Aromatherapy

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Questions about aromatherapy

I've been interested in aromatherapy - the science/art of using plant essential oils for better physical and mental health - for some years now. I use it for myself, my wife and our child, and occasionally for interested friends. I put the oils in the bath, on the pillow at night, or in a burner (vaporizer). I mix them with a vegetable base oil for massage. I use them to disinfect dishcloths, kitchen surfaces and tables. I put drops in kitchen cupboards to keep them smelling nice and to keep cockroaches away, and on the tablecloth in my study to keep me alert. And I mix them with vodka and distilled water to make my own aftershave lotion.

Personal experience

There are lots of oils, and of course still more combinations, that I haven't used yet, and many that I have used but haven't been able to come to any conclusions about. In addition, in the absence of specialized knowledge and medical equipment to take measurements, I don't feel that it's possible to speak with confidence about essential oils' effects on anyone but oneself. But bearing in mind these limitations, I'll list some individual oils and blends that I've found useful.

Insomnia/headaches

My wife often suffers from headaches and difficulty in getting to sleep at night. Oils we've used include:
Lavender. This is probably the best-known of all essential oils. We find that we have to use quite a large quantity to have a noticeable effect, but we use it a lot because of its side-effect as an insect repellent. Its kindness to the skin means that you can rub it undiluted into the soles of the feet. (Though anybody tempted to do the same should make very sure they're not allergic to lavender first.)
Chamomile. Chamomile is also a very well-known relaxant. Like lavender, we've found that we have to use it in fairly large quantities to achieve a discernible effect in adults.
Sandalwood. This oil is rather cheaper than chamomile, so we use it frequently, usually together with frankincense.
Frankincense. This is often recommended for use in meditation, but we've found it moderately effective in promoting sleep. It's rather expensive, so we use it in conjunction with sandalwood.
Neroli. This oil is hideously expensive, so it took me a long time to save up and buy a bottle - and even then it was a 10ml bottle of a 10% dilution. But, on several occasions when prolonged massage and copious use of lavender and chamomile had no effect, this seemed to work pretty well, clearing a headache and promoting sleep. A friend says this oil worked well on his wife, too, and I have a feeling that as a general rule it's more effective on women than on men.
Clary sage. This oil is considered to be a good hormonal balancer and generally emotionally balancing. Since many women's symptoms can have a hormonal cause, this often comes in handy even when not specifically indicated for a condition.
Bergamot is a gentle sedative.
Geranium and Lemon seem to be general cure-alls, having a very mild sedative effect.

Coughs and Sore Throats

I don't suffer from coughs frequently. Unfortunately, when a cold does transform itself into a cough, it can often last for 2 months or more. Essential oils alone are unlikely to cure a persistent cough, but can be useful as an adjunct to other therapies. The first thing to decide is whether your symptoms are basically hot or cold, roughly in the same sense as in Chinese medicine.

"Cold" coughs

With a cold cough, phlegm tends to be white or colourless, sometimes watery. You may even feel cold or devoid of energy. The cough may well be longlasting, but not frequent and not very severe. In these cases, my first choice is ginger, which is warming and strengthening. I often combine this with atlas cedarwood or sandalwood, which soothe the throat. Frankincense also soothes the throat, as well as promoting sleep, so I sometimes use that oil at night. Hyssop seems to be a reasonably effective cough-suppressant, and thyme seems to have an antibiotic effect. I tend to use the last two during the daytime and the others at night.

Cold Sores

I apply bergamot oil neat, though many aromatherapists would advise against doing this.

Athlete's foot

I apply tea-tree oil neat.

Preventing infection

When someone in the house is down with a cold or other infectious illness, we burn pine or tea-tree oil. The same oils are good on the pillow at night or on a T-shirt during the day.