Take a second and remember high school history classes. In most books and lessons, students learned about European apothecaries using oils to help cure diseases. It was something easily brushed over because why would anyone ever believe that rubbing oils on anyone would cure them? But today, that’ a whole different story.
The buzz around essential oils is hard to avoid and is used for several different reasons. While oils are a nice aroma therapy and make your room smell nice, they are also said to be used for a multitude of other reasons. Coming in hundreds of different scents, people look towards the oils to help improve moods, or even improve health.
With being used as an alternative form of medicine for headaches, stomach aches or even diseases, it is said that Essential Oils have healing benefits to improve your health or mood. While there are scientifically limited health benefits to the essential oils, it doesn’t stop people from incorporating them into their daily lives.
What Are Essential Oils?
Essential Oils are the natural oil that is usually obtained by distillation from the leaves, stems, flowers, bark or root of a plant. Usually distilled by steam or water, the fragrance of the plant or source from where it was extracted gives the aroma to the oil.
An essential oil can contain more than 100 different chemical compounds, that all contribute to the effects of the oil, which is why essential oils can be used for a wide range of scenarios. (http://www.quinessence.com/essential_oils.htm)
How Are Essential Oils Used?
It is recommended that when using essential oils it be massaged into the skin or inhaled after a carrier oil is added (olive oil, almond oil) to dilute the essential oil, making it not quite as potent (http://www.livescience.com/52080-essential-oils-science-health-effects.html). Inhaling it directly is known to work faster than directly applying it to the skin because of all the layers it has to go through to reach the bloodstream.
Essential oil users also utilize the oils for home remedies such as lavender to relieve headaches, eucalyptus to relieve congestion or ginger for nausea.
It is also common for consumers to put oils in a diffuser (link), which sends scents into the air, which is said to work as well as applying to the skin or ingesting directly.
Whether or not you believe the hype of essential oils and are still questioning if they are essential to your daily lives, it doesn’t hurt to try it out and see if it works with calming, soothing or even healing your headaches. If you’re looking for a way to reduce the amount of medicine you are taking and trying a supposedly natural route, essential oils may be right for you. Worse case scenario, your room smells good from diffusing peppermint or citrus.
