Each essential oil has different healing properties. For example, some calm while others energize. Here are some of the 120 + therapeutic essential oils I use in my practice and some of their properties:
– To calm and reduce pain: chamomile, lavender, marjoram, wintergreen
– To balance hormones in men and women: rose geranium, rose, clary sage, jasmine
– To improve memory and concentration: rosemary, basil, Scot's pine, fir needle, lemon
– To clear airways and sinuses: lemon, pine, fir balsam, basil, peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus, cedarwoods
– To move lymph and relieve water retention: juniper berry, grapefruit, orange, lime, lemon, cypress
– To relax and uplift: lavender, orange, tangerine, mandarin, ylang ylang, bergamot
– To ground and energize: clove, ginger, frankincense, patchouli
– To improve digestion and intestinal complaints: ginger, peppermint, cardamon, fennel
How Does Aromatherapy Work?
Aromatherapy works through the nostrils which are attached to a part of the brain called the limbic system. The limbic system controls emotions and influences the nervous system and hormones. When you inhale essential oil molecules, messages are transmitted to the limbic system and affect heart rate, stress level, blood pressure, breathing, memory, digestion, and the immune system.
Essential oils are also absorbed through the skin and enter the capillary circulation, making aromatherapy massage one of the most effective means of healing through aromatherapy.