Some Oils and Their Uses

The following list is a guideline only. There are many more essential oils and numerous uses for each plant. Use this list as a launching pad only for future reference.

Angelica - Angelica archangelica – Used in Chinese medicine for promoting fertility

Basil, Sweet - Ocimum basilicum – Used in India to brighten mode – Do Not use during pregnancy

Bay - Pimenta racemosa – Used in the West Indies for stimulating hair growth - avoid during pregnancy

Bergamot - Citrus bergamia – has been used for relieving stress – may cause photosensitivity

Black Pepper - Piper nigrum – From Madagascar used to stimulate circulation

Calendula - Calendula officinalis – Used for any skin complaint

Atlas Cedar - Cedrus atlantica – Used by the ancient Egyptians to relax tense muscles


German Chamomile - Matricaria recutica – is an anti-inflammatory – avoid in early pregnancy

Citronella - Cymbopogon nardus – In Chinese medicine used for an insect repellent – avoid on damaged skin

Clary Sage - Salvia sclarea – Used for eye problems in the past

Eucalyptus - Eucalyptus globules – Used for congestion by the Aborigines of Australia – avoid if you have high blood pressure or epilepsy

Fennel, Sweet - Foeniculum vulgare – used for rheumatism and arthritis – avoid during pregnancy or is epileptic

Frankenscense - Boswellia species – for healing fears and grief

Ginger - Zingiber officinale – reducing muscular aches and pains

Hyssop - Hyssopus officinalis – Used to heal bruises – avoid during pregnancy and epilepsy

Jasmine - Jasminum grandiflorum – Used as an aphrodisiac

Juniper berry - Juniperus communis – used to energize and relieve exhaustion

Lavender - Lavandula officinalis – Used to relieve tension and headache, promote sleep

Lemon - Citrus Limonum – To balance nervous system – may cause photosensitivity

Myrrh - Commiphora myrrha – Used to heal wounds and nurture aging skin

Neroli - Citrus aurantium var. amara –Used to heal scars and increase circulation

Nutmeg - Myristica fragrans – Used for warming and to stimulate heart and circulation – avoid during pregnancy, may be mildly toxic if over used

Orange, Sweet - Citrus sinensis – Used to brighten mood, relieve melancholy and apathy

Patchouli - Pogostemon cablin – Used to relieve stress and nervous tensions, an aphrodisiac

Peppermint - Mentha piperita – for energy and mental clarity

Pine - Pinus sylvestris – Used to ease breathing, immune system stimulate

Rosewood - Aniba rosaedora – Used to relieve stress and balance central nervous system

Sandalwood - Santalum album – Used to lift melancholy

St John’s Wort - Hypericum perforatum – Used to treat fungal infection, oily hair

Tea Tree - Melaleuca alternifolia – Used as a disinfectant

Ylang Ylang - Cananga odorata – Used as an aphrodisiac, to relieve anger and anxiety

Beginning Tips on Blending Essential Oils for Aromatherapy

When starting to blend it is important to remember that there are different types of smells and that scents in the same catergory blend with each other the best. The basic types are:

Floral (i.e. Lavender, Neroli, Jasmine)
Woodsy (i.e. Pine, Cedar)
Earthy (i.e. Oakmoss, Vetiver, Patchouli)
Herbaceous (i.e. Marjoram, Rosemary, Basil)
Minty (i.e. Peppermint, Spearmint)
Medicinal/Camphorous (i.e. Eucalyptus, Cajuput, Tea Tree)
Spicy (i.e. Nutmeg, Clove, Cinnamon)
Oriental (i.e. Ginger, Patchouli)
Citrus (i.e. Orange, Lemon, Lime)

In general, but not limited to these, the following categories blend well together:

Florals blend well with spicy, citrusy and woodsy oils.
Woodsy oils generally blend well with all categories.
Spicy and oriental oils blend well with florals, oriental and citrus oils. Be careful not to overpower the blend with the spicy or oriental oils.
Minty oils blend well with citrus, woodsy, herbaceous and earthy oils.

Oils evaporate at different rates, so most blenders use oils that blend different evaporation rates, as one oil evaporates the effect and scent of the blend will change. There are three evaporation groupings, as follows:

Top Notes: (these have the fastest evaporation rates)

Anise
Basil
Bay Laurel
Bergamot
Citronella
Eucalyptus
Grapefruit
Lavender
Lemon
Lemon grass
Lime
Orange
Peppermint
Spearmint
Tangerine

Middle Notes:

Chamomile
Cinnamon
Clary Sage
Cypress
Geranium
Hyssop
Jasmine
Juniper Berry
Neroli
Nutmeg
Rose
Rosemary
Rosewood
Spruce
Tea Tree
Thyme
Ylang Ylang

Base Notes:

Angelica
Balsam, Peru
Cedarwood
Frankincense
Ginger
Myrrh
Patchouli
Sandalwood
Vanilla

None of these lists of evaporation rates are complete, they are just a starting point.

Some Tips for starting to blend:

Start out small, use the least number of drops, so you waste less while experimenting
Keep an accurate notebooks of the experiments you try, with notes on your thoughts and feeling of each blend as you make them. You have ahigher chance of duplicating a scent with accurate records.
When storing your blends be sure to label it clearly. If there isn’t sufficient room on the bottle, then assign it a code that is matched in your notebook to that particular blend.
After creating a blend allow it to sit for a few days to a week. Smell it again, the scent may change as the oils blend. Now decide if you like it or not.

How to use Aromatherapy

There are several ways to utilize the essential oils used in Aromatherapy:

Massage
Baths
Compresses
Inhalations
Vaporisation
Perfumes

The use of massage with aromatherapy is maybe the most effective way of delivery. With the skin being the largest organ on the body it works to keep out contaminants, but some oils do absorb through the skin, which is why medicine makes use of skin patches for the delivery of some medicines. When you use massage you utilize two Alternative modalities simultaneously, Aromatherapy and Touch, getting the most beneficial combination.

Using the oils in baths is again very effective……as you use it on the skin and through inhalation of the moist air and vapors. Water itself has a very therapeutic effect and combined with essential oils enhances the healing powers of both.

Compresses use the therapeutic effect of the water and inhalation in a lessened way from the bath. It is placed on the area most needing the treatment, therefore concentrating the direction of action to just the vicinity needing healing. This method of application is best used in treating such conditions as: muscular aches and pains, varicose veins, sprains, bruises, menstrual cramps and respiratory congestion.

Inhalations have been utilized for centuries…today we use vaporizers on children with stuffy head colds and croup. Inhalations can be utilized for the treatment of a variety of respiratory disorders as well as emotional states. They are most effective for treating nasal or chest congestion where there is an excess or deficiency of mucus. (E.g. Sinusitis, bronchitis, hay fever, post nasal drip etc.)

Vaporization is the use of essential oils in room freshening methods. Air fresheners are excellent examples. Many know the use of vaporizers in a child’s room at night to keep the air moist and the breathing passages clear. This is an often ordered treatment by the doctor.

What is Aromatherapy?

By definition of the compound word in Webster’s dictionary, we find the following:

Aroma – 1. A pleasant, often spicy odor, fragrance, as a plant, a wine, cooking, etc. 2. Any smell or odor

Therapy – The treatment of disease or any physical or mental disorder by medical or physical means, usually excluding surgery, sometimes used in compounds (i.e. hydrotherapy).

Therefore, we have the definition of aromatherapy as: The treatment of disease, physical or mental disorder with odor or fragrance that is derived from plants.

Ann Berwick in her book says: “Aromatherapy may be defined as the therapeutic use of the essential oils of aromatic plants.”

Valerie Gennari Cooksley states: “…the skilled and controlled use of essential oils for physical and emotional health and well being.”


Still others have stated it thusly:

Aromatherapy is the art and science of helping living things toward wholeness and balance using the essential oils, which can be extracted from plants

Essential oils are the vital life essence of aromatic plants and flowers in a condensed form. Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils for therapeutic effects

Aromatherapy is the art of using essential oils to enhance our physical, emotional, and spiritual health and well-being.

The nature of aromatherapy is as a holistic treatment, restoring balance to mind and body as well as its specific use in treating a wide range of symptoms.
So, no matter how you word it, it comes out the same. Aromatherapy is a complimentary therapy, to be used alongside more conventional types of medical treatment. It cannot be used for diagnostic work, in this country it is illegal to diagnose without a medical license. There is nowhere in the USA that grants this right through Aromatherapy. There is also nowhere that certification is required to practice aromatherapy, these certifications are granted through the schools themselves, no government as of now has a hand in this process.

How does it Work?

The oils interact with the body's organs and hormones to encourage mental, spiritual and physical change. They work subtly and in small quantities through the skin and the air and should never be put directly into the body in any other way.

Essential oils seem to work in three ways:
If used in baths, compresses, or cosmetics, the very small molecules involved will be absorbed through the skin and into the capillaries that underlie it. Or if used in vaporizers or diffusers, they will be breathed in and absorbed through the respiratory mucosa. Then they are carried by the blood through the body to the different organs they target to exert their physical effects.

They are also absorbed in the nasal mucosa and taken up by scent receptors, which send signals through the nerves to the limbic system. This is the area of the brain where memories associated with strong emotions are stored. It also links directly to the parts of the brain that control many of the automatic functions of the body, such as blood pressure, heart rate, respirations, and intestinal movements. Thus, the essential oils can have a strong effect on the emotions, both through the body functions associated with them and through memory. Go out to the garden and rub the lavender and then the rosemary...see how different these two smells make you feel.

Finally, and here is an area not predisposed to scientific study, the essential oils can have an effect on one's energy bodies ...clearing, stimulating, slowing, or opening according to their own nature. Thus their association with churches, meditation, and spiritual work for millennia. For example, anyone who has been in Catholic churches will remember the scent of frankincense and myrrh. These incenses did more than kill germs that hadn't been identified yet; they help to open people spiritually.

So when we speak of wholeness, we are acknowledging that all beings exist on spiritual, mental, and emotional levels as well as in physical bodies, and that all of these dimensions effect health and well-being. Most holistic practitioners acknowledge that dis-ease may start on the levels of spirit or emotion, blocking energy flows here for some time before the disturbance manifests on the physical level. Since essential oils can exert an effect on all these levels, they may be able to work on some of the causes of dis-ease as well as easing physical discomfort.