Posts Tagged ‘aromatherapy’
Essential Oils and Aromatherapy
Essential oils are the principles contained in aromatic plants, retrievable through the process of distillation. Essential oils differ from other oils contained in plants because they go very easily to gas.
In the history of the use of wood is lost in the mists of time, and though the earliest records date back to the Egyptians, it is not strange to imagine rituals and beliefs earlier in which the essences were used to curry favor with the gods and avert disaster.
Extraction methods
Although all higher plants can produce aromatic substances, must take into account a large number of factors and characteristics of the plant before moving on oil extraction. External factors such as soil composition, altitude, sun exposure and internal factors such as the variety of plant life cycle and its combined impact on the concentration of aromatic components. That is why, taking into account all these factors, the part of the plant on which it operates, and even time of day, is called “time balsamic” the phase of greater concentration of the odor.
Essential oils are used for personal care, as well as industrial use. Under the law can be used with therapeutic oils extracted through distillation and steam pressing.
The distillation of water vapor is the primary method through which the oils are extracted and the safest way to preserve the quality of the oil. Through the distillation plant material yields to steam volatile substances that, after a cooling process, separate to be collected in the form of drops. Each droplet collection is what we call essence. Through the distillation process, after passing into the condenser, there is also the split between essential oils, lighter, and aromatic waters, heavier. By the same process, then you will get two different types of aromatic substances, the most common use of water for aromatic tonic. Squeezing or pressing, is the methodology that is used to extract essential oils from the peel of citrus fruit.
Cosmetic industry, however, to extract the essential oils that are used in the perfume industry is makes use of volatile solvents, which are then distilled. This process is convenient and fast, has allowed the extraction to rejuvenate the industry with long and complex methods.
Numerous uses of essential oils for those who want to use it actively and take care of your mental and physical wellbeing, using natural substances. We must remember, however, that essential oils are still drug and as such must be considered, without abuse or misuse it. For the same reason the use of pure essential oils of aromatherapy is competence and not the individual, who instead will follow the simple tips below and reap the benefits from the use of essential oils mixed with water or other substances .
Read the rest of this entry »