The 15 Best Essential Oils For Aromatherapy—And How To Use Them

Essential oils have become big business, and now research proves that when inhaled properly, they’re also good medicine, says Brent Bauer, MD, director of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine program at the Mayo Clinic. You just have to find the best essential oils for what ails you.

Orange

Use it to decrease anxiety

They might help your stomach issues

One study found that those who smelled lemon oil when they felt ill had significantly less nausea and vomiting in the days afterward than women who didn’t.

• Lemon in particular is good for combating things like nausea and gastric problems, according to studies.

Lemongrass

use it to curb worry

• people who were exposed to lemongrass saw anxiety and tension levels slashed, and recovered more quickly from stress-inducing situations compared to those who didn’t inhale the scent.
• Bonus perks: It helps keeps insects away.

Bergamot

To achieve maximum chill

Potential Side Effects of Essential Oils

Citrus-based essential oils, such as orange, lemon, and bergamot, are photo-sensitizers and can predispose someone to get a sunburn.

• Some essential oils are toxic to the nervous system and liver, and need to be used with caution around small animals and infants, the elderly, and pregnant women.

Lavender

Essential oil for better sleep

• Helps people sleep better and wakes up more refreshed
• Reduces anxiety
• Higher blood pressure, heart rate, and skin temperature
• Plant Therapy
• Clary Sage Essential Oil
• Relaxing and calming scent

How does aromatherapy work?

Essential oils carry the “essence” of the plant, explains Elizabeth Ko, MD, medical director of the UCLA Health Integrative Medicine Collaborative and assistant clinical professor of medicine of the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.

• They are absorbed by smell receptors that are linked to the limbic system, which controls heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and stress, and no two oils are exactly alike.

Grapefruit

To chill out

• One rat study found that grapefruit essential oil helped lower blood pressure in rats
• Bonus perks: It can help balance your mood
• Author Bio: Tori Rodriguez
• Freelance writer, psychotherapist and Ayurvedic health coach
• Tracy Middleton
• Health Director of Women’s Health

They can help give you an energy boost

Peppermint oil helps stimulate your senses

• One small study found that men who used peppermint oil were able to perform better at the gym than those who did not.
• More research is needed in women, though.

Rosemary

To enhance brainpower

• Breathing in rosemary can improve speed and accuracy during demanding mental tasks, according to a 2012 study.
• Bonus perks: It may help boost energy and reduce fatigue.
• Majestic Pure Cinnamon Essential Oil
• A blend of rosemary and cinnamon, it has a calming, relaxing scent.

Cinnamon

It increases concentration and reduces frustration

• Bonus perks: It may stoke the area of the brain that governs alertness.
• For example, research found that drivers were more focused and less flustered after breathing in cinnamon-oil scents.

Clary Sage

Use it to reduce blood pressure

• In a July 2013 study, women who smelled clary sage experienced reduced blood pressure and breathing rates.
• It may help with memory and attention.
• Plant Therapy Peppermint Essential Oil
• Used to relax and improve memory.

Best way to use essential oils

Stay within a 15-to 60-minute sweet spot-never breathe in essential oils for more than one hour at a time

• Always follow the instructions on the bottle
• Look for 100 percent pure and organic oils free of fillers, pesticides, and synthetic chemicals
• Most essential oils have long shelf lives-more than a year if stored in a cool, dry place

Lemon

Lavender Essential oil is more effective than lavender in improving mood

Eucalyptus

use it to stop sniffling and congestion

• it reacts with mucous membranes, reducing mucus.
• It promotes mental clarity and soothes headaches.
• It is strong, but only needs one or two drops to start feeling better.

They might help with headaches

Small studies have found that people had less headache pain after they applied peppermint and lavender essential oil to their skin.

• One study even found that there wasn’t a significant difference between using peppermint oil for reducing pain and taking acetaminophen (aka Tylenol).

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