Essential Oils and Healing

By Karen Alaire

I heard the terms aromatherapy and essential oils in a conversation about health and well-being and was immediately intrigued. I love fragrant plants and trees. A hike in a forest with a soft carpet of pine needles. Strolling past lilac bushes on a walk in May. Peeling an orange and inhaling its fragrance as I savor the juiciness of each bite. Sitting in a rose garden.

So, what are essential oils and aromatherapy? An essential oil is the liquid product from the flowers, leaves, bark, wood, roots, seeds or peels of an aromatic plant. Plants make essential oils for protection, survival and to heal after an injury or illness.  Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils for therapeutic purposes. Each oil has healing properties based on its chemical makeup. If I’d like to use an essential oil for relaxation, but I don’t care for the smell of lavender, I can choose one with similar chemistry to give me the same effects.

We learn about smell through experience. When I smell a rose, I am inhaling its fragrance. It travels through my nose deep into the oldest part of my brain called the limbic system. It gives me immediate feedback. Smell memory is not only my ability to recognize a smell, but the association I have with a scent and emotions. I may have a pleasant memory of smelling lilies of the valley in my grandmother’s garden, or a different reaction to the same scent if I associate it with an unpleasant experience. Helen Keller is quoted as saying “Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across the miles of all the years you have lived. The odors of fruits waft me to my southern home, to my childhood frolics in the peach orchard. Other odors, instantaneous and fleeting cause my heart to dilate joyously or contract with remembered grief.”

Why do I use essential oils? I use them to calm and sooth myself. Orange for an upset tummy. Lavender or rose for sleep. When I am feeling anxious, I love the smell of pine. It’s like taking a walk in a forest.

How do I choose which essential oil to buy?  I look for a company that lists the botanical name of the oil: the genus, species and part of the plant used. For example, orange essential oil’s genus is citrus. It is extracted from the peel of the citrus sinensis tree. I look for an orange oil with a label that reads citrus sinesis. I buy essential oils from a company that tests the oils using gas chromatography. It tells me every ingredient in the bottle, so I know if the oil is pure or if it contains unknown synthetic substances.

How do I use essential oils safely? I took a course on essential oils for healing and became a certified clinical aromatherapist. I’m a member of the Alliance of International Aromatherapists (alliance-aromatherapists. org) which is an organization dedicated to education about all aspects of aromatherapy to anyone interested. I use their web site as a resource and attend their monthly webinar offerings. I would consult with a certified clinical aromatherapist when using essential oils with children, if I were pregnant, had a history of skin disease, migraine headaches, asthma, and other respiratory conditions.

Inhalation is one way to use essential oils. I use 1-2 drops on a tissue or cotton ball stored in a container. I pause, open it up, and inhale deeply three times. I use aromatherapy inhalers the same way. I used to wear aromatherapy pendants, but oils stain. Now I use aromatherapy patches if I want to inhale the oil for a longer period of time. I have a diffuser and use it when I want the room I am in to have a scent. I even have an aromatherapy pen!

I dilute 1-3 drops of essential oil in a teaspoon of a carrier oil like jojoba, or an unscented lotion for use on my skin, or in a teaspoon of Epsom salts for a foot bath. I have roller bottles that contain diluted essential oils and apply like I would perfume. I don’t feel comfortable using essential oils directly on my skin. They are volatile chemical compounds and the side effects range from minor skin irritation to a serious burn.

I enjoy using essential oils. History documents the use of essential oils for healing since the time of the building of the great pyramid in Egypt. King Tut’s tomb contained 35 jars of essential oils. They are a tool in my tool kit for self-care!