By Holly Dunbar, LMT, RH (AHG), Certified Aromatherapist
Aromatherapy has an obvious connection to the olfactory system, our sense of smell, whose nerves extend directly into the brain. The olfactory bulb sends an odorant signal to the limbic system of the brain in the space of 1-3 seconds. Smell is the only sense humans possess that has this direct pathway to the brain. Also known as the “old brain,” because it’s association with our primal urges and evolutionary development as humans, the limbic system governs both primitive and emotional drives, such as thirst and hunger, sexual urges, emotions, and the habits and behaviors which define our personality. It is what drives our choices between attraction and revulsion, safety or danger, and pursuit or avoidance.
Continue reading Essential Oils, the Sense of Smell and Human Intelligence
Essential oils can be remarkably effective stress relievers. These concentrated plant extracts promote deeper breathing, stimulate the limbic system of the brain, and calm the nervous system. Essential oils can be utilized in a number of ways to ease stress: Added to a warm bath, mixed with carrier oil and massaged into the skin, applied in small drops to the feet and scalp, or diffused into the air. Knowing the oil’s properties and indications will make the application one chooses in aromatherapy the most effective.
What are essential oils? What exactly is aromatherapy? We are bombarded with the phrase plastered on everything from air fresheners to scented candles, yet most products advertised as such have nothing to do with this legitimate healing art. Aromatherapy is the application of pure plant oils, called essential oils, to positively affect the health of the mind and body. Essential oils are highly concentrated substances extracted always from plants, and depending on the oil used, can have relaxing or energizing effects. Topical applications will utilize their various virtues on the physical self and these properties include: anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-viral and anti-bacterial, immune enhancing properties, and cell regenerating effects. 
Lavender essential oil is one product I routinely recommend as a staple in one’s medicine chest. This small vial of essential oil, (as opposed to perfume oil), can provide relief to many common complaints, and can even be relied on as first aid in certain situations. Lavender essential oil is distilled most often from Lavendula angustifolia, or “true” lavender, which distinguishes it from hybrid varieties. Like all essential oils, lavender is primarily used as a topical remedy, and not intended for ingestion. It should be kept out of the reach of children. 
Spring is just around the corner, but the month of March has a way of stretching itself out like a lazy cat that doesn’t want to relinquish its cozy spot. The first day of spring is official on the 20th of March, with the Spring Equinox, but the warmth and growth we associate with spring doesn’t make itself readily apparent until April. Essential oils, which are highly concentrated plant extracts, are a natural choice for banishing the last of the winter blues, as what could be more effective than smelling and applying the essence of plants just as the world outside is breaking its dormancy? 