In this blogpost, aromatherapy expert Monika introduces us to essential oils and tells us about some of the health benefits and uses of lavender oil—my favourite!
Monika is a seller for the brand dōTerra and currently works at a health store where I used to work, too. Fun fact: we never worked together—I had left the company before she started—but still we came in contact which got the ball rolling. So without further ado, here’s Monika!
“Aromatherapy, and generally speaking, the use of essential oils, even if on its ride to fame these days, is still widely considered just an easy-pleasant tool for relaxation, a spiritual guide to emotional well-being rather than a competent, potent and holistic way to manage our health. Even in the health store where I happen to work as a health adviser, we are trained to come up with aromatherapy-solutions just as a third, complementary option after completing the recommendations with relief and prevention products, all herbal medicines and food supplements, by the way. The reasons behind this are rather complex and can not be covered in this article, but the two main paths could be identified in ignorance on one hand and the social misconceptions on the other. Just think of the way massage therapists were perceived by society in history and the different parts of the world!
The good news is, that ignorance can be easily addressed, as more and more people are looking for authentic information, and given the present situation of pandemic we understand that most of the important issues concerning our health can not be delegated any more.
“Aromatherapy is pure chemistry.”
Aromatherapy is pure chemistry. This sentence can be used for all skeptics who ignore or even attack the scientific facts behind essential oils. These essences extracted from the different parts of plants (root, flower, wigs, leaves, resigns etc) using various methods, distillation being probably the most known one, are a combination of chemical components like esters, terpenes, aldehydes, ketones, phenols, acids, alcohols etc. The type of these chemicals, the proportion and combination of them will bring the therapeutic benefits of a certain essential oil.There are standards for all individual oils which must be met, and the difference in two similar oils labeled as 100% pure can be huge depending on the way they meet or miss to meet these standards. Here lies the responsibility of essential oil companies and aromatherapy practitioners, because all this information is not available for the large public. This is the main reason why I have chosen the DoTerra oils both for myself, my family and to work with as their sourcing, testing and research practices offer the most transparency and professionalism on the actual market.
“At the end of the school year we offered a bottle of lavender essential oil as a gift to one of my son’s teachers. She was looking at it curiously and asked: does it smell like Miklos? After a moment of surprise I replied: Yes, Miss Cooper, of course, it does!”
All of us know Lavender essential oil, don’t we? Its relaxing aroma often reminds us of grandma’s cupboards; or maybe, our mother used it when we had our normal, everyday cuts and grazes. We all know about its relaxing properties and that it helps keep the moths away. But did you know that there are around 39 types of Lavender with all different latin names, chemical composition and, obviously, benefits for us? Just an example: Lavendula officinalis: terpenes: limonene: pinenesesquiterpene: caryophyllenealcohols: lavendulol, geraniol, linalool, borneolesters: aeranyl acetate, lavandulyl acetate, linalyl acetateketone: cineole.
It’s main medical properties are antiviral, antibacterial, antiseptic, anti-rheumatic, antidepressant, anti-convulsive, decongestant, deodorant, detoxicant, fungicide, insecticide, heals wounds, pain relief, improves scar tissue, etc.
Lavender can act on: conjunctivitis, earache, headache, insect bites, eczema, psoriasis, nose and throat infections, irregular periods, anxiety, burns… I won’t continue, yes, you’ve guessed, at least a hundred of other ailments. I mainly use it for skin, burns, relaxation before going to bed (yes, the first choice for kids as massage or bath), veins, small accidents, hay fever, anxiety etc. All the time and on all my family members, to be more precise…
I have a story I love. At the end of the school year we offered a bottle of Lavender essential oil as a gift to one of my son’s teachers. She was looking at it curiously and asked: does it smell like Miklos? After a moment of surprise I replied: Yes, Miss Cooper, of course, it does! 🙂
Besides being scientifically backed up, aromatherapy addresses the whole of human nature: body, soul and mind. When using the essences of plants we don’t just benefit from the particular, isolated chemical as we would in the case of a drug of the modern medicine, but from the whole structure of the plant. Our organism tends to recognize and accept whole structures similar to its own rather than isolated and standardized ones. This way we don’t just cure an ailment, but we help restore our own body’s capacity to heal himself. Yes, there’s chemistry, but there is energy and emotion as well. Just like in LOVE. (Did I mention I love essential oils?). If Lisa approves, I will be coming back to talk about this next time.”
—Monika
Join Monika’s Facebook group where she shares more of her experiences and recipes by clicking here. Follow Monika on Instagram @theoilywaydoterra
Kitchenoflion 