Aromatherapy

Archive for September, 2007

Plant oils are used in aromatherapy to provide physical and psychological benefits to the person who is using them. A lot of people who use aromatherapy do not know anything other than this about aromatherapy. For instance, they do not know about the history of aromatherapy wherein the actual term “aromatherapy” was not even used until some time in the 20th century when it was coined by a French chemist named Rene-Maurice Gattefosse. Yet, the actual practice of aromatherapy has been around for a number of years now. It actually dates back almost 1,000 years now.

The History Of Aromatherapy In China

The Chinese were probably one of the first people to begin using plants for their aromatic properties and their therapeutic benefits. Herein, the history of aromatherapy shows that these plants were used for burning as incense in order to establish both balance and harmony in a person’s life.

The History Of Aromatherapy In Egypt

Egyptians began experimenting with aromatherapy after the Chinese did. They were the ones who created the very first distillation machine to extract oils. The oils that were most commonly used here included clove, nutmeg, cedar wood, cinnamon and myrrh. In Egypt these things were generally used for embalming. However, other oils were used for medicinal, spiritual and even cosmetic purposes.

The History Of Aromatherapy In Greece

The Greeks picked up the practice of aromatherapy and began using it for aromatic and medicinal purposes. Hippocrates actually used essential oils for medicinal treatments. This led to plants being distilled across large portions of the world starting in the Middle Ages. Here in the history of aromatherapy, these aromatherapy treatments provided therapeutic benefits. They mainly consisted of rosemary, sage, rose and juniper.

The History Of Aromatherapy In Modern Times

In the 19th century many scientists throughout Europe began experimenting with aromatherapy and the effects of essential oils. Today, aromatherapy is used for a lot of different purposes and benefits. These include healing physical disorders, relaxing, relieving anxiety and stress, soothing a tired mind and body and as an aphrodisiac.

Conclusion

While practitioners through the history of aromatherapy have found it cumbersome and difficult to distill the essential oils from their aromatic plants, today there is a wide variety of quality pure aromatherapy essential oils available on the market. Regardless as to whether you are looking to relax or you want to set a romantic mood, aromatic essential oils can easily be found online.

Many people consider the benefits of aromatherapy to be some sort of imagined effect, wishful New Age thinking that has no real basis, but the fact is that the essential oils used in aromatherapy have known properties that make them useful. Depending on how you use it, the benefits of aromatherapy can include the effects of the essential oils used for their properties when put in contact with your body, or just for the effects you get when using them for their scents. Let’s look at some of these benefits now:

Antiseptic Properties

One of the benefits of aromatherapy through the use of essential oils is that many of them have antiseptic or antiviral properties. For instance, lavender oil can ease some of the pain of minor burns and cuts, and also holds antiseptic properties, helping to discourage infection. Of course, essential oils do need to be used in heavily diluted amounts or their use can be too intense for comfort.

Expectorants

For those that still doubt that the benefits of aromatherapy hold useful medical applications, the proof is in a common item found in many medicine cabinets across the nation: Vicks VapoRub. This item, whether applied to the skin or melted in hot water and breathed in through steam, can help people to breathe easier if they are suffering from the congestion and coughing associated with minor colds. It’s through the rather distinctly scented camphor, eucalyptus, and menthol that breathing is eased. This is one case where the benefits of aromatherapy are well-known.

Relaxation

Of course, to talk about the benefits of aromatherapy, we really do need to explore their use in diffusers and bath oils. In these cases, you will find that the benefits of aromatherapy still make the use of essential oils a good thing. For instance, lavender, which we already discussed as an antiseptic, gives off a scent that many describe as relaxing.

As a bath oil, oils such as these will also have some of the same benefits when used topically, which can be both good and bad; for instance, peppermint oil gives a cooling sensation when applied topically, but too much in your bathwater will make even a hot bath feel uncomfortably chilly. In a diffuser, however, what you will mostly get out of aromatherapy is enjoyment of the scents, and the relaxation it brings, which is a known effect; many people respond well to various scents, such as that of baking, or of flowers. Just how far you intend to use the benefits of aromatherapy for you is a personal choice, but it should not be overlooked as part of an overall health experience.

Aromatherapy is the science of using scents to help your body, your emotions and your nerves get to where you want to go. Aromatherapy uses essential oils of plants, fruits, resins, spices and even wood chips. Most aromatherapy essential oils are far too strong (and far too expensive!) to be splashed directly on the skin from the bottle, so they are added to lotions, massage oils, baths and mud packs. One of the popular ways of indulging yourself is with aromatherapy upper body wraps. This can get a little messy, so you might want to try this at a spa rather than in your own bathroom. If you are not worried about any mess and have an adventurous, scientific spirit (and a lot of old towels and sheets), then feel free to try and make an aromatherapy upper body wrap for yourself.

What Is It?

What you wrap yourself with is cosmetic mud, seaweed, lotion or clay with a few drops of essential oil added. A usual guideline is one milliliter of essential oil to every ten milliliters of base material that you are going to smear all over yourself. You’ll feel so feminine.

This thick gooey smooth aromatherapy upper body wrap is left on your for about twenty minutes. This gives the body enough time to absorb all the goodness from the essential oils. You then get washed off and, at a spa, you often get a massage, too.

What’s The Point?

Although it sounds like a lot of bother, an aromatherapy upper body wrap feels really good. It is a very effective way of speeding the essential oil to where it needs to go. Depending on the properties of the essential oil, you can choose an aromatherapy upper body wrap for detoxifying, for feeling happy or to help with skin problems.

The only time I did an aromatherapy upper body wrap, I was in dire straits at home and didn’t mind getting my old towels smeared with lotion. I had whooping cough. I selected eucalyptus oil to help clear my sinuses and help my horrible cough. I put ten drops of the essential oil in a huge handful of unscented body lotion (I was too tired to measure carefully) and slathered it on from my neck to my chest and where I could reach around my back. Then I just relaxed and tried to calm down.

About a half hour later, I was not only able to breathe while lying down, I could get some sleep. My skin had absorbed the lotion, but most of the time you would need to get cleaned off.

The first thing that you need to understand about aromatherapy treatments is that they are a holistic form of healing. Most people who practice aromatherapy understand that when a person becomes sick it is not just their physical health that suffers, but their mental and spiritual state does as well. This is where aromatherapy treatments can help.

How Aromatherapy Treatments Work

Aromatherapy treatments are used to bring about mood changes and help a person get well faster. This is a natural, non-invasive treatment. It involves the use of naturally extracted aromatic plant extracts, which enhances your body’s healing process. These aromatherapy treatments work on several different levels to bring about relief. For this reason aromatherapy treatments are able to help with insomnia, moodiness, skin disorders, depression, lack of concentration, panic attacks, burns, bruises, asthma, bronchitis, flu, muscular aches and pains, constipation and digestion.

Understanding Where Aromatherapy Treatments Come From

Essential oils come from plant materials such as flowers, leaves, fruit peel, wood, grasses, etc. and are made by distilling it with water or steam. They can also be processed mechanically. This mechanical processing is most commonly used whenever essential oils are being made out of citrus rinds. When it comes to natural materials these are usually processed with dry distillation. Once the distillation process is done, the essential oils are able to be physically separated from the water.

Once these essential oils have been created they will not be greasy and they also will not leave behind any oily marks. However, you should know that these oils are very easily penetrated through the skin and from there they are quickly absorbed into your bloodstream. For this reason, you must make sure to use them correctly. Otherwise they will actually do more harm than good for you. This is because essential oils tend to be highly concentrated extracts.

What You Should Know About Aromatherapy Treatments

If you wish to be healed of a specific condition through aromatherapy treatments, then you really should seek the advice of a qualified practitioner. This is because the use of essential oils is a precise science that one must learn. It is also important that only the highest quality oils be used in the proper combination. An excellent way to get started, without paying for aromatherapy treatments right away, is to burn some aromatherapy candles in your home. Once you see just how well this works you may well be ready to get some aromatherapy treatments from a professional.

Everyone has different needs for their skin due to their age and type of skin. Everyone will also like certain types of cleansers, lotions and toners. However, besides just taking care of your skin, you can also take care of your sore and tired muscles, eyes and you can even take care of your stress and invigorate your body.

Going Beyond The Aromatherapy Skin Care Product

You should know that aromatherapy skin care product are not limited to just your skin. You can also find lotions, shower products, bath products, household products, laundry products and baby products too. Some of the ingredients that you should look for whenever you are trying to help your well-being include: lavender, chamomile, cedar wood, eucalyptus, basil, thyme, rosemary, teas, rosehips, lemon seed, sunflower seed and ylang ylang. Lavender and chamomile are the most common scents used. Citrus is also used a lot to energize or invigorate you.

Not Just Skin Care

As aforementioned, aromatherapy skin care products are not only used for your skin. These products have actually been around throughout the world many years. For instance, cancer patients use aromatherapy to deal with their depression, anxiety and to induce relaxation, calming, rest and sleep. They have also been effectively used in pain management. Another place that these aromatherapy oils are used are in many bath products, shower products, laundry products, baby products, candles, air fresheners, air diffusers, oil burners, scented drawer sheets, perfumes, massage oils, lotions and so much more. This may actually surprise you when you discover that a lot of the products that you are already using actually contain aromatherapy oils in them.

Of course, aromatherapy skin care products are also found in a lot of gift baskets. These actually make a very popular gift idea for those that you care about. There are also aromatherapy pillows or face packs that can be used whenever you travel in order to relieve tired eyes or to simply help with a more relaxed sleep.

Remembering Allergies When Choosing An Aromatherapy Skin Care Product

If you have allergies, then you should pay attention to the ingredients that are in your aromatherapy skin care product. There are oils from plants, flowers, trees, seeds, nuts, herbs and roots. It is possible for you to be allergic to these things. While most of these are simply mild allergy attacks, you can have a severe allergy attack that could possibly be fatal.