What is Aromatherapy and The Theory behind?

October 16, 2009 | By admin In aromatherapy essential oils |

What Is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy means “treatment using scents”. It is a type of alternative medicine using the stimulant of pleasant smell of volatile plant oils, including essential oils and other aromatic plant compounds. Aromatherapy aimed at improving a person’s health, physically and psychologically. Many consider this type of treatment as unscientific and unwise thinking, however, scientific evidence of its effectiveness is growing.

The most common ingredient used in Aromatherapy nowadays is the essential oils. Essential oils, the pure essences of a plant, they are aromatic essences extracted from plants, flowers, trees, fruits, bark, grasses and seeds with distinctive therapeutic, psychological, and physiological properties, which improve health and change moods. There are about 150 essential oils. Most of these oils have antiseptic properties; some are antiviral, anti-inflammatory, pain-relieving, antidepressant and expectorant. Other properties of the essential oils which are taken advantage of in aromatherapy are their stimulation, relaxation, digestion improvement, and diuretic properties. To get the maximum benefit from essential oils, it should be made from natural, pure raw materials. Synthetically made oils like perfume do not provide the therapeutic benefits of essential oils.

The essential oils are added to the bath or massaged into the skin, inhaled directly or diffused to scent an entire room. Aromatherapy is used for the relief of pain, care for the skin, alleviate tension and fatigue and invigorate the entire body. it helps to change our mood as well. Just imagine what is your mood when you smell the scent of fresh roses and what how you feel when you smell the garbage dump.

The Theory Behind Aromatherapy

Essential oils penetrate the body in two ways: through the nose and through skin.

Through The Nose (Olfactory and inhalation)

The olfactory, the nose-brain association is the most direct connection we have with environment. When breath in, the essential oils molecules will be absorbed and captured by the small hairs called cilia in the nose, they will bind them to receptors, message send direct to the limbic system. Limbic system is directly connected to those parts of the brain that control heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, stress level, hormone balance, and so it responsible for all primitive drive of hunger, thirst, sex etc.

Inhalation, when inhaling, the aromatic molecules enter through nose and absorbed into respiratory tract and into the lungs. They pass directly across the mucous membrance into blood stream and deliver to all parts of the body.

Through The Skin (Dermal crossing)

Skin is the largest organ of a human. When the essential oils applied onto the skin, via carrier oil or lotion. (essential oils are highly concentrate oils and should not applied direct to skin undiluted, read safety precaution of aromatherapy essential oils) The essential oils penetrates the skin through pores and hair follicles, where they are absorbed by tiny capillaries, they eventually reached the bloodstream (the microcirculatory system), circulated throughout the body and affect adjacent organs and structure until they are excreted through urine, feces, sweat, perspiration or exhalation. Unlike synthetic chemicals or drugs, essential oils do not accumulate in the body. This is one of the reason why aromatherapy essential oils is safe to be used.

The effectiveness of essential oils absorption can be enhanced by warming the skin including massage, the warmth encourages the blood circulation and this maximize the essential oils absorption.

“Oral Ingestion or swallow the essential oils is NOT recommanded to public as great essential oils knowledge and expertise is needed for safe practice.”

Other Benefits of Essential Oils
In addition to therapeutic benefit at the emotional and physical level, essential oils are helpful in other applications. Essential oils can be used in household and laundry cleaners. Some oils act as a natural insect repellent and pesticide. You may recall using citronella candles during the summer to keep mosquitoes away. Citronella essential oil is the ingredient in the candles that is responsible for repelling the mosquitos.

Aromatherapy is one of the fastest growing fields in alternative medicine. It is widely used at home, clinics and hospitals for a variety of applications such as pain relief for women in labor pain, relieving pain caused by the side effects of the chemotherapy undergone by the cancer patients, and rehabilitation of cardiac patients.

Aromatherapy is already slowly getting into the mainstream. In Japan, engineers are incorporating aroma systems into new buildings. In one such application, the scent of lavender and rosemary is pumped into the customer area to calm down the waiting customers, while the perfumes from lemon and eucalyptus are used in the bank teller counters to keep the staff alert.

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