Understanding Why and How the Inhalation of Essential Oils Works

Elizabete Desire' Freijs
Jan 15, 2020
3 min read

Part I – The Limbic, Respiratory, & Circulatory Systems Simplified

I have been told by many skeptics that inhalation cannot possibly work therapeutically, otherwise most medications would be inhaled rather than taken orally. There are medications, such as asthma drugs, that are in fact inhaled.

The question here is why and how inhalation, whether from an inhaler or diffuser, can work. While this can be a very complicated, as our body has many systems that rely on one another.

I will attempt to answer these questions as simply as I can in a series of blogs.

Our sense of smell is very powerful

Have you noticed that just about everything we encounter has a smell or aroma? If we smell food that has rotten, we automatically know that we shouldn’t eat it. Did it make us nauseous? Probably.

Do you have a favorite memory from childhood? Did it involve an aroma? Was it Grandmother’s baking? Was it something cooking in the kitchen and then knowing that diner would be great? Or was it diner cooking and you were thinking…not again?

How many of you remember the aroma of spring? Do certain scents remind you of something special?

No matter what the aroma, we will have either a positive or negative affect to it.

Why? Maybe the Limbic System?

I think all of us have memories of an aroma, whether good or bad. But why is that so?

The Limbic system is made up of different part of the brain, as well as the connection between the parts. It invokes conscious control and instinctive behaviors (coffee smells good while rotten beans smell bad). It also assists in memory storage and retrieval, including the long term.

I was quite upset when my late father’s flannel shirt had to be finally washed. It no longer smelled like him and I was quite devasted. I was resistant in washing this shirt (not that I really wore it or that it was dirty, but I just wanted to smell him (he wore great aftershave and cologneJ) Our sense of smell invokes our long-term memory as well as establishes our emotional state. The aroma of “Dad” not only brings back many wonderful memories of him, but also affects my overall mood. Sometimes sad, sometimes so happy that he was in my life where I try to think about his answers to the questions that I may have.

Certain essential oils are great for memory. For example, if diffuse Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis ct. 1,8 cineole) while studying, it can help you concentrate. If you place a couple of drops on a necklace that absorbs essential oils and place it around your neck during an exam it may help with memory recall.

The Respiratory and Circulatory Systems Simplified

Like all other chemicals, both natural and synthetic, what we smell are very tiny molecules that absorbed into our bloodstream when we breath them in. As we breath in oxygen enters the lungs, is absorbed by blood cells, which then travel to the heart. The heart then pumps the oxygenated blood through the body. The essential oils molecules will also attach themselves to the bloods cells and follow the same path.

Did you ever notice that vapors from certain chemicals can make us lightheaded? Their molecules also attach themselves to the blood, which in turn travel to the head. Essential oils work the same way, except that many are therapeutic rather than poisonous.

Aromatherapy

A very large part of Aromatherapy is how certain aromas make us feel, both physically and emotionally. While certain essential oils are known to have therapeutic properties, each person may not have the same response to them. In other words, no matter how much you know that an EO may be beneficial, you will not use it if you do not like the aroma. For example, I really, really do not like lavender. Even though it is great for the skin, I will not use it on myself from waist up. I will find another oil that works for me. As such, I will find another oil that will work for a client.

Remember, essential oils are very powerful. A little bit goes a very long way. For a refresher, please refer to my blog “Essential Oil Dilution Safety Tips”.