| Heal pain using a massage oil therapy based on the | | | | Anxiety, stress or insomnia |
| use of essential (concentrated) plant oils. The oils are | | | | Muscular aches and pains |
| usually massaged into skin, put in a bath or inhaled. The | | | | Headaches |
| concentrated essential oils aromatherapists use to | | | | Asthma |
| treat conditions are aromatic and volatile (ie which | | | | Eczema |
| evaporate easily) elements from plants. The oils are | | | | Digestive problems |
| not concentrated from whole plant parts - unlike herbal | | | | Menstrual or menopausal problems |
| medicines - but are extracted, generally by steam | | | | You can choose to be treated by an aromatherapist, |
| distillation, from flowers, leaves, roots, grasses, peel, | | | | or you can buy certain essential oils over the counter |
| resin or bark. | | | | at pharmacies and health shops, and treat yourself. |
| A French chemist called René-Maurice | | | | These are used as massage oils, add them to your |
| Gattefossé, coined the term aromatherapy to | | | | bath, or inhale them using steaming water, a diffuser or |
| describe the process of using plant oils therapeutically. | | | | an incense burner. |
| The story goes that, while working in a perfume | | | | How does essential oil therapy work? |
| factory in the early 20th century, he burnt his hand and | | | | Aromatherapy products such as toiletries contain only |
| instinctively grabbed some lavender oil and poured it | | | | small amounts of essential oils. But in their |
| onto the burn. He was so impressed by how quickly | | | | concentrated form the oils can be very powerful and |
| and cleanly the burn healed, he began studying the | | | | should always be handled with care - you only need a |
| healing powers of plant oils. | | | | few drops in a bath for example. More could cause |
| Essential oil is now used to treat a whole range of | | | | irritation, and some essential oils are toxic if used |
| conditions and is believed to work on people both | | | | incorrectly - such as eating or drinking them. Essential |
| physically and psychologically. The first part of the | | | | oils can have side-effects - nausea, headaches or an |
| theory is that when you smell an essential oil, it triggers | | | | allergic reaction for instance. Some of them, including |
| your limbic system - the part of the brain that controls | | | | citrus oils such as orange, lemon and bergamot, react |
| emotions and stores and retrieves learned memories - | | | | with ultraviolet light and can cause skin to burn more |
| and relaxes you. The other part of the theory is that | | | | easily in sunlight. |
| the essential oils are absorbed through the skin, and | | | | You can buy a range of essential oils over the counter |
| have medicinal properties which act on the cause of | | | | in pharmacies, health food shops and even |
| the problem. | | | | supermarkets. Check the labels as some are already |
| Just some of the conditions essential oil is used to | | | | diluted whereas others are pure Essential Oils. |
| treat are: | | | | |