Essential Oils & Aromatherapy

H INTRODUCTION ave you ever walked into a park in late spring and caught the scent of the first blooming lilacs or honeysuckle? Different regions have different plants, but people’s reactions are almost universal: the sudden thrill at a familiar perfume, an immediate uplift in mood, an automatic smile, and often a sigh of relaxation. Maybe the fragrance of a flower in bloom announces that spring has arrived or brings back memories of a favorite garden, or maybe the scent has a healing power of its own. But the feeling of being happier and more relaxed is the same, no matter how it’s explained. That walk in the park amounts to a brief experience of aromatherapy, one of the many uses to which essential oils have been put for almost a thousand years. Today essential oils are largely relegated to a subordinate place in the Western apothecary, but they’re still prevalent in the Ayurvedic medical practices of India and other Eastern cultures, and essential oils are also regulated and used as prescription medicines in several European countries, with results that have brought about something of a 21st-century revival for many of these scented wonders as some academic researchers begin to test their effects. And with health care costs skyrocketing, it’s no surprise that many people are exploring ways to remedy some of their own common ailments without running to the doctor over and over and racking up medical bills for minor problems. Natural disasters seem to be coming more frequently, too, which is why people everywhere are starting to see essential oils as an important component of a preparedness kit for times when there’s no access to prescription medications. But it’s important to know which essential oils are helpful for which conditions, and it’s just as important to know exactly how essential oils should be used. This book explains what essential oils are and teaches you how to use them in aromatherapy and in topical applications for more than 100 ailments. It also includes recipes for making your own massage oils and cosmetics as well as sachets, scented bath products, candles, and nontoxic household cleaners. And Appendix A lists the 25 most common essential oils along with the conditions each oil treats. If you have a major illness, there’s no substitute for modern medicine. But essential oils can give you the power to take control of your daily health and manage many common ailments. This book puts the tools and techniques right in your hands.