Essential Oils

Essential oils are plant extracts. They're manufactured by pressing or steaming the part of the plant that produces fragrance. This could be the flowers, bark, fruit, leaves, roots and even the seeds. This process can require several pounds of a plant to produce a single bottle of essential oil. Besides providing us with delightful scents, these oils also come with the added advantage of healing properties.

The manufacturing process can greatly impact not only the quality of the product, but also the price. Some tips on what constitutes a quality oil will be the inclusion of the Latin name of the plant. Bottles should contain essential oil in its purest form and should not contain fillers. Pure essential oils will be stored in a dark colored glass bottle (dark brown or blue). As a good quality essential oil is highly concentrated, it can dissolve a plastic container over time, which taints the oil. Fragrance or perfume oils are a combination of essential oils combined with chemicals and in some instances could be made entirely from chemicals - these fragrance or perfume oils should not be used for Aromatherapy.

Essential oils have been around for centuries and one of the best known methods of using essential oils is Aromatherapy, which is using essential oils for therapeutic benefit. Aromatherapy is used every day by many who swear by its ability to treat common health ailments like anxiety, congestion and joint pain.

There are other ways of enjoying and using essential oils, one of which is through the skin (topically). Essential Oils should always be applied with a barrier substance (oil or lotion etc.) The topical use of essential oils is usually done for cosmetic purposes or to alleviate pain. The oils are absorbed via the top layer of the skin (epidermis), where it moves from the soft tissue to the bloodstream. In this manner the oils reach the treatment areas.

Most essential oil users inhale them to experience their psychological effects, such as stress relief. When inhaled, the molecules are distributed into the respiratory system. A popular method of inhalation is by using a diffuser.

Make certain that the use of essential oils in a diffuser will not adversely affect your pets, as not all oils are beneficial to pets.

Ingestion is not recommended unless you are certain of a pure essential oil and even then it is recommended that you only ingest essential oils under the supervision of your doctor or a certified aromatherapist.

Essential oils have psychological (affecting emotion), pharmacological (affecting chemistry) and physiological (affecting bodily function and process) benefits. Applying oils to the tops of feet, arms, wrists, neck and behind the ear generally produce better and more consistent results for most people.

As the healing properties of the essential oils and blends are as varied as the plants, for your convenience and reading pleasure, please feel free to continue reading here: https://www.doterra.com/US/en/site/leslieboland