The history and benefits of essential oils

Mums Tips

Published on Saturday, 02 November 2019 11:05

Last Updated on 22 October 2019

MarcShipman

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The benefits of essential oils have been known for over 6,000 years, back to Ancient Egypt to be precise.

Essential oils are organic compounds from plants and were used in Ancient Egypt for beauty and aromatic purposes. The Chinese were next to use essential oils, using them in medicines. In Europe, it was the Greeks who developed their knowledge of plants and used these essential oils in herbal remedies. Today, essential oils are still used for all of these purposes, and 

 look more into the benefits that can come from using essential oils…

How do essential oils work?

Plants produce two types of oil; fixed oils and essential oils. Essential oils are a mixture of volatile organic compounds; being volatile is what helps the oil transform state, dispersing through the air, giving off the sensory aromas that are inhaled. As well as inhaling, humans can also benefit from essential oils topically or internally.

Inhaling essential oils, through such products as the GO2 inhaler sticks, activate the olfactory receptors in the nose, sending electric signals to the higher regions of the brain; the neocortex and limbic systems. It’s the limbic system that sends messages to the area of the brain that then sends messages around the body via the pituitary gland.

Different odours lead to different reactions, for example lavender, bergamot, cardamom and sweet orange combined (as in the B.Calm stick) reduce stress, reduce cortisol and increase endorphin levels.

So what exactly can essential oils do? Below we’ve compiled a list of benefits that everybody can benefit from at one point or another…

Combats nausea

When you’re feeling sick and nauseous, whether it’s down to a stomach bug, pregnancy or just generally feeling under the weather, essential oils are great for combating these symptoms. Whether the oil is inhaled, released from a diffuser, massaged or used in a bath, peppermint and ginger-based oils are great at combatting sickness. These oils also help to boost digestion, ease discomfort of the abdomen and reduce inflammation.

Targets anxiety

With mental health so prevalent right now, anxiety is be a big part of a lot of people’s lives, but some essential oil aromas can target anxiety and help to get it under control. Lavender is a great essential oil for this as it relaxes and soothes the body and mind, while bergamot helps to promote inner calm.

Helps you to stay focused

Keeping focused at any part of the afternoon (or day, even) can seem hard, especially if you have a lot of things to do or are running on little sleep. Essential oils can be used to focus the brain, keeping your head in the game. Rosemary benefit your memory function and peppermint is a stimulant that aids focus, additionally lime essential oils is known to uplift the body and mind. Another benefit of these oils, as well as keeping you focused, is to deter you from the standard caffeine hit that you crave throughout the day. Swap your coffee for an essential oil product and see how much more naturally alert you are compared to having a short burst of sugar.

Gives you an energy boost

For the days when feel like you need that extra boost of energy, essential oil inhaler sticks are the ultimate go-to product to have on hand. Inhaling essential oils allows your body to benefit the quickest from the natural ingredients, with ingredients such as eucalyptus, peppermint and lemongrass helping to combat the feeling of fatigue and support performance.

Are essential oils worth it?

100%. Whether you choose to purchase essential oil inhaler sticks, aromatic oils, food and drink supplements or otherwise, the benefits have been known and utilised for more than 6,000 years. We have an abundance of essential oils available to us, all that offer different benefits, becoming even more powerful when you combine them. Why wouldn’t you want to use something so natural and so well researched, with proven results?!

These tips were offered by the team at health & wellbeing brand www.theGO2brand.com.