Essential Oils

Audra Avizienis

• Publisher: Thunder Bay Press
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781684128082
• Topic: Medicine
• Subtopic: Alternative & Complementary Medicine

Discover the healing power of 115 essential oils in this modern aromatherapy guide with practical tips for wellness, beauty, and a healthy home.

Essential Oils takes you on an aromatic journey that explores the exquisite fragrances and healing powers of essential oils. Discover the many benefits of the ancient practice of aromatherapy, which harnesses the therapeutic properties from the essential oils of medicinal plants.

Here, you'll find the perfect oil for all your aromatherapy needs, whether you're looking for a relaxing spa fragrance, a healing salve for aching muscles, or a spiritual scent for meditation. Essential Oils also shows you how to create your own essential oil blends and offers dozens of simple recipes for beauty treatments, home use, and everyday health.

Citrus bergamia

BERGAMOT

Bergamot fruit

If you’ve ever enjoyed a cup of Earl Grey tea, you’ve experienced the zesty, lemony essence of bergamot oil. The refreshing oil has been a main ingredient of eau de cologne since 1709, when perfumer Johann Maria Farina first blended his classic perfume in Cologne, Germany. The fragrance, he said, reminded him of a spring morning in his hometown in Italy.

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION

BERGAMOT

BASICS

• Aroma: Citrus, floral, spicy

• Color: Green to brownish yellow

• Fragrance classification: Top note

• Extraction: Cold-pressing or vacuum distillation of rind

BLENDS WELL WITH

• Black pepper, clary sage, cypress, geranium, frankincense, jasmine, lavender, mandarin, neroli, nutmeg, palmarosa, patchouli, rose, rosemary, sandalwood, vetiver, ylang-ylang

CHEMICAL COMPONENTS

• Bergamottin, bergapten, citropten, limonene, linalool, linalyl acetate, pinene, sabinene, cymene, terpinene

HEALING PROPERTIES

• Analgesic, antibacterial, antidepressant, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative, cicatrizant, digestive, expectorant, febrifuge, sedative, vulnerary

PRECAUTIONS

• Phototoxic

ORIGINS

The small evergreen bergamot tree belongs to the Rutaceae family and is a hybrid of lime and orange trees. Its white, star-shaped flowers appear in winter, and the green, pear-shaped fruits ripen to yellow in spring. The origins of the name bergamot are unclear: some experts say that it comes from the Turkish translation of “the lord’s pear”; others claim the fruit was named after the northern Italian town Bergamo, where the oil was first produced. Currently, 90% of bergamot trees are cultivated in the southern coastal region of Calabria—the “toe” of Italy’s “boot.”

BENEFITS

Italian folk medicine valued bergamot oil for its ability to stave off fevers and parasitic diseases as well as respiratory and urinary tract infections. In aromatherapy, bergamot oil is also used to alleviate stress, anxiety, and depression. Bergamot is beneficial in treating wounds and healing scars, but because of the high phototoxicity of the compounds furocoumarin and bergaptene, you should use FCF-free bergamot oil when applying to the skin. Bergamot is one of the pricier of the citrus oils: 100 fruits yield a mere 3 ounces (85 g). Yet its warm and spicy fragrance is popular for its many therapeutic uses.

HOW TO DELIVER

Bath: Blend up to 10 drops in a handful of Epsom salts or add the essential oil directly into the bathwater just before stepping into your bathtub.

Burners and diffusers: Add five drops of bergamot oil per 3.5 ounces (100 ml) of water in your diffuser for a relaxing aroma that can help clear your mind. Bergamot oil also deodorizes and freshens the air.

Creams and lotions: Clear up acne and other skin ailments such as eczema and psoriasis by adding three to six drops of bergamot oil per ounce (30 ml) of carrier lotion. Bergamot-blended creams can also improve the appearance of scars.

Inhalation: To lift your spirits or relieve congestion, rub two to three drops of bergamot oil in your palms. Cup your hands over your mouth and nose, and inhale deeply.

Massage oil: Add three to six drops to your carrier oil to relieve tension and to boost your immune system.

SAY WHAT?

CICATRIZANT

A cicatrizant oil promotes the healing of a wound or the development of a cicatrix, or scar.

POPULAR USES

Bergamot oil helps combat acne, anorexia, arthritis, depression, eczema, fever, headaches, herpes sores, indigestion, infection, insomnia, migraines, psoriasis, stress, and wounds.

Bergamot essential oil

DIY: Bergamot Eau de Cologne

The fragrance coveted by European royalty of the eighteenth century, eau de cologne endures as a paragon of masculine scents to this day. Try blending this fresh, citrusy eau de cologne.

You will need:

• 10 drops bergamot oil

• 10 drops lemon oil

• 10 drops orange oil

• 6 drops neroli oil

• 4 drops petitgrain oil

• 2 drops rosemary oil

• 2 ounces (70 ml) ethanol alcohol or vodka

Directions:

• Blend the essential oils together, and slowly pour the mixture into the alcohol, stirring gently.

• Pour the blend into a dark bottle and seal. Allow to meld for 48 hours in a dark location.

• Add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of distilled water, then stir and bottle. Let the blend stand in a dark place for another 48 hours to fully mature...

Table of contents

• Cover
• The History and Uses of Oils
• The Essentials
• Essential Oils Aroma Families
• Chapter 1: Citrus Scents
• Chapter 2: Floral Fragrances
• Chapter 3: Herbaceous Aromas
• Chapter 4: Camphoraceous Scents
• Chapter 5: Spicy Aromas
• Chapter 6: Resinous Oils
• Chapter 7: Woodsy Scents
• Chapter 8: Earthy Aromas
• Chapter 9: Carrier Oils
• Chapter 10: Recipes
• Index
• Photo Credits
• Copyright