Aromatherapy: Revive Your Senses
Robert Thatcher
The art of aromatherapy had been practiced since the earliest
times. Strong evidences were found to link aromatherapy to
ancient traditions. Though aromatic oils had been used to treat
and cure various ailments and conditions for who knows how long,
the formal study on their properties only started in the year
1928.
In it's simplest form, aromatherapy is the use of essential
plant oils for therapeutic purposes. They are normally employed
to relieve a person from stress and a variety of stress-related
conditions. And also for promoting an individual's general well
being and in invigorating the body and the psyche.
Aromatherapy works by inducing the olfactory nerve cells with
aromatic oils, which then carries out the message to the limbic
system in the brain. Limbic system is the part of the brain that
is responsible for controlling memory and emotions.
Aromatherapy is concerned in both the workings of the physical
and emotional aspects of the person under treatment.
Physically, aromatherapy helps in relieving specific conditions
trough the stimulation of the nervous, immune and circulatory
system. In emotions however, they may evoke pleasant memories.
Yet, the medical circles do not agree if aromatherapy in itself
is instrumental to the complete healing of a certain condition.
But the idea of recovery through aromatherapy is widely
accepted.
Essential Oils in Aromatherapy
Essential oils are derived from the distillation of the
elements of a plant like the leaves, roots, flowers, stems and
bark. They hold the true essence of the plants from which they
originally came in high concentration. Though termed as oil,
essential oils normally do not have the real properties of oil.
Some essential oils are yellow like that of the lemongrass and
orange and many are clear.
These oils are used in a variety of methods: through
inhalation, by adding them in the bathwater and by the
application of the diluted oil on the body.
The use of oil in aromatherapy is only restricted to those with
unadulterated qualities. The purest of the essential oils alone
have the therapeutic values.
The following is a list of the most common essential oils used
in aromatherapy. Some of which are used as carrier oils (also
known as vegetable oils or base oils):
- Almond, Sweet
- Apricot Kernel
- Avocado
- Borage
- Cocoa Butter
- Evening Primrose
- Grapeseed
- Hazelnut
- Jojoba
- Kukui
- Macadamia Nut
- Olive
- Peanut
- Pecan
- Rose Hip
- Sesame
- Shea Butter
- Sunflower
Below are listed essential oils that are not advisable to use
in aromatherapy, especially if not supervised by a professional
aromatherapy practitioner.
- Ajowan
- Almond, Bitter
- Arnica
- Birch, Sweet
- Boldo Leaf
- Broom, Spanish
- Calamus
- Camphor
- Deertongue
- Garlic
- Horseradish
- Jaborandi
- Melilotus
- Mugwort
- Mustard
- Onion
- Pennyroyal
- Rue
- Sassafras
- Thuja
- Wintergreen
- Wormseed
- Wormwood
Aromatherapists put into practice the workings of aromatherapy
in a spectrum of work environments including:
- private practice
- mobile visiting practice
- natural health clinics
- beauty therapy clinics
- health clubs
- hospitals
- hospices and
- nursing homes.
In spite of the lack of formal research on aromatherapy
therapists and European physicians are often prescribing
certain aromatic oils for a range of complaints including colds
and flu, insomnia, sinusitis, migraines, digestive problems and
muscle pains. It must be understood though that aromatic oils
must never be taken orally and should be first tested to
determine the degree of skin's sensitivity to some oils.
About The Author: Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher
based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and
reports in various ezines and provides aromatherapy resources
on
http://www.about-aromatherapy.info
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