Essential Oils

Essential oils are extracted using complex and expensive processes. Most oils are either extracted using a sequence of distillation processes or by effleurage. These methods are resource, labor and time intensive and require expert skill and equipment to execute. The amount of material needed to extract minute amounts of oil are huge. For example, it takes 250 pounds (115kg) of rose petals to produce 1 fl oz (25 ml) of essential oil. For these reasons essential oils can be rather expensive.

When purchasing these oils, you should take care to not buy oils that have been displayed in hot or sun exposed environments. Essential oils should always be in dark airtight containers stored at a low temperatures (i.e. approx. 65ºF / 18ºC). Oils in clear glass containers should be avoided if possible. Many retailers label oils as “aromatherapy oils” which usually indicate that only a small volume of the liquid consists of the essential oil (e.g. like 2 %) and the remainder consists of a carrier oil (see below for carrier oils). Ideally, you should buy bottles of 100% essential oil to allow maximum flexibility for constructing custom blends. You will also need to acquire carrier oils for proper application.

The below table lists various essential oils and their properties.

Essential Oil Index

Essential Oil	Properties	Used to treat	Blends best with
Basil	Uplifting, energizing, antidepressant	Anxiety, concentration, digestion, headaches, respiratory problems	Bergamot, geranium, hyssop, neroli, marjoram, Melissa, lavender.
Benzoin	Penetrating, warming	Stimulates circulation, aids respiration, soothes irritated skin, reduces nervous tension.	Cinnamon, coriander, cypress, jasmine, lemon, myrrh, rose, sandalwood.
Bergamont	Fresh, uplifting, antiseptic	Anxiety, depression, helps appetite, helps digestion, soothes lungs, oily skin.	Chamomile, coriander, cypress, geranium, jasmine, lavender, lemon, neroli, ylang-ylang.
Black pepper	Light, stimulating	Stimulates circulation, digestion, colds, coughs, muscular aches and pains.	Cypress, frankincense, sandalwood, spice oils.
Camphor	Cooling, highly stimulating	Depression, insomnia, shock, digestion, respiratory problems, oily skin, acne	Frankincense, neroli.
Cedarwood	Sedative, antiseptic, insect repellant.	Anxiety, cystitis, all lung conditions, acne, dandruff	Bergamot, cypress, jasmine, juniper, neroli, rosemary.
Chamomile	Refreshing, relaxing, pain reliever for small aches.	Depression, insomnia, digestion problems, menstrual problems, skin conditions.	Benzoin, bergamot, geranium, lavender, lemon, marjoram, neroli, rose, ylang-ylang.
Clary sage	Warming, soothing, nerve tonic.	Depression, insomnia, sore throat, digestion, menstruation, dry skin, insect bites.	Bergamot, cedar wood, citrus oils, cypress, geranium, jasmine, juniper, lavender, sandalwood.
Cypress	Relaxing, refreshing, astringent	Circulation, influenza, laryngitis, muscular cramps, mature skin.	Benzoin, bergamot, clary sage, juniper, lavender, lemon, orange, sandalwood.
Eucalyptus	Stimulating, antiseptic, anti-viral, insect repellent	Diarrhea, colds, viruses, respiratory problems, aches and pains, cuts and wounds.	Benzoin, hyssop, lavender, lemon, lemongrass, Melissa, pine, rose.
Frankincense	Warming, relaxing, tonic	Respiratory problems, aging skin, inflammation, wounds	All oils
Geranium	Refreshing, relaxing, astringent, insect repellent	Nervous system, digestion, liver and kidney problems, menstrual problems, normalizes and cleanses skin	All oils
Jasmine	Relaxing, sedative	Depression, uterine pain, respiratory problems, sensitive skin.	All oils
Juniper	Tonic, antiseptic, diuretic.	Depression, respiratory problems, eczema, acne, muscle aches.	Bergamont, citrus oils, cypress, geranium, lavender, rosemary, sandalwood.
Lavender	Refreshing, soothing, antiseptic, insect repellent, relieves sharp pains	Insomnia, circulation problems, indigestion, headaches, infections, muscular pains, cell renewal.	Most oils, especially citrus, chamomile, clary sage, geranium, pine, rosemary.
Lemon	Refreshing, invigorating, antiseptic, insect repellent	Circulation, respiratory problems, sore throats, oily skin, broken capillaries.	Benzoin, chamomile, eucalyptus, fennel, frankincense, geranium, juniper, neroli, ylang-ylang.
Lemongrass	Toning, revitalizing, antiseptic	Circulation, digestion, muscle tone, acne, oily skin.	Basil, geranium, jasmine, lavender.
Marjoram	Calming, warming.	Tension, insomnia, high blood pressure, digestion problems, colds, headaches, muscular cramps, respiratory problems.	Bergamot, chamomile, cypress, lavender, rosemary.
Melissa	Refreshing, anti-depressant	Tension, neuralgia, digestion, fevers, painful menstruation, respiratory problems.	Geranium, juniper, neroli, ylang-ylang.
Neroli	Ambrosial, antiseptic	Anxiety, insomnia, diarrhea, rejuvenates skin.	Most oils
Peppermint	Invigorating, antiseptic, pain reliever.	Fatigue, shock, digestion, travel sickness, headaches, toothache, skin irritations.	In small quantities with benzoin, black pepper, Melissa, marjoram, spice oils.
Rose	Relaxing, anti-depressant, astringent, antiseptic	Stress, circulation, digestion, headaches, for all skins.	Most oils.
Rosemary	Toning, invigorating, insect repellent	Fatigue, circulation, digestion, headaches, muscular pains, respiratory problems.	Basil, cedar wood, frankincense, lavender, lemon, peppermint.
Sage	Soothing, tonic, antiseptic	Fatigue, low blood pressure, respiratory problems, clears skin, firms tissue.	Bergamot, hyssop, lemon, lavender, Melissa, peppermint, rosemary.
Sandalwood	Calming, antiseptic	Fatigue, diarrhea, nausea, respiratory problems, dry skin.	Benzoin, black pepper, cypress, frankincense, jasmine, lemon, myrrh, neroli, ylang-ylang.
Thyme	Stimulant, antiseptic, nerve tonic.	Fatigue, depression, circulation problems, headaches, digestion problems, colds and respiratory problems, muscular pain.	Bergamot, citrus oils, Melissa, rosemary.
Ylang-ylang	Sedative, antiseptic, antidepressant	Anxiety, insomnia, frustration, regulates circulation.	Most oils.

Carrier Oils

Essential oils are highly potent and are used in drops. When these oils are applied to skin areas they tend to rapidly evaporate due to the surrounding air exposure. This evaporation prevents adequate absorption and provides little benefit. To facilitate adequate absorption, it is necessary to dilute these drops into something called a “carrier oil”. Carrier oils are lubricating oils used in massage to allow smooth gliding of the hands over the skin. Good carrier oils are 100% pure, have penetrative qualities and should have little or no smell. Below are lists of carrier oils:

Carrier Oil Index

Almond Oil: Has little smell, penetrative, contains proteins as is emollient and slow to become rancid. The mot popular carrier oil. Apricot Kernel and Peach kernel oils:  Same as almond oil but more expensive. Jojoba oil: Gives a silky smooth finish, not oily or greasy, very fine and clear. Also treats acne. Sunflower oils: Evaporates faster than other oils but contains vitamin F. An acceptable carrier oil.

Grapeseed oil: Gives a silky smooth finish, not oily or greasy, very fine and clear. Hazelnut oil: Most effective and deep penetration. Stimulates circulation. Olive oil: Has claming qualities, relieves itching and skin ailments, good for rheumatism, overpowering scent. Carrot oil: Is a tonic and rejuvenating, good for neck massages. Contains many vitamins.

Essential oils can be used in 2 ways.

• Aromatherapy: this consists of using essential oils in lotions and inhalants to affect mood and promote health. Using essential oils in baths is the most common technique. This type of therapy can be executed with small amounts of carrier oil. Another more effective technique is to inhale an essential oil blend by mixing it with boiling water and inhaling the steam. Using a towel over the head to trap the steam is a common technique. Purchasing a steam inhaler device is another very effective technique although care must be taken to ensure the oil blend is not overly potent.
• Massage: this consists of constructing a blend of essential oils combined with a carrier oil and applying onto the skin via massage. The purpose of this therapy is to absorb the oils directly into the system through the skin. Adequate absorption requires mixing a carrier oil. Massaging an appropriate essential oil blend onto the hands and forearms can bring relief to and help cure to RSI.

In the context of repetitive strain injuries, essential oils can provide relief and help cure as some RSI sufferers have claimed. The following blend was constructed from discussions with RSI sufferers (and improved through research). The blend relieves muscle aches, relieves muscle tension, helps repair muscle tissue, improves blood circulation and relieves stress and anxiety.

RSI Essential Oil Blend

For other conditions the following blends can be used.

Blends for other symptoms

Anxiety: Jasmine, lavender, marojoram, nerolim, basil, bergamont, camphor, chamomile, frankincense, geranium, juniper, melissa, rose, sandalwood.   Muscle stiffness: Rosemary, thyme.   Arthritis: Benzoin, chamomile, cypress, sage, juniper, lemon, thyme.   Insomnia: Basil, chamomile, clary sage, juniper, lavender, marjoram, neroli, rose, sandalwood, ylang-ylang.   Shock: Camphor, Melissa, neroli, peppermint.