How Powerful Are Essential Oils?

According to John Hopkins Medicine, “Aromatherapy has been used for centuries. When inhaled, the scent molecules in essential oils travel from the olfactory nerves directly to the brain and especially impacts the amygdala, the emotional center of the brain.”

It only takes a few molecules of an essential oil to bind with receptors in the brain to stimulate neurotransmitters and hormones.  This is why inhalation is a powerful route of administration of essential oils.  This can be through a room diffuser or a nasal inhaler.  The small molecular weight of essential oils allows them to easily pass the blood/brain barrier where they reach these receptors, especially in the limbic brain.  Inhalation is highly effective for psychological issues such as anxiety, depression and memory issues. 

Of course, essential oils can aid in many other health conditions.  Respiratory problems respond very well to aromatherapy.  Bronchitis, asthma, congestion, allergies, and others can be improved with essential oils. Sore muscles, sprains and arthritis have been successfully addressed with topical applications of essential oils.  Topical use of these oils is wonderful for skin problems to not only heal the skin, but also to regenerate skin cells, improve elasticity and to stimulate collagen production.  Essential oils are used for various digestive issues as well as many other health conditions.

With our current health issues, it is important to know that essential oils are highly antimicrobial and are used to treat various infections.  We now have bacterial, fungal and viral infections that are resistant to conventional medications.  A researcher has stated that essential oils consist of hundreds of naturally occurring chemical constituents, posing a challenge for harmful infectious organisms to mutate and develop immunity against them. Research has shown they are highly effective for medication resistant pathogens and many health professionals are now recommending essential oils in cases of these medication-resistant infections.

In discussing the power of essential oils, it is key to remember their concentration. Essential oils and plant extracts are highly concentrated substances.  To illustrate this, one aromatherapy expert says:

• 1 drop of rose essential oil is the equivalent of 30-50 roses.

• 1 drop of peppermint essential oil is equivalent to 28 cups of peppermint tea.

• 250 pounds of lavender are needed to make 1 pound of essential oil.

• 1,500 lemons are needed to make 1 pound of essential oil.

Additionally, the power of essential oils can be seen in blending for a specific condition. It takes drops, not ounces of essential oils to treat most problems. In fact, using too much of an essential oil can cause adverse reactions such as with the "hot" spice oils.

If you are new to aromatherapy and essential oils, I invite to experiment with them yourself. For recommendations on essential oils with which to start, see my blog, "A Home Essential Oil Toolkit." I would caution you to buy them from reputable suppliers rather than the grocery store. Quality in essential oils is not regulated so find ones that really work. If I can help with this, let me know.