What are Essential Oils?
If you've been hearing the words "essential oils" over and over again and you see your friends and family using them but don't know what they are exactly, let me give you a brief overview:
“Essential oils are the highly concentrated version of the natural oils in plants.”
The way that essential oils are derived from plants is through distillation. The distillation is usually done by steam or water. After the distillation process, you get a highly concentrated portion of an essential oil. Not only does the oil have the fragrance and properties of the plant that it was extracted from, but it will also have the true essence of the plant that it came from like the plant’s healing properties.
When the oils are in the plant, they provide the plants with protection against predators and disease, and also play a part in plant pollination. Throughout history, essential oils have been used in many different cultures for their medicinal and therapeutic benefits.
“Why do they call it ‘alternative medicine’ when it is the original medicine that humans have been using for thousands of years? Chemical medications were discovered about a hundred years ago!”
Leaning towards a holistic approach to wellness, essential oils are used for physical and psychological health and well-being applications. Essential oils can be used in many different ways. Aromatherapy is the most common therapeutic use of essential oils. In aromatherapy, healing can be achieved through the aromas of the essential oils. Carefully inhaling them provides therapeutic benefits as the essential oil molecules go through the lungs and are absorbed into the bloodstream. Some of the different ways to inhale them are through the use of diffusers, inhalers and aromatic jewelry. A lot of the essential oils are known to have an uplifting effect on the human mind, and I can speak on that from my experience of using the oils. A lot of the essential oils also have antiseptic properties, which means that they reduce the possibility of infection by rubbing them onto the skin.
Ever since I started using essential oils, I stopped taking any form of medication. Whether I have a cold, a stomach ache, a headache or even trouble sleeping, essential oils are my solution.
Warning: These oils have been proven to change people's lives for the better, try at your own risk ;)