What are Essential Oils, and what is Aromatherapy?

Essential Oils...A Gift of Nature   Essential Oils, also known as 'essences' or 'volatile oils', are the highly odiferous liquid components of plants, trees and grasses.   The word 'essential' is derived from quintessence…

In ancient philosophical or alchemical terms, quintessence was related to ether or the fifth element and was thought to be the spiritual aspect of matter. It is also interesting to mention that essential oils are sometimes called 'ethereal oils', a Germanic term which aptly describes their otherworldly nature; for if left in the open air, they disappear without a trace, evaporating into the ether like a mist.

Essential oils may be found in different parts of the plant: in the petals (rose), leaves (eucalyptus), roots of grass (vetiver), bark (cinnamon), heartwood (sandalwood), citrus rind (lemon), seeds (caraway), rhizomes (ginger, valerian), bulbs (galrlic), the aerial or top parts of the plant (marjoram) or resin (frankincense, myrrh), and sometimes in more than one part of the plant…

The orange tree produces three different smelling essences with varying medicinal properties; the heady bitter-sweet neroli (flowers), the similar though less refines scent of petitgrain (leaves of the orange tree), and the cheery orange (fruit rind).

Essential oils are highly concentrated substances and therefore rarely used neat, although certain essences, such as lavender and tea tree, are sometimes used undiluted as an antiseptic. (Chrissie Wildwood: The Encyclopedia of Aromatherapy).

All essential oils are extracted from the plant kingdom…They are called 'essential' because they not only capture the plant's fragrance, but also its healing properties in a very concentrated way. (Julia Lawless: The Home Use of Essential Oils).

What are they used for?

The benefits of natural products is being re-assessed and re-evaluated.

Introducing aromatics back into the home seems a healthy and enjoyable substitute for the many synthetic fragrances with which we are surrounded, and a valuable alternative to certain commonly used drugs.

Current research confirms increasingly the value of many traditional remedies. The bactericidal, anti-septic, fungicidal and healing qualities of some essential oils, such as tea tree, have been shown through scientific research to be even more effective than many of their synthetic substitutes. In the past, all perfumes, toiletries and soaps were made using essential oils.

Today, natural oils have largely been replaced by chemicals for commercial purposes. Aromatherapy, and the employment of essential oils for personal and home use reflects the growing need to 'return to nature'.

In Aromatherapy, essential oils are used both for their scent and for their healing properties. Since the oils are absorbed readily through the skin and into the bloodstream, the use of massage is an important aspect of the treatment.

This is beneficial for a wide range of physical conditions such as arthritis, high blood pressure, skin disorders or muscular pain if they are blended skillfully.

The fragrance of each essential oil also plays a vital role in its overall healing quality, which acts upon the individual in a unique subtle manner.

Nowdays, our sense of smell is often undervalued or unappreciated…but this doesn't mean that is doesn't have an effect. The use of fragrance has been found to have particular value in the treatment of emotional or nervous disorders, especially when combined with massage.

Our sense of smell is intimately connected with mood and memory, and modern research has shown that the scent of certain essential oils can help combat conditions such as insomnia, anxiety, depression, and mental fatigue which are so often the result of today's stressful lifestyle.

Essential oils are therefore effective for both physical and emotional complaints, the two being connected. (Julia Lawless).