Aromatherapy: An Overview

by Cynthia J. Loving, LMT, HAt

Aromatherapy is the art and science of using essential oils to maintain or regain well-being of mind, body and spirit. This truly holistic therapy is inexpensive, easy to use, fun and amazingly safe.when used properly. Safety issues are addressed in almost any book on Aromatherapy (I suggest you not buy a book that doesn't contain this information), on many websites and by all qualified teachers.

Essential oils, the primary tools of aromatherapy, are aromatic and volatile (vaporous or gas-like) substances that produce the fragrance of a plant. Plants produce these complex biochemical mixes for a multitude of reasons:

• to prevent attack by herbivores, bugs, bacteria, fungi and other organisms
• to aid in survival in difficult growth conditions by producing compounds that prevent other plants from growing in the area
• to prevent dehydration by production of a "haze" of volatile oils that serve as a sunscreen
• to balance plant metabolism
• to heal wounds; to attract food (carnivorous plants)
• as inter-plant communication
• to promote pollination by attracting bees, other insects, moths & bats.

Interestingly enough, humans use essential oils for many of the same reasons. We can use essential oils:

• to prevent invasion/infection by bacteria, viruses, fungi and other organisms
• to repel or expel bugs and parasites
• to assist us in surviving in difficult weather conditions-they can warm us, cool us, dry our skin, moisten our skin, serve as a sunscreen and/or aid in tanning
• to aid in balancing our hormones and impact our metabolism
• to promote healing of wounds
• to cultivate non-verbal communication
• to elevate attraction of a mate (very definitely!).

Before our western belief in the separation of body-mind-spirit, the shaman was priest and doctor. There was a knowing that healing could not happen on just one level of a person's being. Plant matter was and continues to be used to guide us on our journeys to wellness. We've ingested these plants, burned some of them and inhaled them. Long before synthetic drugs, we knew that many plants brought about physical healing. Long before psychotropic medications, we knew there were plants that could aid with mental and emotional difficulties. Long before the formation of organized religion, we knew that certain plants aided our ability to communicate with our higher power. We still use many of these plant materials in much the same ways as they were used centuries ago.

The mental and emotional benefits of essential oils have been recognized since the beginning of time. There are oils that calm, energize, aid in learning, spur memory, raise low spirits, soothe jangled nerves, dispel nightmares, quiet heartaches and generally support our mental productivity and emotional well-being. We share plants with loved ones to celebrate a marriage or the birth of a child, to raise the mood of ailing friends, to congratulate successes, to ease the downturns in life and at times of great loss. Dating back to 80,000 BC (so much for this being considered a "new age" practice), our ancestors placed medicinal plants in the graves of their loved ones for them to use on their journeys to the afterlife.

Science is now researching the wide range of benefits of essential oils and proving the ancients to be quite accurate in their use. Recent research of the brain has validated what our ancestors knew about the powerful impact of odors on our nervous system. Science has shown that approximately 98% of any odor you inhale immediately enters the limbic system of your brain (the memory, mood, emotion center). Science is supporting the knowledge that scents impact our hormones via the pituitary, hypothalamus and other brain centers. Studies using imaging techniques verify that certain odors stimulate various portions of the brain, causing a chemical cascade that can influence the entire body. We know that as we breathe, the minute particles of essential oils get into the respiratory system and from there can enter the blood stream and circulate throughout the body. There is continuing evidence that some essential oils can boost the healing and immune systems through a wide range of pathways.

All this knowledge, and yet there is so much we still don't know. Why is it that we perceive scents differently? Many people love Patchouli, but it is one of my least favorite smells. Why do I adore Spikenard and some other people describe it as having a "dirty sock" scent? How come we still respond to odors even if we cannot consciously smell them? Why do some people find certain oils to be aphrodisiacs and others find the same oils to be a major "turn-off"? These and many more unanswered questions help keep the mystique of aromatherapy alive!

We do know some of the impacts of essential oils, and as we become more cognizant of their effects on the body-mind-spirit, we must begin to question the consequences of the multitude of lab-created odors we expose ourselves and our loved ones to on a daily basis. I urge you to begin to question the use of "scented" cleaning products, soaps, hair care products, cosmetics, powders, detergents, air cleaners, carpet fresheners, colognes and perfumes. Where are they going in your body and what impact are they having? What impact could they have on your emotional and mental well-being? What about their impact on our spiritual health, which is so closely tied to nature? Could these chemical scents possibly explain the epidemic levels of asthma and other respiratory problems we are seeing today? Could they be playing a role in the widespread immune system disorders? Were we ever intended to be inhaling the petroleum products that are so often used in synthesized products?

Intuitively, can you guess the answers?