Ayurvedic Essential Oils To Freeze Up Your Heat This Summer

Hmmm…… Summer has knocked your door and no ways to escape it as its nature’s rule to pass on both the extremes. I have a medley of feelings especially during this bright summer season and had a sizzling conversation this morning while the day woke me up with the mighty hands spread ‘SUN’. Wanna listen to what I heard today? Fine then end your curiosity here.

Sun: Hey buddy! Wake up I’ve come and I’m waiting to drain you with my heat rays……..

Me: No you can’t….. I’m no more the ordinary chum to get exhausted by you..!!..

Sun: Ouch!!! Poor thing… Are you dreaming to escape behind your Air Conditioners and rest often in your favorite Ice Cream Parlors? If it’s so…. Then listen, your lip smacking ice creams and cooling A/Cs spreads adverse effects than you might think and can harm you rigorously during my ruin (Summer Season)… Ha! Ha! Ha! Am I right my pal???

Me: No you’re not…. You are thinking about the temporary regimens and I’m talking about the enduring, natural, everlasting and completely safe ways of saving my head from your control.

Sun: Think you’ve gone mad in the morning!!! Nothing can shield you from my assail…

Me: Please stop your envious goofs… I’m talking about the Ayurvedic essential oils that can keep me cool from within all throughout the frustrating summer season.

Sun: To itself (Think I’ve knocked the wrong door.. He looks stronger with nature…Let’s flee)

Yes!!! My dear readers, you’ll never believe if I say that the Ayurvedic essential oils can freeze up your heat this summer without any kind of second opinion. Let’s have a look at the most effective essential oils that ‘Mother Nature’ has gifted us to fight against its conflicting counterparts.

Ayurvedic essential oils to resist the burning heat: Using cooling essential oils during this summer season is the best way to keep you away from the summer turmoil and help you enjoy the fullest fun that this season can aid you with. Ayurvedic essential oils that belong to the citrus, mint and other flower-patterned families are really great to partner you and balance your body.  You can either gently massage your body or add few drops to your bathing tub to enrich your day with fresh, aromatic, cool and refreshing effects. Few such gracious essential oils are:

Lavender essential oil: As the sweetness in its name indicates, the essential oil of lavender is skin-friendly and seals your summer worries with its antidepressant, analgesic, deodorant, carminative, antiseptic, antiviral, anti-convulsive and immune stimulant properties to regenerate your cells and restore the excess energy lost.

Peppermint essential oil: The fresh, cool and minty aroma of this oil is more than enough to calm your nerves and revive your senses with its vermifuge, analgesic, digestive, anti-inflammatory, astringent, antiseptic and nervine properties.

Rosemary essential oil: With an exemplary meaning of ‘Dew of the Sea’, Rosemary is an uplifting herb and is the essential oil extracted from this mystical plant. This oil is exceedingly effective for treating hair and scalp problems. Frequent mood swings, stress, depression, hair fall, dull hair, rough hair, seborrhea, dandruff and few other hair related complexities that anguish you during the scorching summer season can be simply and superbly taken care of with Rosemary essential oil.

The essential oils of Cypress, Juniper Berry, Clove, Chamomile, Tea Tree, Lemon, Fennel, Bergamot, Dill, Basil, Eucalyptus and Spearmint along with the above mentioned essential oils can attend to your summer health needs efficaciously.

Ayurvedic essential oils can grace your summer with their incredible presence and pull the plug that your other contemporary or chemical remedies might fail to do.

Reference Links:

  1. Just Chillin’ by Yoga Journal
  2. Essential Oils For Summer by AromaWeb
  3. Summer Essential Oils by Acufinder.Com

Ayurveda and Aromatherapy: The Untold Anecdote

Most of us might have perceived Ayurveda and Aromatherapy as two different parts of the Complementary and Alternative medicine but I take great privilege in revealing the fact that Aromatherapy is an innate or in-built part of Ayurveda, the 5000 years old ancient healing methodology. Ayurveda is proudly celebrated as the Mother of all healing sciences as it has given birth to numerous traditional healing methodologies like Unani, Homeopathy, Naturopathy, Acupuncture, Herbalism, Siddha, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Traditional European Medicine and much more.

Aromatherapy is not a separate branch of Ayurveda but it is a vital part or an incredible way of treating illness in Ayurveda through the use of ‘aromatics’ and later given a separate name by Rene Maurice Gattefosse, known as the father of aromatherapy. It’s high time to put an end to this endless myth whether Ayurveda and Aromatherapy are the two poles apart? Let’s analyze.

Holistic approach: Ayurveda is a holistic healing approach that considers an individual as an entity and as a ‘Whole person’. This ancient science considers the physical, mental, emotional, environmental and sociological reasons contributing to a particular illness of an individual. While prescribing medications, Ayurveda does not stop with giving herbs or oils as remedies for a disease instead it suggests regular practice of yoga, meditation, taking an Ayurvedic diet, an Ayurvedic routine and certain other lifestyle changes according to an individual’s body type (doshas) and the unique constitution known as Prakriti. On the other hand, Aromatherapy is also a holistic method that considers the connection between mind, body and spirit.

Use of aromatics: Ayurveda makes use of aromatics to prevent and treat various health conditions. This is because it believes that the strengthening of the five human senses promotes healthy living. Inhalation of the aroma of plants and the essential oils extracted from those plants is trusted to enhance the sense of smell and directly contributes to mental health and treats hormonal imbalances.

This is the basic reason behind the use of incense sticks and other aromatic herbs and oils like sandalwood and tulasi in religious rituals and prayers for instilling the spiritual feeling. When it comes to Aromatherapy, this attribute of using aromatics needs no explanation as Aromatherapy makes use of Ayurvedic essential oils and trusts that the aromatic compounds and therapeutic properties present in these oils helps in healing illnesses invariably.

Abhyanga or the Ayurvedic massage therapy: Ayurvedic massage therapy involves the use of remedial oils like sesame oil, coconut oil, almond oil, olive oil and few other vegetable oils along with effective essential oils. It is a vital part of Panchakarma or the detoxification therapy, where the toxic substances of the body are removed and it inhibits the growth of harmful bodies through systematic massage.

Marguerite Maury, pioneer of Aromatherapy and the celebrated French Aromatherapist, in the traditional British Aromatherapy has talked on the benefits of using essential oils on dermal application through effective    massage techniques, where the concept of massaging itself is indigenous to Ayurveda.

Ayurvedic essential oils: Ayurveda is the oldest of the existing medicinal practices in the world and has a recorded use of herbal plants for more than 5000 years ago. Essential oils are nothing but the highly concentrated liquids extracted from plants and are often known as the essence of the herbal plants. Aromatherapy makes use of these essential oils to reiterate the fact that we are a part of nature and it is safe and secure to treat our illnesses in a natural manner. Dr. Light Miller in her famous book ‘Ayurveda and Aromatherapy: The Earth Essential Guide to Ancient Wisdom’ talks about the importance of doshas and the perfect essential oils for each dosha.

For Vata Dosha: Lemon, Eucalyptus, Cinnamon, Basil, Ginger, Angelica, Cajeput, Anise and Rosewood.

For Pitta Dosha: Sandalwood, Lime, Peppermint, Chamomile, Yarrow and Coriander.

For Kapha Dosha: Eucalyptus, Rosemary, Niaouli, Sage, Basil, Savory, Clove and Hyssop.

Vata, Pitta and Kapha is not Greek or Latin in the world of Aromatherapy but it just indicates the predominance existing in an individual’s constitution and these essential oils are said to treat the dosha imbalances with their healing properties.

Limbic System: According to Ayurveda, the sense of smell is connected with the limbic system. This helps in recollecting the memories of a place or a person associated with an aroma. Limbic system is a vital part of the brain that stimulates the function of the nervous system, determines the body temperature and blood sugar level, enables the process of respiration, and controls sexual feelings, sleep and awake responses and much more.

The underlying principle behind limbic system and Ayurveda is that the inhalation of aromatic essential oils with healing properties fosters the essential oil molecule to pass through the nasal passage and reaches the limbic system ultimately as nerve impulses following which, the hypothalamus passes the message to other parts of the body to rejoice, relax, control hunger, hormonal imbalances, thirst and many other feelings. Even Aromatherapy indicates the same mechanism of aroma through the limbic system in healing illnesses.

Hope this information is more than enough to prove that the concept of Aromatherapy has been a part and parcel of Ayurvedic healing methodology since ages till it was given birth under a new name ‘Aromatherapy’ by its father Rene Maurice Gattefosse. Nothing to wrestle or protest but I end this post with the pride of finding something unique and exceptional in all the healing sciences that is nothing but ‘Human beings are special naturally’.

Thought for the day:

‘Healing,’ Papa would tell me, ‘is not a science, but the intuitive art of wooing nature.’
-W. H. Auden

Suggested Reading:

  1. Ayurveda & Aromatherapy: The Earth Essential Guide to Ancient Wisdom and Modern Healing By Dr. Light Miller, Dr. Bryan Miller
  2. Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit: Restoring Emotional and Mental Balance with Essential Oils By Gabriel Mojay
  3. The Aromatherapy Companion: Medicinal Uses/Ayurvedic Healing/Body-Care Blends/Perfumes & Scents/Emotional Health & Well-Being (Herbal Body) By Victoria H. Edwards

Reference Links:

  1. Aromatherapy from Ayurveda’s Perspective by Yayoi Stavish
  2. Ayurveda and Aromatherapy by AllHealthyFamily News
  3. The Limbic System by Suzanne Bovenizer CMT, CST

Why Choose Ayurveda For Your Well-being?

Are you an optimist, a passionate personality or a health conscious person by nature? If you think you are all the 3 then you’ve come to the right place and trust me we both are on the same track. You might be wide awake of the health concerns encircling our environment. Staying healthy does not actually mean those skinny figures with taut muscles exhibiting your strength and manliness. Real well-being in my terms means a healthy heart in a healthy body and this is the core principle of the spiritual science called Ayurveda. I’m not in a mission to force you in choosing Ayurvedic essential oils or the Ayurvedic herbs that have proven effects but unveil the truth behind the scenes. Let’s travel together and explore the reasons for choosing Ayurveda for your well-being.

  • Focuses on your entire system: The science of life doesn’t stop with treating your temporary illness that lays the root for a heady sickness in the near future. Ayurveda completely examines the entire functioning of your mind, body and spirit. It suggests the best food items and natural medications for your ill health caused due to the mental, physical, emotional, environmental and other social factors ruling your life and that is why people call Ayurveda as a common sense treatment.
  • Treats human body as a ‘Temple’: According to Ayurveda, human body is considered as a divine ‘Temple’ where the actual spirit lives in. This principle influences this divine healing method to keep the mind, body and the environment clean for the authentic spirit to dwell in, giving you a healthy harmony in high spirits.
  • More than 5000 years of high-spirited healing: Ayurveda has gifted myriad people with hale and hearty body, blissful soul and serene mind built together for sustaining ideal equilibrium and orchestrate with nature. This extraterrestrial methodology has something for everyone and that’s why it has been ruling the therapeutic throne for more than 5000 years.
  • Prevents and protects: Prevention is better than cure and that’s what the systematic living suggested by Ayurvedic treatment stands for. As this remedial practice addresses an issue by scrutinizing its root cause, it aids in protecting the entire system granting you a defensive shield to prevent such illness in the future.
  • Nurtures and nourishes your senses: The beauty of Ayurveda lies in its enormity of accepting human beings as they are. It appreciates individual differences and identifies each person according to the Ayurvedic body types also known as essential energies namely Vata, Pitta and Kapha. After which it recommends pristine food habits that can foster your health along with physical exercises, meditation and natural remedies for revivifying your senses.

Now let’s hit the ground running principle again. I’m able to see the sacred smile on your face shining to start this spectacular practice in your daily lives. Kudos! To a good start!

Reference Links:

  1. Ayurveda The Science of Life by Prakash Deep Institute of Ayurvedic Sciences
  2. Ayurveda by Wikipedia
  3. What is Ayurveda by SOLAY Wellness