How do essential oils work?

The following is a simplified version of what happens when you inhale the aroma or scent of an essential oil.

1. The essential oil molecules enter your nose and interact with receptors on the olfactory mucous membrane within the nose.

2. These receptors identify the smell and pass the message through the olfactory nerve to the limbic system of the brain.

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How are essential oils extracted?

1. Steam distillation. This involves passing high pressure steam through the plant material to evaporate the oils. The steam is then collected and condensed and the water and essential oil separated. Essential oils extracted by steam distillation include lavender, rose and ylang ylang.

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What are essential oils?

Essential oils are highly concentrated substances extracted from plant materials.

Note that, different essential oils can be produced from the same plant. For example the bitter orange plant Citrus aurantiumn produces orange essential oil from its fruit rind, neroli essential oil from its flowers and petitgrain essential oil from its leaves.

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What are the cautionary measures when using essential oils?

1. Always conduct a skin patch test before using a new essential oil.

Do this by applying the essential oil that has been diluted with a  carrier oil on the inner aspect of your elbow, bandage it and wait for 24 hours to see if you will develop rashes or itchiness or swelling or any other sign of an allergic reaction.

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