Essential Oils

What are Essential Oils?

An essential oil contains the true essence of the plant it was taken from. An essential oil is a liquid that is separated from the leaves, stems, flowers, bark, roots, or other elements of a plant. They are a highly concentrated form of the plant and as such just a little goes a long ways towards healing. Some have said that the essential oil is the lifeblood of the plant, it helps protect, cleanse, fight disease, and deliver both nutrients and oxygen. Because of it’s ability to do this for the plant, when we use essential oils properly they can do this for our bodies as well. Pure essential oils have a wide range of therapeutic benefits and because of this, essential oils have been known to heal both physical and emotional ailments.

Always look for the highest quality essential oils for your aromatherapy usage

Essential Oils Video

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Essential Oil Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q – What are the top 10 Essential oils for natural healing?

A–

• Peppermint: Useful in treating headaches, muscle aches, digestive disorders such as slow digestion, indigestion, and flatulence.
• Ylang Ylang: Helps one to relax, and can reduce muscle tension. Good antidepressant.
• Eucalyptus: Helpful in treating respiratory problems, such as coughs, colds, and asthma. Also helps to boost the immune system, and relieve muscle tension.
• Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia): Relaxing, and also useful in treating wounds, burns, and skin care.
• Geranium: Helps to balance hormones in women, good for balancing the skin. Can be both relaxing and uplifting, as well as antidepressant.
• Lavender (Lavandula vera) : Helps to balance hormones in women, good for balancing the skin. Can be both relaxing and uplifting, as well as antidepressant.
• Lemon: Very uplifting, yet relaxing. Helpful in treating wounds, infections, and house cleaning and deodorizing.
• Clary Sage: Natural pain killer, helpful s in treating muscular aches and pains. Very relaxing, and can help with insomnia. Also very helpful in balancing hormones.
• Tea Tree: A natural anti fungal oil, good for treating all sorts of fungal infections including vaginal yeast infections, jock itch, athletes foot, and ringworm. Also helps to boost the immune system.
• Roman Chamomile: Very relaxing, and can help with sleeplessness and anxiety. Also good for muscle aches and tension. Useful in treating wounds and infection.
• Rosemary: Very stimulating and uplifting, good to help mental stimulation as well as to stimulate the immune system. Very good for muscle aches and tension. Stimulating to the digestive system.

Q – What is the difference between an essential oil and a perfume?
A – video –

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p2yqU9kWnw[/youtube]

Essential oils are very different from perfume or fragrance oils. Where essential oils
are derived from the true plants, perfume oils are man made smells or contain artificial
substances and do not offer the healing benefits that essential oils give.

Q – What kind of healing benefits do essential oils have?
A – Depending on the essential oil and the individual, essential oils can provide you with greater mental focus, ease pain and depression, decrease allergies and headaches, increase energy, and cleanse your body. Essential oils are antibacterial, antiviral, antidepressant, antifungal, antioxidant and regenerative.

Q – How are essential oils created?
A – Although are several methods which are used to extract the oil from the plant, distillation is the most common method. It takes anywhere from two to five pounds of material to make an ounce of essential oil.

During the process of distillation steam is pumped through the plant. This steam breaks down the fibrous cells of the plant and carries the essential oil to a chamber where it cools. The hydrosol, which is the water portion of the plant and the essential oil, which is the volatile oil of the plant, are then separated.

Q – How are essential oils used?
A – The most important thing to understand when using essential oils for healing is that almost EVERY ESSENTIAL OIL, should be diluted before applying to the skin. It is easy to blend essential oils with other oils which are called carrier oils. The following carrier oils are effective in creating your essential oil blend: Olive oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil, jojobe oil. Normal dilution is 2.5% essential oil to 97.5% carrier oil. For example, if you would like to use 15 drops of essential oil than you should add it to approx. 1 ounce of olive oil. Essential oils are such powerful healers that in many cases less is more.

The most common way that the oils are usually administered is through aromatherapy massage. You do not need to be a trained massage therapist to gain great healing benefits from warming your hands and rubbing your chosen essential oil (mixed with the carrier oil) into your skin. From a scientific standpoint the path the oils take to influence our bodies is through the olfactory system. It is through smelling or inhaling that we can also receive the same natural healing benefits from the essential oil.

The choice of delivery method often depends on the intended goal.

Q – Does it matter what brand of essential oil I use for healing?
A. There are certainly higher and lower qualities of essential oils. When choosing an essential oil for healing it is recommended to use the highest quality of essential oil that you can afford. You want to look for the most natural unaltered and unprocessed product you can find.

When looking for an essential oil for healing to use, I would ask if they are organic or wildcrafted. If not, stay away. Too many oils are adulterated or too poor quality to be effective natural healers. Also note, that when referring to essential oils, the word “pure” or “natural” has no legal meaning in North America.

Q – Are there some essential oils I should not use?
A – Many companies sell essential oils without explaining the possible dangers associated with them. If you are a newcomer to aromatherapy there are some essential oils that should be avoided. It is vital to become familiar with the toxic oils so that you do not
cause harm to yourself or others through their use. The following is list of toxic essential oils that should not be used at all or be used with extreme caution and education:

• Ajowan
• Almond, Bitter
• Arnica
• Birch, Sweet
• Boldo Leaf
• Broom, Spanish
• Calamus
• Camphor
• Deertongue
• Garlic
• Horseradish
• Jaborandi
• Melilotus
• Mugwort
• Mustard
• Onion
• Pennyroyal
• Rue
• Sassafras
• Thuja
• Wintergreen
• Wormseed
• Wormwood

Conclusion

The many health benefits of essential oils have been widely understood by many cultures who have used the healing art of aromatherapy for a variety of reasons, promoting healing of both the mind and the body for thousands of years.

Besides mental and emotional well being, essential oils have also been used for centuries for treating various medical conditions. The use of aromatherapy should be looked upon as a complementary aid to regular health care. Unlike conventional medication essential oils heal the body by being absorbed through the bloodstream or being inhaled through the olfactory cells. As we breathe in the fragrance from the oils, receptor cells are instantly stimulated, sending messages to the brain’s sensitive limbic system. The limbic system is linked to certain parts of the brain that control a variety of vital functions, including breathing and circulation, memory, our emotions, as well as the endocrine system, which is essential for controlling hormone levels.

Each oil features its own distinct qualities, aromas, and fragrances, and most are used in conjunction with others to create a specific result, such as soothing anxiety and stress, easing nausea, or relieving headaches. Before experimenting with an oil, become familiar
with it’s properties, dose, and precautions.