We get essential oils by extracting them from thousands of plants and herbs all over the world. For centuries, civilizations have used these oils to treat all kinds of infectious diseases. Over the years each essential oil has been found useful for treating a specific set of ailments and illnesses. In laboratory tests they’ve been shown to inhibit the growth of bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms.
The aromatherapy skin care products have been a growth industry for many years now. And they are used by millions of people every day all over the world. These products are produced by a distillation process which extracts the “essence” of the plant which becomes the essential oil that we buy in the health stores.
In addition to being used as a treatment for illnesses, aromatherapy blends are often used to simply change a person’s mood or put him or her into a different mental state.
Aromatherapy and cancer. Aromatherapy blends have never been advocated as a treatment for cancer. But some physicians and health care professionals do recommend it as a way to mitigate some of the side effects of cancer or cancer treatments. Many essential oils can positively affect moods helping to keep the patient in a positive mental attitude without resulting to prescription drugs.
Aromatherapy blends have uses beyond the medical. Many people are surprised to learn that some of these blends are great as insect repellants. For example, if you don’t like using chemical products on your skin or in your house, you can try an aromatherapy alternative. Citronella oil is useful for repelling mosquitos. Quite a few people use citronella candles while on evening picnics with excellent results. In addition, you can buy citronella laced lotions to rub on your skin to protect against mosquitos. If you study the literature, you’ll also discover aromatherapy blends to repel moths, fleas, ticks, and many other insects.
Unless aromatherapy blends are diluted heavily, they can be very sensitive to the skin. So if you have just started to apply a particular blend, to make sure that you won’t have a reaction to it, test a sample on your skin first. In addition, because these blends are so concentrated, be very careful when using them on children.
Because of their intense concentration, when smelling aromatherapy oils, never put your nose directly over the bottle and inhale. If you do, you’ll probably temporarily overload your olfactory senses and probably get a headache. A better way is to do it the way that professional chefs smell their dishes. Open the bottle and with your hand wave the scent towards your nose. This gives you a much more realistic indication of what the oil will smell like in a natural setting.
Because of the popularity of aromatherapy, and the expense of real and natural essential oils, you’ll find some companies that are selling synthetic essential oils – even though they might not be advertised as such. If you are using synthetic essential oils, you are not really engaging in true aromatherapy and you will probably not get the same results.
