If you've been wondering just how essential oils do what they do, here's a little look at how they work....as the pure spirit of plants, essential oils provide us with the full potency of a plant's medicinal power.
Our philosophy at Aurora Alchemy comes first of all, from respecting essential oils as our greatest teachers of plant medicine. The power of essential oils encapsulate the essence of a plant, its Pure Spirit.
The origin of essential oils goes back to the Quintessence, the secret of ancient alchemy, where the spirit would be drawn into substance through a complex alchemical process. This form would then be treated as a container of that spirit, and thus, became sacred.
Today, the extraction of essential oils harks back to that process of capturing spirit into form. Within the oils are the essence of each plant, its Sacred Spirit and vibrational signature.
Plant Spirit intoxicates, beguiles, heals, comforts....somehow its very volatility allows this etheric substance to affect all levels of our being, from dense to subtle.
When it comes down to it, essential oils are undoubtedly nature's most hardworking and powerful healers!
They are the very essence of a plant's vitality, and as such, hold the key to its secrets of life force. They are also the sacred perfumes of nature, and a devic gift to us all.
The amazing chemistry of essential oils assists us in understanding the multidimensional world of plant medicines and how we can work with them to create total wholeness in mind, body and spirit - in harmony and accordance with all of life.
In this blog, we delve into the wisdom inherent within the science of plant oils and why they will shape the future of discovering nature's greatest assets.
Let's start from the bare basics....
Essential oils contain physical properties from flowers and plants in a concentrated form. The volatile constituents of the plant’s oil are extracted from the flowers, leaves, branches, or roots. They carry biologically active volatile compounds that are concentrated, which exhibit therapeutic benefits in small amounts.
The most common chemical components found in essential oils are terpenes, alcohols, esters, ketones, aldehydes, and phenols. Most of them are antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
The antioxidant value of some of these oils is nothing short of amazing.
There are three types of terpenes that are found in essential oils.
In case you didn't know, terpenes are aroma emitting phenols that are made by every plant, flower, and even some insects. The scent is part of the medicinal value of the plant, in some cases, enhancing its effects - they literally go to work on you instantly, as you breathe them in.....
– Phenylpropanoids: this type of terpene creates conditions that are unfriendly to bacteria, viruses, and fungi. They are found in clove, cassia, basil, cinnamon, oregano, anise, peppermint.
– Monoterpenes: Reprograms miswritten information in the cellular memory. Essential oils have the ability to clean receptor sites on the surface of cells which allows for the proper communication between cells. These antioxidants and cleansers can be found in grapefruit, frankincense, cypress, bergamot, lemon and lime.
– Sesquiterpenes: Antiseptic and anti-inflammatory, it can be found in cedarwood, vetiver, spikenard, sandalwood, black pepper, patchouli, myrrh, and ginger.
A vision of wholeness is presented as we study the individual charactisterics and components of plants...
Indeed, a whole vista of wellness can be appreciated from this space of healing with and through nature.
Let's look at some of key areas we will see essential oils (and what they do) shine in the near future.
Overcoming current health issues :
Essential oils have antiseptic properties against drug-resistant bacteria.
Essential oils of thyme and cinnamon are efficient antibacterial agents against a range of drug-resistant Staphylococcus species which are extremely difficult to treat.
Essential oils can be used to treat E. coli, Salmonella, MRSA and flesh-eating bacteria.
Essential oils can penetrate the cellular wall and dispel viruses, where antibiotics that can only kill bacteria outside the cellular wall.
Efficiency and Purpose :
Just a drop of essential oil contains enough molecules to cover every cell in the body. There are 40 million trillion molecules in just one drop of essential oil.
They have the ability to enter the body through the lungs and disperse throughout the body in a way that other medicines are unable to achieve.
Multidimensional applications:
Essential oils can be used topically to assist all sorts of conditions ranging from acne and allergies, to headaches and indigestion.
Just a few drops of oil applied to the hands, wrists, feet, abdomen, or lower back can provide relief for a number of ailments.
Permanent long-lasting improvements:
Essential Oils can change your nervous system biochemistry.
A Japanese study found that inhaling essential oils can modulate your sympathetic nervous system activity. Certain oils were found to be stimulating, while others were found to be calming.
• Black pepper, fennel, and grapefruit oil caused a 1.5-to 2.5-fold increase in sympathetic nervous system activity (as measured by an increase in systolic blood pressure)
• Rose and patchouli oil resulted in a 40 percent decrease in sympathetic nervous system activity
• Pepper oil induced a 1.7-fold increase in plasma adrenaline concentration, while rose oil caused adrenaline to drop by 30 percent
• Other oils have been shown to measurably decrease stress hormones—inhaling lavender and rosemary were shown to reduce cortisol levels.
Because of their power, never ingest essential oils without a reliable practitioner's advice. As a rule of thumb, we advise only inhalation and topical applications in most cases. Pure essential oils must generally be mixed into a base oil in order to be safe for use.