[Possibly you’ve heard of aromatherapy? - It is the skilled use of essential oils from flowers, leaves, seeds, fruits, roots, or resins of plants for aesthetic, psychological, and therapeutic effects.]
What are essential oils?
The use of the word “oil” is a bit misleading. Differing considerably from the fixed oils we readily call to mind such as motor oil or vegetable oil, essential oils are volatile: they evaporate quickly at room temperature. The essential oil is a tiny yet complex molecular substance that gives 
fragrance to a plant, is secreted and stored in specialized cells, and in the plant has functions in propagation and defense. For human use, essential oils are extracted from plants mostly by distillation or expression to yield a liquid which gets absorbed into the bloodstream either by inhalation or application to the skin.
Why use them?
Plants and all that can be derived from plants, especially utilized in whole as opposed to isolating chemical parts, are God’s idea and creation, and thus “it is good.”
“And God said, ‘Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees…And God saw that it was good.’” Gen 1:11a, 12b
"The cure of the part should not be attempted without treatment of the whole." – Plato
Essential oils can positively affect the whole person. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, French Jesuit priest trained as a philosopher, is attributed with saying, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience” and “There is neither spirit nor matter in the world; the stuff of the universe is spirit-matter.” Essential oils and their effects remind me of this crossover between what we so often think of as separate parts of our being but what are merely components of our whole. A few examples of this melding of body-soul-spirit with essential oils:
While lavender helps the body by contributing to skin integrity and wound healing, it also aids in calming the mind by increasing alpha brain wave activity which is associated with a restful mental state. As needed, lavender can increase alertness through an increase in cerebral blood circulation, or it can be used as a sleep aid – research has found lavender vapour to be as effective for night sedation as many prescription drugs with components of linalol and terpinol having central nervous system depressant effects to help induce sleep. [Research cited in Nature’s Cures by Michael Castleman (1996)]
The scent of rose uplifts; this effect on the psyche is thought to be caused by release of endorphins. It is also beneficial to the body in various ways: tones and lifts skin, regulates hormone production, promotes circulation, and more.
Frankincense not only has a vast history of spiritual applications but also acts as a disinfectant for the body, and was used in ancient healing preparations. Recent research has implicated frankincense oil in killing bladder cancer cells without affecting non-cancerous cells. A gummy resin found in small thorny trees called Boswellia genus 
and well known as one of the treasures given to baby Jesus; frankincense was so prized in more ancient times that trade routes were established for distribution. Solomon had royal herb gardens with plants brought from Egypt that included myrrh and frankincense. Today frankincense is still used in meditation and worship: it effectively slows respirations to help quiet body and mind, and by symbolic association leads to centering calm for the spirit.
Oil and perfume make the heart glad. Proverbs 27:9
Much more information on uses of essential oils and explanations of aromatherapy can be accessed at my new NaturallyYours web site (though still under minor construction it is now up and running!) at www.naturallyyoursforgood.net. Thanks in advance for checking it out.
No comments:
Post a Comment