Essential Oils

My essential oil journey began back in March 2020 when I had lost my job on a yacht due to the coronavirus in the Caribbean, and to top it off I also caught the virus on the flight back to Ireland. 

After a few days at home back in Ireland while cooking for my family I couldn’t taste or smell anything, So after a few days of feeling sorry for myself and thinking I might die lots of paracetamol and vitamin C I got myself together and decided to start learning something.

Enter Essential Oils.

What exactly is an essential oil you may ask? Well, essential oils are the true essence of a plant or tree. These scents and aromas are released from the plant for a few reasons, one being for defence purposes against insects and fungus and another one is for attraction and communication between other plants. How cool is that? I had been a little interested in essential oils before through a chef on a yacht but this time around I wanted to learn more. With having lost my smell and taste I had read online somewhere that essential oils help strengthen the olfactory receptors in the nose (which get damaged by the virus causing loss of smell and taste); Now the sense is so important, it is the only one that is connected directly to your brain, smells can produce significant mental, emotional, and physical responses. We are going to have just a small science lesson just so you can have a better understanding of how this system works and how important it is. The olfactory system is connected to the limbic system, where emotions and memories are stored. We all know when we smell a certain smell or perfume it can bring us right back to many good or bad memories! When you use essential oils aromatically, the molecules travel through your nose to the olfactory system, where they are processed. The odour triggers responses from the limbic system. What goes on in the limbic system you may be wondering? Well, This system is responsible for controlling your endocrine system, which regulates your hormones and your nervous system, transmitting signals throughout your body. Equally important, the limbic system helps to control your memory, learning ability, and emotions.

We have all felt, anxiety, tired, sad, hormonal, frustrated, and foggy memory, all of it. What if just by inhaling a certain aroma or applying it to the skin you could improve memory, feel joyful and relaxed, get rid of anxious feelings and cravings? Well, you can! And it’s all-natural no additives, no adulteration or contamination with any other chemicals no nasties that mess up your hormonal system and it comes straight from mama earth herself. It is the pure essence of the plant or tree! Different oils can do different things for your body and honestly, the list is endless, it’s pretty impressive. I’ll give you a few examples, for instance, Oregano, that dried herb on top of your pizza that doesn’t taste like much, is, in fact, a natural antibiotic, blood cleanser removes toxins from the blood, I mean hello ill have all of the oregano please thank you. Parsley that herb you use on top of food to garnish that never really gets eaten, let me tell you, is highly antiviral, antibacterial, and has cancer-fighting properties. Like what! Also, we have all heard of Frankincense,(Three wise men) this is called the king of essential oils, and no wonder why it helps with Alzheimer’s disease, asthma, skin tags, tumours, cyst, depression, improve vision, it’s cleansing, supports a healthy immune system which is very important right now.

By making a simple blend of these oils and applying them with a spray/roller bottle or inhaling you can protect yourself and your family from those nasty environmental threats. Wanting to improve your memory and concentration, Rosemary is your gal. Then it gets interesting and fun you’ve even got oils that can be used as an aphrodisiac and can make that date night a little more fun, for example, the blue lotus, rose, jasmine can set that mood! You have got oils to uplift the mood and cultivate feelings of joy such as bergamot, neroli, orange, and peppermint. 

If you are going to be going for essential oils, I would recommend to go for the brand that has the most non toxic the more pure, because sometimes if your getting essential oils, there can be some nasties inside them and can actually be more harmful than good.

I am curious, what are your thoughts on Essential oils? Have you used them before? Would you be interested in using them if you knew they could help with anxiety and bring more ZANG to your life?