asking for a friend: are essential oils worth the hype?
the oils from plants offer natural healing and cleansing benefits, but they can also be dangerous.
5 minute read
while essential oils offer lots of benefits for humans, check with a vet before putting them on or near your pets. getty
dear asking for a friend, i love essential oils, but i am unsure how to use them. what does one do with essential oils? which ones can you consume? which ones are dangerous for pets?
signed, intrigued by nature’s remedy
dear intrigued by nature’s remedy,
there’s an incredible feeling of calm and relaxation when you’re walking through the forest, enjoying the sights, sounds and smells of nature. what if you could bottle that experience and have it at your fingertips to dot on your wrists or diffuse in your home office?
that’s where essential oils come into play. these concentrated plant extracts are packed full of therapeutic chemical properties that benefit the plant itself and benefit people. well beyond the wonderful smell, they can help improve your health and mood.
fragrant oils can be used to stimulate healing
the science of aromatherapy is an established complementary medicine that uses fragrant essential oils to stimulate healing by inhaling or applying topically to your skin. there’s a growing body of scientific literature behind the health claims, including better sleep, stress relief, reduced anxiety and pain, destroying bacteria, funguses and viruses, and the boost in mood.
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hong kong researchers, whose work was published in the journal of clinical nursing, found that female cancer patients reported physical and psychological benefits of aromatherapy massage. they experienced overall comfort, increased energy, appetite and mood. some patients even felt more self-acceptance and felt better able to cope with their failing body.
another study of patients in intensive care units in turkey, who typically don’t sleep well, revealed that lavender essential oil via inhalation for 15 days increased quality of sleep and reduced level of anxiety in people with coronary artery disease. these findings were reported in the journal nursing in critical care.
beyond health-care settings, the widespread availability of essential oils, along with health claims, has attracted consumers to experiment with different types and uses.
“in the late ’90s and early 2000s, essential oils came onto the scene and there was a rise in popularity,” says nikki fotheringham, a green-living author and expert. “but what i think the differences between then and now is that people are really beginning to understand what they can be used for,”
she’s also the creator of greenmoxie’s plant-based, biodegradable home and body care products that feature the essential oils she produces on her farm in warkworth, ontario. as an adult who loves hiking and camping, she didn’t want to use soap that might negatively affect the environment, so she started making her own soaps, and later bought a still — a contraption that helps extracts oils from plants — to produce essential oils.
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she is passionate about connecting people with nature and helping them make eco-friendly choices with natural, zero-waste products that are sold in glass jars to be returned for refilling.
“i’m south african originally and we have very nice weather and obviously a huge focus on being outside,” she says. “i grew up with this connection to nature.”
most of her 30-acre farm is cedarwood, so of course, organic cedarwood oil — with its sweet woodsy scent — is one of her favourites for relaxation and forest bathing.
“i love the smell of cedar and i think it’s very therapeutic to have that particular smell,” she says, “just like a walk in the woods.”
cedar, for example, has antibacterial and anti-fungal properties that help to disinfect household surfaces, heal minor wounds, ease joint pain, reduce skin irritation and eliminate unpleasant odours.
essential oils are great to smell, but not so great to consume
the oils are potent, though, so do a test patch on skin first before application or add to a base oil such as grapeseed, jojoba or almond oil. and while some people ingest drops under the supervision of herbalists, they can be dangerous.
“oil can be volatile. even if you put like one drop in a glass water, it may have serious negative health implications,” fotheringham says, so avoid consuming them.
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what essential oil is good for what?
“the trick with essential oils is that each one has its own medicinal or cleansing properties, and you will need to learn about which essential oils are good for which things,” she says, adding that her favourites include an all-purpose household cleaner with cedarwood oil and a cedarwood spray for an air and fabric freshener — she sprayed it on her masks during the pandemic for added calm during the uncertainty.
it’s also an effective — and natural — bug repellent.
“bugs hate the smell of cedar, so you can use that in your house. you want get rid of some ants, put a few drops of cedar oil in a soapy water bottle and spray your counters and it’ll take care of that. you can also use it as an insecticide on your organic garden, so you can repel bugs without actually using any toxic chemicals.”
another all-purpose cleaner and a dish soap are made with wild rose and lavender. “lavender is an anti-viral and anti-fungal, so you can use an all-purpose cleaner with lavender on your surfaces to help with killing germs and bacteria,” says fotheringham.
essential oils can also be beneficial for skin care, particularly rose oil, which can be added to moisturizer to soothe breakouts and add a healthy glow.
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“rose smells delicious and it’s incredibly good for your skin,” she says. “it cleanses your skin, encourages blood circulation, and helps reduce acne and skin irritations like eczema.”
essential oils for pets?
while fotheringham can’t speak to safety for animals, according to the bc spca, there are numerous oils that are harmful to cats and dogs, including citrus, peppermint and tea tree. check with your vet before using essential oils on or near your pet. fotheringham uses a lemon eucalyptus oil mix as an insect repellant on her own cat and dog — it works for people, too. she also swears by geranium oil to repel insects like the ticks in the long grass on her farm.
“the nice thing about these essential oils is that you can spray them on children, on their boots, on a baby carriage,” she says. “these have natural properties that do the same things that chemical sprays do, but without the negative effects. so it’s peace of mind.”
is there something about health that you (or a friend, wink, wink) have always wondered about but are too embarrassed to ask? send a note to info@healthing.ca. we promise your ‘friend’s’ secret — and identity — is safe with us!
karen hawthorne is a toronto-based writer.
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