What Are Essential Oils, and How Do They Work?

Essential oils are concentrated liquids from plants, including their roots, flowers, herbs, trees, and fruits. They contain the natural compounds that give each plant its distinctive scent and are obtained mainly through distillation or cold pressing.

While most essential oils come from plants, a few, like emu, musk, and ambergris, are animal-derived. Still, only plant-based oils are recommended for aromatherapy.

What are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are concentrated natural extracts from plants. They capture the essence of the plant, including its scent and flavor. These oils are usually obtained through distillation, steam and water, or mechanical methods like cold pressing.

Essential oils are not oily and differ from fixed or carrier oils. They are highly volatile and contain the odoriferous constituents of the plant they are derived from.

How do Essential Oils Work?

In aromatherapy, essential oils are inhaled or diluted and applied to the skin. When inhaled, the scent molecules travel to the brain, impacting mood and emotions. Topically, when mixed with carrier oils, they can be absorbed into the skin. However, due to their potency, they should not be applied directly to the skin in their concentrated form to avoid irritation.

Popular Types of Essential Oil

• Lavender Oil: Known for its relaxing properties, it's often used to relieve stress and anxiety and to promote good sleep.
• Tea Tree Oil: Traditionally used for wound healing, it's commonly applied for acne, athlete's foot, and insect bites.
• Peppermint Oil: It may help with irritable bowel syndrome symptoms and tension headaches.
• Lemon Oil: Its citrusy scent is a mood booster in homemade cleaning products.
• Eucalyptus Oil: Often used for its refreshing scent. It is believed to help with breathing problems and to ease cold symptoms.
• Frankincense Oil: Known for its calming and grounding properties. It's often used in meditation and to promote emotional balance.
• Rosemary Oil: Believed to improve focus and memory. It's also used in hair care products for its perceived benefits to scalp health.
• Chamomile Oil: Known for its calming effects. It's commonly used to help with relaxation and sleep and sometimes for skin care due to its soothing properties.
• Ylang-Ylang Oil: Known for its sweet, floral scent. It's often used to reduce stress and to promote a positive outlook.
• Bergamot Oil: Has a fresh, citrusy scent. It's often used to relieve stress and improve skin conditions like eczema.
• Sandalwood Oil: Known for its warm, rich scent. It's often used in meditation for its grounding effects and in skincare for its moisturizing properties.
• Lemongrass Oil: Has a fresh, lemony scent. It's often used as a natural insect repellent for its refreshing properties.

Health Benefits of Essential Oils

Essential oils have many health benefits attributed to their natural compounds. Here are some key benefits:

1. Improve Digestive Health: Peppermint oil has shown promise in reducing symptoms of IBS. In studies, patients experienced a significant reduction in IBS symptoms after using peppermint oil. Other oils like fennel, lemongrass, marjoram, black pepper, and juniper berry may also aid digestion.

2. Boost Energy Levels: Certain essential oils like peppermint can increase oxygen to your brain, leading to enhanced energy and focus. Studies found that peppermint oil improved exercise performance and reduced exhaustion in athletes.

3. Enhance Brain Function: Essential oils have neuroprotective effects and can boost cognitive performance, aiding in conditions like Alzheimer's and dementia. Eucalyptus oil improves sustained attention, while bergamot can be useful in challenging situations.

4. Reduce Stress and Anxiety: Many essential oils, like Roman chamomile, bergamot, ylang-ylang, orange, rose, frankincense, and vetiver, are known to induce calm and reduce anxiety. Aromatherapy has shown significant improvements in anxiety and depression symptoms.

5. Alleviate Aches and Pains: Essential oils can effectively treat various types of pain, including postoperative pain, obstetrical pain, and gynecological pain. Oils like peppermint, eucalyptus, chamomile, rosemary, marjoram, thyme, frankincense, turmeric, ginger, and myrrh are beneficial for this purpose.

6. Encourage Sleep: Lavender oil, in particular, is known for its sleep-inducing properties. Studies have shown that inhaling lavender oil can improve sleep quality and reduce anxiety, potentially improving slow- and deep-wave sleep patterns.

7. Antimicrobial Effects: Many essential oils also exhibit antimicrobial properties, effectively treating infections and enhancing wound healing.

8. Skin and Hair Health: Essential oils can improve skin and hair health by calming irritated skin, reducing signs of aging, and improving hair growth. Oils commonly used include lavender, tea tree, and rosemary.

Wrap Up

Essential oils are popular for their fragrances and potential health benefits. Still, it's important to understand that their efficacy is not universally agreed upon, and their use should be approached with care and knowledge about their properties​.