Aromatherapy is an improvement of mental and physical health with the help of the essential oils received from aromatic plants. Essential oils contain vitamins, hormones, antibiotics, fermions (invisible, but appreciable aromatic signals) and also the substances called recycling cells which have and give vital energy to a live plant and protect it. Due to these properties the immunity of plants to various diseases is heightened. Pathogenic bacteria are destroyed and viruses will be neutralized. By deriving valuable essential oils from plants, we can use the same curative properties to improve the conditions of our bodies. Essential oils "work" from two directions: physically - being absorbed through the skin in capillary blood system by grinding mixes of oils for massage, oils for care of the skin in aromatic, foot baths or in steam inhalation; and psychologically - influencing through the body's of sense of smell on the nervous system through steam or direct inhalation, which could be called "aroma-smoking"?.
Aromatherapy is the unique way of connecting our health with the riches of the world surrounding us. The pleasure in itself is therapy, but aromatherapy goes further, by transforming therapy into pleasure. Be careful when using the oils. High concentration aroma-therapeutic oils in many cases are too strong for direct application on the skin when undiluted. Use caution when using concentrated essential oils. Use carrier oils as a basis for thinning essential oils when making your own mixes of oils for massage. Avoid using close to the eyes and on other sensitive areas of the skin. For certain diseases application of some oils is undesirable, while others can be extremely useful. Please do research to familiarize yourself with essential oils before use. Store essential oils in a airtight container in a cool dark place.
Some Remarks on Essential Oils.
Essential oils are sorted by their degree of lightness and subdivided into oils of the top, average and base categories. Oils of the top category quickly evaporate and demand extra care when storing as they are very light. Oils of the base category evaporate most slowly. The most balanced and steady mixes are aroma-therapeutic mixes containing oils of the top, average and base category. We offer you the information on oils of all categories that will help you with creation of your own balanced and steady mixes.
Natural vs. Synthetic Aromatherapy Oils
Natural aromatherapy essential oils represent a high concentration of vegetative extracts derived by evaporation or extraction from flowers, berries, seeds, roots, bark or citrus dried peels. Despite the name, they are not oily and not fat. These oils can be named blood of plants and similar to blood they lose the vital qualities with poor manufacturing and storage. The cost of essential oils directly depends on amount of the raw material necessary for the manufacturing of oil. It's different for each plant. For example, from the petals of thirty roses it is possible to receive only one drop of rose oil, from this comes its high price though there are also cheaper oils. Synthetic aromas or flavored oils are created by artificial ways in laboratories. In technical language, flavored oils are actually not oils and are more likely artificial chemical compounds. These products usually carry exotic names of flowers or fruit from which they have not been derived. For example, there is no such thing as the true peach or strawberry oil. Despite the pleasant smell, flavored oils do not possess any curative properties and do not contain undiluted active ingredients of natural plants. They, certainly, cannot be applied for medicinal purposes, and in some cases it is undesirable for them to touch the skin. It is not recommended to use aromatherapy methods with these substances as data on their safety is not available.
Ways of Manufacturing Aromatherapy Oils.
Steam Distillation is the most widespread way of deriving essential oils. One method of direct distillation is where the steam distillatory is loaded with raw vegetative material. Steam is then forced into the distillatory and elements of the raw vegetative material mix with the steam. This mix condenses into water on the surface of which floats the essential oil. The essential oil is then separated from the water.
Cold Pressing is applied to raw materials to derive citric oils. This is very soft pressing in which oil is squeezed out of the crushed peel. This is the same way in which carrier oils are derived from crushed seeds.
Solvent Extraction is the method of extraction using special solvents. This results in the manufacturing of absolute oils without impurity. It is a fine procedure in which the aromatic substance is extracted from a vegetative material by means of non-polar solvents. Solvents are separated leaving a wax-like deposit which is mixed with spirits and is very cautiously heated up. It is followed with a process of a filtration as a result of which the wax is removed. Then the spirits are removed which leaves the end product of absolutely pure oil. Absolute oils have special certificates of quality.
Aromatherapy Essential Oils and Absolutes.
Aromatherapy essential oils possess a high concentration of aromatic vegetative extracts. They are made from vegetative products such as barks, flowers, grasses, berries, grains and roots by the method of steam distillation. Oils from a peel of citrus are derived using a pressing method. Absolute oils are obtained by a method of extraction using solvents at the end of which all-soluble material is removed.
Infused Aromatherapy Essential Oils.
Flowers of plants are soaked in high-quality vegetable, Soya or olive oil. This allows the oils to receive the essence of the flower and use it for the manufacture of infused oils. For producing carrot oil the extract of the root crop is soaked in Soya oil for the most effective utilization of its aromatic properties.
Carrier Oils.
Carrier Oils are vegetable oils that are nutritious and extremely high in quality. They can be used as an independent product and as a basis for preparation of aromatic oil mixes for massage and care of the skin and body. Usually they are derived by cold pressing from nuts, seeds, grains and barks.
Aromatherapy Essential Oils and Absolutes - 3 %.
Some oils are so intense that some manufacturers mix these treasures of aromatherapy. These manufacturers have made these oils more accessible by mixing them with carrier oils in a 3 % mix so that you could take pleasure in these precious, therapeutic, pleasurable aromas completely.
Massage Oil Blends.
Massage Essential oils are pre-mixed and ready to the use with carrier oils. These carrier oils are derived from almonds or grains, apricots and seeds of fruits. These are added to the oil of young wheat which raises the stability of the mix and increases shelf life.
Herbal Ointments.
Carefully developed formulas of ointments contain natural vegetative extracts, and essential oils. High-quality lanolin is used as a base in them.
botanicals against a great variety of viruses is growing. Over twenty years ago, German scientists found extracts of more than 100 species of the Lamiaceae family to have antiviral effects. This discovery lead to an increase in the examination of essential oils in Europe for the treatment of viral infections.
Essential oils from many plant families have now been demonstrated to have antiviral properties. Interestingly, different plant families exhibit varying degrees of effectiveness depending on the virus strain. This is due to the particular molecular structures found in each type of oil, which penetrate physical entities to varying degrees (different tissues, cell walls, mucous membranes, etc). The effect on each virus strain depends also on the virus structure (enveloped, non-enveloped, molecular symmetry, etc.)
Certainly, one of the reasons for oils' effectiveness en vivo is their lipophillic character - essential oils are easily absorbed into mammalian tissues, where they may produce the greatest results. In fact, when studying the anti-viral effects of essential oils, researchers found that normal cells seemed to acquire a special resistance to viral penetration, though the mechanism for this effect is not yet known.
One of the Lamiaceae plants studied, Melissa (Melissa officinalis - also known as Lemon Balm), was shown particularly efficacious against the herpes virus (HSV). Doctor Dietrich Wabner, a professor at the Technical University of Munich, has even reported that a one-time application of Melissa oil led to a complete remission of HSV lesions. A cream medication for Herpes outbreaks, whose active ingredient is an extract of Melissa, is now sold in Germany under the name Lomaherpan. Use of pure, true Melissa can be just as useful; Melissa oil is applied direcctly to the affected area by many individuals whom find it greatly accelerating the healing process. Further occurrences can be prevented by applying oil to the area when sensations signal an eminent outbreak - repeating this protocol 3 or 4 times may cause total remission.
Other essential oils found effective against the Herpes virus include eucalyptus, lemongrass, rose otto and tea tree, though these do not have quite the same body of evidence as melissa. This does not mean they will not be as effective, they simply have not been tested as thoroughly.
The list of essential oils exhibiting antiviral effects is extensive: Melissa (as above), tea tree, juniper, eucalyptus, thyme, palmarosa, lavender, rosemary, clove, laurel, cinnamon bark, anise, rose, lemongrass, geranium, neroli, bergamot, clary sage, and dill. The antiviral effect of an essential oil is due to particular components of the oil - some oils will work just as effectively on a particular infection as another, because they contain similar amounts of a certain component. The specific chemical structures in the oils known to exhibit antiviral action are (as noted by K. Schnaubelt, Ph.D. - Advanced Aromatherapy, p. 36):
? Anethol - found in Anise.
? Alpha-Sabines - found in Tea Tree, Laurel, and other oils.
? Beta-Caryophyllene - found in Lavender, Rosemary, Thyme Linalool, and other oils.
? Carvone - found in Dill.
? Cinnamic aldehyde - found in Cinnamon Bark.
? Citral - found in Melissa, Lemongrass and other oils.
? Citronellol - found in Rose and Geranium.
? Eugenol - found in Clove.
? Gamma-Terpinene - Found in Juniper, Eucalyptus, Niaouli, Tea Tree and other oils.
? Linalol - found in Lavender and Neroli.
? Linalyl acetate - found in Clary Sage, Lavender, Bergamot and other oils.
Good studies of application of these essential oils in cases of illness are difficult to come by, as infecting people with viruses in the laboratory to subsequently be treated with aromatics would be a difficult process at best. The oils and components above have mostly shown effectivenessin-vitro, though tests also indicate that the anti-viral effect should occur in-vivo as well. As with Melissa, it has been HSV that has been most thoroughly examined, because of the relative simplicity of doing so. But there is nothing particularly special about the herpes virus, and proper oil/pathogen paring should prove as effective.
There also exists a number of documented cases from medical aromatherapists from Europe (these are difficult to find in English, but are slowly being translated). Of importance in these studies is the oil/symptom relationship. Essential oils from plants of the Myrtaceae family - notably Eucalyptus Radiata and Tea Tree - and Ravensara (also high in Eucalyptol) seem to have helped in cases with respiratory symptoms. For the lower respiratory tract, Hyssop decumbens (from the same plant family as Melissa) has been of interest. Essential oils for such cases may be used either in a diffuser, being taken at regular intervals, or through massage, diluted in a carrier oil.
Because of the difficulty in many cases of illness in determining the exact virus type involved, more specific application cannot be given. Certainly, in cases of HSV, Melissa has been shown effective in a number of studies. For respiratory infections, Eucalyptus and Ravensara have been used with success, and can be safely used as an adjunct to regular medical care. These oils may support one's recovery on a physiologic level - essential oils also play a part in uplifting emotions, which may also speed healing, or at least improve mental outlook during the healing process. For such instances, one may simply find the essential oil or combination that one finds pleasant, calming, and/or uplifting. PLEASE NOTE: In no cases, however, should self-treatment with essential oils be used in place of professional medical care where signs/symptoms of infectious illness are present.
Misty Rae Cech Nd, M.ir. has sinced written about articles on various topics from Cure Anxiety, Essential Oils and Skin Care. For more on therapeutic use, visit The Ananda Apothecary.. Misty Rae Cech Nd, M.ir.'s top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.