Health Benefits of Essential Oils
Essential oils smell great, reduce stress, treat fungal infections, and help you sleep. They are concentrated extractions from plants. A process called distillation turns the “essence” of a plant into a liquefied form for many medicinal and recreational uses. There’s a wide variety of essential oils available. Some are valued for their pleasing aroma. Others claim to have powerful healing properties. But their potency can have side effects you must be aware of.
Health Benefits
Essential oils hold a prominent place in traditional and folk medicine around the world. But modern medicine supports many of the ancient claims made about them, including:
Stress Reduction
Many essential oils are used in aromatherapy to manage stress and anxiety. For example, scientists found that orange oil had an anxiety-reducing effect on male volunteers who inhaled 2.5, 5, or 10 drops. More research is needed, but initial results were promising.
Early tea tree oil studies have had promising results regarding antimicrobial qualities long touted in traditional medicine. The oil has been used for athlete’s foot, oral thrush, and fungal infections like candida. Again more research is needed.
Sleep Aid
Lavender oil’s relaxing fragrance is thought to improve sleep quality. Scientists tested this claim on older adults living with dementia. They found that sprinkling the essential oil on towels around their pillows significantly increased their sleep time, helping them slumber longer in the mornings.
Disease Prevent
Many essential oils have antioxidant properties. Antioxidants help prevent damage to cells caused by free radicals. This damage can lead to serious diseases such as cancer. Researchers are interested in how adding essential oils to food can increase our consumption of antioxidants and prolong shelf life.
Health Risks
Although essential oils come from nature and have been used for centuries, they’re not without risk. Improper use can cause serious adverse reactions or even poisoning, so they must be used and stored according to manufacturers’ specifications.
Essential oils should be kept away from children and pets, whose bodies often can’t tolerate the same dosages as an adult. In addition, anyone who is pregnant should consult a doctor before using essential oils.
