Greetings to all my beloved loyal blog readers! How are you today? Hope all in a very good mood and good health too. It is quite awhile i did not update this blog indeed. By the way, for today's entry, i want to write about aromatherapy and it's benefits. Lets hear about the definition first since it is crucial to be known as well.
Aromatherapy is a form of alternative medicine that uses volatile plant materials known as essential oils and other aromatic compounds for the purpose of altering a person's mind, mood, cognitive function or health. In other words, aromatherapy is actually a practice of using natural oils which extracted from flowers, bark, stems, leaves, roots or other parts of a plant in order to enhance psychological and physical well being. It is said that by inhaling these "essential" oils is believed to stimulate the brain function. apart from inhale the essential oils, the essential oils also can be absorbed through the skin where the oil will travel all the bloodstream and then can promote whole-body healing.
There are 3 modes of application which are Aerial diffusion for environmental fragrancing, Direct inhalation for respiratory disinfection, decongestion, expectoration as well as psychological effects and the last one is Topical applications for general massage, baths, compresses, therapeutic skin care. Let us go one by one :
Aerial diffusion
The oils evaporated into the air. The aim is to give the air a specific fragrance or to disinfect it.
Direct inhalation
The person breaths the evaporating oils straight in. This is commonly used for respiratory disinfection, decongestion as well as psychological benefits.
Topical applications
Applied directly onto the skin. Commonly used for massage, baths and therapeutic skin care.
There are many popular aromatherapy products that can be found in the market today. Below are the list of those most popular picked aromatherapy products for your reference and considerations :
Bergamot
Bergamot is said to be useful for the urinary tract and digestive tract. Begamot also said good for the skin and skin problems caused by stress as well as skin affected by chicken-pox when it combined with eucalyptus oil.
Clove Oil
A topical analgesic or painkiller which commonly used for toothache. Clove oil also used as an antispasmodic, antiemetic (prevents vomiting and nausea) and carminative (prevents gas in the gut).
Black Pepper
Commonly used for stimulating the circulation, muscular aches and pains and also bruises.
Eucalyptus
Often used for relief of the airways for people who have a cold or flu. This eucalyptus commonly combined with peppermint.
Geranium Oil
This is commonly used as a diuretic (makes you get rid of water), astringent (draws together or constrict body tissues and is effective in stopping the flow of blood or other secretions) and also antiseptic.
Jasmine
Jasmine is said to have aphrodisiac qualities.
Lemon Oil
Lemon oil is said to give the person a mood-lift, and also said to be very effective for relieving the symptoms of stress and depression.
Tea Tree Oil
Tea tree oil is said to have antimicrobial, antiseptic and disinfectant qualities. Tea tree oil commonly used in mouth rinses.
Sandalwood
Some people say this sandalwood has aphrodisiac qualities.
Citronella Oil
This is a relative of lemongrass and it is commonly used as an insect repellent.
Basil
This is used to sharpen concentration and alleviate some of the symptoms of depression. Basil also used to relieve headaches and migraine. But please take serious note that Basil should be avoided during pregnancy.
Thyme Oil
Thyme oil is said to help fatigue, nervousness and also stress.
Yarrow Oil
Yarrow oil is used for cold or influenza symptoms. It is also said to help reduce joint inflammation.
Lavender Oil
Lavender oil is commonly used as an antiseptic for minor cut and burns. It is also used to help people to feel relax and believed can relieve headache and migraine symptoms as well. Lavender oil also used to help people with insomnia.
Despite of all benefits can be obtained from this aromatherapy, there are also side effects that we should know and take note whether this medicine alternative practice is suitable for us or not. But however, the side effects tend to be very mild and do not last long. the side effects include nausea, headaches and some allergic reactions. Apart from that, aromatherapy can leads the skin to become sensitive to the sunlight as well. This is because the essential oils used in the treatment which derived from citrus may make the skin become more sensitive to ultraviolet light, which making the person more susceptible to sunburn.
