Have you heard about “aromatherapy” but you don’t know what it is? Read on to find out what it is and how you can use its benefits thanks to essential oils!
Aromatherapy and essential oils are terms that we read very often in magazines and hear on TV programs dedicated to the wellness and the care of the person . Why? Because they are “natural” methods, with ancient origins, that can ensure benefits by exploiting plants properties.
A MATTER OF DEFINITIONS
First of all, it is important to clearly define what is the meaning of the expressions “aromatherapy” and “essential oils”. Aromatherapy is a branch of phytotherapy, which is based on treatments of plant origin. In specific, aromatherapy is a holistic healing method that uses essential oils to act on the physical, mental and emotional processes: indeed, aromatherapy strategy aims to improve the overall health of the person rather than to treat a specific sign. Essential oils are the “tools” through we can apply the principles of aromatherapy: they are aromatic volatile essences extracted from many varieties of plants, with an intense aroma.
ABOUT HISTORY
As we said before, aromatherapy has a long history. Experts researches prove the using of aromatic essences at the time of Greeks, Egyptians and Romans, who used them for perfumes and cosmetics for the body; it was only in the twentieth century that Rene Maurice Gattefosse, a French chemist, introduced the term “aromatherapy”and increased the interest in it through the application of lavender oil on the wounds of the soldiers of the Great War. Although part of the alternative medicine branch, today the discipline enjoys of much supporting because it is clear that positively influences the mood and the health physical state of patients who using these treatments.
AROMATHERAPY PRINCIPLES
Being a holistic method to search for the general wellness, aromatherapy is based on some key considerations:
1) the essential oils act on the olfactory and the limbic system activating the autonomic nervous system; moreover they are easily absorbed by the skin;
2) unpleasant aroma essences have no effect on the human organism because the brain tends to exclude “bad” smells;
3) odorous inhalations, with low dose, need external factors to achieve relaxation states, such as massages and hot baths;
4) inhalations and assimilations of the oil through the skin can produce physical and emotional responses, evoking moods, memories; also they act on respiration, heart rate, intestine and on the production of hormones.
ESSENTIAL OILS
Essential oils can be considered the heart of fragrant plants and they have, as already mentioned previously, physical and therapeutic properties. Studies have proven their concentration in several areas of the plant, as in the petals of flowers, in the fruits, in the leaves, in the roots, in the barks and in the resins. Botanical species that are richer in essential oils grow in warm and very sunny climates; the most popular types are:
– Lavender oil;
– Eucalyptus oil;
– Peppermint oil;
– Grapefruit oil;
– Ginger oil;
– Lemon oil;
– Tea tree oil;
– Cedar oil;
– Rosemary oil;
– Basil oil;
– Cinnamon oil;
– Thyme oil;
– Lemon balm oil.
Also, they can act according to three energetic action frequencies: high, medium and low.
HIGH FREQUENCY includes oils with an intense and fresh scent, with a stimulating and energetic effect on mood. MEDIUM FREQUENCY includes floral and sweet essences, which are greatly able to stimulating emotions. Finally, LOW FREQUENCY is typical of balsamic, warm and delicate oils, whose action is mainly physical producing relaxing and calming effects.
ESSENTIAL OILS: USES AND APPLICATIONS
The aromatic essences can be taken by human beings in two main ways: by external, through inhalation, baths and massages, and by internal, through oral absorption. In any case, it is important that the oils are diluted in solvents because an excessive dose may cause hypersensitivity reactions.
Essential oils have many properties, such as:
– antiseptic action, fighting germs proliferation;
– anti-toxic action able to postpone and weaken cellular deterioration process;
– cicatrizing action, especially for lavender, thyme, sage and rosemary oils, because they stimulate cell regeneration and tissue repairing; – pesticide action that repels insects;
– antirheumatic action, thanks to massages localized applications;
– tonic action able to stimulate endocrine glands and develop a greater resistance to stress.
In conclusion, it is clear that aromatherapy, thanks to essential oils, is able, in a completely natural way, to bring enormous benefits to the entire body. It is not a coincidence that essences are used nowadays in cosmetics to recreate, in the home tranquility, positive beauty rituals for “body and soul”.
If you are curious to try this new sensory experience, you can start from the head testing the new PURIFY ESSENTIAL OILS AROMATHERAPY treatment, whose concentrated formula of tonic essential oils stimulates and cleanses the mixed and oily scalp, giving vitality and energy to the mood.
Try it and see!
