TIME Wellness by The Editors of TIME

Author:The Editors of TIME
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Liberty Street
Published: 2019-01-22T00:00:00+00:00

FAMILY TIES OK, no family is this perfect, but who needs (or wants) to be? Define your own version of time to come together to de-stress.

The Truth About Essential Oils

Everything you need to know about finding, using and storing these natural remedies

By Stephanie Wood

You’ve been feeling more stressed out than usual, and you commiserate to a friend. She asks if you’ve ever tried essential oils, swearing they’ve done wonders for her mood and her health. Yet you know there has been plenty of controversy around oils and their effect. Should you try them?

Essential oils are a legit health craze, with proponents claiming they can do everything from reducing anxiety to soothing digestive issues. These natural elixirs are a highly concentrated version of the oils that occur in flowers, herbs or trees, and each type has a unique chemical makeup that affects how it smells and how the body reacts to it. The strong aroma that is produced when the oils are distilled has given birth to its own treatment category known as aromatherapy: the practice of using essential oils to enhance physical, psychological and spiritual well-being.

“The reason aromatherapy is so effective is this: it smells so nice that it makes you want to take a deeper breath, and we all know what deep breathing does. It slows the nervous system and calms you,” says Mindy Green, a Boulder, Colo., aromatherapy practitioner and consultant and co-author of Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art. “It’s the same principle behind yoga, meditation and other ancient therapies. It almost doesn’t matter which scent you use. If you like it, it will relax you by encouraging those deep breaths.”

Who doesn’t love a whiff of something pleasant—but is there any science behind it? “There are research limitations when it comes to essential oils because there is no funding for large-scale, randomized, controlled studies like the big pharmaceutical companies conduct,” says Joseph Feuerstein, director of integrative medicine at Stamford Hospital in Connecticut and an assistant professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University in New York City. “Small studies are the best you are going to get, but that is not a reason to discount them. The research is growing, particularly in Europe, where alternative therapies are used much more than in the U.S.”

It’s also important to understand that essential oils are not a replacement for modern medicine. “They are a complementary and supportive treatment that may help ease symptoms, but don’t substitute essential oils for a proven, effective treatment your doctor has recommended,” cautions Wendy Weber of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md. And there is a surprising amount to know about safely using and storing oils before you dip your toes—and nose—in.

Do your homework

Neither the FDA nor any other governing body regulates the manufacture or sale of essential oils, making it difficult to know what’s in those pretty bottles. The most effective oils are pure, but there are plenty on the market that

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