Benefits of Essential Oils
Essential oils are the natural aromatic volatile liquids found in flowers, roots, trees, shrubs, bushes and seeds. These volatile oils are very important to the plant, they help protect the plants against insects, disease and even the environment in which they grow.
Essential oils are extracted from the plant by traditionally using the steam distillation method and are highly concentrated and far more potent than dry herbs. For instance it takes 28 square feet of Lavender, that’s about 250 pounds to make one 8 ounce bottle of Lavender Essential Oil. This can give you an idea of how potent one drop of essential oil can be. A drop or two is all you need for significant results.
In ancient times aromatic oils were considered more valuable than gold. There are many references to oils in the Bible. We are only now beginning to understand the healing properties in essential oils. We can trace back almost all modern drugs to a botanical source. Hippocrates said that there is a remedy for everything to be found in Nature.
Some of my favorite essential oils are:
- Frankincense — use for meditation
- Grapefruit — use to revive & refresh
- Lavender — use to calm & balance
- Lemon — use for clarity & refresh
- Lemongrass — use for jet lag
- Myrrh — use for grounding
- Peppermint — use for clear thinking
Their aromatic ability with regard to healing, whether for relaxation, stress reduction or a more specific aliment, about as powerful as taking an antibiotic. We run into trouble when we apply them topically, where in large amounts a build up in the fatty tissue can cause problems in the nervous system. Common problems with applying essential oils neet (undiluted) to the skin is contact dermatitis, rashes, burns especially if you use oils in direct sunlight or UV light on the skin. This is photo-sensitivity and can cause a photo-toxic response. Common signs are bad sunburn, darkening of the skin, edema (swelling) and even blistering in bad cases. In my opinion they should never be ingested as ingesting essential oils can cause harm to the liver.
Using essential oils can add great benefit to our lives when done properly to ensure safety. Using a carrier oil such as olive oil to dilute with can produce a nice aromatic moisturizer for the body that is safe and therapeutic. In the end how you use essential oils is very important because Plants Are Medicine!
