The power of essential oils

Mums Tips

Fitness & Health

Published on Thursday, 01 July 2021 16:16

Last Updated on 01 July 2021

Carolina Kon

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These past months have been unusual to say the least, including the lack of opportunity to visit health professionals which has led us to look for natural ways to keep us in good shape. Essential oils are now more popular than ever. This blog explores the power of essential oils to heal us from various medical issues. 

Plants have been used for medical, beauty care, culinary uses, spiritual and physical wellbeing for a very long time and many of the bioactive properties of plants are linked to the essential oils they contain. Aroma and smells are evocative of memory as they often lead to memory and consequently to personal preference. Scientists at Rockefeller University in New York calculate the human nose and brain is capable of distinguishing around one trillion different smells — which they acknowledged is more
than is likely to exist.

It is clear that there is more and more interest in the medical world to use a holistic healing treatment that uses natural plant extracts to promote and help health and well-being. This is often done to manage certain illnesses and conditions as  cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s and cancer, but they are also incredibly useful for chronic and often complex conditions such as sleep, stress and mood disorders, respiratory problems and muscle and joint pain.

Lavender oil and tree tea oil are the most sought after oils and they can be placed directly on the skin, while other ones can be diluted. With regards to using oils on children’s skin, always check how to proceed by reading the labels.

Lavender oil is widely known for its relaxation effects, which it owes to its key ingredient linalool (25-40%), as well as linalyl acetate. This essential oil causes drowsiness in people who are agitated, increasing relaxation and improving sleep via an effect on the autonomic nervous system and also improves mood. Linalool increases sedation and reduces anxiety and has been shown to have anaesthetic, cholesterol-lowering activity, and anti-inflammatory activity. Other research has shown that linalool is effective in depressive mood and has had proven benefits for migraine headaches.

Tea tree oil is often used by healthcare practitioners to help relieve colds, flu, infections, skin wounds, acne, nail infections, cold sores, warts, insect bites, parasitic infection, insect repellent. Scientific research shows that tea tree oil has strong antibacterial properties mainly attributed to its content of terpinen. These properties explain the traditional use of tea tree oil in infections, including those of the respiratory tract and the skin.

It is important to remember that essential oils are all fat-soluble and hydrophobic and will evaporate once applied leaving no visible mark or colour even if the original oil is coloured. The term essential derives from the ‘essence’ or odour and flavour from a plant.

A recent research by Puressentiel has found that:’ Three out of four (76%) believe plants help their mood and reduce stress levels, with almost half (45%) reporting they have a calming effect, a third (36%) saying they help them maintain an upbeat mood and a similar number (30%) believe they reduce stress levels.

The volume of essential oils is getting bigger an bigger every year and this shows how age-old remedies can work on their own or in combination with treatments that one is having to help with a large number of factors such as sleep and respiratory health. The impact that essential oils are making on us is changing how we look at the world and also at how we can help our body in a more ‘natural’ way.