Essential oils are really not a big mystery. All essential oils consist of are natural plant extracts, liquids with an oil base that are medicinal and / or fragrant in nature. While some essential oils can be used for medicinal purposes, the most common use for essential oils is aromatherapy. You can find another article on aromatherapy on this AC profile, if you are interested in reading more about that, but this article is going to focus on essential oils themselves.

Essential oils can be extracted from any part of the plant, including the leaves, stems, and even the roots of some plants, and the most fragrant oils can come from flowering plants directly from the flower itself. Essential oils can also come from buds, twigs, bark, and pretty much any plant material that grows. Depending on the plant, the part of the plant with the highest concentration of the essential oils will be used to process the essential oils used in commercial products or to be sold separately.

Essential oils have been used for centuries, but only recently have the medicinal and therapeutic benefits of these essential oils been scientifically tested, and most essential oil therapeutic properties have been confirmed.

Long used in cosmetics, most essential oils used in make up and cosmetic products have an anti-microbial and anti-bacterial property. The reason for this is simple. Essential oils are extracted from plant parts, and the properties that fight off bacteria in the essential oils are the same properties that prevent the plant, while living and growing, from becoming infected and dying. It’s all very natural for the plant, but the benefits still exist when extracted from the plant.

That is why many facial toners, foundations, and even shampoos, soaps and hair conditioners all contain certain types of essential oils. Another reason for these products containing essential oils is to add a natural, non-irritating and drying fragrance to the product.

Essential oils, depending on which you use, can have many different therapeutic benefits, and because the oils are easily absorbed through the skin or hair follicles, they can very quickly be spread throughout the body in less time than other traditional therapies.

While many still hesitate to use essential oils for medicinal purposes, and while everyone should consult a health care practitioner or doctor before self medicating, even with essential oils and herbal remedies, it should be known that many drugs, medications prescribed by doctors, are plant based pharmaceuticals.

For example, aspirin, a long used pain killer and fever reducer was originally created from willow bark. Marijuana has been smoked, chewed, and eaten for centuries as a natural pain killer, before it was ruled illegal to use in most places in the United States. However, it is once again being studied for its pain killing properties and has been allowed for certain types of pain when prescribed by a doctor in some locations.

We have long used plants for medicinal and therapeutic purposes. Even many vitamins that are all natural come from plant extracts, so it really stands to reason that essential oils can and do have therapeutic benefits when used properly. Also, when used properly, those benefits can be stronger and longer lasting than chemically synthesized medication.

If you are one of those who think essential oils are better left to the regions of new age philosophy, take the time to do a bit of research and you’ll discover that many of the products you use in your own home, such as cleaning supplies, cosmetics, soaps, scented candles, air fresheners, medications, vitamins, shampoos, conditioners, acne treatments, and more all contain essential oils.

So if these products already contain essential oils, then the manufacturers are well aware of the positive benefits from essential oils. Because of this, consider how much more effective these essential oils could be when you use them directly yourself for their intended purposes.

In the coming days, you will find more articles about essential oils on this profile that will go into more depth about what they are and how each of them work, but it’s best to start with the basics and understand that you are probably already using essential oils without even knowing it.