Essential oils are volatile oils that come from herbs, flowers, or trees. Extraction of these aromatic oils can be done by various means, but distilling is by far the most common. They are used in a variety of settings and purposes. For instance, they are usually added to perfumes, cosmetics, soaps, and household deodorizing and cleaning products. They are also often used to flavor food and drink.
The therapeutic use of these oils is called aromatherapy, which is widely considered as a form of alternative medicine. The curative effects of essential oils are theorized to result from the effect of odorant molecules on the brain’s emotional center, the limbic system. Some of these aromatic oils, like those of frankincense and lavender, are known to exert antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic effects.
Additionally, frankincense essential oils are believed to treat disorders like ulcerative colitis. There are also researches done in the past which report that the smoke from incense sticks infused with Frankincense essential oils are effective at calming the mind, and may be used to bring those who are depressed to a better mood. Lavender essential oil has shown calming effects too, and is actually used as an ingredient in certain anti-anxiety medications. Vaporized lavender essential oils have also been used to alleviate stress-related headaches and cure cough.
Essential oils are generally not applied to the skin undiluted because they are known to cause severe irritation, and can even trigger an allergic reaction.
Lavender essential oil has recently been implicated in gynecomastia, which is the development of breasts in young boys. There have been reports as well of consumers suffering from mild to moderate bouts of GI upset after taking or using products which contain frankincense essential oils. Remember to talk with your healthcare provider about your aromatherapy practices to ensure safe and coordinated health management.
Essential oils for therapeutic use can be bought from online and offline health stores. Those you can add to food and non-food items are typically sold by the manufacturing company or their dealers. Various agencies regulate essential oils according to their intended use. In the United States, essential oils are regulated by the FDA in terms of their intended use. Although a few companies have obtained FDA approval to carry out research on essential oils used therapeutically, the majority of these aromatic oils are not considered drugs by official agencies. Thus, they can be bought by anyone even without a prescription. Abroad, quality and safety can be evaluated by determining if the product has passed ISO or AFNOR processing standards. Regulation of the sale and marketing of industrial-grade products containing these aromatic oils is typically governed by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Lavender and frankincense essential oils have many curative properties. Vapors from these aromatic oils are known to calm a person’s mind. Click this link to get additional info about lavender essential oil.