Consumer Guide To Aromatherapy

---

What is Aromatherapy?

Aromatherapy means the therapeutic or cosmetic use of essential oils derived from herbs, flowers, fruits, and trees. Increasingly popular among cosmeticians, spas, and salons, essential oils now take the place of synthetic chemicals in many natural body care products.
Their use dates back 4,000 years, when the ancient Egyptians employed crude plant essential oils in healing, cosmetics, perfumery, and religious rites. Egypt's knowledge of essential oils and extraction techniques spread first to Greece, then to Rome and Byzantium. The Arabs invented distillation in the tenth century AD, a technological advance that made possible extraction of essential oils from many more plants.
Returning Crusaders brought exotic Eastern aromatics to medieval Europe, where a woeful lack of personal hygiene and public sanitation made odor-masking scents prized luxuries. And, European herbalists soon added them to their repertoire of herbal medicines and cosmetics.
The therapeutic properties of essential oils remained relatively unexplored by science until European chemists began to investigate them in the 1920's. Today, essential oils are the subject of significant medical research, primarily as antiseptics, antibiotics, anti-fungal agents, anti-cancer agents, mood enhancers, dental plaque inhibitors, skin condition therapies, and aids to burn recovery. In the U.S., many nurses have recognized the therapeutic value of aromatherapy and accept it as part of standard care.

Back To Top

Psychology of Scent

Essential oils literally have the power to change your mind. The olfactory bulb is an extension of the brain?s limbic system, or rhinencephalon ("smell brain"), which controls digestion, sexual response, and emotions. For this reason, smells can have a powerful effect on mood and libido. The close mind-body connection that makes aromatherapy a potent holistic healing system can be observed throughout nature.
Many animals and insects emit scents to attract mates or mark territory. People do not emit such attractants, and have traditionally used animal scents such as musk to concoct alluring perfumes. Pleasing aromas have been used throughout history, elevate mood, induce relaxation or attraction, and create a peaceful atmosphere. Modern research suggests that scents can have measurable effects on consumers? buying behavior and workers? productivity.

Back To Top

What are Essential Oils?

Despite their name, essential oils are free of oils or fats, and instead contain volatile (i.e., penetrating and fast-evaporating) hydrocarbons such as terpenes, esters, ketones, and aldehydes. Essential oils are produced by plants to perform a variety of functions, from defense against microbes and insects to hormone-like mediation of plants' metabolic processes. Found inside and between cells, they often migrate to different parts of the plant during various growth stages and season. Essential oils are insoluble in water, partially dissolve in alcohols, and blend well with vegetable oils. A drop on white paper will evaporate leaving no mark.
The distinctive chemistry, or "chemotype," of an essential oil determines its scent and therapeutic properties, and permits authentication using sophisticated analytic methods. The proportions of chemicals in an essential oil can vary significantly according to subspecies, season, altitude, time of day, soil conditions, and geographical origin, or provenance.
This makes timing and location of harvest critical factors in determining the quality and characteristics of an essential oil. Accordingly, provenance as well as species identifies some essential oils. For example, three distinct chemotypes - camphor, cineol, or verbenon - characterize rosemary essence, depending on its geographical origin. Top quality suppliers offer only that chemotype(s) of each essence that is most useful and effective in aromatherapy.

Back To Top

Medical Uses

The therapeutic action of essential oils is often greater than the effect of any one of their ingredients. And, compared with pharmaceuticals, most present far fewer side effects. In normal use, they are absorbed and metabolized very rapidly, leaving no toxic accumulation. Whole tea tree oil, for example, is more effective than any of its constituent chemicals, and is safer and more effective than most pharmaceutical alternatives.
Essential oils are usually applied topically, and can treat a wide variety of conditions, such as: Acne, anxiety, asthma, boils, burns, damaged hair, dandruff, fungal infections, gum disease, headaches, insect bites, menstrual complaints, muscular pain, nervousness, respiratory infections and allergies, ulcers, skin conditions, stress, septic wounds, and yeast infections.
With the proper guidance, many of these conditions can be treated at home. However, in the instance of serious health complaints, it is wise to seek the assistance of a licensed professional who is well trained and experienced in aromatherapy.

Back To Top

Natural vs. Synthetic

True essential oils emit full, complex fragrances that are nearly impossible to duplicate in the laboratory. Some, including eucalyptus and lavender, are so abundant and easy to extract that there is no economic incentive to produce cheap synthetic imitations. Others are more costly, and are frequently copied in the laboratory.
One type of synthetic essence is called a "nature identical." These consist of aromatic molecules derived from natural products. Artificial fragrances, on the other hand, are derived from petroleum products. The best artificial fragrances can smell quite good, and may even match the fragrance of a plant's flower more closely than its essential oil does. This is because essential oils typically contain a different, broader spectrum of chemicals. Artificial fragrances generally smell thinner or sharper, even to the untrained nose, and offer no therapeutic value.
No synthetic copy, regardless of its derivation, can match the precise blend of chemicals found in an essential oil. Even slight changes unbalance the fragrance, and, by upsetting delicate synergies, eliminate or reduce their therapeutic value.
Commodity fragrances used in toiletries are often 100 percent artificial or "nature identical." Even essential oils are sometimes "stretched" by addition of a synthetic fragrance or a vegetable oil. The only way to be sure of the quality of a fragrance is to purchase from a reputable supplier.

Back To Top

Aromatherapy-Grade Oils

Distinctions among grades of natural fragrances become especially significant when the essence is intended for use in aromatherapy.
The finest aromatherapy essences are extracted by water-steam distillation. However, certain high quality essential oils, called concretes or absolutes (jasmine, honeysuckle, etc.), must be extracted with petroleum solvents. (While solvents can leave infinitesimal trace residues, most aromatherapists believe the benefits obtainable only from some absolutes outweigh this minuscule risk.)
The essential oils of some plants, such as rose, come in two forms. Dense, so-called "absolute" essential oils are solvent-extracted, while "otto" essences are steam-distilled. Ottos are typically lighter in fragrance, and contain a narrower spectrum of aromatic compounds. A good aromatherapy guide will address the different uses to which each type can best be put. MotherNature.com offers only those essential oils that meet the following criteria:

1. The maker guarantees provenance and species;
2. No extenders, adjusters, emulsifiers, synthetics, or additives are used.
3. Solvent-free extraction (except absolutes and concretes).

Back To Top

How to Use

Essential oils are ideal for home use in skin care, massage, and psychic rejuvenation, and we offer several excellent instructional books. The aromatherapy oils we carry are entirely safe for external use. A licensed health practitioner trained in aromatherapy must supervise oral administration of capsules containing essential oils. Some persons, especially those allergic to perfumes, may be sensitive to certain essences. You can safely "patch-test" essential oil by placing a few drops on the back of your hand.
With the exception of certain therapeutic and cosmetological uses, essential oil need not be used "neat" (undiluted) on the skin. Instead, blend them with "carrier" oils (refined, expeller-pressed vegetable oils). Add 5 ml (1/4 ounce) of essence to four ounces of carrier oil, to produce aromatic oil for massage, perfume, or bath.
The light, fragrant liquid that condenses after steam distillation of essential oil is called floral water. Easily applied with a mister, and containing nothing other than pure floral essences, they are ideal for tonifying sensitive facial skin.

Massage - To induce relaxation (lavender, orange, marjoram, chamomile, etc.) or ease muscular pain (chamomile, lavender). Select your carrier oil according to skin type: oily (apricot, walnut, soy), dry (olive, almond, cocoa butter), normal (corn, sesame, sunflower, canola)
Skin Care - Essential oils stimulate circulation, cell growth, and elimination of toxins and dead skin. While essences are properly applied neat for certain purposes, they are more typically administered to facial skin via carrier oils, compresses, and masks. (Floral water mists also deliver the tonifying benefits of essential oil, and are even gentler, for sensitive facial skin.)
Bath - Add 7 to 8 drops of a soothing essence (e.g., chamomile, rose, orange, lavender, sandalwood, ylang ylang) to a hot bath, to waft your troubles away.
Hair Care - Add 5 ml (1/4 ounce) of essence to a high quality shampoo, according to your hair's condition: dry (cedarwood), normal (lavender, ylang ylang), oily (rosemary, lemongrass).
Room Scenting - One can enjoy the psychological benefits of essential oils, while refreshing and purifying indoor air, by diffusing essences via aroma lamps or electric diffusers. Aroma lamps warm essential oils in water over a candle, evaporating their scent into the air. Diffusers emit atomized essential oil and small amounts of deodorizing ozone.
Congestion/Sinuses - Place a few drops of essential oil into a large bowl filled with hot water. Put your face over the water, with a towel over your head to trap the vapors, and breathe them for several minutes. This is an excellent means of administering appropriate essential oils, such as eucalyptus, for congestion or sinus complaints.
Perfume - Before synthetics, perfumes were made by blending essential oils with vegetable oils and animal scents such as musk. Make your own by adding a few drops of essence to a carrier oil. (Essential oils evaporate too quickly to use neat for perfume.)

Back To Top

Benefits and Uses

The therapeutic action of essential oils is often greater than the effect of any one of their ingredients. And, compared with pharmaceuticals, most present far fewer side effects. In normal use, they are absorbed and metabolized very rapidly, leaving no toxic accumulation. Whole tea tree oil, for example, is more effective than any of its constituent chemicals, and is safer and more effective than most pharmaceutical alternatives. Essential oils are usually applied topically, and can treat a wide variety of conditions, such as: Acne, anxiety, asthma, boils, burns, damaged hair, dandruff, fungal infections, gum disease, headaches, insect bites, menstrual complaints, muscular pain, nervousness, respiratory infections and allergies, ulcers, skin conditions, stress, septic wounds, and yeast infections. With the proper guidance, many of these conditions can be treated at home. However, in the instance of serious health complaints, it is wise to seek the assistance of a licensed professional who is well trained and experienced in aromatherapy. How to Use Essential Oils Essential oils are ideal for home use in skin care, massage, and psychic rejuvenation, and we offer several excellent instructional books. The aromatherapy oils we carry are entirely safe for external use. A licensed health practitioner trained in aromatherapy must supervise oral administration of capsules containing essential oils. Some persons, especially those allergic to perfumes, may be sensitive to certain essences. You can safely "patch-test" essential oil by placing a few drops on the back of your hand. With the exception of certain therapeutic and cosmetological uses, essential oil need not be used "neat" (undiluted) on the skin. Instead, blend them with "carrier" oils (refined, expeller-pressed vegetable oils). Add 5 ml (1/4 ounce) of essence to four ounces of carrier oil, to produce aromatic oil for massage, perfume, or bath. The light, fragrant liquid that condenses after steam distillation of essential oil is called floral water. Easily applied with a mister, and containing nothing other than pure floral essences, they are ideal for tonifying sensitive facial skin. Massage - To induce relaxation (lavender, orange, marjoram, chamomile, etc.) or ease muscular pain (chamomile, lavender). Select your carrier oil according to skin type: oily (apricot, walnut, soy), dry (olive, almond, cocoa butter), normal (corn, sesame, sunflower, canola) Skin Care - Essential oils stimulate circulation, cell growth, and elimination of toxins and dead skin. While essences are properly applied neat for certain purposes, they are more typically administered to facial skin via carrier oils, compresses, and masks. (Floral water mists also deliver the tonifying benefits of essential oil, and are even gentler, for sensitive facial skin.) Bath - Add 7 to 8 drops of a soothing essence (e.g., chamomile, rose, orange, lavender, sandalwood, ylang ylang) to a hot bath, to waft your troubles away. Hair Care - Add 5 ml (1/4 ounce) of essence to a high quality shampoo, according to your hair's condition: dry (cedarwood), normal (lavender, ylang ylang), oily (rosemary, lemongrass). Room Scenting - One can enjoy the psychological benefits of essential oils, while refreshing and purifying indoor air, by diffusing essences via aroma lamps or electric diffusers. Aroma lamps warm essential oils in water over a candle, evaporating their scent into the air. Diffusers emit atomized essential oil and small amounts of deodorizing ozone. Congestion/Sinuses - Place a few drops of essential oil into a large bowl filled with hot water. Put your face over the water, with a towel over your head to trap the vapors, and breathe them for several minutes. This is an excellent means of administering appropriate essential oils, such as eucalyptus, for congestion or sinus complaints. Perfume - Before synthetics, perfumes were made by blending essential oils with vegetable oils and animal scents such as musk. Make your own by adding a few drops of essence to a carrier oil. (Essential oils evaporate too quickly to use neat for perfume.)

Back To Top

Do Scientists Know How It Works?

Despite their name, essential oils are free of oils or fats, and instead contain volatile (i.e., penetrating and fast-evaporating) hydrocarbons such as terpenes, esters, ketones, and aldehydes. Essential oils are produced by plants to perform a variety of functions, from defense against microbes and insects to hormone-like mediation of plants' metabolic processes. Found inside and between cells, they often migrate to different parts of the plant during various growth stages and season. Essential oils are insoluble in water, partially dissolve in alcohols, and blend well with vegetable oils. A drop on white paper will evaporate leaving no mark.
The distinctive chemistry, or "chemotype," of an essential oil determines its scent and therapeutic properties, and permits authentication using sophisticated analytic methods. The proportions of chemicals in an essential oil can vary significantly according to subspecies, season, altitude, time of day, soil conditions, and geographical origin, or provenance.
This makes timing and location of harvest critical factors in determining the quality and characteristics of an essential oil. Accordingly, provenance as well as species identifies some essential oils. For example, three distinct chemotypes - camphor, cineol, or verbenon - characterize rosemary essence, depending on its geographical origin. Top quality suppliers offer only that chemotype(s) of each essence that is most useful and effective in aromatherapy.

Back To Top

Type Of Products

Distinctions among grades of natural fragrances become especially significant when the essence is intended for use in aromatherapy. The finest aromatherapy essences are extracted by water-steam distillation. However, certain high quality essential oils, called concretes or absolutes (jasmine, honeysuckle, etc.), must be extracted with petroleum solvents. (While solvents can leave infinitesimal trace residues, most aromatherapists believe the benefits obtainable only from some absolutes outweigh this minuscule risk.) The essential oils of some plants, such as rose, come in two forms. Dense, so-called "absolute" essential oils are solvent-extracted, while "otto" essences are steam-distilled. Ottos are typically lighter in fragrance, and contain a narrower spectrum of aromatic compounds. A good aromatherapy guide will address the different uses to which each type can best be put. MotherNature.com offers only those essential oils that meet the following criteria: The maker guarantees provenance and species; No extenders, adjusters, emulsifiers, synthetics, or additives are used. Solvent-free extraction (except absolutes and concretes).

Back To Top

References

• Baker J. Essential oils: a complementary therapy in wound management. J Wound Care. 1998 Jul;7(7):355-7. Review.
• Bardon S, et al. Monoterpenes inhibit cell growth, cell cycle progression, and cyclin D1 gene expression in human breast cancer cell lines. Nutr Cancer. 1998;32(1):1-7.
• Buckle J. Clinical aromatherapy and touch: complementary therapies for nursing practice. Crit Care Nurse. 1998 Oct;18(5):54-61. Review.
• Buckle J. Use of aromatherapy as a complementary treatment for chronic pain. Altern Ther Health Med. 1999 Sep;5(5):42-51.
• Buckle J. Aromatherapy. Nurs Times. 1993 May 19-25;89(20):32-5.
• Cawthorn A. A review of the literature surrounding the research into aromatherapy. Complement Ther Nurs Midwifery. 1995 Aug;1(4):118-20. Review.
• Craig WJ. Health-promoting properties of common herbs. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Sep;70(3 Suppl):491S-499S. Review.
• Frohlich E. [Lavender oil, review of clinical, pharmacological and bacteriologic studies. Contribution to clarification of the mechanism of action]. Wien Med Wochenschr. 1968 Apr 13;118(15):345-50. German.
• Glowania HJ, et al. [Effect of chamomile on wound healing--a clinical double-blind study]. Z Hautkr. 1987 Sep 1;62(17):1262, 1267-71. German.
• Gould MN. Cancer chemoprevention and therapy by monoterpenes. Environ Health Perspect. 1997 Jun;105 Suppl 4:977-9. Review.
• Hay IC, et al. Randomized trial of aromatherapy. Successful treatment for alopecia areata. Arch Dermatol. 1998 Nov;134(11):1349-52.
• Hayashi K, et al. Virucidal effects of the steam distillate from Houttuynia cordata and its components on HSV-1, influenza virus, and HIV. Planta Med. 1995 Jun;61(3):237-41.
• Hiruma-Lima CA, et al. Effects of an essential oil from the bark of Croton cajucara Benth. on experimental gastric ulcer models in rats and mice. J Pharm Pharmacol. 1999 Mar;51(3):341-6.
• Janssen AM, et al. Antimicrobial activities of essential oils. A 1976-1986 literature review on possible applications. Pharm Weekbl Sci. 1987 Aug 21;9(4):193-7. Review.
• Lis-Balchin M, et al. A study of the changes in the bioactivity of essential oils used singly and as mixtures in aromatherapy. J Altern Complement Med. 1997 Fall;3(3):249-56.
• Lis-Balchin M, et al. Studies on the mode of action of the essential oil of LavenderLavandula angustifolia P. miller). Phytother Res. 1999 Sep;13(6):540-2.
• Maudsley F, et al. Microbiological safety of essential oils used in complementary therapies and the activity of these compounds against bacterial and fungal pathogens. Support Care Cancer. 1999 Mar;7(2):100-2.
• Moran J, et al. A 4-day plaque regrowth study comparing an essential oil mouthrinse with a triclosan mouthrinse. J Clin Periodontol. 1997 Sep;24(9 Pt 1):636-9.
• Nelson NJ. Scents or nonsense: aromatherapy's benefits still subject to debate. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1997 Sep 17;89(18):1334-6.
• Nenoff P, et al. Antifungal activity of the essential oil of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree oil) against pathogenic fungi in vitro. Skin Pharmacol. 1996;9(6):388-94.
• Siurin SA. [Effects of essential oil on lipid peroxidation and lipid metabolism in patients with chronic bronchitis]. Klin Med (Mosk). 1997;75(10):43-5. Russian.
• Viola H, et al. Apigenin, a component of Matricaria recutita flowers, is a central benzodiazepine receptors-ligand with anxiolytic effects. Planta Med. 1995 Jun;61(3):213-6.
• Young E, et al. Induction of the acute-phase reaction increases heparin-binding proteins in plasma. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1997 Aug;17(8):1568-74.

Back To Top

• Browse Our Selection of Aromatherapy Products