by Bobby Wenzoski

Created on: December 07, 2011

Aromatherapy is the art of using essential oils to enhance your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well-being. Essential oils are aromatic, high concentrated, often distilled essences of plants. These oils have thousands of different uses and applications in our lives. They can sometimes be used as an adjunct treatment, or even substitute for prescription and OTC medicines. Or we can use them to just make ourselves feel better.

When purchasing essential oils, make sure they are 100% pure botanical essences, not chemical reproductions. Chemical reproductions are NOT effective in aromatherapy because they do not provoke the same biochemical response as pure botanic essences.

Helpful Hints when Shopping: Buy in small quantities. (Oxygen that gets in the bottle destroys them). Read the labels carefully! Be aware that different extraction methods and the availability of some plants can affect prices, so there can be great differences in the prices of different oils. This is normal. Certain plant oils, such as apple blossom and peach blossom, cannot be extracted. If you find these, they are chemical reproductions.

Using Oils is really quite simple. With the exception of tea tree oil (which can be used directly on the skin), in aromatherapy you dilute the oil in a base of some kind, either water, or another oil, which is called a "carrier oil".

Common carrier oils include almond, apricot, jojoba, grape seed and olive oil. Remember to consult a chart for suggested dilution ratios for topical applications. Also use caution in children, the elderly and if you are planning or are pregnant!

Tea Tree is a potent, anti-infective, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antiviral, expectorant, fungicide, and parasiticide. Good for athletes foot, bronchial congestion, dandruff, insect bites, ringworm and yeast infections.

Chamomile is a pain relieving oil. It is anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and analgesic. Excellent for headaches as a compress, and is good in baths, hair rinses and massage oils.

Lavender helps treat arthritis, asthma, COPD (many breathing problems), muscle strains, depression. By far lavender is the most well-known Aromatherapy out there today; it is used in several products such as soap, conditioners, bubble baths and even skin products.

Clary Sage is very aromatic oil; it is an anti-depressant, anxiety reducer, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic and an aphrodisiac. It helps to counteract insomnia and is good for skin and hair care products. *do not use during

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