Re: Question about essential oils -long reply

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I wrote this a few months ago for a friend and had it saved.

-Trin

I questioned a recipe that used vanilla and lavender FO's, then

stated " Both Vanilla and Lavender have soothing, emollient

properties to help calm you and reduce stress " . Now what the

recipe stated is true both of these oils do hold these benefits, but

not in a FO form. I questioned it because I believed that to have

a holistic benefit on our body it would need to be a EO and not a

FO. I had a hard time thinking that aromatherapy could be

achieved threw FO's. I understand a FO can provide a relaxing

effect if that smell is something to comfort to that particular

person, still I couldn't believe that they are suitable for

aromatherapy. Plus the fact that they used the word emollient

bothered me. How can you have a softening effect with a

synthetic fragrance??

So I started searching I wanted information on how

aromatherapy worked with the human body. I found most of my

information from books I got from the library on essential oils,

and some information from the net.

So first of all what is an essential oil? If a plant is

aromatic/fragrant, and any part can be (roots, leaves, flower) it

means it contains one or more essential oils. All essential oils

are antiseptic, some are anti fungal and anti viral. They

discourage pests and pull in pollinators, and they evaporate into

the air in hot weather to create an envelope of protection around

the plant.

Each essential oil is made up of many components, with a tiny

molecular structure which allows them to pass through the skin.

Essential oil molecules have been proven to reach our internal

parts in four ways. First, through smell, the scent-vibration

impulse reaches our brain, where it affects the limbic system,

emotions and hormone production; second, through the nasal

mucous membranes into the circulation system; third, inhaled

into the lungs and from there into the bloodstream; and forth,

through the skin via the lymph and capillary blood systems.

Skin-applied oils take from 20-70 minutes to reach the

bloodstream.

To test this you could take a clove of garlic and rub it against the

soles of your feet....the volatile oil will be taken into the blood and

in about 20 minutes you can smell the odor on your breath.

In some respects, the word `aromatherapy' can be misleading

because it suggests that it is a form of healing that works

exclusively through the sense of smell, and on the emotions.

This is not the case, for apart from its scent, each essential oil

has an individual combination of constituents that interacts with

the body's chemistry in a direct manner, which then in turn

affects certain organs or the systems as a whole.

It is therefore important to recognize that essential oils have

three distinct modes of action with regard to how they interrelate

with the human body: pharmacological, physiological and

psychological. The pharmacological effect is concerned with the

chemical changes that take place when an essential oil enters

the bloodstream and reacts with the hormones and enzymes,

etc.; the physiological mode with the way in which an essential

oil affects the system of the body, whether they are sedated or

stimulated, etc.; the psychological effects take place when an

essence is inhaled, and an individual responds to its odor. On

the first two points, aromatherapy has much in common with the

tradition of medical herbalism or phytotherapy-in other words, it

is not simply the aroma that is important but also the chemical

interaction between the oils and the body, and the physical

changes that are bought about.

There are also significant differences between synthetic

fragrance oils (made possible by recent advances in chemistry)

and pure essential oils. Synthetic fragrance oils are produced by

blending aromatic chemicals primarily derived from coal tar.

These oils may duplicate the smell of the pure botanical, but the

complex chemical components of each essential oil created in

nature determine its true aromatic benefits. While synthetic

fragrance oils are not suitable for aromatherapy, they add an

approximation of the natural scent to crafts, potpourri, soap and

perfume at a fraction of the cost.

Essential oil is the fragrant oil found naturally. The oil is extracted

directly from the plant source, capturing the essence and healing

benefits. Perfume or fragrance oils are man-made fragrances

that are either fully synthetic or a combination of synthetic and

natural oils that simulate scents found in nature such as pear,

peach or chocolate. Although these particular scents do exist, we

have no way to extract their essences from their sources.

Synthetic fragrance oils therefore have no healing benefits, they

just smell good. There are also synthetic copies of essential

oils, such as rose or sandalwood, made to use for a cheaper

price.

Look for the words " essential oil " when purchasing products; if

you only see the word " fragrance, " it's probably synthetic. When

we inhale the fragrance of a plant, our brain knows how to

register it; it tells us that we're smelling a flower or a blade of

grass or a fragrant bark. But when we smell artificial fragrances,

the molecular structure confuses our brain so we cannot identify

it. That's why so many people get headaches from synthetic

perfume - their body chemistry can't recognize it.

Sources

FRAGRANT HERBAL BY LESLEY BREMNESS

THE ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ESSENTIAL OILS BY

JULIA LAWLESS

links found with doing a google search for " benefits synthetic

fragrance oil "

> Is there a difference between essential oils and fragrance

oils? How can one tell?

>

> .....