AROMATHERAPY

 

 

Aromatherapy is an ancient art and a modern science.

For centuries, civilisations across the world have used plant extracts and herbs for medicinal and emotional effects.

In ancient Egypt the birthplace of aromatherapy was a way of life; records dating back 4,500BC tell of the use of perfumed oils.

 

Aromatic substances were so highly prized that they were offered to the Gods.

Modern aromatherapy - using the distilled essential oils - has probably been in use for about one thousand years.

Aromatherapy is a holistic form of treatment caring hands on therapy can induce relaxation, increase energy and reduce the effects of stress.

 

Essential oils are the working tools of aromatherapy.

Essential oils are highly concentrated extractions from plants stored in the tiny sacs or duet, or the minute hairs on a leaf.

 

WHY AROMATHERAPY WORKS

 

Because pure essential plant extracts almost mirror the human body's cellular structure, oils absorb deeply into the living layers of skin to blend with your body cells, rejuvenating them

 

In this pure form, essential plant extracts are strong and healthy. These properties are transferred to your body's cells as the oils absorb.

 

The medical community in Europe has widely embraced aromatherapy and its rejuvenating qualities and employs pure extracts to complement traditional methods of healing and health care.

 

To avoid unwanted symptoms, people need to learn how to relax and this is how pure plant extracts can help emotionally and physically.

 

While the aromatics (fragrance) of essential oils stimulate the nervous system - and therefore the rest of the body through the sense of smell, the medicinal properties of plant extracts are absorbed deeply into the living layers of the skin to actually work within the body.

 

SMELL, SENSE OF

 

The sense of smell, or olfaction, is less well understood than any of the other senses: sight, hearing, touch and taste (although the latter is partially connected with the sense of smell). In the past few years research in Japan and England has increased our knowledge of the physiological processes by which our bodies experience odours, and of course such discoveries enrich our understanding of how essential oils can affect both body and mind so powerfully.

 

The olfactory nerves lie in the upper part of the nose. Unlike the nerves involved in touch, hearing, etc. they are directly connected to the brain. Indeed, they have been described as 'brain cells outside the brain'. Because of this, the sense of smell is the most immediate of our senses. It is also the most fleeting~ perception of odours is sharpest when the odour is first smelt but decreases in intensity very quickly. This can be seen in two phenomena known as 'fading' and 'tiring'.

 

'Fading' takes place when we are exposed to one smell for a period of time, and can be illustrated by the example of a cook who does not smell the food being prepared, because he or she has been working with this food in the kitchen for some time. Somebody coming into the kitchen will notice the delicious aroma, and if the cook went out for a while and came back into the kitchen later, the smell would be noticeable because his/her nose had been away from that smell for a while, so it would react as to a new stimulus.

 

'Tiring' takes place when we are exposed to a succession of smells within a relatively short time. Very soon we lose the ability to distinguish clearly between one smell and another and they all begin to smell rather alike. You may have experienced this when trying out perfumes in a shop. If you try to sample more than three or four essential oils in succession the same phenomenon occurs.

Now, let us take a more detailed look at what happens when an essential oil (or any other odoriferous matter) is inhaled.

 

Essential oils, and other odorous substances, are very volatile, they evaporate into vapour easily when exposed to the air. In this form they are breathed into the nose.

The inside of the nose is always moist, and the particles of the aromatic vapour dissolve in this moisture. The olfactory nerves can only detect aromatic particles when they are in this liquid form.

 

From the main body of each olfactory cell, several fine filaments called cilia extend into the layer of moisture (mucus) in the nose, and the tips of these filaments are equipped with receptors which detect the presence of any aromatic particles.

 

 

 

 

Information about these particles passes along the cilia to the body of the cell. From here longer nerve fibres transmit this information to the brain, passing through the bony plate at the top of the nose (the cribriform plate).

 The brain identifies the particular smell, and we become conscious of perceiving it. All this happens almost instantaneously.

 

In recent years, the invention of electron microscopes with enormous powers of magnification, have revealed more about the way in which the cilia detect odorous particles. The receptors at the tips of the cilia are varied in shape. The molecules that make up the particles of anything that has a smell are also different shapes and sizes according to their origin, and when the smell-receptors come into contact with molecules that match their own shape, this correspondence triggers off the process that transmits information to the brain.

 

 The brain identifies the smell according to which type of receptor has picked it up. This does not mean that the information transmitted indicates 1 rose' or 'tomcats': such distinctions come from associated areas of the brain where memories of earlier smell experiences are stored. What the cilia can transmit is that the smell is sweet or acid, flowery, woody, heavy or light and so forth. Like wine tasting most odours are quite complicated, and made up of many different elements. The variety of shapes of the smell-receptors enables us to register all these complexities, and the total input is then interpreted by the brain as that particular odour.

 

However, that is not the whole story, for the nose can detect far more different smells than the ears can detect sounds. Taste and sight are even simpler, as all taste and all vision is registered through only 3 or 4 different kinds of nerve cells. But the nose registers as many as ten thousand different types of smell sensation, and there do not appear to be ten thousand different kinds of receptors, so it seems likely that, as well as their shape and size, the rate of vibration of individual smell molecules plays a part in distinguishing between the myriad of smells that exist.

 

In understanding the physical actions of essential oils on the body, it helps to know that the area of the brain in which smell is registered, is linked by nerve-pathways to the hypothalamus, a structure at the base of the brain which is involved in regulating many important body activities.

 

These include the endocrine system, which controls the secretion of hormones affecting growth, sex metabolism and other functions; the autonomic nervous system which controls most of the unconscious activities that maintain life, such as digestion, rate of heartbeat and breathing and so forth; control of body temperature and hunger. Just how impulses from the part of the brain registering odour affect the hypothalamus, we do not know, but the connection can be easily observed.

Smelling good food makes us feel hungry; 'bad' smells, such as decaying meat can make us vomit and certain odours may arouse sexual feelings.

Maybe one day we will know why this is, but for the understanding of aromatherapy, it is enough to know that these reactions do happen.

Why and how odours affect our emotions and memories is even less clear, though some ideas about this are discussed in the entry for MIND.

I am sometimes asked whether people who have no sense of smell can benefit from aromatherapy treatment. In fact they can, because essential oils are absorbed into the bloodstream, either through the skin or via the lungs when they are inhaled, so they can have a beneficial action on the body even if the recipient cannot smell them. It is doubtful, though, whether the same mental or emotional response to the oils could be experienced.

 

ABOUT ESSENTIAL OILS

 

 

Essential Oils are highly concentrated extractions from plants, used in small quantities and contain the special properties of that particular plant. These properties are not lost during extraction, and in some way, enhanced. Essential oils are obtained from any part of the plant. It may be the petals or the leaves that the oils are obtained from, the gum from the tree, the seed or fruit, it may be the rind of the fruit, or in some cases, the whole fruit itself.

 

Essential Oils are odorous and highly volatile. They are different from fatty oils. Their consistency is more like water. Their chemistry is highly complex containing alcohols, esters, ketones, aldehydes, and terpenes. All essences should be protected from light and air, and stored in dark glass bottles in a cool, dry environment. They have a long shelf -life, but when mixed with a carrier oil, last for 2 to 3 months.

 

Essential Oils are lipophilic and absorb into the fats of the skin. They usually are clear and soluble in alcohol, ether and fixed oils.

Time is of great importance when picking the plant. Many factors must be taken into consideration, the weather, country, time of day, health of the crop, soil conditions, and the method of cultivation.

 

The essential oil content of the plant varies from 0.01% to as high as 10%, so a considerable amount of material is needed to produce this amount of oil. This is true from some of the flower essences which are obtained from the petals, and governs their high cost - it can take 60,000 roses to make up .01 ounce of rose oil.

Essential Oils are often adulterated with alcohol, fixed oils, essential oils of a lower grade and certain synthetic substances.

 

Essential Oils are not fatty, but are light, and some are like alcohol in their texture. Being oils, they mix readily with fatty oils, but do not dissolve in water.

Essential Oil is 70 times more concentrated than the herb or plant.

 

 

THE PRINCIPAL METHODS OF APPLICATIONS

 

Massage is the most important method of applying essential oils, for it involves the direct human contact between the helper and the person seeking help. This is an important part of the healing process.

Essential oils are readily absorbed through the skin, the process can continue for some hours after the actual massage has taken place. Aromatic are also very important . Essential oils can be chosen to refresh and tone, to relax and help with sleep. To help skin conditions, to relieve  muscular and other pains , or  simply for the pleasure of taking a perfumed bath

 

Inhalations have been used for many centuries, particularly for respiratory problems, such as catarrh, coughs, colds, laryngitis, and sinusitis.

Compresses are a valuable way of treating muscular pain, sprains and bruises, as well as reducing pain and congestion in internal organs.

There are many other uses for essential oils. They make delightful personal perfumes. They can be either in an atomiser or as a simple plant spray.

 

METHODS OF EXTRACTION

 

DISTILLATION

 

Essential oils are obtained from the plants in various methods. called distillation.

The most common is

Water and Steam Distillation is where the steam travels into the mixture of water and plant.

Steam Distillation is where steam produced in a boiler is separate from the still. Through a piece of pipe in the bottom of the still, the steam is blown through the plant material, which rests on a grid.

Vacuum Distillation is the most popular.

This is steam distillation under a partial vacuum. This gives quick distillation with a minimum of harm to the essential oils. It creates a rapid rate of boiling.

Lavender oil is steam distilled from the freshly cut flowering tops and stalks of the plant. It grows wild, or is cultivated. Distillation takes place in the South of France where the plant grows at medium altitudes of this mountain region. High altitudes means lower temperature boiling. Consequently, the distilled oil is not exposed to 100% hot steam, but only to 92%.

Expression is a process exclusively for the peels. contains a small quantity of the essential oil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Effleurage is carried out almost exclusively in the South of France. This process is mainly for the flower petals that do not yield enough essential oil for distillation, or for the flowers that cannot withstand exposure to heat and steam. Also, some flower petals continue to develop and give off perfume long after they have been harvested. A layer of fat will absorb the essential oil from the flowers.

They are left then-for 24 hours. The flowers are then taken off by hand and new ones replaced. The spent flowers may also be

used to make a concentrate of rose water. After many batches, the fragrant fat is removed. This is known as POMADE. From the pomade, an absolute is obtained by mixing it with an organic solvent. This is then distilled to obtain the essential oil. This process can take up to 3 months to complete.

 

 

 

FOOTBATH

 

The skin on the soles of the feet absorb essential oils very fast , and makes this a good way to get the oils into the body, plus it is very relaxing.

Use warmish water 3 or 4 drops of essential oil (soak feet). A foot bath seems more effective if given after a  reflexology treatment. Foot baths are helpful in situations where a full aromatic wouldnot be practiced or not available ,such as when treating elderly or less mobile people or those who may have difficulty getting in or out of baths

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ROSE

 

Properties:

 Antidepressant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac

.

Uses:

 Depression, frigidity, headache, impotence, insomnia,

 irregular menstruation, skin care.

 

Rose oil itself was said to be accidentally discovered in Persia at a wedding feast of a Princess and Emperor. The finest and most expensive rose oil comes from Bulgaria and is known as Rose Otto. It takes 30 roses to make one drop of Bulgarian Rose Otto.

 

ti Rose, is known as the Queen of essential oils! There is something unmistakably feminine about the scent of roses and one of the main medicinal uses is for 'female complaints'. Rose qualities has a powerful effect on the uterus, its cleansing purifying regulating and tonic.

 

It can be used to regulate the menstrual cycle, reduce excessive loss. Rose is thought to aid constipation.

 

On the mental emotional level its effects are greater. It$ valuable in helping women suffering from post-natal depression or depression following the breakdown of a relationship. Try Rose and Sandalwood in a blend together.

 

Rose is also a very good oil for skin care. It can be used for all skin types but it is especially valuable for dry, sensitive or aging skins.

 

It has a tonic and astringent effect on the capillaries just below the skin surface, which makes it useful for diminishing the redness caused by enlarged capillaries. (Often known as thread veins in the cheeks). Treatment must be kept up for some weeks.

 

Rose has longed been renounced as an aphrodisiac. Romans scattered rose petals on the bridal bed.

 

Sensational.

 

 

SANDALWOOD

 

Properties:

 Antidepressant, antiseptic, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac, sedative.

 

Uses:

 Acne, bronchitis, cough, skin care, cystitis, insomnia, laryngitis.

 

Sandalwood has been used in India for many centuries, both in traditional  medicine

and perfume. It has been used for at least two and a half thousand years for the treatment of various infections of the urinary tract such as cystitis.

 

Sandalwood is one of the best essential oils to use in the treatment of chronic bronchitis and can be used for sore throats. The best method of use are inhalations and external application to chest and throat, also it seems to live up to its reputation as an aphrodisiac.

 

Delightful in a blend when used with other sensual oils.

 

TANGERINE

 

This citrus tree grows in many states of U.S.A. where it is the American variety of East Asian mandarin.

 

High in Vitamin C with a delightfully fresh smell, Tangerine is a gentle oil suggested for use in pregnancy. The oil is obtained by puncturing and squeezing the rind of the fruit.

 

The light nature of this scent makes it popular with most people but especially so with the young.

 

The name "Mandarin" came. from Chinat where traditionally the fruit was offered as gifts to the Mandarins as well as being safe to use during pregnancy. Tangerine oil is also helpful to prevent stretch marks

.

Properties:

Alagesic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, stimulant, depurative

 (purifying the blood).

Uses:

 Asthma, bronchitis, catarrh, colds, coughs, einphysema,

 sinus, diabetes.