Have you ever tried to relax, but you couldn't get in the state of mind that you were searching for? Well, maybe you should try aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils which are taken from plants by distillation or other means. These oils are then used to treat the body and mind. Oils can be used in the bath, by massaging them into the skin or by inhalation with steam. They can also be used in compresses or in burners to kill off bacteria or to simply fill your home with fragrance. .
Aromatherapy is the ancient art of using natural ingredients found in plants, herbs, flowers, fruits and the bark, roots or resin of some trees. The plant's essence molecules are approximately 75-100 times more concentrated as an essential oil than in the dried plant. The oils of the natural ingredients are left alone or are blended to promote calmness, emotional and hormonal balance, stress relief, rejuvenation, and more. Essential oils nourish and stimulate your skin, enhance your immune system and delight the senses. .
One question that many may have is "How does aromatherapy actually work?" The scent of essential oils is conveyed by the olfactory nerve to areas of the brain that can influence emotions and hormonal response. When used in a bath or massage, the oils are absorbed through the skin and carried by body fluids to the main body systems; such as the nervous and muscular systems for a healing effect. Smell is the least understood of our five senses and yet is perhaps the most powerful. The olfactory membrane is the only place in the human body where the central nervous system is exposed and in direct contact with the environment. When an olfactory receptor cell is stimulated, an impulse travels along the olfactory nerve to the limbic portion of the brain where memory, hunger, sexual response or emotion is evoked. Before consciously knowing we are in contact with an aroma, our subconscious mind has already received and reacted to it.
