Aromatherapy Essential Oil

Aromatherapy essential oils are highly concentrated substances extracted from different kind of plants. The “essences” of plants, they are pulled from the leaves, flowers, twigs, barks, rind of fruit, and roots of plants usually through the process of distillation. These types of oils as many of you may or may not know, are used to bring upon healing of the body and the mind.

The Basics

Every one of the aromatherapy essential oils can be used either as one of two things: a standalone or as a mixture of several different types of oils. Many concoctions of aromatherapy essential oils almost always create an effect which might be more attractive than if you compare it to lone oils. But before you begin using any aromatherapy essential oils, there are some very important things you need to learn and know.

Although distillation is the common most method used to extract essential oils, there are actually a lot of other methods in practice. Extracting aromatherapy essential oils can be a very time consuming and even sometimes very costly. It also requires a high volume of experience so that the oils don’t end up spoiled or ruined, making them virtually unusable since they won’t be able to offer anymore of those great therapeutic benefits they are reported to have. And what’s more, is that it takes in excess of 220 pounds of rose petals to produce only 4 to 5 teaspoons full of aromatherapy essential oil, it is definitely a tiresome, tedious process which should only be left to the professionals.

The fact that a huge amount of plant materials are needed just to produce even just a tiny vial of aromatherapy essential oil, natural pure essential oils are very costly. But hey, that’s what makes them highly effective, remember you get what you pay for. Also remember that aromatherapy essential oils are highly concentrated. That means only apply a few drops at a time and you can have the desired effect.

Of course, there are synthetic oils available out there as we are all aware of but they are not nearly as success as pure essential oils.

How it Works

The main target of aromatherapy oils is our sense of smell or the “olfaction.” When aromatherapy essential oils are inhaled, the scent stimulates the cells in our olfactory nerves, bringing upon an impulse which is transferred to the emotional center of the brain. This emotional center of the brain, which is called the “limbic system”, is connected to specific areas of the brain such as memory, breathing, and blood circulation. It is also related to the endocrine glands which regulate hormone levels in the body.

Organic Aromatherapy Oil

Plant oils have become widely used through a scientific practice called aromatherapy. This practice has been used for hundreds of generations, most commonly for healing our general well-being.

Aromatherapy has been used since the times of ancient Egyptians. The first processes came from them using a machine that removed scented oils from plants. The process is called distillation, and it was primarily the tool used when the oils were extracted from hard material such as bark, roots, or twigs. After collection of the oils, they were then turned into what we now know as perfume, massage oils, wound ointments, or bath scents. Choosing the word organic for their practice type is saying the least. They did not have access to synthetic materials during their time, so it was unlikely to have anything but organic, although they probably did were not aware they were using organic means.

Oil extractions take place in a number of ways in today’s society. The types of extractions are: solvent action, simple distillation, and carbon dioxide pressure. Depending on which method is used, a specific type of aromatherapy oil is produced organically. These oils include: floral waters, carrier oils, CO2s, infused oils, essential oils, and resins.

Pesticides used on plants are what prevents plants from being considered organic. When there is an absence of pesticides, the plants are considered organic, and organic aromatherapy oils are started through distillation. This method prevents chemicals from soaking into the plants, keeping them out of the aromatherapy oils. This lays the claim that organic aromatherapy oils far outweigh the pros and cons of non-organic oils.

Although most organic aromatherapy oil users have deemed this method as being safer than using non-organic oils, it is not been scientifically proven. It is safe to say however that with organic aromatherapy oils there is less chance of having the oils compromised by the addition of chemicals from pesticides. However, users of aromatherapy oils find that organic aromatherapy oils are more effective for overall theraputic health.

With more and more people becoming ‘green’ conscious, it is common to see organic therapy oil vendors pressing for oils that hold more quality scents and affects, than using the basic formula. Yes, the oils will comply with the laws for organic farming, but they will bury their organic uses with the products that gain a larger value from such potent oils. After all, the choice belongs to you for the type of oil you wish to use, whether it be organic or non-organic. Keep in mind though, anything organic is going to come with a price. Organic aromatherapy oil crops are require different growing methods, which directly affects the end user price.