The Never-Before-Revealed Benefits of Essential Oils
The Never-Before-Revealed Benefits of Essential Oils
Essential oils have been used for thousands of years, in various countries.
Their anti-inflammatory, stimulating, detoxifying, antimicrobial and calming properties give them their popularity.
These powerful plant extracts have made their way into lotions, household cleaners, massage treatments and other products .
You must be wondering why essential oils are this potent, to the point where everyone is interested in having one for themselves.
Well, look no further as this article will shed more light into what essential oils are and most of their hidden benefits.
What Are Essential Oils?
Essential oils are fragrant oils that are extracted from the roots, flowers, leaves or seeds of plants, using steam or applied pressure.
They are extracted through the process of distillation, which separates the oil from other components of the plant.
They are referred to as “essential” because the oils contain the essence of the plant they were derived from (which is the odour and flavour of the plant).
They are highly concentrated and usually with a strong aroma, which is why they’re named aromatherapy oils.
Health Benefits of Essential Oils
The benefits of essential oils include:
1. Boost Immunity and Fight Infections:
Most essential oils have anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antiseptic and antifungal properties.
They help in reducing stress which in turn boosts your immune system and fights off infections.
Also, the chemical substances that essential oils contain, give them the ability to fight pathogens that are harmful to your health.
These chemicals include:
Ethers
Esters
Ketones
Terpenes
Phenolics.
Examples of such oils include:
Basil oil
Ginger oil
lavender oil
Eucalyptus oil
Cedarwood oil
Peppermint oil
frankincense oil and others.
2. Balance Hormones:
Some essential oils are good for your hormones.
They help regulate your oestrogen, progesterone, cortisol, thyroid and testosterone levels.
They help balance the hormones, thereby eradicating conditions like:
Infertility
Menopausal symptoms
Premenstrual symptoms (PMS)
Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
Examples of such essential oils are:
Thyme
Lavender oil
Geranium oil
Clary sage oil
Sandalwood oil.
3. Aids Digestion:
One of the most hidden benefits of essential oil is in improving digestion.
A lot of people are unaware of this fact (you’re probably hearing it for the first time? It’s true!).
Essential oils help your digestion by stimulating digestive enzymes making it easy to absorb the nutrients, fats and protein that your body needs.
They help promote your digestive health by relieving gas, nausea, diarrhoea, upset stomach, indigestion, constipation, ulcers and even more severe conditions.
Examples of such oils include:
Fennel oil
Ginger oil
lemongrass oil
peppermint oil
black pepper oil
juniper berry oil and others.
4. Reduces Stress and Anxiety:
Some essential oils have sedative properties that induce a calm, peaceful, uplifting and relaxed feeling.
Lavender is one of the most popular essential oil with anxiolytic properties, it gives an overall sedative and calming effects.
Other essential oils that helps reduce anxiety and stress include:
Rose oil
lemon oil
Orange oil
Bergamot oil
Chamomile oil
Sandalwood oil
Peppermint oil.
5. Alleviate Body Pain:
Essential oils are very helpful in reducing aches and pain.
Essential oils when used as a massage oil can penetrate deep into the skin layer which helps relieve pain, swelling and tension.
Peppermint oil is well known to help ease muscle aches, sprain, strain, menstrual cramp and even arthritic pain.
Other examples include:
Thyme oil
Ginger oil
Turmeric oil
Rosemary oil
Eucalyptus oil
Chamomile oil
Lemongrass oil
Frankincense oil
6. Increase Energy Levels:
Essential oils help boost your energy levels and improve your cognitive performance.
Some essential oils are stimulating and help improve the health of blood vessels.
This aids adequate blood circulation and in turn increase oxygen levels in your brain.
They also help to improve learning, memory and ability to focus for a long time.
Examples of such essential oils include:
Lemon oil
Lavender oil
Rosemary oil
Bergamot oil
Grapefruit oil
Eucalyptus oil
Lemongrass oil
7. Improves Skin and Hair Health:
This is the most popular benefit of essential oils.
Use of essential oils as skin care are more effective than products made with chemicals and artificial oils.
Essential oils are recommended by dermatologists for variety of reasons, some of which are:
Improves acne
Thicken your hair
Reduce signs of aging
Helps to calm irritated skin
Protect your skin from sun damage.
They also help improve inflammatory skin conditions like dermatitis, eczema and lupus.
It improves the general appearance of your skin and even assists in wound healing.
What gives these oils their skin benefits is their ability to fight against pathogens that are responsible for dermatological infections.
The best oils for skin and hair treatment includes:
Myrrh oil
Neem oil
Argan oil
Jojoba oil
Tea tree oil
Almond oil
Rosehip oil
Coconut oil
Lavender oil
Rosemary oil
Mandarin oil
Geranium oil
Eucalyptus oil
Chamomile oil
Sandalwood oil
Helichrysum oil
Frankincense oil.
8. Decreases Body Toxicity:
These days, we inhale several environmental chemicals that can be very harmful to our general health.
Essential oils help detoxify the body.
Essential oils also help clean the air of your environment from microorganisms.
In fact, unlike most home cleaning products, essential oils can help eliminate harmful pathogens and pollutants.
Essential oils that help promote internal and external detoxification includes:
Fennel oil
Ginger oil
Lemon oil
Orange oil
Tea tree oil
Lavender oil
Rosemary oil
Grapefruit oil
Cinnamon oil
Eucalyptus oil
Peppermint oil
9. Relieves Headaches and Migraines:
Essential oils may work as a natural migraine reliever because they effectively treat the root cause of it.
They provide pain relief by improving circulation and reducing stress, which can be a major cause of both headaches and migraines.
Lavender and peppermint are very effective for stress headaches. They have a cooling effect and stimulate blood flow.
Eucalyptus oil is also very effective as it helps relieve sinus pressure by opening the nasal airways.
Rosemary oil is best for tension headaches as it helps reduce inflammation, promotes circulation and provide a calming effect.
10. Promote Rest and Sleep:
Some essential oils have sedative and hypnotic effects which makes it very helpful for people who have trouble sleeping.
Lavender oil in particular, is well known for its versatility of benefits especially when used as an aromatherapy.
It is an effective sleep aid because of its ability to leave you feeling relaxed and calm.
Other oils which can be used to promote sleep includes:
Clove oil
Valerian oil
Bergamot oil
cedarwood oil
Chamomile oil
peppermint oil
sandalwood oil
Ylang ylang oil
Conclusion on Essential Oils
While essential oils are good, it doesn't mean that they are perfectly safe.
Plants and herbal products contain many bioactive compounds that may harm your health, and essential oils are no different.
Though, when inhaled or used on the skin, most essential oils are considered safe.
Be sure to consider whether its use is safe for you, in case you’re pregnant, your children or pets.
There are quite a number of benefits essential oils offer, but the above listed ones are the most common of them all.
Feel free to choose the essential oil that suits your preference at any point in time.
See you in the next blog post. Stay Fresh!