The Science of Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy is the therapeutic use of “essential oils” derived from flowers, herbs and other plants to promote physical healing and emotional well being. Aromatherapy works with our powerful sense of smell to create chemical reactions in our brains and bodies. We can create desired effects by inhaling blends of essential oils that have qualities such as calming, uplifting, energizing, relaxing, awakening, soothing or stimulating.

We can smell compounds because they are volatile. This means that the compounds release molecules into the air. When we inhale volatized molecules, they are picked up by olfactory receptors inside the nose. The olfactory receptors then fire impulses to olfactory bulbs at the base of the brain. The firing of specific impulses at specific olfactory bulbs transfers the distinctive chemical information within the scent to the brain’s limbic system.

Our limbic system is responsible for our memory and emotions, and it commands many of our behavioral characteristics such as hunger, thirst, sleep cycle and sex drive. The higher thought processes like language, abstraction, and mathematical skill all occur here. The limbic system also releases many neurotransmitters, such as endorphins, which help relieve pain and promote a sense of euphoria. It is this connection of scents and odors to the limbic system and its processes that render aromatherapy a powerful regulator of moods, memories, appetite and attraction.