Essential oils have many numerous benefits, too many to describe in just one article. However, there are things for which the essential oils are most frequently used. Conditions common to a larger population gain more attention and more word-of-mouth advertising, leading to certain remedies being the most popular.
One very common ailment that people despise enough to motivate them to experiment with alternative treatments is acne. Acne is actually the most common skin disorder. Acne is caused by the combination of overproduction of sebum (skin oil) and bacteria that lives on the surface of our skin. Washing regularly helps reduce the buildup of both bacteria and sebum, but alone is not enough to treat acne.
Other than eating a well-balanced, low-fat diet and exercising regularly (which helps cleanse the pores), certain essential oils can help in the battle against acne. Two of the most popular essential oils in the use of acne are tea tree oil and lemon oil. These have powerful antiseptic properties, killing microorganisms like bacteria. But others have also been indicated for the use of acne treatment including lavender, lemongrass, cedar wood, benzoin, German chamomile, and geranium. Any treatment to be applied to the skin must be diluted to 2% solution.
Another extremely common ailment is heartburn. Heartburn occurs when, due to a large meal, tight clothing, or weak esophagus, the stomach acid gets up into the esophagus. This painful condition is one of the most common medical complaints in the U.S. A natural remedy to try is to use a carrier oil of 1 teaspoon grape seed oil and add one drop of peppermint oil, and 2 drops each of fennel oil and eucalyptus oil. Rub this solution on the upper abdomen area.
Many people are not aware of this statistic, but 10% of Americans are addicts. And that is just drugs and alcohol. 25% of Americans are addicted to cigarettes. And 2/3rds of the American population is obese, due mainly to overeating, which is a compulsion comparable to addiction and involves the same mechanism in the brain.
As addictive cravings result from the same area of the brain as the fight-or-flight (stress) response, and look identical on an MRI, it is helpful to use stress management techniques to handle addictions and compulsions. One way to do this is to employ soothing essential oils in aromatherapy. Oils used for calming the stress response include jasmine, lavender, bergamot, clary sage, chamomile, and ylang-ylang. These oils must simply be smelled to produce the desired effects and can be added to bath water or a facial steam for a lingering effect.
