Posts Tagged ‘natural health’
Essential Oil Products - And How We Absorb Them
Discover the three ways in which essential oil products are absorbed by our bodies.
The Amazing Parts of Essential Oil Absorption
The Passage of Aromatic Essential Oils Though the Nasal Cavity
Essential oils are the lipophilic steam distillates of plants, meaning they are “fat friendly” and easily pass through cell walls. This means they get into nooks and crannies of the body fairly readily, and get into our bodies fairly readily too! But many folks who use essential oils only by inhalation often don’t consider how they’re absorbed, the actual physiology, or what happens after they’re absorbed. It’s good stuff…
The essential oil compounds (made up of molecules of essential oils), are first breathed in by the nasal cavity. Inside the nasal cavity there are fine hairs or cilia that sort the medicinal molecules and filter them down into the pharynx. From here the inhaled compounds reach the trachea, into the branched tubes known as bronchi, down into smaller tubes known as bronchioles and finally arrive at microscopic air sacs known as alveoli. Each alveolus is lined with thin epithelial cells that enable gas exchange to take place with capillaries of the pulmonary vein. Once in the pulmonary vein, the compounds are taken to the heart and then distributed to parts of the body that are receptive to their medicinal support.
The details of this process are actually quite fascinating. Once the gaseous compounds of the essential oil is breathed in through the nose, this essential oil-bearing air is filtered and warmed by the cilia (or little hairs) and mucous membranes that line the nasal cavity. They then travel though the pharynx, down the larynx (the upper portion of the respiratory tract), move through the trachea (or windpipe), and finds their way into the two bronchi ? each leading to a lung. Once in the lungs, the molecules move through finer tubes called bronchioles and then dead end at the alveoli which are microscopic in size. The air passes through the epithelium of the alveoli through diffusion and picked up by capillaries of the pulmonary vein which lead to the heart. Once deposited into the heart chambers, the essential oil-rich air is distributed to various parts of the body that have an affinity for its compounds.
The essential oil compounds are able to reach organs and various body systems and thus aid in restoring wellness as well as altering one?s sense of stress or fatigue. When the essential oil compounds reach the brain (via olfactory epithelium which stimulate olfactory nerves to send messages to the brain), they stimulate the limbic system component of the brain. The limbic system is largely responsible for emotion and memory. Thus, it is possible to alter one?s emotions by breathing in rejuvenating compounds of essential oils. Essential oils can serve the body as an antiviral, antiseptic, antispasmatic, antitussive (helps in coughing), balsamic (softens phlegm) and as an expectorant.
Entering Through the Skin
Although the skin in not the primary way in which essential oils can reach the blood stream, research has shown that select, highly potent essential oils can penetrate the skin membranes and permeate into the body. The penetration potential of essential oils can be enhanced through heat, such as through the action of massage or through hot water, such as in a bath. And, as will be concluded from above, portions of the essential oil compounds will also evaporate and find its way into the nasal cavity and into the lungs.
Absorption of potent compounds found in essential oils can be delayed or greatly inhibited if they are diluted in a carrier oil verses undiluted. Some carrier mediums or bases for applying essential oils may also affect their active ingredient effectiveness. Aside from penetrating the skin membranes and into the blood stream, specified essential oils are excellent at assisting the skin in healing from abrasions, infections and bruises.
Eating Essential Oils
Taking essential oils by mouth is generally discouraged in the States, likely due to the lack of education on the subject more than anything else. In Europe, one can go to a professional Aromatherapist for their treatment plan, and get their oils at a dispensary. The treatment, when oral ingestion is the therapy, only 1-3 drops is ever taken at one time, and only for the course of the treatment. Most oils are completely safe in this manner, though some may be ‘too hot’ for the mouth (Cinnamon and Oregano are a couple). Sometimes these are taken with warm water. So! Essential oils are very rapidly absorbed this way. When taken “neat”, they’re more than likely absorbed by the tongue, and at the furthest the esophagus. With water, they’re also absorbed in the gut. All these lead to rapid distribution throughout the body by the blood, and to all organs and tissues.
The author is the owner of Ananda Aromatherapy, a source for world-class sandalwood and other essential oils, therapeutic essential oil blends and aromatherapy supplies.
