Thursday, 16 July 2015

Aromatherapy

Introduction

There is nothing like the smell of a rose. Its smell is irresistible - when people see a beautiful red rose, they will go over towards it just to take a sniff. The smell of blossom is also tantalising. So, what is aromatherapy all about? Smelling the scent of a beautiful rose, or is it something more? Scroll down to find out more.

How aromatherapy first came to be

Aromatherapy as it is known today was, actually, discovered 'by accident' . The story, as told on p.69 of The Hamlyn Encyclopaedia to Complementary Health,  - by Bradford is that in the 1930's, a chemist named Rene-Maurice Gattefosse burned himself in a laboratory. As a natural reflex action, he dunked his burned hand into the nearest glass of liquid - what he probably thought was water. It turned out to be lavender essential oil. What Gattefosse found was that his hand '...healed remarkably quickly, without infection and no trace of scaring'. At that time, essential oils were already around, but it wasn't until Gattefosse's experience that serious research into aromatherapy really began.

Aromatherapy consists of the different types of oils - see below. These are used for different purposes, depending on the issues of the client.

Oils

Carrier oils - such as sweet almond - have no particular scent. They cause no irritation or harm to one's skin and can safely be used to dilute pure essential oils. The dilution is usually given on the essential oil bottle and may be something like the following: 'dilute a couple of drops of essential oil in 5ml of carrier oil'.  Essential oils can also be diluted in oils found in the home - such as extra virgin olive oil, or avocado oil.
Absolutes - these are the purest essential oils. These are usually the more expensive because they haven't been diluted (and so cost more because they contain more of the actual essential oil).

Essential oils -  Essential oils are the natural oils derived from plants. For example, lavendar, tea tree, ylang ylang, rosemary and rose. They are used in some cosmetics, shampoos, soaps, air fresheners, as well as in some foods. Some can be affordable - such as lavender oil - whilst others are pricey - for example, rose oil. Rose oil is extremely expensive because it takes an enormous amount of rose petals to produce a little bottle of essential oil. In my opinion, these natural oils are called 'essential' because they are thought to be - or contain - the 'essence' of the plant. These oils are derived through the process of distillation. The petals, stems or leaves may be used for this process, depending on which parts contain the greatest amount of natural oil. Generally, they are diluted in a base oil (another term for carrier oils). They can also be added to food, as well as to skin creams, or aloe vera gel and used on the skin. It is suggestd to dab a bit of essential oil to  small area of skin and then watch for any sign of irritation in the next one or two days, to check for possible allergy. If no irritation is present, it is possible to try the oil neat on the skin. However, for citrus oils such as lemon, it is best to just dilute it in carrier oil.

To give a general idea, the following provides a list of the properties of a few essential oils. Books list psychological conditions (e.g. stress, depression) that the oil can help alongside physical conditions it may help with (e.g. acne, cuts and wounds). Although I've given a brief excerpt from some books to give a rough idea of how the following oils may help, they are not at all complete, because usually a greater description is given of their medicinal properties and actions.

Lavender - Lavender Oil - by Lawless, Julia , from a brief flick through the pages, says it can help with ''Dizziness, herpes, acne, depression, fatigue, cuts/wounds, asthma, sunburn, stress, scabies, palpitations, muscular aches and pains'. The book is centred on the applications to be implemented for these conditions and so is a useful guide for anyone who wants to have an in-depth view of how lavender oil can be used.

A more well-known use of lavender oil is with its use for treating insomnia. A few drops of the oil placed on the pillow can encourage the insomnia sufferer to sleep by its soothing, relaxing scent. However, if the insomnia is due to lack or relaxation before sleep due to an over-active mind, then this method of treatment may help. However, if an over-active mind is not the underlying cause of insomnia, then this way of treating it may not work.

Lemon - according to p.12 of Essential Aromatherapy- by Jenny Plucknett, Lenib is 'stimulating, invigorating and astringent' and is 'deodorising, diuretic and antiseptic' and can be used to overcome an aching body, mental exhaustion or for lousy circulation. It must be remembered that this oil MUST be diluted in carrier oil because it can cause definite skin irritation, and, if it is taken, it MUST be ensured that the person is not exposed to sunlight for 48 hours (according to one book, though according to Essential Aromatherapy, p.13, it is a maximum of 6 hours that the person must not be exposed to sunlight. According to Aromatherapy by Nicola Jenkins - p.45, for Bergamot {another citrus essential oil}, the person must not be exposed to sunlight for 12 hours).

Tea tree oil, according to p.178 of The Encyclopedia of Essential oils by Julia Lawless, has 'Anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antiviral, bactericidal, balsamic, cicatrisant, diaphoric, expectorant, fungicidal, immuno-stimulant, parasiticide, vulnerary' actions. This is why is can be found in some (more natural-based) mouthwashes, as well as some toothpastes. The Encyclopedia of Essential oils - by Julia Lawless provides a very comprehensive guide to the uses and actions of many essential oils and is highly recommended for those who want to find out more. 
  
Extraction

The price of essential oils depends, not surprisingly, on how much of it is made. If tonnes of the plant are needed to make even a drop of oil, the essential oil made will be expensive to buy. Although rose oil is commonly found in beauty products, usually the sort used is of an impure grade - it has been diluted. This, logically, is because pure rose oil is expensive. For this reason, the diluted rose oil is used because it is cheaper and makes the product that uses it more economic. Sometime earlier in 2015 - around May -  the extraction of rose essential oil was featured on Food Unwrapped on Channel 4 (Series 5, Episode 4.) According to the programme, 1.4 kg of rose essential oil is made from 4 tonnes of rose petals. This explains why rose oil is one of the most expensive aromatherapy oils to purchase. This episode (from YouTube) is below:

The episode parts relating to the distillation of rose essential oil can be found at 3.00 - 4.28 minutes in and 14.14 - 17.36 minutes in. The distillation section is from 15.11 minutes to - 17.36 minutes.


Aromatherapy in practice

Strictly speaking, it is always advised to dilute pure essential oils in a 'carrier oil'. There are exceptions to this rule, however. Lavender oil can be applied neat on the skin without dilution, and in most cases, so can tea tree oil. However, for those with sensitive skin, tea tree oil may cause irritation if it does not get diluted in a carrier oil. 
         The citrus essential oils can cause especial problems if they are applied neat to the skin. (I once applied a couple of drops of lemon essential oil neat on the skin and was overcome with subsequent itchiness that occurred shortly afterwards). Also, citrus essential oils are sensitive to light, so they are ideally used -diluted of course - on the skin with no exposure in 48 hours to light.
      A rule of thumb in aromatherapy - when it comes to blending different essential oils together - is to blend a maximum of four oils together (in a carrier oil). 

Application 
An aromatherapy treatment may consist of massaging particular oils into the skin of the client, depending on their needs. There are six different techniques for this.

Baths - Although some shampoos have essential oils in their ingredients, a few drops of a chosen essential oil may be added to the bath water. This is a great way of ensuring that one smells nice and floral after a bath.

Incense - A New-Age edition to any home is lighting an incense stick. Myrrh and frankincense are excellent choices, whilst Clary sage may be employed to "cleanse" the energy of a room that feels rather down-beat and depressing. Incense consists of a stick with essential oil already added and only requires lighting with a match and "swabbing" around the room. They are usually used to spice up the atmosphere of a room, or for energy cleansing a home.

Friction rub - One palm moves flat across the skin in a forwards motion, whilst the other moves backwards in the opposite direction, also flat.

Ingestion - Due to their intensity, it is not advisable to take essential oils internally. They may be taken safely in the form of food - for example, Nestle's After Eights chocolates contain peppermint essential oil, as well as Plamil's organic mint chocolate - or, as Shirley Price suggests in her Practical Aromatherapy, a couple of drops can be placed on a sugar cube and eaten. From personal experience, essential oils do not taste pleasant - rather, they actually taste rather disgusting.

Inhalation - Water is boiled and poured into a basin. A few drops of essential oil (e.g. lavender) is added to the how water and a towel is based over it as well as over the head of the inhaler. The person inhaling may have a blocked-up nose or a throat filled with mucus and inhaling the oil may help to clear this. 

Kneading - same concept as for when bread dough is kneaded: The fingers of both hands are kept next to each other, and the thumbs are left at 90 degree angles. Flesh is passed across, towards the other hand - like one does with sticky bread dough. The thumbs are used to move the skin towards the fingers.   

Plasters - A couple of drops of lavender oil may be added to a plaster and placed over a wound or cut. A couple of drops of essential oil that has been diluted with carrier oil may be applied to the plaster instead.

Pummelling - the hands are made into fists and then moved rapidly down onto the skin, in a drum-like motion. One fist follows the other, and parts of the fingers may also be used to complement the treatment.

Raking - The fingers are moved downwards, like one uses a rake to rake up the fallen autumn leaves from a grassy lawn. This can be a soothing, relatively gentle treatment. The fingers are moved down the skin.

Stroking - The fingers are traced lightly over the skin and the pressure may be light, or slightly more manipulating by increasing the pressure. This can be beneficial for tired, aching joints, as well as for joint pains. It can also encourage circulation to areas where the blood circulation is poor by stroking firmly the specific area.

Thumbing - The thumb is used for this and this technique is just an extension of kneading. The pad of the thumb is used, as well as its side, and kneads the skin firmly but deeply; the pressure may be placed and held for a time before being released in a stroking manner. It may be done in circular motions.


What should I do if I get essential oil in my eyes?

This is not a pleasant experience, because the oil actually stings the eyes. What is advised is to go and immediately wash the eyes with cold, running water until the oil has gone. A flannel may be used for extra effect to dab the cold water around the eyes. If washing the eyes with cold water does not do the job, the person should go and see their doctor. 

How does it work?

As is explained below, aromatherapy is believed to work through the effect of the constituent chemicals of the oils on the brain. If the oils are inhaled, then the chemicals will be absorbed through the nose, to act more directly on the brain because they are not dealt with by the liver first.
          If the oils are massaged into the skin, then they will be absorbed by the skin and end up in the bloodstream, to be checked with by the liver. After this, they will be carried (it is said) in the bloodstream to the organs of the body. A more thorough explanation is given below.
 
A recent study

On http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33519453, there is featured a recent study that looks into whether rosemary essential oil can improve memory - with interesting results. Although more research is needed, it does provide an interesting revelation: that perhaps aromatherapy might help people in the way it is claimed - to some degree at least. 
   For proponents of aromatherapy, the results of the study are not surprising, because how aromatherapy works is explains in terms of chemistry - how certain chemicals contained in the oils can have a healing effect on the person being treated - particularly on their brain. The article explains that one of the chemicals in rosemary oil is '...called 1.8-cineole -[and] as well as smelling wonderful (if you like that sort of thing) it may act in the same way as the drugs licensed to treat dementia, causing an increase in a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine.
These compounds do this by preventing the breakdown of the neurotransmitter by an enzyme. And this is highly plausible - inhalation is one of the best ways of getting drugs into the brain. When you eat a drug it may be broken down in the liver which processes everything absorbed by the gut, but with inhalation small molecules can pass into the bloodstream and from there to the brain without being broken down by the liver.'
In confirmation of this, '...Mark and his team analysed blood samples and found traces of the chemicals in rosemary oil in the blood.'


      References

Aromatherapy - by Sadler, Julie 
Aromatherapy - by Jenkins, Nicola
Aromatherapy - by Wildwood, Christine
Aromatherapy, A guide for home use - by Westwood, Christine
Aromatherapy, Esential - by Plucknett, Jenny
Complementary Health, The Hamlyn Encyclopaedia to - by Bradford, Nikki [et al.]
Essential oils, a guide to - by  Harding, Jennie
Essential oils, The encyclopedia of - by Lawless, Julia
Oil, Lavender - by Lawless, Julia

1 comment:

  1. Milagro - The uses of essential oils are not limited to aromatherapy only they are featured in several areas as well. Using some essential oils for skin care can help prevent and ever erase the damage that time inflicts, leaving you looking as young as you feel. Most the essential oils cause skin irritation, especially if you do not dilute them with carrier oil. If you are facing skin related issues you can use Milagro beauty oil.

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