Tag Archives: aromatherapy essential oils

Aromatherapy Facts

Essential facts: What’s exactly in your essential oils?

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Do you wonder what is in essential oils that make them so important and therapeutic? What makes them instant healers? Readymade-cures for every sort of pain or infection or injury or even emotional problem? What pushes forth that instant relief? Though the limbic system and its connection with the important parts of the body maybe an answer, you cannot justify that the therapeutic effects essential oils have on our minds and bodies by pointing at the brain’s sensitivity to aromas. There ought to something quintessential about oils which make them special medicinal cures. This article will focus on the constituents of essential oils and how to determine their quality or impact on our body.

Essential oils – constituents: What makes essential oils essential? It is the constituents or chemical make up of every other oil which determines its effect on the human body. Like every other thing, essential oils is made of an array of molecules and atoms which can be found out using quality tests like Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectroscopy (GC-MS). As you know, essential oils are plant substances which are the life-blood of plants. They provide support to plants throughout their life processes and carry all the nutrients and anti-viral, microbial and bacterial properties of the plant immune system. When these natural substances are used for curing an ailment, they react with the same germs in the human body and bring about an instant relief.


This philosophy of using natural herbs are immunity agents has been in practice for ages. Modern day Aspirin is but the old times white Willow Bark, discovered over 2000 years ago by Hippocrates to ease headaches, pains and backaches. When science discovered that this bark contained salicin which helps reduce aches, they used the constituent in a tablet and so was born, modern-day Aspirin.

Chemical compounds that are unadulterated and pure are the highlights of essential oils. In general, the following group of constituents are present in any essential oil:

  • Acids
  • Alcohols
  • Aldehydes
  • Coumarins
  • Esthers
  • Ketones
  • Esters
  • Lactones
  • Oxides
  • Phenols
  • Terpenes

Quality of essential oil constituents: Some oils may have a higher concentration of one or two constituents, while some others may lack in the very same constituents. For instance, Lavender oil has a high percentage of ester known as linalyl acetate which has the power to isolate and synthesize particular constituents. Some oils maybe blends of two or more oils and will be very expensive to buy. This is the case with Japanese Yuzu oil which looks like a blend of Grapefruit and Mandarin oils. Exploiting this nature of Yuzu, many try to produce the oil at cheap rates by blending Grapefruit and Mandarin. In a similar way, Patchouli oil is blended with Cedarwood or balsams.

It is difficult to standardize the constituents and if you do so, then, your essential oil may not be pure. This is because oils are influenced by several factors – right from soil, place of origin, amount of rainfall, to altitude, temperature, production, extraction and distillation processes. And manufacturers often standardize oils based on their customers/clients’ requirements. If a manufacturer sells his oil to the perfumery industry, he follows a particular standardization process and ensures that the oil meets the mark. However, in the case of therapeutic grade essential oils, this is not possible as such a standardization would mean adulteration of a substance that was pure and natural. This is why it is important to check if your oil’s constituents are unadulterated before you buy.

Emotional Well-being, Uses of Essential Oils

Mind, moods and aromas: A glimpse at the mood properties of essential oils

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Have your ever noticed why things happen the way they happen during an aromatherapy session? Ever wondered why we are drawn to things that are smelly (in a positive or negative way) rather than things that are bland in scent? Mind can be influenced by the smell or scent of something as the olfactory nerves have a close relationship with the limbic system of the brain. Hippocampus, fornic, singulate cyrus, thalamus, mamillary bodies, amygdala and olfactory bulb are parts of the limbic system which influence the brain and controls various important parts/functions of the body.

The smell brain: Before the limbic system was discovered, this part of the brain was referred to us the “the smell brain” It is this smell brain which brings about mood changes in a person. When inhaling an essential oil, olfactory sensations immediately work on the brain and cause it to set off a series of changes in the emotional plane. Let’s take a look at the mood properties of popular essential oils and which oil can be used for changing or bringing about a particular mood:


1. Alertness: To become alert, you can inhale blends with Basil, Bergamot, Grapefruit, Peppermint and Rosemary. These oils invigorate the brain and make even a dullard hyperactive and mentally agile.

2. Concentration: The power of focus is extremely necessary for success and to achieve this, use the following oils – Lemon, Basil, Rosemary, Lemongrass, Frankincense, Chamomile Roman etc.

3. Confidence: Some children can lack confidence due to peer pressure or parental pressure. To help such children with low self-esteem and self-confidence, add Cypress, Fennel, Ginger, Grapefruit, Orange, Jasmine and Pine to your bath water or essential oil blends.

4. Creativity: Creativity is a will o’ the wisp and cannot be easily achieved. To improve your creativity or usher in creative thoughts, use Bergamot, Lemon, Frankincense, Neroli, Jasmine, Cloves and Rose oils.

5. Peace: To lead a peaceful life or to calm yourself during stressful situations, use Chamomile Roman, Neroli, Juniper, Melissa, Yarrow and Frankincense oil blends in your bath water or inhalations.

6. Happiness: Happiness is the most elusive thing in the world. One moment you have it, another moment, it is not there. To bring about happiness into your life, use Orange, Rose, Jasmine, Ginger, Cinnamon, Geranium and Cloves.

7. Rest and relaxation: To rejuvenate yourself and bring about complete sense of relaxation after a long tiresome routine or hard day at office, use Lavender, Geranium, Clary Sage, Neroli and Sandalwood oils.

8. Self-esteem: To build your self-esteem and face the world with confidence, use Jasmine, Geranium, Cedarwood, Sandalwood and other oils. You can also work on your self-image with Orange, Lavender, Melissa, Jasmine, Sandalwood, Bay, Pine and Nutmeg oils.

For Family, Personal Care, Uses of Essential Oils

The sweet scent of natural incense: How to make incense at home

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Incense and aromatherapy are inter-related like no other. Since ancient times, people have considered it essential to burn incense to clear out odors, to bring in positive energy and create a refreshing and pleasant atmosphere. Our forefathers used natural herbs, resins and gums as incense during religious or ritualistic events and ceremonies. Though incense burning is more common these days, most of the incense burnt are synthetic stuff, made out of chemical fragrances than natural essential oils or resins. One can make natural incense at home using aromatherapy essential oils. This article will elaborate in detail on how to make incense using plant oils.

Forms of incense available: It is not that only ancients used essential oils for incense making. Even our incense manufacturers use them for better aromas. But the problem is, most of such current day incense sticks contain a lot of synthetic materials. Completely devoid of natural stuff, synthetic incense sticks may emit toxic elements in the atmosphere, and slowly turn detrimental to our health.


Incense sticks: Incense sticks are the most common form of incense. They can be dipped or hand-rolled, depending on the manufacturer and their place of production. Dipped incense sticks consist of thin wooden sticks that have a combustible powder coating of charcoal or wood. These sticks are then dipped aromatic essential oils and dried for use. Hand-rolled incense sticks are popular in countries like India and are more natural compared to the dipped ones.

Incense cones: These are commercially available stuff and contain a lot of synthetics. However, you can use essential oils to make natural incense cones. The basic ingredients include a combination of powdered plant substances, aromatic items like resins, gums etc. and combustible powders.

Other incense items: Smudge sticks used by Native Americans use white sage and make long sticks out of them. Then, they bundle them and burn them together. Most of the smudge sticks are made from plant products like Sweet Grass, Juniper Berries etc. Another incense item of significance is the Japanese ‘Koh’. It is an equivalent of spaghetti in structure and shape and is made of powdered wood, herbs, resins and essential oils. Aromatic natural resins like Frankincense, Myrrh, Opoponax and Dragon’s Blood can be burned alone as incense. Woods like Aloeswood, Sandalwood and Cedarwood can also be burned alone, with chips, woods or resins.

If you note, aromatic oils play a part in all the above forms of incense. Though this is good, when commercially used, these aromatic substances are mixed with synthetics and sold. This can be toxic to people with respiratory problems and others who are allergic to certain chemicals. To avoid such overuse of synthetics, it is better to use natural plant products. Below is a recipe on how to make incense at home:

How to make incense at home: Combine 1 part of Frankincense powder, 1 part of Myrrh powder, 1 part of Sandalwood powder, 3-4 parts of Makko powder and 4-5 drops of essential oil of your choice. This one part can be one tbsp of something. Mix the ingredients with a spoon or fork in a bowl and add water drop by drop. Bring the mixture to a dough like consistency and add essential oils of your liking. You can use Frankincense, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Vetiver or Orange. They work well when it comes to making incense. Once the mixture is ready for use, make them into cones or roll them using your hands into sticks. Dry the cones/rolled sticks on wax paper for 2 to 3 days and use after that.