Aromatherapy and essential oils
What is aromatherapy?
Aromatherapy uses the essential oils from herbs, flowers, and other plants for their therapeutic effects of the mind and body.
Typically, an aromatherapist will dilute the essential oils in a vegetable-based carrier oil and massage them into the skin. The oils are absorbed through the skin into the bloodstream.
At home, a common way of practising aromatherapy is to heat the essential oils, so releasing the molecules into the air where they are inhaled. In aromatherapy baths, essential oils are added to the bath water where they can be absorbed through the skin.
What are essential oils?
The essential oils used in aromatherapy are volatile oils extracted from leaves, stems, flowers, or other parts of plants. They are highly concentrated and can be toxic if misused, so general safety guidelines and cautions for individual oils must be followed at all times.
Each essential oil has its own therapeutic properties. For example, lavender oil is reknowned for burns; tea tree oil is a powerful antiseptic; chamomile is good for insomnia; and eucalyptus oil is fabulous for colds and flu.
Aromatherapy picks for beginners
- Introduction to aromatherapy and essential oils
- My first aromatherapy sessions
- Using essential oils safely
- Buying essential oils
- Aromatherapy and the mind
More aromatherapy information
We also offer aromatherapy articles, personal experiences of aromatherapy, listings of aromatherapy associations around the world, and links to other aromatherapy sites on the web.
