Essential oil and Their Uses

What are essential oils?

We all are very well aware about the characteristic smell which we can feel when we grind any whole spice in our kitchen or when we peel orange, a small amount of water droplets come on to our hands, or when we walk through garden we can feel the scent of different flowers. All this scent to flowers and flavours to spices occur due to a very small amount of oil present in them which is aromatic in nature. This aromatic oil or volatile oil is often known as essential oil.

The essential oil after extraction from plants occurs in highly concentrated form and must be diluted when used. In aroma therapy this essential oil are diluted with some other base oil like olive oil, sesame oil etc and then applied over skin.

The volatile oil can be found in various parts of plants such as seeds, bark, roots, leaves, flowers, wood, balsam and resin. Different parts of plants are used to extract different types of oil. Some examples are-

Aromatic plants and oils have been used for thousands of years, as incense, perfumes and cosmetics and for their medical and culinary applications. In India aromatics were considered to be more than just perfumes. The Vedic literature of India dating around 2000 BC, lists 700 substances including cinnamon, ginger, garlic, coriander, sandalwood for therapeutic uses. ‘Attar’ means smoke, wind, odor, and essence and Rig Veda codifies their use for both liturgical and therapeutic purpose.

Essential oil uses

Skin

• Antiseptics for cuts, insect bites, spots, etc; for example, thyme, sage, eucalyptus, tea tree, clove, lavender and lemon.
• Anti-inflammatory oils for eczema, infected wounds, bumps, bruises, etc; for example, German and Roman chamomile, lavender and yarrow.
• Fungicidal oils for athletes foot, candida, ringworm, etc; for example, lavender, tea tree, myrrh, patchouli and sweet marjoram.
• Granulation stimulating or cicatrising(healing) agents for burns, cuts, scars, stretch marks, etc; for example, lavender, chamomile, rose, neroli, frankincense and geranium.
• Deodorants for excessive perspiration, cleaning wounds, etc; for example, bergamot, lavender, thyme, juniper, cypress, Spanish sage, lemongrass.
• Insect repellents and parasiticides for lice, fleas, scabies, ticks, mosquitos, ants, moths, etc; for example, spike lavender, garlic, geranium, citronella, eucalyptus, clove, camphor, Atlas cedarwood.

The Circulation, Muscles and Joints

• Hypotensives for high blood pressure, palpitations, stress, etc; for example, sweet marjoram, ylang ylang, lavender, lemon.
• Hypertensives for poor circulation, chilblains, listlessness, etc; for example, rosemary, spike lavender, eucalyptus, peppermint, thyme.
• Rubefacients for rheumatism of the joints, muscular stiffness, sciatica, lumbago, etc; for example, black pepper, juniper, rosemary, camphor, sweet marjoram.
• Depurative or antitoxic agents for arthritis, gout, congestion, skin eruptions, etc; for example, juniper, lemon, fennel, lovage.
• Lymphatic stimulants for cellulitis, obesity, water retention, etc; for example, grapefruit, lime, fennel, lemon, mandarin, white birch.
• Circulatory tonics and astringents for swellings, inflammations, varicose veins, etc; for example, cypress, yarrow, lemon.

The Respiratory System

• Expectorants for catarrh, sinusitis, coughs, bronchitis, etc; for example, eucalyptus, pine, thyme, myrrh, sandalwood, fennel.
• Antispasmodics for colic, asthma, dry cough, whooping cough, etc; for example, hyssop, cypress, Atlas cedarwood, bergamot, chamomile, cajeput.
• Balsamic agents for colds, chills, congestion, etc; for example, benzoin, frankincense, Tolu balsam, Peru balsam, myrrh.
• Antiseptics for ’flu, colds, sore throat, tonsillitis, gingivitis, etc; for example, thyme, sage, eucalyptus, hyssop, pine, cajeput, tea tree, borneol.

The Digestive System

• Antispasmodics for spasm, pain, indigestion, etc; for example, chamomile, caraway, fennel, orange, peppermint, lemon balm, aniseed, cinnamon.
• Carminatives and stomachics for flatulent dyspepsia, aerophagia, nausea, etc; for example, angelica, basil, fennel, chamomile, peppermint, mandarin.
• Cholagogues for increasing the flow of bile and stimulating the gall bladder; for example, caraway, lavender, peppermint and borneol.
• Hepatics for liver congestion, jaundice, etc; for example, lemon, lime, rosemary, peppermint.
• Aperitifs for loss of appetite, anorexia, etc; for example, aniseed, angelica, orange, ginger, garlic.

The Genito-urinary and Endocrine Systems

• Antispasmodics for menstrual cramp (dysmenorrhoea), labour pains, etc; for example, sweet marjoram, chamomile, clary sage, jasmine, lavender.
• Emmenagogues for scanty periods, lack of periods (amenorrhoea), etc; for example, chamomile, fennel, hyssop, juniper, sweet marjoram, peppermint.
• Uterine tonics and regulators for pregnancy, excess menstruation (menorrhagia), PMT, etc; for example, clary sage, jasmine, rose, myrrh, frankincense, lemon balm.
• Antiseptic and bactericidal agents for leucorrhoea, vaginal pruritis, thrush, etc; for example, bergamot, chamomile, myrrh, rose, tea tree.
• Galactagogues for increasing milk flow; for example, fennel, jasmine, anise, lemongrass (sage, mint and parsley reduce it).
• Aphrodisiacs for impotence and frigidity, etc; for example, black pepper, cardomon, clary sage, neroli, jasmine, rose, sandalwood, patchouli, ylang ylang.
• Anaphrodisiacs for reducing sexual desire; for example, sweet marjoram, camphor.
• Adrenal stimulants for anxiety, stress-related conditions, etc; for example, basil, geranium, rosemary, borneol, sage, pine, savory.

The Immune System

• Bactericidal and antiviral agents (prophylactics) for protection against colds, ’flu, etc; for example, tea tree, cajeput, niaouli, basil, lavender, eucalyptus, bergamot, camphor, clove, rosemary.
• Febrifuge agents for reducing fever and temperature, etc; for example, angelica, basil, peppermint, thyme, sage, lemon, eucalyptus, tea tree.
• Sudorifics and diaphoretics for promoting sweating, eliminating toxins, etc; for example, rosemary, thyme, hyssop, chamomile.

The Nervous System

• Sedatives for nervous tension, stress, insomnia, etc; for example, chamomile, bergamot, sandalwood, lavender, sweet marjoram, lemon balm, hops, valerian, lemon.
• Stimulants for convalescence, lack of strength, nervous fatigue, etc; for example, basil, jasmine, peppermint, ylang ylang, neroli, angelica, rosemary.
• Nerve tonics (nervines) for strengthening the nervous system as a whole; for example, chamomile, clary sage, juniper, lavender, marjoram, rosemary.

The mind

The effect of an odour on a human being was dependent on a variety of factors which include:

• how the odour was applied,
• how much was applied,
• the circumstances in which it was applied,
• the person to whom it was applied (age, sex, personality type),
• what mood they were in to start with,
• what previous associations they may have with the odour,
• anosmia, or inability to smell (certain scents).

We must, therefore, seek odoriferous substances which present affinities with the human being we intend to treat, those which will compensate for his deficiencies and those which will make his faculties blossom.