Soothe yourself with good scents: essential oils can help heal body and soul - aromatherapy - includes recipes and safety tips

Vegetarian Times, Feb, 1995 by Maryann Hammers

OUR SENSE OF SMELL is something most of us don't think about very often unless confronted by a particularly striking odor--the sweet perfume of a honeysuckle patch, for example, or the acrid sting of freshly poured tar. Yet smelling is the very heart of a natural healing technique called aromatherapy, the therapeutic use of plant essences to affect the mind and body. When my head is pounding, for instance, a drop of cool peppermint oil on my temple relieves the pain. A drop or two of marjoram oil on my pillow ensures a good night's rest. For a quick pick-me-up, I spray a mixture of tangerine oil and water into the air around me. Before writing this article, I took a whiff of spicy rosemary oil to boost my energy and clear my mind.

Scents affect the way we feel, which isn't surprising when you consider how we smell. When we breathe in fragrance molecules through our nose, they attach themselves to olfactory sensors that transmit impulses to the brain. Odor molecules influence the brain's limbic system, which affects emotions, memories and such physiological functions as appetite and sex. Odor stimuli in the limbic system also prompt the release of neurotransmitters, including endorphins, which reduce pain, and serotonin, which promotes relaxation.

"The quickest way to induce an emotional response is through smell," says Alan Hirsch, M.D., a neurologist and psychiatrist who directs the Smell & Taste Treatment and Research Foundation in Chicago. Think about how the aroma of pumpkin pie can instantly transport you back to a childhood Thanksgiving and evoke the feelings associated with the memory. Creating positive feelings and physical changes is what aromatherapy is all about.

The term "aromatherapy" was coined in the early part of this century by French chemist Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, who wrote several books exploring the cosmetic and medicinal uses of essential oils from plants. He conducted many experiments in aromatherapy on soldiers during World War I. Recognition of the power of scent goes much further back than Gattefosse's time, however. Records from more than 4,000 years ago show that the ancient Egyptians used perfumed oils, scented barks and fragrant spices during rituals, medical treatments and embalming. Hippocrates believed that an aromatic bath and massage every day encouraged good health. And the 11th-century Arab physician Avicenna is thought to have invented distillation in order to extract plant essences.

Today, the therapeutic effects of fragrance, largely based on anecdotal evidence and folkloric wisdom, are increasingly supported by scientific research. Studies of the central nervous system have found that lavender--long used as a relaxant--actually reduces brain wave frequency; scents such as basil and rosemary increase the frequency. The aroma of nutmeg and such woody scents as cedar and fir have been found to lower blood pressure. Cinnamon, used in ancient times to perfume beds before lovemaking, proved to be an aphrodisiac in a recent study in which male subjects sniffed a variety of odors; the aroma of fresh-baked cinnamon buns consistently caused erections in the subjects.

Exploring how scents affect you can be as simple as uncorking a bottle of an essential oil. "You will be drawn to specific fragrances," says Michael Scholes, an aromatherapist and president of Aromatherapy Seminars, a Los Angeles-based company that conducts workshops on aromatherapy. "Go with whatever feels good." Each of us responds in a highly personal way to scent, but most people find that some oils, such as chamomile, sandalwood and neroli (orange blossom), are soothing; others, such as ylang-ylang (pronounced ee-lang), rose and jasmine, are uplifting. Invigorating oils such as spearmint, pine, eucalyptus and basil, combat fatigue, while marjoram may put you to sleep.

When practicing aromatherapy, using pure essential oils is, well, essential. Melissa Peterson, editorial director of the American Alliance of Aromatherapy News Quarterly, published in Petaluma, Calif., for aromatherapy professionals, explains that it is not just the essential oil's aroma that promotes physical, emotional and spiritual healing, but its chemical composition--which is not completely reconstructed in a laboratory. A pure extract comes from the leaves, fruit, wood, roots, seeds and flowers of plants and may have hundreds, even thousands, of constituents. On the other hand, a synthetic oil reproduces only a fraction of the natural elements, diminishing the effect of the oil. It's like taking synthetic vitamin C instead of eating an orange; you miss out on the complex interactions of trace elements in the real thing. Many products labeled for aromatherapy are actually synthetic reproductions of plant essences; look for labels that say "pure essential oil," and avoid products called "perfume oil," "plant perfume" or "fragrant oil."

Before using essential oils, review the safety tips on p. 95. Once you're ready, there are a variety of ways to experience aromatherapy. To massage with aromatherapy oil, add up to 15 drops of essential oil to one ounce of base, or carrier, oil. Essential oils are volatile and can easily vaporize. A base oil acts as a stabilizing agent and should be a pure oil with little fragrance; grapeseed, peach kernel, hazelnut, avocado or sweet almond work well. (If you blend essential oils, use no more than the total number of drops indicated in the concoctions that follow; if you combine chamomile and neroli for a massage oil, for example, you might use seven drops of one and eight of the other.)