Aromatherapy

Archive for November, 2006

When trying new things, you must remember that sometimes even something that looks like a great idea can have problems associated with it. This applies even to the use of essential oils that have become so popular. Essential oils are made from plant materials such as bark, flowers, fruit, berries or leaves. These are easy to find at your local grocery store or any health shop and are not overly expensive.

To begin with, never assume that just because these oils are natural products that they pose no danger. Many aspects of nature are dangerous. Many beautiful plants are deadly. Consider the possibility that your use of essentials oils can affect others. If you use diffusers, or candles to put the fragrances in the air you should remember that those with allergies to perfumes could be affected in the same away as secondhand cigarette smoke affects others.

Anything used improperly can be hazardous to your well-being. These oils are concentrated and must always be diluted or they can have very detrimental side effects. They can cause severe skin irritation. Many of the essential oils can cause skin irritations or photosensitivity; which is a bad reaction to the sun. Using bergamot, ginger, grapefruit or many of the other citrus oils can cause this. Although most essential oils are not to be applied directly on the skin lavender and tea tree are exceptions and are good for cuts and burns. As well, lemon is good for wart removal.

Looking closer at essential oils we see that many of them are not good for using directly on the skin. The best way to determine what works for you is to try a couple of drops on your wrist. Leave it for a day and if it’s okay you can use the oil. If it has turned red or itches discontinue the use of that item.

Another concern is that, as with many things, essential oils may not mix well with certain medical conditions. If you have high blood pressure stay away form rosemary, common sage, hyssop and thyme. If you are epileptic do not use sweet fennel, hyssop, sage or rosemary. Diabetics should avoid using angelica. If you suffer from hypoglycemia you should not use geranium and someone with kidney problems should use juniper, sandalwood or coriander with caution. Pregnant woman should avoid most essential oils especially, juniper, hyssop, clary sage, peppermint, lemon, fennel, lemon verbena, rosemary and wintergreen to name a few. The ones that are all right to be used should be diluted doubly.

When drinking alcohol don’t use clary sage, as it will intensify the effects of the alcohol acting like a narcotic. When driving you should keep away from marjoram and chamomile as either one could cause drowsiness. To be safe when using essential oils be careful as they are flammable.

There are concerns that certain essential oils have been proven to or suspected of having a history of causing allergies. There are probably twenty of these. A few of the more common include; citronella, clary sage, ylang ylang, and verbena oils. There are also a few that are believed to be carcinogenic; most seriously considered dangerous are calamus and sassafras, which itself is banned across Europe from being used in toiletries and makeup.

Sweet Birch oil is potentially hazardous. It has the same active ingredient as aspirin, methyl salicyalte, and if you are treating yourself with aspirin and then use this essential oil you could overdose. It is doubly dangerous because it has a sweet smell and could prove attractive to someone who did not know what it was like a child. Make sure this one has the top on tight and is stored safely away

What is the final thought on of all this? While essential oils have been proven to be useful in helping keep you emotionally and physically fit, there are, like many things in life, reasons to be cautious. As well, remember to always use essential oils in moderation. So, as you would with anything new you may decide to try, be careful and research the essential oil you want to try before starting to use it. Common sense is always your best advisor.

There are principally four methods that companies use to extract essential oils. These procedures are diverse due to the plant or flower that is targeted for extraction, so it is necessary to utilize varying methods based on what type of thing the oil is retrieved from. The first method that is used, and probably the most common, is steam and hydro distillation. This method involves the plant, from which the oil is being extracted, to be placed in a large chamber. Within this chamber, the plant is subjected to steam that fills the entire chamber. Once filled, the steam travels through the interior of the plant and picks up the oils that are hidden inside. The steam continues upward until it travels to a condenser, where the steam is cooled and is consequently turned back into water. As well, the oil that is captured by the steam is equally returned to its former state. But, now it is outside of the plant and ready for production.

The oil and water are then separated from each other and then the oil can be used. This oil is called ‘hydrosol’. The quality of the oil extracted by this means relies on several factors that are determined through the process, such as, pressure, temperature and time. These factors can ‘make or break’ the quality of the product. This is because a plant’s ‘essence’ is found in these oils. So, because essential oils on a molecular level possess a delicate bond, to where, if any of these factors are not properly met, these bonds will break up and the ‘essence’ of the plant will not be preserved. Ultimately, steam and hydro distillation is very much similar to the activity of cooking a meal. If one does not follow the instructions and makes sure that all of the conditions that are prescribed in the manual are met, than the meal’s ‘tastiness’ will suffer as a result. This is why it is important for the extracting methods of oils by distillation be at just the right temperature, done in a certain amount of time and with the right amount of air pressure in the chamber where it is achieved.

Another method for extracting essential oils is one that is reserved for what are called absolutes. These are plants or flowers that are either too delicate to undergo the distillation process or their essential oils are not released by way of it. Instead another method must be employed. One method of dealing with these delicate sources is by way of a hydrocarbon solvent extraction of a ‘concrete’ from the plant. This ‘concrete’ is a 50 percent semi solid mixture of wax and another 50 percent semi solid mixture of volatile oil. This mixture is again processed in the same manner as ethyl alcohol (the same as in liquors) to where the wax is transformed into a slightly soluble state.

Fortunately, the volatile plant oil is removed from the plant by the alcohol. Once out of the plant, the alcohol is dissolved and the essential oils are left behind for harvesting. This process miraculously looses only 2 percent of the plant’s essential oils in the extraction, so that, essential oils extracted like this can be very potent and strong. Plants that are often extracted in this way are jasmine and rose.

The most modern method of extracting essential oils is the CO2 and SCO2, or carbon dioxide and supercritical carbon dioxide, method. This method uses the ‘solvent’ carbon dioxide to carry the essential oils out of the plant. The lower pressure carbon dioxide method involves cooling the gas to between 55 and 35 degrees F and pumping the chilled CO2 through the plant at about 1000 psi. In this state the CO2 is in liquid form and moves quite freely through the plant. By using the supercritical carbon dioxide method, the carbon dioxide is heated to 87 degrees f and is pumped through the plant at 8000 psi. The CO2 is in gas form and travels through the plant extracting the oils. And like the CO2 method, when it is cooled the oil is harvested. This method is more efficient than both the distillation method and that used for absolutes because unlike the former there is no heat applied to the plant itself, and unlike the latter, there is no residue left behind after the process.

The final method is that of cold pressing. This method is typically employed for citrus oils. What is done is simply the rind is pressed under the conditions of a high temperature, about 120 degrees Fahrenheit, and the oils are removed. These are the four ways that essential oils are extracted.

Essential oils are used throughout the various types of aromatherapy treatments. They have been referred to as the quintessence of a plant’s being. The Oxford English Dictionary defines quintessence as “An extract from anything, containing in concentrated form its most essential principle.” Essential oils are concentrated aromatic liquids extracted from a variety of aromatic plant material through the process of distillation. These natural organic substances are produced in various glands and sacs within aromatic plants. Each essential oil is usually produced in one part of the plant, except in a few cases. Where a plant produces essential oils in more than one of its parts, differences of odor and in chemical composition occur. For example, the oil from the leaves of the cinnamon tree has a cinnamon and clove like odor; where as the oil from the bark has the characteristic ‘cinnamon’ odor. Another example is from the bitter orange tree: Bitter orange oil is produced from the peel, petitgrain from the leaf and neroli from the blossom; all have different odors yet similar properties.

In traditional aromatherapy circles, Essential oils are extracted from many different kinds of plants. They can be extracted from culinary herbal plants. Some examples of this can be seen in basil, clary sage, rosemary, peppermint, and thyme. Essential oils can also be extracted from various kinds of seeds. For example, angelica, coriander, black pepper and cardamom all have wonderful essential oils with a variety of different properties. Fruits like lemon, mandarin, bergamot, grapefruit and lime also have some great essential oils that are quite helpful throughout the practice of aromatherapy. There are many flowers like rose, ylang ylang, jasmine & lavender that have the perfect essential oils for aromatherapy treatment procedures. Some resins including frankincense, myrrh, benzoin and elemi have essential oils that can be extracted for aromatherapy purposes. Many of the woods from various kinds of trees make excellent essential oils for aromatherapy. Some examples include cedarwood, sandalwood, camphor and cinnamon. Wood, though, isn’t the only useful part of the tree in terms of essential oils for aromatherapy purposes. Leaves and twigs can also be quite helpful for this purpose. The leaves and twigs of tea tree, eucalyptus, melissa, petitgrain and patchouli have been found to be quite helpful in aromatherapy procedures. Some grasses including lemon grass & palmarosa are used extensively throughout aromatherapy. Roots, Rhizomes & Bulbs including angelica, ginger, garlic & vetiver are also used in most aromatherapy treatments.

Each plant contains a percentage (which varies between 5% – .01%) of essential oil, and it is this fact that dictates the amount of plant material needed for distillation to create a specified amount of essential oil. For example, it takes up to 100 kilos of rose petals to produce 1/2 liter of rose whilst 100 kilos of lavender will yield approximately 3 liters of lavender essential oil. The quantity of plant material needed also dictates pricing of the individual essential oils.

The quality of an essential oil is influenced by a number of factors, such as its geographical and botanical source, the prevailing climate, the standards of local farming, the time of harvesting and the skill of individual harvesters and distillers. The essential oils used in aromatherapy are only a small proportion compared with that of the food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic trade. In the food trade, essential oils are used as flavorings for many different dishes. In the pharmaceutical industry, essential oils are used quite differently. In most cases, they are used for medicines, toothpastes, gargles, cough sweets and inhalations. Friar’s Balsam and Vick’s Vaporub is a good example of products they are used in. Moreover, the pharmaceutical industry uses a variety of essential oils in various products. For example, clove oil is commonly used in toothpaste. Peppermint oil is in many of the products you consume for digestive disorders. Eucalyptus oil is commonly inhaled to help deal with stuff noses and colds. Lavender oil is a great remedy for insect repellent or after bite soothing lotion. Tea tree oil is used throughout dentistry practices. The use of essential oils, though, doesn’t stop there. In the cosmetic trade essential oils are used in face creams, make up and perfume. Essential oils have many different uses in the world of aromatherapy treatments.

With aromatherapy being such a popular practice there are so called ‘aromatherapy’ candles in stores everywhere. Many of these candles are not true aromatherapy candles. In order to get the vast array of benefits associated with aromatherapy (relaxation, relief from insomnia, relief from depression, heightened libido, relief from congestion, relief from nausea, etc) you need to be using pure essential oils.

Many of the candles that people are burning, thinking that they contain essential oils, merely contain a pleasant smell. The person may enjoy the glow and scent of the candle but they’re not really getting the benefits that they’re expecting. So, if you are in the market for a good aromatherapy candle, make sure that you know exactly what is in that candle before you buy it.

Some of these same candles may contain some essential oils but you may not be able to find out how much, what quality, or what type of essential oil is actually in the candle. Another thing about a lot of the scented candles is the issue of safety. There have been many reports about scented candles containing carcinogens, neurotoxins and reproductive toxins. Among these are acetone, benzene, xylene, and phenol.

Exposure to acetone happens through breathing it into your lungs as well as skin exposure. Acetone is irritating to your eyes, nose and throat. And people that have been exposed to it can experience dizziness or fainting.

Benzene is another toxic liquid that is in many scented candles. Exposure to this can cause drowsiness and unconsciousness. Long-term effects of benzene can harm the bone marrow and cause leukemia or anemia.

Xylene is also a cause of concern when burning these scented candles. People that were exposed to for both short and long periods of time reported suffering from these symptoms: headaches, dizziness, confusion, stomach discomfort, respiratory problems, and lack of muscle coordination.

With skin exposure to phenol people have experienced liver damage, anemia and diarrhea. It’s unclear what effects are experienced when phenol is inhaled.

With all of these concerns it just seems too dangerous to take any chances with burning scented candles. If you’re going to use a candle in aromatherapy it’s safer to use a natural beeswax candle that doesn’t contain any scents, additives or colors. Although these candles may not be as attractive looking as the others on the market they will not burn toxins into the air you’re breathing.

When you find some of these beeswax candles you can add your own favorite essential oils to use. A trick that many people like is to just drop some of the essential oil into that little circle of wax that forms around the wick. While the candle is burning, the oil can heat up and give off the therapeutic vapors.

If you’re still a little shaky about using candles for aromatherapy, that’s okay. There are still safer ways to practice aromatherapy without burning candles. There are other ways to experience the joys of aromatherapy.

You can buy an essential oil diffuser from many stores or even online. They’re really easy to find. Or you can get the benefits of aromatherapy by massaging the oils along with a carrier oil onto your skin (or have someone else do it for you). Another creative way to use aromatherapy is to mix it with water in a spray bottle and just use little squirts here or there.

Find what you’re comfortable with and then do it. Just remember, when using candles for aromatherapy, you get what you pay for. Make sure the candle contains real essential oils. If you decide to add the oil to the melted wax, just make sure it is done safely. Oil is flammable.

There are many helpful dos and don’ts about aromatherapy that can help those interested in having a better understanding of how to appropriately use it. One “do” that is necessary is read as much as you can about it. There are many great websites, books and other sources that can provide a lot of useful information for the beginner.

Another “do” is to be wary of where you purchase these essential oils. The quality of the oils used in aromatherapy varies and it is important to make sure that you get not only the best for your money, but purchase the most effective and highest quality product. It is not too uncommon to find companies making false claims about their products. Make sure that you have some background information about the manufacturers and retail stores that carry these materials. The more you know about them the better.

Do pay close attention to the region or country where the essential oils purchased are harvested. Some countries are known for higher quality oils than others. Most retailers make available this information, even on some occasions informing the consumer of the best and worst regions for such oils. After all, some countries harvest their oils from plants that are grown organically and thus of a higher quality than others. Knowing this will help finding the right oils for you easier.

Do make sure to purchase oils from well-established companies and not alley vendors. The less one is sure about the reputation of the retailer the more likely one will receive a lower quality product. Remember, it is your health and well being at stake. Although some products may come cheaper, there is a larger price to pay, in the end.

Do store your oils in some sort of glass, preferably of a darker color such as amber or cobalt blue and in a dark, cool area. Keeping the oils free from extensive exposure to light and heat will only extend the life of the oils so that you can keep them longer.

But, don’t purchase perfumed oils thinking that they are a less expensive alternative to essential oils. Although they have a pleasing smell like essential oils, they lack the therapeutic feature of them. It is true that performed oils offer a pleasant fragrance, but that is all they will give off. It would be better to go ahead and purchase the essential oils and get the benefits of aroma and therapy.

Don’t buy essential oils that are stored in glass jars that have a rubber sealant. The oils, being that they are very concentrated, will only eat away at the rubber, turning it to a gummy-like substance. This will ultimately ruin the oils by tainting it with the substance.

Don’t ignore the safety information that is inscribed on the packages of Aromatherapy materials. Most of this information is for your best interest and should be read and understood. Much of the information is instructional. It may tell you to use only a certain portion of the product at a time, as to prevent you from being overexposed to the oils. Or, the instructions may describe in details the way in which the oils should be diffused. Whatever it may say, do not just glance over it, but take your time to read all of the information carefully.

Don’t assume that the names of the plant from which the oils are derived are the same in each botanical species. Pay close attention to the botanical name, which is often a Latin derivative, to distinguish one essential oil from another. Just because two oils came from a similar plant with the same name does not imply that they are exactly the same. In many cases, there are significant differences that should be attended to. Anise, Lavender, Bay, Cedarwood, and Eucalyptus are all common names, but there are many varieties of these plants that could make a big difference in the type of aromatherapy one wishes to experience.

The last do is a simple one. Try to enjoy aromatherapy. Though there maybe much to remember as to picking the right types of oils, finding the right manufacturer, retailer and regional producer, in the end it can be quite enjoyable. So, don’t let being a beginner to the dos and don’ts stop you from experiencing it.