Essential oils in aromatherapy: what you should know

Aromatherapy has enjoyed immense popularities in recent years. Candles and oils can now be found in stores across the states. This is perhaps because of the growing consciousness on health through scents. It is believed that aromatherapy can help relieve muscle pains and headaches as well as relieve stress.

But although you have probably bought an aromatherapy kit in recent years, you probably do not know a thing about it. Aromatherapy is the process of using essential oils that are extracted from various plants and their parts including their petals, their seeds, their barks and leaves. Even the fruit peelings, resins, twigs, and roots are used for Aromatherapy. These essential oils are often referred to as the soul of the plants as it contains the scent that each plant has. Some plants will have different oils from its different parts like the orange tree while others like peppermint have the same oils from all of its parts. Some oils can only be extracted from the petals such as with jasmine or rose.

Essential oils however should not be likened to fragrant oils that are synthetically made. These fragrant oils are made from a mixture of chemicals that only copy the scent of the real thing. Essential oils on the other hand come naturally from the plant itself. Sometimes, though, essential oils are combined with fragrant oils in making perfumes. However in aromatherapy, only essential oils are used. This is because natural oils are more beneficial to the body. It also promotes health and wellbeing.

Aromatherapy, particularly essential oils are known for its antiseptic properties and its ability to stimulate the immune system. This can vastly help fight health problems brought on by virus and bacteria. And because it helps stimulate the immune system, it can help the body fight off sickness.

Aromatherapy makes use of essential oils because they are easily absorbed by the body and of course its liquid format allows it to evaporate into the air. And because essential oils are very concentrated, you often only need a few drops in order to get the desired scent.

One must make sure though that what you are using are of the best quality. This can be affected by a multitude of factors, one of which is plant source, how it is harvested and the extraction process. Better essential oils are also extracted from organically-grown plants compared to those that have had pesticides applied to them.