the volatile oils evaporate quickly, leaving the highly fragrant top note to be smelled quickly and then to disappear.  These oils are usually uplifting upon smelling.  The less volatile oils are called the base notes.  These fragrances evaporate much slower leaving the base notes to be smelled for a longer period.  These oils are usually calming in nature.  The last type of oils are called the middle notes.  They don't last as long as the base notes, but last longer than the top notes.  They are usually stimulating to the psyche.

Used properly, essential oils can calm, invigorate, reduce inflammation, ease aches and pains, cause deeper focus, and affect many types of disorders of the skin.  Some oils should not be used around children or pregnant women due to their effects on certain systems within the body, usually the nervous system.

When your nose smells an essential oil, it is sensed by the smell receptors and sent to the olfactory bulb in the nose.  The olfactory bulb transmits the scent to the brain's smell sensory cortex and finally to the limbic system.  The limbic system is one of the most basic and primative parts of the brain.This jouney of the scent causes a reaction which can be a felt as a sense of calm, an uplifting feeling, invigoration, a balanced feeling of well-being and harmony. 

The surface of the skin can be penetrated by certain oils which are highly therapeutic to many types of skin problems.  Some of these problems can be diaper rash, skin aging, scarring, burns, dry skin, and eczema. Essential oil treatment has been successful in relieving many types of skin conditions.

Some essential oils can absorbed into your bloodstream from the skin.  One of the best transfer places for an essential oil is the bottom of the foot.  Some say that when garlic oil is placed on the bottom of the foot, it is quickly tasted in the mouth due to the quick absortion in the blood stream! Another way to deliver essential oils to the skin or to the blood stream is by massage with essential oils mixed into massage oils. 

Later on down the line, I will tell you all about how aromatherapy was used centuries ago...a little history of aromatherapy.  But before we talk about the history, I think we should explore a few basic essential oils.  My next post will talk about lavender essential oil.  If you are stressed, this is the oil for you.  See you soon.

Introduction to the World of Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is not a New Age fad or modality to be taken lightly.  It is truly a proven scientific method of bodily reactions based on the introduction of aromas or scents to the brain.  These scents can be introduced to the brain through the obvious act of smelling, but they also can be absorbed into the blood stream via oils and creams rubbed or massaged on the skin.  In the coming weeks, I will discuss the many types of ways that essential oils, hydrosols, inhalations, smudgings, and the like can be introduced into the body and the benefits that each can bring to the mind, body, and spirit.

But before we get to the history and science and types or aromatherapy, let's take a minute and think about some of the very simple ways that we experience aromatherapy everyday without even realizing it.

How do you feel when you smell the aroma of rubbing alcohol?  To me, it makes me anxious because it brings to mind a physician's office and specifically getting a shot of some sort which was preceded by the nurse rubbing my arm with rubbing alcohol.  To some people, it brings back a sense of embarrassment because it reminds them of their teenage years when they had acne and the main cleaning agent for pimples back then was rubbing alcohol.  If we are truly aware, we can experience the affect of aromatherapy from daily happenings such as these But most of the time, the memories of those times in our life brought on by the odor of rubbing alcohol are only recognized by our subconscious, and we are left wondering why we, all of sudden, are feeling anxious!

We are more likely to notice the aromatherapeutic effects from the positive scents that we smell.  Such as when we smell wood burning, we may think back to camping trips we enjoyed sitting around the campfire and feel uplifted and happy. When we smell suntanning lotion, we may think back to last summer's vacation to the beach and feel relaxed and laid back like we were during those days in the sun. These positive reactions to scents are what influence our choices of scents to be around more often, such as  our use of specific candles, air freshener, car fresheners, and even perfumes.  I am sure we have all smelled a scent of perfume or aftershave from a person walking by and smiled as we remembered a special person that wears or used to wear that scent!

But besides making our moods positive and negative, aromatherapy is a science that can be used successfully in many health related issues.  Besides its more lighter side, aromatherapy definitely has a much more serious side.  Those issues will also be discussed as the weeks go by.

I am hoping that you will find this new blog to be helpful and interesting as I open up all the different ways we can help ourselves and others by merely smelling.

My next post will delve a little into the science of how aromatherapy works and also how long people have been using its benefits over.  This week make a conscious effort to really feel how your body reacts to some comforting and some not-so-comforting smells which you encounter!  Have fun and see you soon.  Happy Smelling!