Ayurvedic Essential Oils For Depression

Please don’t disturb me……… Leave me alone……. I need some private space …… Are the 3 solid statements behind the killer problem ‘Depression’…. I’m not threatening you. Depression when left unnoticed will turn out as a major health issue leading to the extreme situation of all illnesses. It might even cause death. Sudden break in a relationship, losing your job, chronic health disorders, death of a dear one, work pressure and certain other traumatic conditions may be the reasons lying behind depression.

Ayurveda is one among the oldest healing methodologies, when studies reveal that it is more than 5,000 years old with proven remedies for a perfect and harmonized living with nature, how can it be without a remedy for the ‘dangerous depression?’ Of course, Ayurveda has the best cure for depression as it deals with mind and body together with the touch of senses, feelings and emotions. When depression being a disarray of the mind, what else than Ayurvedic essential oils can treat this from the scratch??? Think and come let’s discuss about depression in detail.

What is depression? Depression is a universal problem and it cannot be restricted to people of a particular country or a continent. According to the Medical Dictionary, Depression is defined as ‘a mood disorder marked especially by sadness, inactivity, difficulty with thinking and concentration, a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness, and sometimes suicidal thoughts or an attempt to commit suicide’. In Ayurvedic terms, depression and other disorders related to the mind are known as ‘Mansik Rog’. When you are depressed, your days seem blue and ‘down in the dumps’ and the earth will look as if it has stopped rotating.

Ayurvedic way of healing depression: According to Ayurveda, essential oils are said to lighten tejas i.e. augment mental brilliance and clarity.  Unlike the modern antidepressants that suppress the depressed minds, Ayurveda kindles the mind and body by revitalizing the senses while giving a new life and a powerful wave of vitality. It aims at strengthening the nerves and supports the depressed person to strike the right balance of Ayurvedic doshas for complete fitness.

It is a well-known fact that Aromatherapy is a branch of Ayurveda, which uses aromatics as a vital tool for the treatment and prevention of numerous health disorders with the help of Ayurvedic essential oils. The natural and enriching fragrance of Ayurvedic essential oils rejuvenates the mind and senses through the limbic system. The most celebrated essential oils to treat depression are:

  • Rosemary essential oil: This oil is a mental stimulant that counters depression, nervous exhaustion, frequent mood swings, stress disorders and helps uplift your spirit. Inhaling the evergreen aroma of this oil from a tissue will give you clarity, relaxation and keep your thoughts focused towards a positive energy.
  • Lavender essential oil: Here comes my ‘darling’ essential oil. Lavender is an excellent stimulant that can invigorate your entire system with its antidepressant and stimulating properties. The magical fragrance of this oil when added to your bath tub or used as a massage oil with any of your favorite carrier oils can work the wonder by granting a calming as well as soothing effect on your body. It relaxes your muscles, strengthens your broken feelings, treats anxiety, alleviates stress and induces good sleep, helping you to recover slowly and steadily from depression. The rich and floral aroma of Lavender augments the alpha brain wave frequency in the backside of the brain, which is related to calmness.
  • Ylang Ylang essential oil: The name itself has a sense of sweetness blended with healing values. Known popularly as the ‘flower of flowers’, Ylang Ylang oil is trusted to treat depression as it instills a calming effect on the nervous system and guarding you in case of stress, depression, anxiety, fear, high blood pressure, sleeping disorders and hypertension with its antidepressant, sedative, hypotensive, nervine and antiseptic properties. Dr. Miriam Kinai’s book on ‘How to use Ylang Ylang Essential Oil (Aromatherapy)’ will be of great use to you in improving your entire health and vitality.
  • Frankincense essential oil: This is an extremely useful oil for its highly valuable therapeutic properties. The exceptional aroma of Frankincense essential oil grants you the promising ray of hope that you long for while you are depressed. Sadness, anxiety, loneliness, confusion, disappointment and other problems related to depression can be perfectly kissed with the benefits of this oil.
  • Jasmine essential oil: Ah! Jasmine! What a mesmerizing fragrance it has? This natural floral mist is a mood enhancer used in alleviating pains, treating anxiety and soothing depression. The attention-grabbing aroma of this flower boosts the beta waves in the front part of the head, which is generally associated with a receptive state of mind and vigilance.

Depression is easy to pronounce but exceedingly intricate to experience. If checked in the initial stages and treated in a systematic manner with the proper advice of your Ayurvedic practitioner can help you swim against the tide easily.

To experience the beauty of life, all you need to do is to just clear the spider’s web that has rusted your thoughts and feelings……..….If you can’t then who can??????

Thought for the day: Life is not merely to be alive, but to be well

Suggested reading:

  1. The Fragrant Mind: Aromatherapy For Personality, Mind, Mood and Emotion by Valerie Ann Wormwood
  2. Aromatherapy For Dealing With Depression by Dr Miriam Kinai

Reference Links:

  1. What is Depression? By Medical News Today
  2. Aromatherapy from Ayurveda’s Perspective by Yayoi Stavish
  3. Antidepressant Ylang Ylang Oil by Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

Ayurvedic oils for common cold

Catching up with common cold is as easy as falling off a log. Though it is not an acute problem, it has the worst power to completely spoil your routine activities. Common cold is often irritating, maddening, frustrating and disgusting. It changes your look and gives the impression of being completely sick. Over-the-counter drugs might often look attractive, appealing and seem to be the quickest way for treating your cold. Frequent intake of such medications might look like granting you instant relief but do not destroy the virus completely and have their own adverse side effects. This may be due to the excess intake of chemical formulas like acetaminophen, intranasal zinc, dextromethorphan (DXM), Tylenol etc.  All you need to take in at this time is a natural therapy like Ayurvedic oils that destroy the harmful virus from within, proffering you better health and a protective shield to prevent recurrent infections.

Causes and symptoms: This might occur due to seasonal changes, contagious virus spread through air, through minute air droplets from the affected person and much more during all times of the year. Each year billions of people in the world are affected by cold and a recent report says that it is over one billion people who are affected by cold in the United States every year. Little ones get cold often from their schools and day care centers when the other children next to them are affected by cold cough, sneezes or blow their nose.

Common cold lasts up to 7 days and the troubling symptoms are runny nose, itchy eyes, scratchy throat, nasal congestion, difficulty in breathing, headache, muscular pain, sore throat, cough, decreased appetite, sneezing and at times may lead to viral fevers also.

Ayurvedic essential oils for common cold: You will certainly feel great if you come to know that using Ayurvedic essential oils for your common cold can treat your illness without making you feel tired and drowsy like your cough syrups and other over-the-counter medicines. Few such energizing Ayurvedic oils are:

  1. Eucalyptus essential oil: This is a celebrated remedy for years together for common cold and its unfavorable symptoms. Eucalyptus essential oil helps in effectively fighting cold, cough, bronchitis, asthma, flu, sinusitis, fever and other such infections. You can use it as a vaporizer, rub or add few drops to your bath tub or to hot water for steam inhalation.
  2. Peppermint essential oil: Peppermint oil with its anti-viral properties is a proven remedy for respiratory illnesses like flu and cold. Peppermint essential oil blended with rosemary and lavender essential oil can be added to boiling water and this steam can be inhaled for getting complete relief from headache, cold, blocked nasal passage, congestion and mental fatigue inducing a peaceful sleep thereafter.
  3. Lavender essential oil: Lavender essential oil is always known for its therapeutic properties and is of great use in treating cold, influenza, cough, headache, insomnia, muscular pains and few other problems related to common cold. This efficacious oil inhibits germs and instantly kills viruses. It acts as a defensive mechanism and boosts your body’s immunity, helping you fight sturdily against cold. You can add it to your bath tub or use it as a room diffuser that will purify your environment by devastating the germs.

No more nervousness or uncomfortable feelings the next time when you get cold as these Ayurvedic essential oils will help you stay as cool as a cucumber and bid goodbye to your annoying cold.

Reference Links:

  1. Over-the-counter drug by Wikipedia
  2. Common Cold from A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia by PubMed Health
  3. Cough and Cold Medicine Abuse by Kids Health from Nemours

Ayurvedic Essential Oils For Back Pain Treatment

‘Ouch! It pains’ was my anthem till four years back and it was my partner’s irritating statement as I persistently sing the back pain song every single day without fail. Be it a long drive or hours together of passionate writing accompanying my gadget or a social event, everything ends impartially by gifting me with the excruciating back pain. Wondering about what had happened in the last 4 years? Will you trust me if I say that I’m in a revolutionized cosmos that is free of this agonizing ache? Yes! You should trust as millions of people have already benefited by the use of the extraordinary essential oils that have been proved effective for back pain treatment, which I came to know only before the fairy four years time.

Possible reasons for back pain: Back pain could screw your life if you fit into any of these criteria:

‘Okay, what should I do now?’ Will be your next question as back pain is as common as a cough or sneeze in today’s hectic living as William Henry Davies said in his renowned poem Leisure:

‘A poor life this is if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare’.

Secret of my rescue and myriad people as well: Prescription drugs and over-the-counter medicines may grant you temporary relief but might worsen the situation with their irreparable and off-putting side effects. Using Ayurvedic essential oils for treating your acute or chronic pain in the back has been proven safe and powerful. Few such essential oils for back pain treatment are:

Peppermint essential oil: Peppermint oil is widely used in Ayurvedic massage therapies for improving blood circulation in the body aiding in smooth supply of blood to the affected parts of the body. This oil helps in rejuvenating your mind and helps you to recover from your ache at ease.  With its analgesic, therapeutic and anti-inflammatory qualities it’s used effectively for getting rid of acute back pain.

Clary Sage and Chamomile essential oil: Clary sage is known for its relaxing, cooling, antispasmodic, nervine, sedative and anti-inflammatory properties that assist in reassuring the stressed muscles and eliminating the actual pain in your back and joints. Chamomile essential oil is mainly used for treating muscular spasms and relieves tension in the muscles.

Ginger Essential Oil: Ginger is a legendary herb in the history of Ayurveda and is the worst enemy of diseases and abnormalities. The essential oil of Ginger has its use since the ancient period in treating skeletal and muscular problems. It tones the muscles and soothes extreme pain in a matter of minutes when it is gently massaged on the affected area.

Frankincense, Lavender, Rosemary and Yarrow essential oils are also used in treating back pains and save your head from this slow-killer with the help of a proficient Ayurvedic massage expert.

Reference Links:

  1. Back Pain by emedicinehealth
  2. Back Pain by Wikipedia
  3. Remedies-Back Pain by Health Herbs and Nutrition
  4. Soothe Back Pain Naturally With Various Essential Oils by Natural News.com