Hypertension eased with Essential Oils

2006 Dec; 36(7):1123-34.

The effects of the inhalation method using essential oils on blood pressure and stress responses of clients with essential hypertension.
Department of Nursing, Geochang Provincial College, Geochang-gun, Gyungnam, Korea.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of aromatherapy on blood pressure and stress responses of clients with essential hypertension.

METHOD: There were fifty-two subjects divided into an essential oil group, placebo group, and control group by random assignment. The application of aromatherapy was the inhalation method of blending oils with lavender, ylang ylang, and bergamot once daily for 4 weeks. To evaluate the effects of aromatherapy, blood pressure and pulse were measured two times a week and serum cortisol levels, catecholamine levels, subjective stress, and state anxiety were measured before and after treatment in the three groups. Data was analyzed by repeated measures of ANOVA, one-way ANOVA, and chi(2)-test using the SPSS 10.0 program.

RESULTS: The blood pressure, pulse, subjective stress, state anxiety, and serum cortisol levels among the three groups were significantly statistically different. The differences of catecholamine among the three groups were not significant statistically.

CONCLUSION: The results suggest that the inhalation method using essential oils can be considered an effective nursing intervention that reduces psychological stress responses and serum cortisol levels, as well as the blood pressure of clients with essential hypertension.

Ten Essential Oils You Will Want to Diffuse – And Why!

Aromatherapy means “to treat with aroma through inhalation.” Although there are other applications for Aromatherapy, if you would like to be proactive about your health and wellness, and particularly the state of your emotions, then diffusing essential oils is the most practical and effective way to enjoy their benefits!

Why inhale essential oils in the first place? Because essential oils affect the brain and the brain affects the rest of us! Essential oils, naturally, have the ability to help us by bringing about calmness or alertness. They can stimulate appetite or a feeling of being full. They can help us feel romantic, grounded, and empowered. They bring back memories and help release trauma. In short, essential oils affect the way we feel and the way we feel affects everything!

Below is a list of 10 pleasant-smelling, Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils to diffuse and enjoy!

Cassia – This oil is antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal, making it a wonderful oil to have in your breathing space when people are coughing all around you. And it smells a little like Candy!

Clary Sage – This oil is believed to be beneficial for hormone balance, insomnia, and other symptoms of PMS. You may find it calms you, making it a wonderful oil to diffuse during stressfull [and hormone-upset] times!

Cedarwood – An oil high in sesquiterpenes which means it can affect the emotion centre of the brain. It also encourages the pineal gland to release melatonin which fosters deep sleep. Breathe in this oil during times of congestion, coughs, and bronchitis.

Frankincense – Diffuse this fragrant oil when you would like to increases spiritual awareness and stay focused when you are meditating. Breathing in Frankincense may also improve your attitude and elevate your spirits!

Geranium – Another great oil for stress. While it calms and balances you, it may help to release negative memories. Diffusing this oil may bring you to a higher level of well-being emotionally so you feel more peaceful and optomistic.

German Chamomile – Diffuse this oil for a “breath of calm” in a busy day! German Chamomile may help you to dispell anger and steady your feelings bringing you back to a clear, calm state of mind, helpng you to feel better emotionally and to sleep well.

Lavender – This wonderful oil is well known for its calming, relaxing and balancing effect on the emotions. These properties make it a good oil to diffuse when you are dealing with nervous tension, high blood pressure or depression. Diffuse this in the bedroom for a good nights rest.

Lemongrass – This oil is fun to diffuse because it helps to make one more intuitive. It is also purifying and a natural insect repellent. Diffuse it to stay awake and feel less irritable!

Ylang Ylang – This relaxing fragrance balances male-female energies. It seems to give you what you need to come into balance. It brings your energy up if it is low and helps to calm you if you need grounding! It also has aphrodisiac properties. Think: calm, balance, confidence, peace, joy.

Peppermint – This fresh cool-scented essential oil is known as “The Happy Oil”. If you are on a weight-reduction diet, you may like to know that Peppermint has been studied for its ability to affect the brain’s satiety center; the part of the brain that makes us feel full after we’ve eaten enough! It’s also good for headaches, focusing, and depression and can help clear the sinuses!

These comments are not meant to diagnose, treat nor replace conventional medical treatment.

References:
Essential Oils Integrative Medical Guide by D. Gary Young
Aromatherapy for Common Ailments by Shirley Price
Aromatherapy For Dummies (I couldn’t resist!)

Information complied by: Lori Gosselin Lori has been studying and sharing information on essential oils since 1997. She has witnessed many profound changes in people when they begin diffusing essential oils into their everyday lives. Together with her family she started Terra Cotta Pendants in 2003. Terra Cotta Pendants, the “diffusers that you wear”, allow you to experience the desired benefits of a chosen oil, via inhalation, effectively and effortlessly throughout your day.

Relieving Asthma With Essential Oils

Essential oils can be very beneficial in helping a person who suffers from asthma. Inhaling the sedative-type and anti-histamine like essential oils can be very effective for acute asthmatic attacks. These include: lavender, chamomile, patchouli, sandalwood, marjoram, neroli, and geranium essential oils. Carrying a small pocket diffuser like this one http://www.healwithessentialoil.com/products/Aromatherapy-Pocket-Diffusers.html would make it quite convenient to have on hand if necessary.

Asthma Away Blend

Here is an easy recipe to use:

16 drops Lavender essential oil

3 drops Peppermint essential oil
3 drops Eucalyptus essential oil
3 drops Ylang Ylang essential oil
2 tablespoons (1 oz.) carrier oil (a

ny vegetable oil)Apply blend to the upper back area and front of upper chest. Cup hands over face and inhale deeply. Apply three times a day.

To use in an electric diffuser: omit vege

tabl

e oil. Diffuse for 10-15 minutes twice a day to clear air.

Information regarding the use of essential oils for asthma and the recipe blend mentioned above was taken from “Aromatherapy: Soothing Remedies to Restor
Please visit our website at http://HealwithEssentialOil.com to purchase 100% pure, therapeutic grade essential oils for your blends.e, Rejuvenate, and Heal” by Valerie G. Cooksley, R.N.

Essential Oils Can Effect Your Mood Or Emotions – Know Which One To Use

Smelling the fragrance of a rose can bring healing and elevate one’s mood. Even when the scent is too faint to notice healing is taking place. The sense of smell facilitated through the olfactory nerve invites the fragrance into certain regions of the brain, enabling the body to process them naturally.

Just inhaling a fragrance will bring healing to the body be-cause with pure therapeutic essential oils the molecules are small enough to bypass the blood-brain barrier and reach down at the cellular level to bring healing. Regular inhalation of essential oils stimulates the limbic region of the brain and encourages the natural release of the human growth hormone (HGH).

With 1,000 sensors in the nose, it can identify 10,000 scents. And because the nose is wired differently that the other four senses, it carries molecules directly into the emotional center of the brain where traumatic memories are stored. Essential oils are a vehicle by which repressed emotions can be released.

The Hebrew word for “smell” is reyach, and this shares the same root word for “spirit,” which is ruach. Yahweh was moved to compassion through the sense of smell as in the account of Noah’s offering after the flood: “And Noah builded an altar unto the LORD… and offered burnt offerings… and the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake” (Genesis 8:20-21).

Essential oils make a great tool for aiding with emotions. Essential oils can be helpful with creating calm when a person is angry or hysterical or maybe you just need a lift when you are tired after a long day. Here is a quick checklist of which essential oil to use for each mood. For more information, please visit http://HealWithOil.com or to purchase pure essential oils, visit http://HealWithEssentialOil.com.

Anger – Ylang-ylang, chamomile
Anxiety – Lavender, chamomile, neroli
Clarity – Lemon, basil
Closed/wounded heart – Rose
Concentration – Rosemary, basil, peppermint
Confidence – Jasmine
Confusion – Lemon, frankincense
Courage – Black pepper, ginger, thyme
Depression – Bergamot, clary sage, rose (depression due to grief)
Grief – Rose
Grounding – Frankincense, ginger
Fear of the future – Frankincense
Inner child (drawing out/befriending) – Mandarin . very childlike oil.
Irritation – Orange, sandalwood
Jealousy – Rose, chamomile
Joy – Neroli, mandarin and any of the citrus oils
Lethargy – Rosemary, black pepper, Cedarwood
Panic – Chamomile, ylang-ylang, rose, spikenard
Peace – Chamomile, frankincense, lavender, spikenard