Aromatherapy can help
HOW DO ESSENTIAL OILS WORK ON THE HUMAN BODY
What are the specific effects of Aromatherapy?
Using Essential Oils affects the Human Body
• Pharmacologically, essential oils are chemical and so are humans.
Once essential oils have been absorbed into the body, either through
the skin or inhalation, the chemicals in the oils enter the blood and
other body fluids and interact with the chemistry of our bodies e.g.
hormones, enzymes and neurotransmitters are all chemicals and the
presence of another chemical (the essential oil) can affect the way
they work.
• Physiologically: physiology is the way our body works. Essential
oils can affect this by changing the chemical messages and impulses
sent around the body and thus changing the way the systems of the human
body function e.g. if an oil has relaxing and de-stressing properties,
it may help to relieve the symptoms of stress displayed by our bodies
e.g. slowing heart rate and breathing rate or encouraging tense muscles
to relax.
• Psychologically: the way essential oils affect our mind is more
difficult to describe, mainly because everyone’s mind id different.
However, our sense of smell is closely linked to our memory so that
particular smells can cause particular responses: e.g. if you dislike
the smell of Roses, Rose oil is unlikely to relax you; if Jasmine
reminds you of a good holiday then its smell will bring back happy
memories and provoke a positive response.
General effects of Aromatherapy
There are certain effects from using essential oils which result from
most treatments, especially since relaxing and/or hands-on application
methods like massage and baths are very common in aromatherapy. General
effects include:
• Reduction in Stress & Tension
• Feeling of Well-being, Balance and Calm
• Antibacterial effects of oil help the body to heal and support the immune system.
How do Essential Oils Penetrate the Body?
There are two ways that oil can safely penetrate the body:
1. Smell/Inhalation
2. Absorption via the skin
Ingestion, i.e. swallowing them is not safe.
Smelling & Inhaling Essential Oils The Nose & Olfactory Tract
The Olfactory Tract
Smell is the fastest way for Essential Oils to penetrate the body. The
molecules travel up the nose and there are two results: they send a
message to the brain and nerves which respond to the new smell and they
pass into the blood stream via the lungs and the respiratory system. In
order to understand how this works, it helps to understand the
structure of the Olfactory Tract.
Structure
Most of the nose is concerned with breathing: inhaling air into the
body and exhaling it out, however it is the organ of smell and thus
very important in a therapy based on the power of aromas!
At the top of the nose there are two areas of pigmented tissue known as
Olfactory Membranes. They contain the olfactory, or smell-sensing
cells, which have fine hair-like protrusions called cilia. The
olfactory cells connect to nerves in an area known as the Olfactory
Plexus. Once triggered, these nerves send messages along the olfactory
Nerves to the Brain, particularly the Limbic System.
This is the area of the brain that deals with Memory, Emotions, Our Basic Instincts and Mechanical Functions.
Function
When essential oil molecules pass over the olfactory cells, it is
thought that these cells trigger receptor areas, which send an impulse
via the olfactory plexus and nerves to the brain. Here the information
is processed and interpretated (with either positive or negative
associations).
Depending on the interpretation, the brain sends messages to other
parts of the body to elicit a response e.g. Grimace! The brain may also
react to different chemicals in an essential oil and produce particular
effects e.g. a relaxing or sedative substance may cause the brain to
send out a message of relaxation either to the whole body or a
particular part.
How do Oils Penetrate the Skin?
Essential oils are absorbed through the skin. In order to understand this, it helps to understand the skin’s structure.
Being the largest human organ it is water resistant, but extremely
minute substances, such as the molecules of an essential oil, can enter
the tiny pores of the Epidermis, as well as penetrating through the
hair follicles and the sweat glands. From here they enter the blood
capillaries in the dermis. Once the oil reaches the blood and the
circulation it is transported around the whole body.
MPB (c)
Meditation can be further help to alleviate stress 
Stress
