Essential oils as Grassroots Medicine
Ayurveda uses herbs, plants and foods for healing and maintaining good health.
We use natural medicine to heal the suffering we experience as a result of our disconnection with nature and its natural rhythms.
David Crow, founder of Floracopeia Essential Oils and Botanical Treasures calls natural medicine, “grassroots healthcare.”
Natural medicine works because we have a biological unity with the natural world around us.
It’s simple, if you’re feeling down, go into nature!
Remember how you felt after spending time by the ocean or in a forest?
Essential oils and our emotions
One of my favorite forms of grassroots healthcare are essential oils.
The oil in the plant is its “botanical immunological intelligence.”
Science shows essential oils can have an impact on our limbic system, the part of our brain that deals with emotions.
“When you breathe in essential oil vapors and odors, the hairs inside your nostrils have receptors and absorb the molecules, they then send a signal into the olfactory bulb in your limbic system…. Essential oils largely affect the hypothalamus and pituitary gland, which once stimulated release hormones into the body.For example lavender essential oil can have a positive effect on your sleep, by relaxing your muscles and allowing you to fall asleep easier, this is a decision made by your body in the limbic system once you’ve inhaled lavender essential oil vapours. ”- scentred.com
Our limbic system governs our emotional behaviors and reactions to memories.
The individual way that you and I react to a stressful event is largely caused by a memory or an experience we’ve had in the past.
This is mostly automatic or unconscious; we’re on autopilot.
However, it is possible to change our reaction. And essential oils can help with that!
2 Ayurvedic practices to breathe better and feel happier
There are 2 Ayurvedic/Yogic practices that ensures that this process happens effectively.
One is neti practice, which consists of cleaning the inside of our nostrils for better absorption of prana. Or simply put to breathe better!
And the second is nasya practice, which consists of infusing the properties of herbs and/or oils to a carrier oil so they can affect our emotions.
I’ve often created nasya blends for clients struggling with anxiety, fear, anger, depression and melancholy with quite extraordinary success!
Another fabulous benefit is their impact on the hypothalamus and pituitary glands which release important hormones in the body.
For example, lavender helps regulate sleep.
So, if you’re interested in learning more about how to use these oils, David Crow has created a series of free educational videos that I highly recommend!
How to Use Essential Oils Safely and Effectively.
Happy essential oiling!
And to begin to use foods as medicine, check out my new ebook, 3 Dieting Mistakes!
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