"Smell is a potent wizard that transports us across thousands of miles and all the years we have lived"
- Helen Keller
Have you ever wandered through a garden and been captured by the fragrance of the flowers and felt good? Our awareness is being re-born into the important role our senses play in our well-being - and how feeling good can assist with our overall health, and recovery.
Aromatherapy and essential oil therapy has been used for thousands of years to help enhance emotional and physical health. The history of aromatherapy dates back to the ancient cultures of Egypt, Rome, Greece, Middle East, India and China where aromatic plants were incorporated into oils, balms and resins. The oldest manuscript to mention aromatic medicines is the Ebers Papyrus written about 2800BC (Buckle, 2015, p. 2). In more recent times, essential oil distillation was documented in Germany in the 16th century, and recognised by French physicians for treating disease in the 19th century. It was French physician, Rene-Maurice Gattefosse (1881-1950), that first used the word aromatherapy, notably in his book written in 1937, Aromatherapie: The Essential Oils - Vegetable Hormones. Furthermore, recently some forward thinking hospitals in the USA have been using aromatherapy to help patients feel at ease in high-tech, stressful and uncomfortable surroundings (Buckle, 2015, p. 5).
The benefits associated with aromatherapy include stress reduction, improved sleep, pain management, improved digestion, enhanced immunity, and being anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal (Babar et al., 2015, p. 601).
Lavender and citrus aromas are associated with having mood enhancing properties. In 2005, a study investigated the effects of lavender and orange essential oils on anxiety, mood, alertness and calm in dental patients waiting for treatment. Participants were assigned to a control group (with no aroma, and no music); a music group; an orange group; and a lavender group. The study revealed that orange and lavender reduced anxiety and improved the mood of patients waiting for treatment. There was no statistically significant difference between the control group and the music group (Lehrner et al., 2005).
Another randomised crossover trial found that inhalation of lavender significantly decreased emotional PMS symptoms including depression, dejection and confusion, for as long as 35 min after the aroma stimulation (Matsumoto, Asakura, & Hayashi, 2013).
Aromatherapy can be useful for insomnia, aiding in relaxation and helping restore normal sleep patterns. Back in the 1980's a nurse by the name of Helen Passant, introduced aromatherapy to the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, England. She reduced her drug expenditure by one third by gradually replacing pain medication and night sedation with essential oils (Buckle, 2015, p. 171). More recent studies found that inhalation of lavender increased the deep and slow wave sleep in men and women, with all participants reporting higher energy levels the morning after, corroborating restorative sleep increase with the use of lavender. The study found that lavender serves a mild sedative and has practical applications as a new method of promoting deep sleep (Goel, Kim, & Lao, 2005).
Sweet orange and lavender essential oils are helpful for anxiety, agitation, stress, challenging behaviour, and insomnia (Babar et al., 2015, p. 607). The La Vida Low Tox Organic Monster Spray is a room spray that incorporates both sweet orange and lavender essential oils. Aside from dispelling any monsters in your space - which is great for kids to help them relax (and go the f*%k to sleep); it also adds a clearing, sparkly energy helping to lift the mood with the orange, and relax with the lavender. It's also a great all-rounder for stale smells, stinky rooms, food smells, bathrooms, locker rooms, bedrooms, offices, meeting rooms, and anywhere that needs an aromatic lift.
The La Vida Low Tox Organic Room Spray incorporates lavender essential oil, which helps calm the mind and promotes relaxation, renewal and assists in reducing irritability. Removes stale odours. Can also be used as a linen spray. Mist over your pillow before bed to promote a relaxing sleep. Leaves the room smelling fresh and sweet. Use anywhere in the home to promote calm and relaxation.
You can reap the rewards of chemical-free fragrance of orange and lavender essential oils by diffusing into your home, work, bedroom and car. The La Vida Low Tox essential oils are 100% organic and can be blended according to your tastes in any of our highest quality ultrasonic diffusers.
It's easy to see that aromatherapy is a natural, non-invasive gift from nature. Its a way of bringing the magic and fragrance of nature into our living, sleeping and work spaces in order to benefit our physiological, psychological and spiritual well-being. We hope you too can incorporate the benefits of essential oils into your busy lives, and feel the positive difference they make.
REFERENCES:
Babar, A., Naser, A., Saiba, S., Aftab, A., Shah, A., & Firoz, A. (2015). Essential oils used in aromatherapy: A systemic review. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 5(8), 601-611. doi:10.1016/j.apjtb.2015.05.007
Buckle, J. (2015). Clinical aromatherapy : Essential oils in healthcare (Third ed.) [Third edition.]. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. (2015). Retrieved April 17, 2020, from Ebook Central Perpetual Titles
Goel, N. & Kim, H. & Lao, R.. (2005). An Olfactory Stimulus Modifies Nighttime Sleep in Young Men and Women. Chronobiology international. 22. 889-904. 10.1080/07420520500263276.
Lehrner, J., Eckersberger, C., Walla, P., Pötsch, G., & Deecke, L. (2000). Ambient odor of orange in a dental office reduces anxiety and improves mood in female patients. Physiology & Behavior, 71(1), 83-86. doi:10.1016/S0031-9384(00)00308-5
Lehrner, J., Marwinski, G., Lehr, S., Johren, P., & Deecke, L. (2005). Ambient odors of orange and lavender reduce anxiety and improve mood in a dental office. Physiology & Behavior, 86(1), 92-95. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2005.06.031
Matsumoto, T., Asakura, H., & Hayashi, T. (2013). Does lavender aromatherapy alleviate premenstrual emotional symptoms?: A randomized crossover trial. Biopsychosocial Medicine, 7(1), 12-12. doi:10.1186/1751-0759-7-12