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It is well known that different plants have different fragrances. Even toddlers will stop to smell the flowers. Plants with unpleasant smells are usually described as having odors. Those with pleasant smells are considered to have fragrance or aromas. Scents have been used by healers and in religious rites for probably longer than recorded history. It is known that frankincense and myrrh were highly valued during the time of the pharaohs. Both of these are derived from plants.
The oils used in aromatherapy are also derived from plants. They are considered ‘essential oils’. They are the result of distillation of the essences of assorted plants.
Among commonly used essential oils are: Roses, rosewoods and geraniums considered antiseptic with uplifting qualities; lemongrass and citronella are sedating and antiseptic; bergamot, clary sage and lavender are sedating; fennel, hyssop and sage ease congestion; lemon, pine and frankincense are anti-viral and antiseptic; rosemary and tea tree oil are expectorant and bactericidal; and clove, thyme and oregano are stimulating.
How do essential oils and vegetable oils differ? Essential oils will evaporate rapidly if exposed to air and must be mixed with a ‘carrier’ to be used for massage or aromatherapy. Sesame oil and almond oil are common carrier oils though other mediums can be used as a base for the essential oils.
Aromatherapy products - oils, candles, massage products, and diffusers, have a very large market in the United States. Displays of scented products will frequently have the products described as ‘relaxing, meditation, sensual, invigorating’ or other descriptions of what mindset that particular scent is supposed to produce.
Do they work? Janice Kiecolt-Glaser, an Ohio State professor, and colleagues conducted a study sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. This study was conducted in March 2008.
The study involved 56 healthy volunteers who had cotton balls soaked with either lemon oil, lavender oil, or distilled water beneath their noses for a period of time. Blood pressure and heart rates of the participants were monitored, and blood samples collected during the experiments were analyzed.
The research showed that lemon oil did produce a mood improvement. Neither lemon oil nor lavender oil produced a positive impact on the biochemical markers for stress, pain control or wound healing.
Kiecolt-Glaser, quoted by AFP “The take home message is that good smells may make you feel better, but you should not count on them to change our physiology.”
A health observer affiliated with foodconsumer.org suggested that the results of this study should be interpreted with caution. The study used healthy people. Common sense dictates that healthy people do not need treatment, whether from aromatherapy or other sources.
Though the study did not result in any findings to indicate that essential oils could be used for medical improvement, it also did not indicate that they would cause harm. A touch of lavender on your pillowcase and jasmine in a diffuser will make the room smell fresher, if it does nothing else; if it also lifts your mood and makes you happier, so much the better.
