Essential Oils: A Sense-ible approach to a Healthy Home

Essential oils are part of an ancient practice of extracting the natural aromatic compounds from some of nature's finest plants. Wildflowers such as Lavender or Peppermint are common choices. These oils are selected from plants which are well-known for their unique qualities as well as their beautiful relaxing aromas. One way Essential oils can be used is by diffusing them into the air using an electrically-heated essential oil diffuser. You can also apply most essential oils directly onto the skin as a topical ointment to wounds or even onto healthy skin as a way to enrich the skin with the healing and protective properties of the oil.

You can enrich the atmospheric quality of a room or your entire home using essential oils. Some have anti-microbial properties and clean the air. Below is an image of a field of royal purple Lavender shot at the moment the sun is peaking above the horizon. The vibrant colors of the Lavender plant hint at the inner power hidden within the delicate petals.

Lavender oil is one of the more popular varieties of essential oil. It's used as a stress-reliever and loved for its beautiful scent. Just the smell of aroma in the air can reduce stress hormones in your blood and calm your nerves. Applied to bathwater, it adds an extra healing component to the natural restorative properties of a moment of relaxation spent in the bath.

In addition to the good smell, relaxing qualities, anti-microbial qualities, and the beauty qualities of essential oils, it's being discovered that these oils can have benefits on the way we think and help improve our studies, reading, writing, office work, and so on. Some have such strong effects as to be classified as nootropics.

Lavender has some nootropic qualities because it can relieve anxiousness and improve blood circulation. There's also Rosemary which has proven benefits for memory. It's pretty fascinating actually! It's almost surprising that simply inhaling something can help your brain! William Shakespeare once penned, "There's Rosemary, that's for remembrance." And in 2012, a study was conducted testing the cognitive benefits of one compound found in Rosemary called 1,8-cineole. The findings of the study showed an increase in speed and accuracy in cognitive tests which correlated cognitive performance with the blood levels of 1,8-cineole. It's pretty cool that a flower can help you think more clearly! Furthermore...as a quick aside...isn't it interesting that what we breathe has the potential to directly enter our bloodstream? This is one reason why air quality can have such a huge impact on our health. Here's a shameless plug for an air purifier I believe will improve the health of your home or office.

Peppermint oil is another well-known plant extract. Mint brings a refreshing and uplifting but also calming sensation to the senses. When ingested, it immediately soothes the stomach. When diffused into the air as an essential oil and breathed, it gives the mind a gentle stimulation and alertness. According to one study, mental accuracy can be increased by 30% when using Peppermint oil.

Frankincense is known for its ability to raise the immune system, to lift depressive moods, and bring a clarity and awareness that has been described as spiritual. The Frankincense essential oil was revered since time immemorial and is even recorded as one of the three gifts in the Christian Bible. - immune system, depression, spiritiual awareness

Last on my list of essential oils is Lemon. Its been famed for its bright, clean scent and used as a household cleaning agent. Fresh whole lemon is of course a very healthy citrus with related qualities to the other citrus fruits like the Orange and the Lime. As an extract, Lemon can provide a boost in focus and concentration, and perhaps help with detoxification.

As you can see, essential oils offer a wide array of potential uses and can give you the advantage you're looking for. You will be happy about using natural substances with healing properties provided in the naturally, beautifully-packaged vegetation of Earth.

These essential aromatic compounds become even more interesting when you realize what science has been uncovering in recent years. Up until recently, it has been thought that the nose senses molecules based upon sort of a lock and key mechanism of receptor site and the molecules sort of dock onto the cell surface like the space shuttle docks with the space station. However, recently there has been growing evidence for theories that say the nose works on a quantum level and that's why it's able to be so extremely sensitive even when chemicals are suspended in the air in just a few parts per billion. So it's interesting to realize that when smell has a physiological effect on the human body, it's doing so on a fundamentally energetic level through the nervous system. Mind over matter.

Maybe this is why our cultures have had such a deep connection with these Essential oils. If you've enjoyed one of these essential oils or another one that I've left out, I invite you to share your experience and thoughts in a message below the blog. Cheers to Optimization!

Check out my curated selection of Essential Oils plus other great Health products over at the United Healing Arts Market!