Common Scents

For thousands of years, civilizations have used the healing properties of plants, herbs, and flowers to cure, nourish, and invigorate their bodies and minds. Aromatherapy via these essential oils is probably the most commonly used alternative healing remedy today; everything from soaps, shampoos, candles, even hand sanitizers boast healing scents to add value to their products.

Though a widely accepted form of healing, aromatherapy and essential oil use is still an alternative form of medicine, and not generally accepted by the medical community. However, recent medical research has proven that these naturally occurring scents and oils can act as true stimuli, producing a physical and psychosomatic response. Inhaling an essential oil forced traces of liquid into your lungs, and they, in turn, are absorbed into your bloodstream, providing the physical response by the body. Simultaneously, the inhalation stimulates the nerves in your nasal and sinus cavities, which then triggers your brain to react accordingly, promoting the emotional response.

Aromatherapists believe that mental ailments manifest themselves in physical maladies, and vice versa; how convenient that both mechanisms are addressed with a simple inhalation!

According to www.aromatherapy.com, aromatherapy benefits and the most common uses include stress and headache relief, sleep improvement, mood boosting, hormone regulation, muscle relaxation, immune system stimulation, and blood circulation. Certain oils such as tea tree have antiseptic, antimicrobial and antifungal effects as well, and are therefore likely to appear in skin care and cleaning products.

Certainly all the uses of essential oils and their scents have been documented, as the practice has survived over 5,000 years.

Click here for a quick guide of when to use what- one of my favorite sites! I'm sure you'll be delighted to see just how many common ailments can be alleviated through common scents will you waft.

Do you use aromatherapy in your daily life?