Useful Essential Oil Profiles

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The following ten essential oils are both easy to find and easy to use. We’ll explore specific aromatherapy “recipes” in the next segment. For now, we’ll simply look a little closer at each of the oils, highlighting their specific properties and applications.
Tea Tree
“Tea Tree” is the name given to a large number of swamp-growing trees throughout Australia and New Zealand. “The name comes from the fact that the trees grow in or near water that is usually a clear brown tea color due to the tannins from the leaves and twigs that fall into it” (Bowles, pg. 108). Not surprisingly, native Australians were the first to discover the medicinal properties of the tea tree. Among other uses, the aborigines made a tea from its leaves to build and strengthen the immune system. Today, primarily because of its potent antiviral properties, Tea tree oil is a favorite among most Aromatherapists.
Tea tree oil – also known and sold as “melaleuka oil,” from its binomial Melaleuca alternifolia – is quite unique in that it is one of the very few “neat” oils (which can be used undiluted on the skin) and simultaneously, one of the most powerful therapeutic essential oils available. It can counteract bacteria, fungi, and viruses, and can be used to eliminate parasites. It also inhibits inflammation, protects the skin, and eases pain. Of note is that the oil “has also been shown to penetrate the outer layers of the skin and attack infections, helping to heal wounds” (The Complete Guide to Natural Healing, 3:15).
The oil – similar in scent to camphor – is extracted through steam distillation and should be a clear, colorless to pale yellow liquid. According to Bowles, “the darker the yellow, the more likely the oil is either old or oxidized” (pg. 109). Yellowed Tea tree oil can still be used, but it is more likely to be irritating.
More than 50 rare, natural substances have been isolated from the essence of Tea tree leaves. “Because Tea tree oil kills viruses, bacteria, and fungi, it can heal internal and external infections, including athlete’s foot and fungi that affect the nails” (The Complete Guide to Natural Healing, 3:15). It can also be used to alleviate rashes and irritated skin, and can aid coughs, bronchitis, arthritis, rheumatism, constipation, and many other ailments. (Special precautionary note: Yes, Tea tree is a “neat” essential oil, but you should never apply it undiluted near the eyes.)
Lavender
Lavender may be the best-known essential oil on the market today. The most potent form of lavender is the oil, which contains high concentrations of its active ingredients. According to The
Complete Guide to Natural Healing, “The finest oil is distilled from Lavandula officinalis, a variety of lavender that grows only at altitudes above 3,000 feet and is particularly resistant to heat and cold” (3:5). Where this particular kind of Lavender oil is concerned, the herb’s flower buds are harvested by hand at midday, when the oil content is highest; the essential oil is then extracted using steam distillation.
One of the “issues” with Lavender oil, which is clear and usually colorless, is the cross-fertilization of species to form hybrids; the odor of the oil from each hybrid can vary markedly. There are also two related oils to be aware of. One is called “Spike Lavender” and originally comes from Spain. The other is called “Lavandin” and it is coarser and used primarily in candles, soaps, and detergents. These are not as therapeutically active as pure Lavender essential oil, and in fact, because pure Lavender is more expensive than either of the others, “sometimes unscrupulous producers blend the two to increase their profit margin. If the oil smells at all like Eucalyptus oil, it is probably such a blend” (Bowles, pg. 102).
The name “Lavender” comes from the Latin word lavare, which means “to wash.” Accordingly, Lavender oil is cleansing and deodorizing, and on a more emotional level, can be either stimulating or calming, depending on how you use it. You might find that strange, but “Lavender is one of the essential oils that is an adaptogen, meaning its properties adapt to your needs” (Fitzsimmons and Bousquet, pg, 120).
The best-known active components in Lavender oil are geraniol, cineole, and coumarin. These three compounds act strongly as cleansing and germicidal agents. It is believed that they are particularly valuable for the treatment of inflammatory conditions and pain. And as you’ve likely heard, Lavender oil has many uses: “It is a powerful antiseptic containing more than 200 compounds that are active against fungi, viruses, and other microbes” (The Complete Guide to Natural Healing, 3:5). Lavender can be used to relieve nervousness, anxiety, difficulty in falling asleep, stomachaches, middle-ear infections, burns, eczema, insect bites, and other skin inflammations, among its many, many uses (Ibid.).
Peppermint
Another well-known oil, Peppermint is actually a hybrid of two mint species, Mentha aquatica and Mentha spicata. Somehow, this translates into the binomial Mentha x piperita…though most essential oil suppliers will simply label it as Mentha piperita (Bowles, pg 116). The peppermint plant has been popular since the 17th century, and used for its pungent flavor and its curative powers. The oil is distilled from the leaves (before the plant flowers), and is colorless and clear.
“In all its uses, Peppermint oil is refreshing to the mind, body, and spirit” (The Complete Guide to Natural Healing, 3:14). It is especially well-known for its use to improve concentration and focus. (This works, because the scent triggers the hippocampus, a part of the brain linked to memory.) It’s also quite effective for easing colds, sinus infections, bronchitis, fever, coughs, bad breath, headaches, intestinal cramps, diarrhea, and mental exhaustion.
Peppermint’s cooling, fever-reducing and antiseptic properties are largely due to its high levels of menthol, which is antibacterial and anesthetic. The essential oil is especially potent; a little
goes a long way. Additionally, one source warns that “peppermint is not recommended to use with homeopathic treatment,” though no specific reason is given (Fitzsimmons & Bousquet, pg. 141). Another thing to keep in mind is that Peppermint may irritate mucous membranes such that it may be contraindicated for people with hay fever.
Caution! Do not treat children with Peppermint oil, since the high menthol content can irritate sensitive mucosa. If you have chills, avoid Peppermint oil, because of its intense cooling properties. Keep your eyes tightly shut when inhaling Peppermint oil, as the vapors can irritate them. The oil may also irritate sensitive skin. Pregnant and nursing women should avoid using the oil altogether. (The Complete Guide to Natural Healing, 3:14)
Eucalyptus
The A to Z of Essential Oils states that “there are over 500 species of Eucalyptus indigenous to Australia, and several of these were cultivated in other countries such as China, Spain, and South Africa” (pg. 88). Of all the species, Eucalyptus globules is the one most commonly used for its essential oil. This clear and relatively colorless oil is extracted from the leaves and twigs by steam distillation. It takes some 110 pounds of plant to produce about 2 pounds of Eucalyptus oil (The Complete Guide to Natural Healing, 3:8)! Another little-known fact is that the tree’s roots secrete a strong oil that inhibits the growth of other plants in the immediate vicinity. Fitzsimmons and Bousquet suggest that “the branches of the tree are shaped like a human lung, and this is the area of the body that eucalyptus is most effective in treating” (pg. 22).
The principal active ingredient in Eucalyptus oil is eucalyptol, which has strong germicidal and disinfectant properties. Not so commonly known are its functions as a diuretic, and an agent to lower blood sugar. “Eucalyptus oil is an effective analgesic and is often used in preparations designed to relieve muscle, nerve and joint pain” (The Complete Guide to Natural Healing, 3:8). On an emotional and mental level, it can help to combat exhaustion and sluggishness.
Most people are familiar with this oil’s scent, because it is frequently used in decongestant products. Aromatherapists recognize its value as an expectorant and will traditionally use it to help treat respiratory infections, “because it reputedly thins the mucous and…[helps] people cough up excess mucous” (Bowles, pg. 89). It can also be used as a rubifacient, alleviating aches and pains with its warming ability.
Take Care! Too much Eucalyptus oil can potentially irritate the skin, so be sure to use the exact amount specified in an aromatherapy recipe. Combining Eucalyptus oil with massage oil reduces the chance of irritation. Keep Eucalyptus oil away from children under the age of 6.
(The Complete Guide to Natural Healing, 3:8