Aromatherapy, as the name suggests is the technique of using aromas or aromatic compounds derived from plants for therapeutic purposes. The effects include mood improvement, relaxation, cognitive function, and health. Several scientific studies prove the efficacy of aromatherapy in various areas including labour (childbirth), shingles cure, pain management, anxiety, and the likes.

Properties of Aromatic Oils

Aromatic oils or essential oils like rosemary, clove, tea tree oil, etc have antibacterial effects. Aromatherapy using these essential oils is found effective even against drug-resistant infections. Similarly, it also has antiviral, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties.

Scientific studies also prove aromatherapy efficacy in treatment of the following conditions – anxiety, depression, stress, panic attacks, allergies, irritability, fatigue, urinary tract infections, arthritis, headaches, vertigo, and more.

Get a Good Night's Sleep with Aromatherapy

Lavender is the aromatic oil to pick, if you can't sleep well. It improves the quality of sleep with longer light sleep and shorter REM sleep. More importantly, you will feel more refreshed after you wake up in the next morning.

Other Benefits

Fennel tea is helpful in balancing hormonal levels during menopause. A mix of aromatherapy oil has found to eliminate infection of E-coli, staph infection, etc in a matter of two minutes. In another study, it is found women got better childbirth experience. Aromatherapy oils calm you down, cure headaches, and give you better cognitive powers.

How Aromatherapy Works

Aromatherapy practitioner finds and suggests you an aromatherapy essential oil or a combination of oil to facilitate mood improvement, to fight infection, or to cure a physical ailment. Emotional repair, topical aids, and massaging are the common types of usage.

If you have walked into a rose garden, and felt relaxed at the sight and smell of the roses, it is a form of aromatherapy at work. The practitioner identifies the aromas or smells most suited to relax you, and to cure your conditions. Bacterial and fungal infections are cured with direct application of the oil at the area of infection.

The essential oils activate nerve endings in the nose, which send messages to the brain, improving your mood, memory and cognitive function. These oils are also used in aromatherapy massage. Massaging certain areas of the body with a special selection of aromatherapy oil can relieve pain, sourness, skin infection, etc.