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Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy is the art and science of using the essentials oils to maintain or to
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improve health and beauty. The term aromatherapy means the treatment or therapy with aromas (essences or essentials oils from aromatic plants).
All old civilizations – Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Chinese and Indian – used aromatherapy for physical and psychological comfort.
The word aromatherapy was used for the first time in 1928 by Rene Maurice Gattefosse, a French chemist. He discovered, accidentally, the healing properties of lavender. After he burnt his hands during an experiment, he sank them in a bowl filled with pure lavender oil, because it was the coolest and calming thing that he had at that moment. In this way, he discovered that his hands healed very fast, without leaving any scar.
Today, aromatherapy is part of naturist and alternative medicine and is preventive and curative also.
How to obtain an essential oil
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Essential oils are aromatic liquids, without fats, that are found naturally in different parts of plants, herbs, flowers, fruits, wood and spices. They represent the vital force of plant and have the capacity to strengthen our immune system and to stimulate our natural aptitudes of healing the body.
The general process of obtaining essentials oils follows the method of distillation or engaging with water vapors, aiming to retain many natural extracts from plants and aromatic arbores. The essence of the plant, that lies in vacuoles, sacs, secretor channels, or in glandular hairs, it is released under the effect of heat and condensation.
Essential oils and quality criteria
Most of the essential oils are extracted from biological or spontaneous cultures. More the plant undergone bad weather during growth better will be its quality. A plant that is too protected will be weaker and its essence will loose quality. Pesticides and insecticides don't pass in essential oils, excepting the essences of some citric like oranges, lemons, grapefruits, because in their case, the method of extraction is by pressing the skin.
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Essential oils are modified often by adding alcohol, vegetal oil or other oils with less quality, diminishing in this way their therapeutic qualities. Be aware of the cheap oils. A good essential oil is expensive.
Essential oils can last perfectly for years if they are held away from heat and light. The brown glass bottles are the most suitable to preserve essential oils. After one or two years you don't have to use an essential oil for internal use, but you can use it perfectly to spray inside your house.
Most of the essential oils are antiseptic, antimicrobial and anti-infective. Some of them stimulate the vital energy, help to balance nervous system, hormonal glands and in detoxification. Using a good quality essential oil provides fast good results.
Mixing oils with similar properties can produce a stronger effect. The only condition is to take in account the compatibility of oils. For example, you never mix a relaxing essential oil with a tonic one.
Uses of essential oils for improving health
- Aphrodisiac – stimulate sexual impulses – rosewood, sandal, jasmine, neroli, rose, sage, ylang-ylang
- Analgesic – decreases sensitivity to pain – bergamot, chamomile, marjoram, lavender,
rosemary
- Anti-aphrodisiac – reduce sexual impulses – marjoram
- Anti depressive - bergamot, sandal, chamomile, jasmine, lavender, neroli, orange, ylang-ylang, petit-grain,
- Anti-inflammatory – bergamot, chamomile, lavender
- Antiseptic – prevents infections – bergamot, lemon, eucalypt, juniper, lavender, oregano, rosemary, tea tree,
- Antiviral – acts against viruses – lemon, lavender, oregano, tea tree
- Astringent – strengthen the tissues and diminish secretions – sandal, cedar, cypress, juniper, rose
- Bactericide – kill bacteria – bergamot, cajeput, eucalypt, juniper, lavender, niauli, rosemary, tea tree
- Cephalic – referring to head, stimulant – basil, rosemary
- Cholagogue – discharge of bile from the system – chamomile, lavender, mint, rosemary
- Deodorant – bergamot, rosewood, cypress, eucalypt, lavender, neroli, petit-grain, sage
- Detoxification – cleans the body of toxins – lemon, juniper
- Diuretic – stimulate secretion of urine and eliminates the liquid – sandal, chamomile, cedar, cypress, juniper, rosemary
- Emenagog – regulate menstruation – basil, chamomile, juniper, lavender, marjoram, rosemary, sage
- Expectorant – help to eliminate mucus – bergamot, sandal, eucalypt, marjoram
- Febrifuge – decrease fever – bergamot, chamomile, eucalypt, mint, tea tree
- Fungicide – destroys fungi – lavender, tea tree
- Hepatic – referring to liver – chamomile, lemon, cypress, mint, rosemary, thyme of garden
- Hypertensive – increases blood tension – hyssop, rosemary, sage
- Hypnotic – produce sleep – chamomile, lavender, marjoram, neroli, ylang-ylang
- Hypertensive – decreases blood tension – lavender, marjoram, ylang-yland
- Stimulate Immunity – lavender, tea tree
- Nervin – positive effect on nervous system – chamomile, lavender, marjoram, rosemary
- Sedative – against pain – bergamot, rosewood, sandal, lavender, marjoram, neroli, rose, sage, juniper
- Stimulating – eucalypt, mint, rosemary Tonic for uterus – jasmine, rose, sage
- Vasoconstrictive – decreases blood vessels caliber – chamomile, cypress, rose
- Vasodilator – increases blood vessels caliber - marjoram
Essential oils and your emotions
Beside the fact that they are efficient in treating diseases, pains and small dysfunctions, the essential oils are good also emotional.
Here is a list of connections between your emotions and essential oils
- Anxiety – bergamot, lemon, lemon balm
- Apathy – patchouli
- Calm – sandal, verbena
- Depression – bergamot, jasmine, sage
- Insomnia – marjoram, neroli
- Irascibilities – to calm down – chamomile, ylang-ylang
- Psychic protection – incense
- Lethargy – pine
- Suicide – sage
- Physical stress – lavender
- Psychic stress – basil, lemon, neroli
- Digestion stress – anise, mint
- Underestimation – rose
- Fear, panic – geranium, juniper
- Sadness, suffering – rose, ylang-ylang
- Sadness, suffering (for children) – mandarin, mint, orange
Treat your emotions using essential oils
The mixture to treat your emotions can be done easy by anyone. You have to know:
1. For what type of emotion is used the mixture?
2. How you want to use it (massage, bath, internal use etc.)?
3. What essential oils are suitable to your personality?
What you need to prepare:
- One bottle
- paper handkerchiefs
- essential oils and a natural solvent (oil of sweet almond, oil of germinated wheat, alcohol or hydrosol)
- pipette
- label and pen
Then make the list with the essential oils chosen for the mixture.
They can be used alone to treat one emotion or in mixture to treat more emotions in the same time.
For each mixture don't put more than 5 essential oils.
They have to be all mixed together before you add them in solvent. For 25 ml of natural solvent you need 5 – 6 drops of essential oil in total. This means that 1 drop (from each essential oil) is enough for a mixture of 5 essential oils. If you use just one essential oil, you can add 5 drops in solvent.
Spraying in the air essential oils
Spraying essential oils in the air is the most used and beneficial method. The volatile oils are absorbed in this way by lungs which spread in your body the active properties of the essential oils.
Spraying essential oils in the air has the following effects:
- Remove all the unpleasant odors.
- Spraying essential oils has sanitary and
disinfectant properties;
- Revitalizes, regenerates and give energy to the air you breath;
- Highlights negative ions which are very benefic to our health;
- Protects your health
1. Essential oils good for respiratory ways: cajeput, hyssop, lavender, niauli, pine, thyme
2. Revitalizing Essential oils: coriander, geranium, clove, nutmeg, oregano, rosemary,
3. Essential oils to relax the atmosphere: bergamot, chamomile, lavender, neroli, marjoram, orange, petit-grain
4. Revitalizing and exotic essential oils: cinnamon, sandalwood, ylang-ylang
5. Sweet and pleasent essential oils: rosewood, chamomile, geranium, verbena
Now it is important to know for how long you let the sprayer work.
- The sprayer with batteries may work all day, because it works as an air purifier.
- The electric sprayer may work maximum one hour in the morning and night, for your house; In office, shops or hotels, it can work all day long; During an infection let the sprayer work all the time, even at house.
Mixtures of oils for different needs
a) Removing negative energies from your house
For cleaning your new house by removing the energy of the former owners or removing any negative energy you can use a mixture from: essential oils of juniper, pine, rosemary, eucalypt and sage.
b) Give a positive energy to your house
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For this you can use a mixture from essential oils of bergamot, cedar, lavender, orange, neroli, rose and sandal. This mixture is ideal if you spray it in the air.
c) Energizing bath
Essential oils of lemon, geranium, rosemary and basil
d) Relaxing bath
Essential oils of bergamot, chamomile, lavender, marjoram and sage
e) Antidepressant bath
Essential oils of bergamot, sandal, sage and ylang-ylang.
Properties of the most used essential oils
- Bergamot – this essential oil is benefic in case of separation or when you lose someone you loved. It helps to receive love.
- Cedar – it helps to clarify ideas and ordering your thoughts and confused emotions
- Cypress – it is an essential oil recommended in periods of transition, like changing your house, taking some important decisions, ending a relationship, losing someone
close to you
- Eucalypt – it helps in meeting people and new connections Jasmine – it helps in developing spiritual, sexual and creative
- Lavender – it is an essential oil very relaxing, rebalanced, harmonious ; it helps to integrate the spirituality in your day to day life
- Mandarin – it helps in finding the child within us
- Marjoram – it decreases sexual appetite, it helps to bear the loneliness. It's not recommended to use it for long.
- Mint – it makes you confident in yourself; it gives back the trust in the persons that feel inferior and balances the people too proud of them
- Chamomile – it calms and gives trust helping to communicate without nerves. It is recommended also to the persons that never can say no
- Neroli – symbol of purity, it develops creativity and discovering yourself Pine – energizing, it purifies the mind and body
- Orange – it brings joy in your life
- Sage – it helps to remember your dreams and to discover their meaning
- Rose – it is the flower of love, it is used for spiritualizing sexuality. It helps in finding love and strengthen broken hearts.
- Lemon balm – it strengthen the body after a loss or some bad events