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Top 12 Essential Oils
Essential Oils For Everyday Use
This top 12 essentail oils for everyday use provides an in-depth examination of the twelve most essential oils, detailing their properties and applications for daily use. Each oil possesses unique characteristics that contribute to their effectiveness in various contexts. Please refer to the following comprehensive insights to enhance your understanding of these invaluable resources.
Lavender, Tea Tree, Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Rosemary,
Ylang Ylang, Clary Sage, Geranium, Sandalwood, Patchouli,
Jasmine and Lemon.
Lavender Essential Oil
Introduction
Lavender essential oil is the concentrated liquid containing volatile aroma compounds steam distilled from the lavender plant.
Lavender has been used for centuries to help heal various ailments from minor cuts, bruises and burns to chronic diseases like rheumatism, asthma and dermatitis. The immediate attraction and use of lavender essential oil is in the perfume industry for its fresh, sweet and slightly fruity floral smell.
Usage & Ancient Information
This essential oil, like most others, is usually used mixed with a base or carrier oil like sweet almond, grape seed, jojoba, avocado and others, unless it is for your bath, when you can simply add a few drops in your bath water.
Use this oil for a pleasant fragrance or aromatherapy with an oil burner or vaporiser. In aromatherapy, it is often used to combat depression, stress, and fatigue.
Always consult an authorised practitioner when using lavender essential oil as a health remedy or for aromatherapy.
In ancient Greece and Rome, health and cleanliness were given a lot of importance, and lavender and its essential oils were used as
medicine, to make healthful teas, as perfumes, and for bathing and personal hygiene products. As far back as the first century AD,
historians have come upon a recipe for lavender tea written by a Greek physician and botanist. Essential oils have been understood to have played a role in healing in ancient times in Egypt and China as well.
Tea Tree Essential Oil
Introduction
In early times, it seems the leaves of this tree were infused to make tea, which is how the name came into being.
Tea tree essential oil is the concentrated liquid compounds steam distilled from the leaves of the tree Melaleuca alternifolia, which is native to the northeast coast of New South Wales, Australia. The oil is claimed to have valuable antiseptic and anti-fungal properties
due to constituents called terpenoids, and is used in many personal care products and medicines today.
Usage & Ancient Information
Tea tree oil is said to be good for relieving congestion, cold, cough and flu. It has been used to heal acne, fungal infections, dandruff,
vaginal Infections, haemorrhoids, athlete’s foot, and is believed to soothe aching muscles and joint injuries. When added to bath water it helps control bacteria.
Tea tree oil is not to be taken internally. It is usually used only on adults and must be kept away from children and pets.
Don’t use it if you’re pregnant or lactating. The tea tree has been known for its medicinal properties since ancient times in eastern Australia. The Australian aborigines are known to have been using the crushed leaves to heal cuts, burns,
sores, and infections for hundreds of years.
- They inhaled the oils from the crushed leaves to relieve coughs and colds.
- They sprinkled this oil on wounds and applied a poultice on it.
- They infused the leaves and made tea to soothe sore throats.
It was between 1920 and 1930 that the essential oil of this tree began to be known and used for its antimicrobial properties in Europe
Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Introduction
An essential oil is a concentrated liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from aromatic plants. It is usually distilled, sometimes expressed or solvent extracted. Eucalyptus essential oil is said to be antibacterial, disinfectant and an analgesic. It has been used to relieve coughs, colds, and other such respiratory troubles. It soothes muscle and joint pains, and helps to heal wounds, burns, ulcers and insect bites. In aromatherapy eucalyptus is said to promote activity, vitality, and energy.
Usage & Ancient Information
For respiratory troubles, a few drops of this oil placed on a cloth can be inhaled through the mouth and exhaled through the nose for half a minute. It is applied directly on sores, rashes and insect bites. Add a few drops to your bath water to feel invigorated and refreshed. Soak your sore feet in a basin of warm water with 4-5 drops of this oil for relief. A few drops of oil in a diffuser is said to kill germs and airborne bacteria, a good idea for a sickroom.
Eucalyptus essential oil is for external use only; always consult an authorised practitioner when using it as a health remedy.
Essential oils have been understood to have played a role in healing is ancient times in Egypt, China, and other parts of the world.
They are said to be the oldest form of medicine and cosmetic, since they are distilled from plants, not involving complicated processes or machinery, but an art nonetheless. For their healing and aromatic properties, they were considered more valuable than gold to the ancients.
Peppermint Essential Oil
Introduction
Essential oils are extracted from various plant parts like flowers, leaves, stems, roots, seeds, bark, resin or fruit rinds. Each plant contains only a tiny percentage of essential oil, so several kilos of the plant are harvested to extract a few millilitres of oil. Therefore, these oils are highly concentrated and usually dispensed in drops, or mixed with a base oil for massages.
They contain hundreds of therapeutic constituents and are used in personal products, aromatherapy, and for sanitary and healthcare reasons.
Usage & Ancient Information
Peppermint essential oil is said to be good for ailments like asthma, colic, fever, flatulence, headache, nausea, chest congestion and vertigo. This oil is supposed to be excellent for mental fatigue and depression, re-freshing and stimulating with its menthol content. It is good for the skin and is used in lotions to treat sunburn, itchiness or inflamed skin. It helps fight bad breath and gum infections when used in mouthwashes.
When used in an oil burner it is not only therapeutic it also keeps away mosquitoes and other insects.
Peppermint is native to the Mediterranean but is now grown in other countries in Europe, America, and Asia. Discoveries prove that
peppermint has been used since ancient times in Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and Japan.
According to Greek myth, a nymph called Mentha was turned, in a fit of anger, into a mint plant by her lover’s wife Persephone.
According to Pliny, peppermint was used to crown the Greeks and Romans during feasts.
It has been used medicinally in England for the last few centuries.
Rosemary Essential Oil
Introduction
The essential oil of the rosemary herb is steam distilled from the flowers, stems and leaves of the plant.
According to the the British Pharmacopoeia, the oil distilled from the flowering tops is superior to that obtained from the stem and leaves, which is where nearly all commercial oil are said to be distilled. The smell of rosemary essential oil is woody and herbal and is used in aromatherapy to refresh and stimulate the mind.
Usage & Ancient Information
This oil is helpful to treat wounds, burns, colds, flu, fatigue, digestive trouble, headaches, asthma, bronchitis, gout, rheumatism, liver and gall bladder problems, water retention and poor circulation.
For a massage, rosemary oil is often mixed with a base oil or two like
almond, apricot kernel or hazelnut oil. It is good for the hair as it is said to increase circulation to the scalp and
promote hair growth.
Never use this oil internally, and avoid it if you’re pregnant or suffer from high blood pressure or epilepsy.
Rosemary was well known and used in the ancient world. It was believed to improve memory, so it became a symbol of fidelity and
was used in weddings, funerals and other religious ceremonies.
A sprig of rosemary was tied beautifully with ribbons and handed to
wedding guests as a symbol of love and loyalty.
'Hungary water,’ made of fresh rosemary tops soaked in wine for a few days was made for the Queen of Hungary and is said to have cured her of paralysis.
Ylang Ylang Essential Oil
Introduction
Ylang-ylang is a large tree native to the far eastern countries like Malaysia, Philippines, and Indonesia. Its yellow flowers are
strongly fragrant and have long trailing petals. The essential oil made from it is available in abundance and is therefore
the least expensive but is highly favoured for its fragrance in the perfume and cosmetics industries, and is also being used in the
food industry today.
Usage & Ancient Information
According to science, ylang-ylang essential oil is a mental stimulant. n contrast, the world of aromatherapy considers this oil one of the best at relaxing the mind and the body. Simply smelling it is supposed to help lower blood pressure.
Taking a bath with the oil or using it in a massage oil naturally enhances the relaxation experience. It is used to relieve stress, depression, shock, or anxiety. When used as a hair tonic, it is supposed to balance oil production.
Be warned, though, that high concentrations of ylang-ylang can cause headaches or nausea.
Ylang-ylang means the flower of flowers in Malay, and was traditionally thought of as an aphrodisiac and a relaxing fragrance, so the flowers of this tree were strewn on the marriage bed of a newly married couple in Indonesia.
Muslim women used to burn this oil to scent their harems, the part of the palace reserved for women.
In China, the fragrance was used to purify the robes of the mandarin.
Ylang-ylang essential oil has been associated with perfumes and relaxation for a long time.
Clary Sage Essential Oil
Introduction
Clary sage oil is extracted by steam distillation from the flowering tops and the leaves of Salvia sclarea.
It is native to southern Europe and is cultivated for its oil in France and Russia.
The greatest benefit of this oil is its calming influence on the nerves and is particularly useful for female complaints and ailments.
It is also said to help skin troubles like acne, boils and ulcers and relieves painful muscles and joints.
Usage & Ancient Information
Clary sage is helpful to those suffering from depression, stress, and insomnia. It has been used to help in women's problems like painful periods, irregular menstruation and during labour. During menopause, this oil is believed to reduce hot flushes, night sweats, palpitations, irritability, as well as headaches and dizziness. It has been used as an aphrodisiac. It is also good for digestion and the kidneys.
Clary sage oil should be avoided when consuming alcohol, as it may increase intoxication. Use in small quantities as a large dose can give you a headache.
In the middle ages, clary sage was known as Oculus Christi, which meant ‘the eye of Christ.'
It was a highly esteemed medicine right since then. In Jamaica, it was used by the local people for cleaning and cooling ulcers and for inflammation of the eyes.
It is an expensive oil and has been an important and useful one in aromatherapy and natural medicine for a long time.
Geranium Essential Oil
Introduction
Geranium essential oil is steam distilled from the leaves and stalks of the plant Pelargonium odoratissimum (apple geranium).
It has a strong smell with a floral aroma, and hints of mint and apple. The main feature of this oil is its ability to balance and uplift, and it is used to do both on the mind and body, to ease a host of ailments.
Usage & Ancient Information
Geranium essential oil helps balance oily and dry skin, and also brings about balance of the mind, relieving stress and anxiety.
It is said to work on the adrenal cortex, which has a balancing effect on the hormone system.
Geranium oil has been used to treat acne, bruises, burns, cuts, dermatitis, eczema, haemorrhoids, ringworm, ulcers, breast engorgement, oedema, poor circulation, sore throat, tonsillitis, PMS, menopausal problems, stress, and neuralgia.
Its strong smell chases away mosquitoes. Add a few drops to shampoo to get rid of head lice.
These geraniums were believed to keep away spirits (like they did mosquitoes!) and so they were planted around houses as
hedges.
The plants originated from South Africa, Reunion, Madagascar, Egypt, and Morocco and were introduced to European countries in the 17th century.
Although there are about 700 varieties of the plant, only 10 supply essential oil in viable quantities.
The varieties planted in gardens usually produce too little oil to use for extraction.
Amyris Sandalwood Essential Oil
Introduction
Amyris essential oil is also called West Indian Sandalwood oil because its odour is reminiscent of sandalwood.
It is obtained by steam distillation from the bark and branches of the Amyris balsamifera tree. Because of its high oil content, this wood burns by itself, like a candle, and is hence called candle wood by the local population.
It is a less expensive alternate to pure sandalwood.
Usage & Ancient Information
This oil has been used to clean wounds, and treat influenza, diarrhoea. It is said to be very effective at alleviating cystitis and vaginal infections.
When used in a vaporiser, it helps ease anxiety and tension, insomnia, and acts as an aphrodisiac, relieving impotence and frigidity.
- It is used to treat coughs and colds, and bronchitis.
- Its calming properties are said to help during meditation.
- It is also a muscle relaxant and emollient.
The botanical origin of the tree yielding this oil was unknown until 1886 when the main differences between this plant and true sandalwood were identified by microscopic examination of the leaves.
The Amyris balsamifera tree grows wild in Haiti. for their healing and aromatic properties, essential oils were considered more valuable than gold to ancient humans.
Patchouli Essential Oil
Introduction
Patchouli oil is extracted from the Pogostemon cablin plant of the mint family and has a rich musky-sweet, spicy smell.
The plant is native to Malaysia and India, where it is known as 'puchaput'.
The word patchouli is derived from Tamil 'pachchai ilai' meaning, simply, 'green leaf.' Patchouli oil is extracted from the young leaves, which are dried and fermented before steam distillation.
This oil improves its fragrance and power with age. It is much valued in skin care, especially in scar healing.
Usage & Ancient Information
In eastern countries, patchouli oil is used in potpourris and sachets between linen and clothes for the fragrance as well as to keep bedbugs and insects away.
The oil is said to have a balancing effect on the emotions and create an amorous atmosphere. When used in an oil burner, it eases anxiety and depression. Used in bath water, it is believed to help skin and scalp complaints, fungal infections, fluid retention, break down cellulite and ease constipation. It has excellent tissue regenerating properties, speeds up healing and fights infections.
Thus, it helps acne, eczema, weeping sores, ulcers, and athlete's foot.
It seems that patchouli was placed between Indian cashmere shawls before being sent to Victorian England, to protect the merchandise from moths.
Without this signature smell of dried patchouli leaves, the shawls could not be sold in England. In Europe and America, patchouli oil and incense was immensely popular in the 1960s and 70s among the hippies, since the smell of patchouli covered body odour and the smell of burnt cannabis.
Patchouli was used as a hair conditioner for dreadlocks. In many Asian
countries, patchouli is also used as an antidote to snakebite.
Jasmine Essential Oil
Introduction
Jasmine is a delicate, evergreen climber native to China and India with small, white, star-shaped flowers, which are picked at night, when their fragrance is the most powerful.
Jasmine essential oil has a sweet, exotic and richly floral smell. It is expensive, as its distillation is more elaborate than for most
oils, and is used to deeply relax, lift depression and increase confidence.
Usage & Ancient Information
This oil is said to soothe the nerves and produce a feeling of confidence and optimism, while also restoring energy.It reduces childbirth time by strengthening contractions and easing pain. it is believed to relieve impotence, frigidity, and premature ejaculation due to its soothing and calming properties. It helps cough and laryngitis and is also useful in a massage oil to ease
muscle pain, sprains, and stiff limbs. Jasmine oil tones dry, oily, or sensitive skin, increases elasticity and is said to reduce stretch marks
The jasmine has been considered a holy flower in India for hundreds of years and is strung together to make garlands for Hindu gods and Goddesses till today.
Jasmine is commonly worn in the hair by Indian women and the one of the main flowers in wedding garlands as well. According to a myth, the sun god, Surya, rejected a princess’s love and she was so heartbroken that she killed herself. From her ashes scattered on the ground, a jasmine plant grew.
Since the sun god caused her so much pain, the jasmine flower only bloomed and released its perfume at night.
Lemon Essential Oil
Introduction
Lemon oil has a sharp, fresh smell and is extracted from the fresh lemon fruit peel by cold expression. This oil is refreshing to the mind, and sharpens concentration, so it is often preferred in room fresheners for offices and banks.
It is believed to help with rheumatism, arthritis, and gout. It has been used to cure skin troubles like abscesses, boils, carbuncles, and acne. It boosts the immune system and cleanses the body.
Usage & Ancient Information
When used in an oil burner (a few drops in water), the vapours of lemon oil are used for colds, laryngitis, headache, and flu.
Smelling the aroma is helpful for mental hiccups like depression, Irritation, stress, lethargy, and fatigue. It lifts the spirits and clears the mind.
When a few drops are added to the bath or when blended into a massage oil, it is said to ease digestive problems, lack of energy,
tiredness, infections, obesity, rheumatism, depression, and stress. It is also used to help get rid of hangovers.
The lemon plant is native to India and maybe China, and was brought to Europe by the Crusaders in the Middle Ages.
Since the fruit has a good amount of vitamins A, B and C, an ounce a day was given to sailors to prevent scurvy, eye problems, and other vitamin deficiencies.
The first real lemon cultivation in Europe began in Genoa in the mid-fifteenth century. It was later introduced to America by Christopher Columbus. Spanish conquests helped spread the lemon seeds farther.
Lemon was mainly used as an ornament and as medicine. It was only much later that it began to be used in cooking.