Mind & Body
Aromatherapy
published by Barnes & Noble
It’s okay to inhale. Of the five senses, smell is the only one that links directly to the brain’s center of memory, arousal, and emotion. Aromatherapy draws on this connection to boost your spirits, improve your focus, or simply help you relax. Read on for: • Basics of essential oils and carrier oils and how they work • Properties and applications of the most common aromatherapy blends • A guide to using essential oils for skin care, mood enhancement, and more
What Is Aromatherapy?
Basics of Essential Oils
Aromatherapy is the practice of enhancing health, mood, and appearance through the use of concentrated plant extracts called essential oils. Some essential oils, such as chamomile and lavender, calm the nervous system, whereas others, such as peppermint and rosemary, have stimulating properties. Applied topically or inhaled, essential oils can ease physiological and emotional symptoms. They can also be diffused through your home’s ventilation system to provide a gentle, pleasant fragrance.
Essential oils are extraordinarily concentrated: it takes roughly 30 roses to extract one drop of essential oil, for example. Many aromatic plants provide essential oils, each with distinctive actions, or therapeutic effects.
How Essential Oils Are Obtained Essential oils are found in the cells of aromatic plants and are released via extraction. Extraction methods include:
Aromatics Through the Ages
• Steam distillation: In this most common form of extraction, pressurized steam is added to plant matter, and the oil the plant produces is compacted, collected, and separated from the water. Steam distillation also produces hydrosol, or floral water, which is good for sensitive skin. Most leaves, twigs, and herbs— eucalyptus, lavender, fir, rosemary, thyme, dill, and others—are steam-distilled. • Cold pressing: The inner skin of a citrus fruit, such as bergamot, orange, lemon, lime, or grapefruit, is pressed to release its oil. Cold-pressed oils tend to have a shorter shelf life than oils extracted by other methods. • CO2: In this method, carbon dioxide is chilled to 35–55°F, pumped through the plant material, and condensed into a liquid. After pressure is released, the carbon dioxide escapes in gaseous form, leaving the essential oil of the plant behind. Oils that are extracted via this method have a richer, more intense scent, especially frankincense and chamomile. • Solvent extraction: Delicate flowers such as jasmine, tuberose, and linden blossom are washed repeatedly with a solvent (such as hexane, petroleum ether, or methanol), yielding a waxy mass called a concrete. The wax is removed with ethanol, and the remaining substance is cold-filtered to produce the highly concentrated final product, called an absolute.
Though the term “aromatherapy” didn’t arise until the 20th century, aromatics have been used for centuries.
Shelf Life
How Is Aromatherapy Used? Aromatherapy is used for a wide variety of applications: • Essential oils can be added to unscented shampoos, conditioners, cleansers, creams, masks, and scrubs. • Oils such as chamomile, geranium, lavender, and tea tree can relieve pain from insect bites and cuts. • Adding an essential oil such as eucalyptus, lemon, or peppermint to unscented liquid cleansers, room spritzers, dryer sheets, or vacuum bags makes a house more fragrant. • Diffusing a mild citrus scent through your ventilation system at work can add a pleasant, calming touch to the office.
How Does Aromatherapy Work? When an essential oil is inhaled, its molecules travel up through the nose to the limbic system, the part of the brain that is the center of memory, arousal, and emotion. Sniffing a pleasing scent is one of the fastest means of receiving agreeable psychological or physiological effects: of the five senses, smell is the only one in which messages travel directly to the limbic system, bypassing the cerebral cortex, the “thinking” part of the brain.
• China has used salves, liniments, and herbal teas from camphor, ginger, jasmine, and rose since 4500 BCE. • Egyptian priests, aristocrats, and pharaohs used extracts and resins of frankincense, juniper, spikenard, myrrh, and cypress in their perfumes, medicines, and cosmetics, as well as in spiritual ceremonies. • In India, herbs such as cinnamon, myrrh, ginger, coriander, and sandalwood have long been used for massages and in perfumes and baths.
The recommended shelf life for essential oils varies somewhat by type: • Citrus essential oils: Six months • Other essential oils: About two years • Hydrosols (floral waters): Shorter than their corresponding essential oils Keeping essential oils and hydrosols refrigerated can extend their shelf life by a few months.
Quality The quality of an essential oil depends on the soil, climate conditions, and altitude where the plant was grown; the methods used to harvest the plant; and the temperature and accuracy of the extraction procedure.
Cost The amount you pay for an essential oil depends on the concentration and quality of the product. You might pay $10 for a vial of diluted sandalwood oil, for example, but $50 for a vial of sandalwood absolute.
Basics of Carrier Oils Carrier oils are used to dilute the intensity of essential oils and “carry” them to skin. They are fixed in nature and create a stable environment for essential oils so that they don’t evaporate as quickly. Carrier oils offer protection to the skin and slow the evaporation of an essential oil when used in a blend. Unlike essential oils, carrier oils have a short shelf life and can turn rancid quickly.
How to Choose a Carrier Oil There are quite a few different carrier oils to choose from. When you’re selecting a carrier oil for blending, consider the following factors: • Allergies to nuts: Carrier oils can be produced from almonds, hazelnuts, and walnuts. (Peanut oil is generally not used in aromatherapy blending.) If you are allergic to any of these nuts, be sure never to use any carrier oils made from them. • Thickness and absorbency: Lighter oils are generally used for facial care products because they’re very smooth in their application and don’t clog pores. Heavier oils are used to protect a specific area of skin and nourish it more deeply. • Fragrance: Walnut, hazelnut, and soy carrier oils all have strong fragrances that would overpower a light essential oil, such as rose. • Purity: For the best results, use a seed or nut oil that’s both organic and cold-pressed. Organic oils are grown without pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides, and are produced without synthetic chemicals. Cold pressing helps oils retain the quality and a significant quantity of their nutrients.