The Herb Stop Blog
The Power of Essential Oils
Inhaling the fragrance of a rose invokes feelings of love and passion, the sweet scent of cinnamon may bring up memories from way back when mother was baking cookies, and the pungent scent of garlic stimulates appetite, making your stomach gurgle. Ancient cultures knew about all of these effects and held aromatic plants in high esteem.
History
How Essential Oils Work
- Like herbal remedies, essential oils work in many different ways and can cover a wide field of activities. For example, one essential oil can stimulate certain systems of the body while sedating or relaxing others.
- When applying essential oils to the skin they penetrate very quickly into the blood stream, increasing circulation, immune activity, and oxygen. A nutritional deficiency is usually also an oxygen deficiency, and a disease begins when the cells lack the oxygen for proper nutrient assimilation.
- Essential oils are powerful antioxidants, creating an unfriendly environment for free radicals.
- Essential oils can be antibacterial, antifungal, anti-infectious, antimicrobial, anti-parasitic, antiviral, and antiseptic. Research has shown that they can destroy bacteria and viruses while simultaneously restore balance to the body.
- Some essential oils have the ability to pass the blood-brain barrier, enabling them to be effective in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s diseases, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis.
- Diffusing essential oils in an area can purify the air by removing toxins and metallic particles, inhibit bacterial growth, increase oxygen, ozone and negative ions, destroy odors from mold, cigarettes, and animals.
- Essential oils promote overall physical, mental and emotional healing.
- Essential oils have bio-electrical frequencies that is several times greater than the frequency of herbs, food, and even the human body. Clinical research has shown that essential oils have the potential to quickly raise the frequency of the human body, restoring it to its normal, healthy level. For example, the human body vibrates between 62 – 68 MHZ (Megahertz) during daytime. Death begins at 25 MGZ. Canned or processed foods vibrate at 0 MGZ, fresh produce up to 15 MGZ, fresh herbs between 20 – 27 MGZ, and essential oils between 52 – 320 MGZ. To read more about research done using bio-frequency monitors to determine the relationship between frequency and disease please read the book “Aromatherapy A-Z” by Connie and Alan Highley.
- Aromatic Plants have been used as a protection against infectious illnesses, the most notable example being the great waves of plague, which swept across Europe. There are many records of people who worked with aromatic plants or oils, escaping the plague, while others all around them were dying. In Toulouse a band of thieves is alleged to have stripped and robbed the bodies of plague victims without harm to themselves, thanks to an aromatic compound of vinegar, cloves, sage, marjoram, rosemary, juniper and camphor, all known and used in aromatherapy for their antiviral and antibacterial properties, with meadowsweet, wormwood, horehound and angelica. (See our Thief Oil)
How To Use Essential Oils
- Massages – Always blend essential oils with a pure vegetable oil, such as grapeseed, jojoba, sweet almond oil. Blend between 10 – 15 drops of essential oil with one tablespoon of carrier oil, or lotion. Never apply “neat” (without diluting first).
- Facials – Use in the same way as for a massage oil, except use more nourishing carrier oils, such as hazelnut oil, argan oil, or jojoba oil. For a facial spray or facial steam Add about 10 – 15 drops of essential oil to 2 oz of distilled water into a sprayer bottle for a facial spray or facial steam. (keep away from the eyes)
- Hair care – Add essential oils to your shampoo or conditioner. For a scalp massage add 5 – 15 drops to a vegetable oil and massage the scalp.
- Bath – An aromatherapy bath can treat a wide rage of conditions, such as skin problems, muscular aches, rheumatism and arthritis, or a cold. Add 5 – 10 drops to bathwater.
- Footbath – Add 5 drops of essential oil to a footbath, to refresh tired and painful feet, or to treat fungus.
- Steam inhalation – Add 5 drops of essential oil, such as eucalyptus, to a bowl of hot water. Cover the head and bowl with a towel and breathe deeply for a minute, then repeat. Sitting in a sauna is another way of inhaling essential oils.
- Diffuse – There are many ways to diffuse essential oils into the air, electric diffusers, a light bulb ring, or a diffuser that uses a candle to heat up the oil. Essential oils can also be added to humidifiers to disinfect during cold season (please read manufacturer’s instructions).
- Laundry – Add a few drops to your last rinse water. Or, sprinkle a few drops on to a cloth and toss into the dryer.
- Housecleaning - This is the spray cleaner we use at The Herb Stop to clean and disinfect surfaces. The essential oils have strong antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties as well as being tough degreasers. Their refreshing scent permeates our entire working environment. Everyone that enters can sense the calming and healing effect.
6 oz distilled water
2 oz denatured alcohol
1/4 tsp. lemon, lime or grapefruit essential oil
10 drops tea tree oil
- Perfume – Wearing essential oils as perfume or cologne gives you not only a beautiful fragrance, but also some wonderful emotional and physical support.
- Absorption – The quickest way to absorb essential oils is through inhalation, and the second fastest through application to the feet or ears.
Popular Essential Oils
Clove - Warming, stimulating, antiseptic, analgesic, anti-parasitic, and antifungal.It is a well-known oil to treat toothaches, numbing the pain. Since it has a numbing effect, clove oil can be applied, to painful areas, diluted in vegetable oil or cream.
Lavender - Used to ease insomnia, depression, impatience, stress and worry. Helps regulate the menstrual cycle. Lowers high blood pressure. Beneficial for respiratory problems. Helps alleviate headaches (massage a little in the temple area or back of neck). Use “neat” (undiluted) to insect bites, snakebites, etc, as it neutralizes poisons and calms the person (or animal). Outstanding for burns and wounds (prevents scaring).
Lemon - Lively, energizing, purifying. Promotes mental clarity, brings optimism and humor into ones life. Eases anxiety, depression, confusion. Brings cheer and strength in times of illness. Excellent to use in massage oils to purify the blood and lymphatic systems, to stimulate the immune and nervous systems, and to tonify the liver, gallbladder, pancreas, circulatory system. Helps counteract acidity and cholesterol build-up in the body.
Orange - Antidepressant, encourages positive outlook. Promotes immune function. Enhances most blends. Moves energy (Chi) in the body. Good for oily skin.
Peppermint - Exciting, refreshing and vitalizing. Stimulates the mind, aiding concentration. Excellent for motion sickness, headaches, nausea. Highly beneficial for digestion disorders (place two drops neat on stomach area). A drop in water makes a wonderful mouthwash and breath freshener.
Rosemary - Enhances memory, concentration, creativity, courage, and self confidence, alleviates lethargy. Stimulates and strengthens the heart and nerves. Beneficial for the liver and gallbladder, immune and respiratory system. Rejuvenates the skin, stimulates hair growth, brings luster to hair. Has antiseptic properties, good for wounds and burns. In massages relieves muscular pain, arthritic pain, and sciatic pain.
Tea Tree - A powerful effective and non-toxic anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. Highly beneficial for all types of infections, burns, wounds, tooth and gum infections, insect bites and stings. Assists in alleviating candida albicans, athlete’s foot, ringworm, and warts. Also beneficial for skin problems such as acne, rashes, and dandruff. Useful for respiratory problems, colds, flu and bronchitis.
All of these essential oils are included in our Essential Oil Starter Kit.