Aromatherapy:
Your Guide to Using Essential Oils

By Chandra

"In all things of nature there is something
of the marvelous."
                                     Aristotle

In part 1 of our article, Aromatherapy: Making Good Scents Yesterday and Today, we learned about the history of essential oils and touched on some ways to use them.

In part 2 we will go into further details on the many versatile and easy ways to use essential oils and to use some of the more common ones for various health issues.

Pure essential oils have a tremendous power to affect the human brain. Essential oils connect us to nature, unlocking a part of the human brain that allows us to tap into the instinctive and primitive emotions deep within our core.

From Aromatherapy A-Z by Connie and Alan Higley, Pat Leathem, below are some benefits of pure essential oils:

1. Are the regenerating, oxygenating, and immune defense properties of plants.
2. Are so small they can quickly penetrate tissues of the skin.
3. Are lipid soluble and capable of penetrating cell walls. In fact, can affect every cell of the body within 20 minutes and are then metabolized like other nutrients.
4. Contain oxygen molecules that help transport nutrients to starving human cells. This stimulates the immune mechanisms of the body.
5. Are very powerful antioxidants, creating an unfriendly environment for free radicals.
6. Can be antibacterial, anticancerous, antifungal, anti-viral, antiparasitic, and antiseptic. Some have been shown to destroy all tested bacteria and viruses while simultaneously restoring balance to the body.
7. May detoxify cells and blood in the body.
8. Are aromatic, when diffused they remove metallic particles and toxins in the air, increase atmospheric oxygen, increase ozone and negative ions in the area (inhibiting bacterial growth), destroy odors from mold, cigarettes, and animals, and fill air with a fresh, aromatic scent.
9. Help promote emotional, physical, and spiritual healing.
10. Have a bioelectrical frequency that is several times greater than the frequency in herbs, food, and even the human body. Clinical research has shown that essential oils have the potential to quickly raise the frequency of the human body, restoring it to its normal, healthy level.

Essential Oils and Their Benefits

An age-old combination of art and science, aromatherapy draws on the healing properties of naturally extracted essential oils by treating our physical bodies and enhancing our state of mind. The value of natural plant oils has been recognized for over 6000 years for their healing, cleansing, and mood-enhancing properties. It has become one of the most popular therapies around the world because of its immediate and natural benefits.

Here is some more detailed information on just a few of the more powerful and versatile essential oils. Try some of these out for yourself!

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