Home | Health | Alternative Medicine

The Incredible Healing Properties Of Essential Oils Offer Something For Everyone

By: Caroline Ashton

Read More About Alternative Medicine

Essential oils are fast becoming more popular as natural healing treatments, but the concept of "aromatherapy" has a long way to go to being accepted in many circles. If you're like many people into natural health, you've heard of essential oils, but not quite sure of the possibilities aromatherapy might hold. That whole fancy spa treatment thing doesn't really seem like medicine. Well, we're here to clear up a few things -- like what aromatherapy really means, and the incredibly vast healing potential that essential oils might have for you and your family. You might be surprised these little liquid gems have been scientifically validated as antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory, and even have anticancer effects. Got your attention?
The term "aromatherapy" is very misleading. It implies "aroma" is always involved in the "therapy". But this is true only in the minority of the time! Aromatherapy is actually the entire branch of botanical and herbal medicine that utilizes the volatile natural chemical compounds extracted from plants for therapeutic use. And is so happens that these volatile aromatic compounds, the "essential oils", are very diverse in their makeup. Some are made up of hundreds of individual molecules -- and these molecules are very compatible with our own physiology. They are easily absorbed by our bodies, and remarkably have an incredible array of healing actions, just "solid" herbs and plant medicines would -- just in a very concentrated form.
Many leading aromatherapists believe the greatest health benefits from essential oils come from their anti-infectious nature. Their ability to prevent and cure infectious illness such as colds and flu caused by bacteria and viruses. This potential is supported by a very large body of data from the scientific community, with research noting efficacy against herpes simplex, the SARS virus, the MRSA "superbug", candida fungus, and a variety of infectious bacteria.
It's a simple thing just to use essential oils as a preventative measure. In laboratory research, oils have been shown not only to directly eradicate infectious microbes, but actually increase the ability of our immune system to fend off these invaders. Just by evaporating oils into your space, by use of a specially designed aromatherapy diffuser, on can gain these benefits in two ways: essential oil vapors have been shown to eradicate microbes on contact, and the vapors themselves provide protection to the respiratory system when inhaled. Other means of using oils for immune system support include massaging them into the feet -- which happen to be a particularly receptive part of the body for this practice -- or into the sternum and/or lymph nodes.
Then there are the topical antimicrobial applications, called "antiseptics". Australian Tea Tree is a very popular oil for this purpose, with many users selecting this natural choice instead of over-the-counter preparations. A five percent concentration of Tea Tree has been shown particularly effective in treating acne -- one can make this formula at home by adding 40 drops of Tea Tree in one ounce of Aloe Vera gel or other "carrier". Tea Tree is also excellent to prevent infection of cuts and scrapes, and is often blended with Lavender for a formula that soothes as well. There are highly effective topical formulas for all sorts of minor skin infections too, like athlete's foot, dandruff and others -- just a little research and you'll find these recipes online or in one of the many excellent aromatherapy texts.
We've all seen fancy skin care products with ingredients which list "botanical extracts". Know what they're talking about? Yes, essential oils. Because of the molecular shape of the oils, they are very readily evaporated by the skin. So much so that a "carrier oil" is always recommended to slow this absorption down, and spread it over a larger area. The beauty here is that for very little money (relative to the crazy cost of high-end skin care) you can make a formula perfectly suited to your skin's needs. Eczema? Try German Chamomile in Tamanu. Sensitive skin with broken capillaries? Try Lavender, Helichrysum and Blue Tansy. Want help with reducing wrinkle appearance? Use the scientifically proven Rose hip seed, in conjunction with Lavender, Rosemary, Carrot Root, Frankincense and, well, this list really goes on. There are so many great oils for skin care, it's impossible to list them all here -- though it is really fun finding out which are perfect for you and how to put them together for that perfect personal recipe.
Many people are looking of alternatives to either over-the-counter or prescribed pain relievers. Aromatherapy oils again offer an array of effective solutions. Wintergreen oil is the old stand by, being the natural chemical equivalent of "liquid aspirin" (and should be used cautiously for this same reason!). Ginger and Black Pepper oils have both gentle warming actions, as well as COX inhibitors which have been shown to be potent inflammation reducers in laboratory research. Sweet Marjoram is also an excellent analgesic oil included in many arthritis and sports massage formulas. And at the pinnacle of pain relief is Helichrysum, also known as Immortelle or Everlasting. Distilled from a tiny yellow flower native to the Mediterranean, this essential oil manages to relieve pain, reduce inflammation, and stimulate cellular regeneration all at the same time. Users swear it is the most effective topical pain reliever they have ever used.
The most advanced therapeutic activity is now being elucidated in laboratories around the world. A few essential oils with a long history of medicinal use are being researched for their anticancer activity, with very positive results. Frankincense has been shown to directly eradicate cancerous cells, while leaving healthy cells of the same type unaffected. The oil has been tested with human cell lines from different organs, all showing the same positive results. Lemongrass, also with a long history of medicinal use, is also being examined. This area of research is so exciting, as the "fight against cancer" is not making leaps and bounds in the world of conventional medicine, and the world really needs readily available, effective alternatives that essential oils appear to have the potential to deliver.
This is just a quick look at what sort of healing actions the essential oils used in "aromatherapy" my hold for you and your family. They've been in use for a very long time as healing agents; until recently in France one used to go to a doctor and receive a prescription of an essential oil blend and treatment protocol! There are a great many wonderful texts to delve into the subject. Look for authors Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt and Anthony Battaglia if you'd like to see more on the scientific approach to using oils as medicine, Gabriel Mojay for a look at using them in relation to Chinese Medicine, and Valerie Worwood for day to day practical applications. You'll be glad you invited these concentrated healing wonders into your life.

Article Source: http://depositarticles.com/

The author has made available much information about aromatherapy, such as using Clary Sage essential oil and other organic essential oils.

Please Rate this Article

 

Not yet Rated

Click the XML Icon Above to Receive Alternative Medicine Articles Via RSS!
Additional Articles From - Home | Health | Alternative Medicine
Sign Up for a free account.
Our other websites
All about SEO
Beauty Tips Forum
Submit Articles
Member Login
Link Us
Submission Guidelines
Ezine Notifications
Article RSS Feeds
Sitemap
New Stuff
About Us
Developer
Good shopping portal
Link to Us
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service

counter easy hit

Powered by Article Dashboard