There has been a recent upsurge in interest in essential oils as a remedy for a wide variety of ailments, ranging from headaches to insomnia to sore throats. But how effective are these highly concentrated plant oils?
Using essential oils safely can have a positive effect on your health and well-being. Are you interested in trying out essential oils? Essential oils aren’t all created equal, so educate yourself on the conditions they can treat and how to find high-quality ones.
Is Aromatherapy a Real Thing?
The therapeutic use of essential oils is known as aromatherapy. Aromatherapy has been around for a long time. To the amygdala, which houses our emotions, scent molecules in essential oils travel directly from the olfactory nerves when inhaled. Aside from inhalation, essential oils can be absorbed through the skin. Wintergreen essential oil can be added to massage oil to help relax tense muscles. To create a relaxing bath experience, a skincare line might include lavender in its bath salts.
What Is the Purpose of Using Essential Oils in the First Place?
Plant extracts are the basis for essential oils. Flowers, bark, leaves, and fruit are all part of the process of extracting the compounds that give a plant its scent. A single bottle of essential oil can require a lot of plant material. Essential oils aren’t just for making plants smell good; they also have other functions.
What Are the Safest Ways to Use Essential Oils?
Essential oils are available in a wide range of qualities, from the purest to the most diluted. For one thing, the label may not include all of the ingredients in the bottle you’re purchasing. The reason essential oils should not be ingested is that they can cause adverse reactions.
Essential oil diffusers, which are small household appliances that produce scented vapor, are also discouraged by Johns Hopkins. In a public place or a household where there are multiple people, the effects of a contagious disease can vary widely. Peppermint, for example, is commonly prescribed to treat headaches. A child under the age of 30 months can become agitated if you use it around them. As a result, it could be harmful. Peppermint can also cause heart palpitations in people with fast heartbeat.
When looking for essential oils, how do you know which ones to buy?
When purchasing essential oils, product quality is the most important consideration. However, determining which essential oils are the best can be difficult due to the absence of a grading system or certification for essential oils in the United States. Is this a big deal? The term “therapeutic grade” is thrown around a lot in the essential oil industry, but that’s just a marketing term.
If you’re looking for pure essential oils, keep reading for some shopping advice:
The label tells you everything you need to know: It should include the Latin name of the plant, as well as information on the plant’s purity and the country in which it was grown.
Inquire about the business: Invest in aromatherapy products from a well-known and reputable company that has been in business for some time.
Glass containers in dark colors are preferable: Pure essential oils have a high concentration of active ingredients. They can taint the oil by dissolving plastic containers over time. Essential oils are typically packaged in small brown or blue glass bottles in order to preserve the product’s potency.
Avoid using “fragrance oils”: When essential oils are combined with chemicals or if they are made entirely from chemicals, they are known as fragrance oils and perfume oils. Look for bottles that contain only one essential oil in its purest form for aromatherapy instead (100 percent essential oil with no other fillers).
Check out the costs: It depends on the complexity of the harvesting and production process that determines the price of essential oils. A range of prices should be available within a single line, from the more expensive rose absolute or sandalwood oils to the more affordable sweet orange oil. If you find a cheap essential oil for a high price, chances are it isn’t pure.
Essential oils have the power to lift your spirits and make you feel better just by smelling them. They may even be able to help alleviate the symptoms of some conditions for some people. Consult an integrative medicine expert for more information on incorporating them into a healthy lifestyle.