Are you looking for a natural way to support your wellbeing and address a common issue? A remedy that can provide multiple benefits? Well, essential oils might be your answer.

Essential oils are highly concentrated extracts of plants and can have therapeutic benefits when used in aromatherapy.

Essential oils are extracted from their plants in different ways (for example, by distillation or cold-pressing). Because extraction requires a large volume of plant material to create a small amount of essential oil, the essential oil can have stronger therapeutic properties than their original plant.

Today we will be exploring just some of these therapeutic properties when essential oils are used in aromatherapy, and other ways you can use them around the home…

 

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is the practise of using essential oils for therapeutic benefits. This is usually by either inhaling the oil’s ‘scent’ or applying it to the skin in a diluted form.

Some of the most popular aromatherapy methods include massages to relax and relieve muscle pain, scented candles for relaxation or clarity, and inhalation to help with focus, anxiety or sleep issues.

Now, perhaps you’re wondering how essential oils create therapeutic benefits when used in aromatherapy? Well, this happens in two ways.

First, when essential oils are inhaled, they stimulate your limbic system which means they can have therapeutic benefits on the functions associated with this system (like emotions, heart rate and blood pressure).

Second, when essential oils are applied to your skin some of their plant chemicals are absorbed and create therapeutic benefits through absorption. Because of the strength of essential oils, they should only be applied to skin when diluted with a ‘carrier’ oil to avoid irritation.

Aromatherapy has existed for thousands of years and is still used all around the world today. However, there are still limited scientific studies on aromatherapy’s full effects – the science needs to catch up! So while we explore some of the great benefits of essential oils in the next section, just keep in mind that more research still needs to be done on this subject.

*If you’re receiving medical care for an illness, it’s important to speak to your doctor before introducing aromatherapy into your treatment plan.

 

Properties of Essential Oils

There is a whole world of essential oils out there to explore! We wouldn’t be able to examine all of them and their benefits in one blog post… So, for this article, we’re selecting just a few key benefits of these useful oils.

 

Cognitive Function

We all want to be able to focus when we need to and strengthen our brain power! Well, did you know that by simply inhaling certain types of essential oils, you could be improving your brain function? A study in 2012 showed that when participants inhaled rosemary oil, they performed better in certain cognitive tasks.[1]

Not only that, further research has shown that regularly inhaling rosemary[2] and sage [3] essential oils may help guard against neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s.

That’s a pretty remarkable effect from these humble plants!

 

Stress and Anxiety

Don’t you just love that relaxing feeling you get from some of your favourite scents? Well next time why not reach for some rosemary or sage oil!

A research study showed that rosemary helped reduce symptoms of stress in students before and during an exam.[4] That’s not a bad result for such a stressful situation! Indeed, in Greece we find people commonly using sage oil also for its emotionally calming effect.

At tofillo, we certainly find it helpful to keep our [osemary Essential Oil and Sage Essential Oil on our work desks during busy days. We like to take just five minutes to close our eyes, breathe in the aromas and recalibrate…

 

Hair Growth

As we get older, we sometimes experience hair loss. While it’s more common in men, it can also affect women due to hormonal changes later in life.

Amazingly, two essential oils – rosemary and thyme – have been shown to help protect against hair loss and potentially reverse it!

A study in 2015 showed that when men with male-pattern baldness massaged rosemary oil, diluted with a carrier oil, onto their scalp twice a day for six months, they experienced an increase in hair thickness. In fact, participants who used rosemary oil experienced the same increase in thickness as those that used a popular hair regrowth treatment.[5] And they experienced less scalp-itching compared to the regrowth treatment group.

Another study showed the effectiveness of thyme and rosemary oil, used alongside other essential oils, in improving hair loss (specifically alopecia areata).[6]

So if you’re starting to notice any patches of thinning hair, it might be worth trying those essential oils. You can find our Rosemary Essential Oil and Thyme Essential Oil in our online shop. Remember to always dilute them with a carrier oil when applying to skin.

 

Pain Relief

Essential oils have been traditionally used to maximise the pain-relieving benefits of massages and acupressure. Now, the science proves that it works.

In a 2007 study, stroke survivors who were experiencing shoulder pain were split into two groups. One group received acupressure to help with the shoulder pain, while the other group received the same acupressure treatment but with rosemary oil. The group that received treatment with rosemary oil experienced double the reduction in pain than the group without.[7]

Similarly, oregano oil has been shown to have pain-relieving effects in preliminary studies on mice.[8]

At tofillo, we like to keep our Rosemary Essential Oil and Oregano Essential Oil in our medicine cabinets, for those days when we need to soothe some aching joints or limbs. We dilute it with a carrier oil like jojoba and take a moment to massage it in and let it get to work.

 

Coughs and Colds

When you’ve got a cold or flu, you want to try everything you can to feel better! And if you prefer to try natural remedies to help soothe symptoms, then you’ll find that essential oils of thyme and dittany can help.

The European Medicines Agency has stated that dittany has properties that can help soothe coughs from a cold.[9] And a study in 2016 showed that due to thyme oil’s antispasmodic properties, it could be effective in helping to reduce coughs from an infection.[10]

With the winter season here, now could be a good time to stock up on our our [Thyme Essential Oil] and [Dittany Essential Oil] from our online shop. We recommend creating a steam bowl with hot water and a few drops of essential oil, and taking in the steam to help soothe your airways and any coughs or sore throats.

Those were just a few examples of the great properties of certain essential oils.

Aside from direct inhalation and massage, perhaps you want to know some other ways you can use essential oils for their benefits? Read on to find out…

 

Uses of Essential Oils around the Home

If you’d like to get even more benefits from essential oils, there are all sorts of products that you can use around the home.

For longer-lasting stress relief you can use rosemary or sage oil with an oil burner to infuse your home with a relaxing scent. Or if you enjoy making your own candles to burn at home, why not add in a few drops of rosemary or sage oil for a relaxing experience next time you light them?

Using essential oils in soap is a very popular technique. The other ingredients in the soap ensure that the essential oil is diluted so it won’t cause skin irritation. Our advice would be to take your time when bathing so that you give the oils in the soap time to work their magic!

And if you prefer to make your own home-cleaning products, why not add in some thyme or dittany oil to keep things smelling and feeling soothed and fresh? A lot of essential oils naturally have anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties.

 

There are many options, but those are just a few to start with!

 

tofillo’s Cretan Essential Oils from Organic Farms

tofillo is a Cretan company and we take a lot of pride in our heritage. Cretan culture has used herbs from the island as remedies for thousands of years.

We believe that the soil of Crete itself gives the herbs that are grown on the island a special strength and uniqueness!

This uniqueness and the Cretan character of the herbs – strong, bounteous and brimming with great properties – passes through to the essential oils we make from them. We guarantee quality and tradition in every drop.

If that appeals to you and you’d like to buy any of our essential oils online, you can jump to our online shop.

We hope that in the moment you first smell or feel our essential oils, you feel the spirit of Crete and our island’s connection with these powerful herbs throughout the centuries…

 

 

[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23983963/

[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20377818/

[3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5318325/

[4] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19258850/

[5] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25842469/

[6] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9828867/

[7] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17388768/

[8] https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/%28SICI%291099-1573%28199606%2910%3A4%3C342%3A%3AAID-PTR832%3E3.0.CO%3B2-W

[9] https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/herbal-summary/dittany-crete-herb-summary-public_en.pdf

[10] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28214817/