Conscious Choice: Essential Oils

November 1996 | Herbs for Health

Essential Oils

by Meg McGowan

The time of year during which we celebrate our current winter holidays harkens back to the days when humankind drew security from observation and celebration of the predictable repetitive journeys of the sun, moon, and planets. We, in turn, observe our holidays with religious ritual and family tradition, seeking to reconnect ourselves to both our immediate and distant past, searching for the security of what is known and predictable amidst the daily confusion of a world in flux. The more quickly things change, the greater our craving for a bastion of stability. Holidays allow us an opportunity to create our own oases.

Scent has always played an integral role in holiday festivities, both in religious rites and in fragrances which permeate the home, emanating from natural decorations, burning candles, and the preparation of time-honored recipes, food and drink that is inhaled for hours before being consumed in minutes. Our sense of smell is primal. The nerve endings in the nose are barely separated from the limbic system of the brain—the “old brain"—the part that first developed some 70 million years ago, the center of memory, learning, and emotion. Allowing for individual quirks based on personal associations, certain smells are generally appealing, while others are instantly repulsive. As we celebrate the winter holidays of our own particular faith and heritage, fragrance adds an appeal which transcends time and understanding—it can also serve as a continuous thread of familiarity upon which consecutive years are strung. Essential oils are a natural choice for fragrance, and unlike synthetic perfumes, they offer healthful benefits for both mind and body.Using essential oils in the home can soothe the spirit, create a mood, and even ward off sickness and disease. Oil essences may be dispersed through the atmosphere in a variety of ways. If you have a humidifier you can add essential oils to the water (generally one to seven drops, depending on the strength of the scent being used—always begin with a small amount!). If you are lucky enough to have old-fashioned radiators, you may set a dish of water atop with a similar proportion of oil; if you don’t, a bowl of boiling water, scented, and set in the room will have a similar, if less lingering effect.

You can also buy a diffuser, which gently heats and releases oils, or you can dab a drop or two of oil on a light bulb before turning it on. You also can add one or two drops of oil to the warm pool of wax just below the wick of an unscented candle. Do not add oil while a candle is burning, and avoid getting oil on the wick itself; essential oils, like other oils, are flammable. A simple spray bottle might also be used, much as you would use commercial scent sprays. Start with warm water, add scent gradually to suit, and take care not to spray where water damage might occur!

It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the properties of an oil before using it, especially if you will be applying it to your skin. In all cases, it is best to test a small amount first; you can gradually add more, if necessary.

Your choice of oils can satisfy family traditions, emotional needs, or both. Individual oils possess varied properties, and they can be used singly or combined to create “synergistic” or harmonious blends. If you are creating your own blends, begin with two or three oils at the most. Store your preparations away from heat and light, preferably in small, tightly covered opaque glass bottles.

Be innovative in combining essential oils. Consider all aspects when choosing an oil. Decide which scents evoke holiday spirits for you—spicy, floral, or pungent. If you are hosting a gathering do you hope the atmosphere will be relaxed or stimulating? Clove is an example of an oil which plays three roles. an antibiotic oil with a spicy scent, it is also a stimulant—and a good choice to include in a seasonal blend. Try it with ginger and mandarin, or cinnamon and pine.

Because tempers often flare and nerves are stretched in the busy preparations of the holiday season, you might want to use essential oils that combat stress. Try clary sage, lavender, and lemon for tiredness; nutmeg, pettigraine, and sandalwood for irritability; and chamomile, geranium, and lavender for headaches. Marjoram, rose, and vetiver are also effective relaxants.

Several of the essential oils (geranium, lavender, lemon, and meroli, for example) are adaptogens; they are considered relaxants when used in small or moderate amounts, but act as stimulants when larger quantities are used. A combination of actual relaxants and stimulants is usually most effective in treating stress as the stimulants work against inertia and impending burnout. Some effective stimulant oils are bergamot, cardamom, clove, cypress, coriander, eucalyptus, ginger, grapefruit, juniper, palma rosa, peppermint, and rosemary.

In The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy, Valerie Worwood recommends seven specific oils to relieve emotional stress: geranium, sandalwood, palma rosa, bergamot, vetiver, rose, and cardamom. These oils may be particularly helpful if family gatherings tend to be trying rather than joyous. You may want to use them for bath or massage early in the day and bring along a small spray bottle to subtly share your soothing scent with the rest of your relatives.

Many of the essential oils have antibacterial or antiviral qualities which provide benefits particularly welcome at this time of year. All are antiseptic. Bergamot, chamomile, cinnamon, clove, eucalyptus, hyssop, lavender, lemon, lime, myrtle, niaouli, patchouli, pine, and tea tree are some of the antibiotic oils. Of those oils cinnamon, lavender, tea tree oil, and two types of eucalyptus—lemon eucalyptus and eucalyptus radiata—also have antiviral properties. By using these oils you can protect yourself as well as your friends and family against the germs that are often exchanged along with gifts and good cheer.

You also can use your essential oils in other creative ways. Add scent to fabric ornaments an decorations, such as ribbons, pine cones, and tree boughs. Send scented holiday cards by sealing cards in a box or bag for several days along with a few squares of oil imbued cotton cloth—a drop on each will do. Make fires fragrant by adding a single drop to a log. Allow enough time for the oil to thoroughly soak into the wood before burning.

Holidays are times for remembrance, times when we pause to enact rituals that will last beyond our own lifetimes, when we breathe life into the memories of those who have gone before. As we inhale scent from centuries past and exhale it again, we breathe a part of the atmosphere that will sustain generations yet to come.

DISCLAIMER: Choosing a holistic approach to medicine means choosing personal responsibility for your health care. Herbs for Health offers a doorway through which to enter the realm of herbal healing, an invitation to further investigation on the part of the reader. It is in no way intended as a substitute for advice from a health care practitioner.

Recommend this page to a friend

Top Ten pages recommended to friends: