How do essential oils work?

Essential oils can benefit many systems of the body and affect each one differently.  They work on an emotional level, on a physiological level, and an energetic level.  It is all interconnected.  Essential oils affect the mind, body and spirit, and offer a holistic approach to supporting and sustaining the body.

Aromatherapy is much more than a reaction to a scent or aroma.  Essential oils have three modes of action, which are:

Psychological --  Imagine that you have gone back in time to your childhood home.  Now close your eyes and picture yourself walking through the door. Chances are, in addition to the familiar object you visualize, certain smells will also spark your memory.  Scents like your mother's perfume, the smell of baking cookies -- essential oils have a remarkable ability to influence your psyche by evoking moods and memories.

Pharmacological --  Chemical changes take places as the body reacts to the application of essential oils.  The European doctors who study phytotherapy (which is the study of the whole plant) are trained to use herbs and essential oils internally to supplement the body's health systems.  Essential oils have a remarkable ability to work in harmony with the body in maintaining overall good health. 

Physiological --  Essential oils applied externally take physiological action.  The action is more subtle than oral application and less likely to cause undesired effects.  As an example, Rosemary and Peppermint stimulated, while Roman Chamomile and Lavender both sedate.  Rosemary is a hypertensor (supports energy boosting) and Geranium is a hypotensor (which assists in relaxation).  This is one of the reasons essential oils should not be used internally without qualified medical advice.  For those people with abnormalities within their body systems, ingestion of an essential oil that has a direct action of the affected system could cause their conditions to worsen.

AROMATHERAPY FACTS