Crisp leaves beneath your feet, chilly but fresh air, crackling fire in the fireplace, homemade stews and roasts, pumpkin spice lattes, Halloween and October breaks – A beautiful picture!
Fall is certainly a beautiful time of the year.
With the continuous temperature drop and delightful spicy scents of cinnamon, clove, and ginger everywhere, Autumn is truly magical. These warm aromas not only refresh our senses but also improve our overall physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
In the history of mankind, the major ancient civilizations included these spicier and natural fragrances for spiritual, cosmetic, and medicinal purposes. They used to extract crude oils from different aromatic herbs to treat patients holistically. Ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Chinese and Indians had a deep knowledge of aromatherapy as they strongly believed in the power of essential oils.
Essential Oils Introduction to the Modern World
The term “Aromatherapy” was coined by French perfumer and chemist Rene Maurice Gattefosse in 1937. Though he was not a strong believer of the medicinal properties of essential oils, he studied different properties of essential oils and promoted that to the world. Once, he burned his hand badly while experimenting in a laboratory and treated the wound effectively with undiluted Lavender oil. The Lavender essential oil not only eased his pain but also acted like an antiseptic.
We can also find the efficacy of essential oils during the Second World War. Dr. Jean Valet used these natural recipes to treat injured soldiers. Marguerite Maury, during the 1950’s, introduced these oils as a beauty formula. She started diluting aromatic oils with vegetable carrier oils to massage onto the skin. By the early 80’s aromatherapy became a crucial part of holistic treatments.
Essential Oils and Their Functionalities
Essential oils are highly concentrated natural oils extracted from plants. Each plant has its own unique aromatic compound, called “essence”, and the oil withdrawn is known as essential oil. Nowadays, money makers use different chemical processes to extract crude oil from herbs, but these are not true essential oils.
Real aromatic oils are obtained through different mechanical methods like steam distillation and cold pressing. These oils are acquired from different parts of plants like leaves, stems, roots, and flowers. Thus, the oils drawn contain all the healing properties and fragrances of the plant.
According to modern studies, essential oils are great for both physical and psychological well being. The aroma from essential oils not only have antiseptic and nourishing properties but can also uplift one’s spirits.
Now that we are through with the fundamentals of essential oils, let’s get back to our primary topic i.e., essential oils for autumn.
As the weather gets colder during fall, essential oils are the best compounds to give you a warm sensation. Incorporating your favorite aromatic oil into your daily therapeutic regimen will boost your immune system and make you stronger to face the harsh cold. According to psychologists, gloomy winter days have adverse effects on the human psyche, making people depressed and languid.
Here are a few essential oils that can make fall lively and pleasant:
Orange Essential Oil
Obtained from the peels of oranges, this aromatic oil is extracted by cold compression. Enriched with Vitamin C, this oil has a wide variety of medicinal, cosmetic and domestic usage. Many people use this oil in desserts and beverages to add flavor to them. Orange essential oil is known for its anti-aging and anti-blemish properties and is used in the cosmetic industry to manufacture soaps, lotions, creams, etc.
This essential oil also exhibits a relieving effect on spasms. It relaxes our muscles and nerves to treat or prevent serious problems like muscle cramps, coughing, convulsion and so on. After a hard day at the office, use this aromatic compound to relax your senses. The sedative drugs available in the market are mostly synthetic tranquilizers and in the long run damage our internal organs. Some therapists recommend orange essential oil to alleviate depression, anxiety, and stress effectively. With a strong, sweet smell, this oil is a great detoxifierer.
Caution: Orange essential oils are photosensitive meaning they react to radiant energy or light such as natural sunlight, sunlamps, or other sources of UV rays. Symptoms of photosensitivity can include a pink or red skin rash with blotchy blisters, scaly patches, or raised spots on areas directly exposed to the sun. Itching and burning may occur and the rash may last for several days. Wait a minimum of six hours before exposing skin to UV rays after using the oil.
Cardamom Essential Oil
Known as ‘Queen of Spices’, Cardamom comes with a strong captivating flavor. The aromatic oil is extracted from freshly dried cardamom is widely used in aromatherapy and used for different therapeutic purposes. Enriched with Vitamin C, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3 and essential minerals like calcium, manganese, iron, potassium, etc., Cardamom essential oil has gret antioxidant properties. With the presence of all these nutrients, this essential oil promotes your health in several ways.
- Copper and iron content of this natural oil aid in boosting cellular metabolism and RBC generation.
- Manganese maintains cardiovascular health.
- Manganese boosts the antioxidant property of your body.
Just like Orange essential oil, cardamom is also highly antispasmodic in nature and is effective in relaxing muscular and respiratory spasms. Pour a few drops of your cardamom essential oil on your food and beverages to demolish the growth of microorganisms. You can also use this antimicrobial oil in your mouthwash to kill germs and eliminate bad breath.
Cardamom essential oil has a warming effect. During the cold nights use this aromatic oil to heat up your body and maintain normal body temperature. According to studies, it also plays a crucial role in alleviating cold and relieving headache.
Ginger Essential Oil
Also known as “The Oil of Empowerment”, ginger essential oil comes with a mind-healing property. It relaxes your mind instantly and brings peace to your mind. Its soothing property reduces your stress, fatigue, and anxiety and enhances your concentration level in no time.
If you are looking for an essential oil that improves blood circulation to the scalp and enhances hair growth, mix a few drops of ginger essential oil with your regular hair oil to experience the difference. Apart from eliminating toxins from your body, ginger essential oil also boosts digestion and eases stomach discomforts.
Clove Essential Oil
Drawn out from dried buds of clove, this essential oil is used topically for different medical purposes. From treating toothache and skin issues to relieving stress and headaches, clove essential oil has numerous healing properties.
This golden-brown sentential oil comes with a spicy fragrance and is used as a flavoring agent in the food & beverage industry. Rich in eugenol, clove essential oil also has antiseptic, anesthetic and antimicrobial properties. Primarily used for dental care, this powerful oil can treat your skin issues like acne, boils, rashes, aging, and blemishes effectively.
Viral attacks are very common during winters. But, with this strong essential oil, you can easily keep viral diseases at bay. Antioxidants in clove essential oil boost our immune system and eliminate free radicals from our body effectively. Studies also state that this amazing aromatic oil can also prevent chronic diseases by reducing the stress.
Eucalyptus Essential Oil
Eucalyptus essential oil is another amazing aromatic oil with multi-faceted medicinal properties. Extracted from eucalyptus leaves, this aromatic oil is highly effective in healing cough and cold. If you have a sore throat, put few drops of this oil into a cup of lukewarm water and gargle to cure it.
This colorless yet potent oil has anti-inflammatory properties and thus can aid patients to provide asthma relief. Massage 1-3 drops of oil onto the chest and throat to get the soothing effect of its aroma. This will calm your sore throat and help you to restore normal breathing.
Rosemary Essential Oil
With an array of health benefits, rosemary oil is a popular autumn oil and has the ability to bring a natural glow to your skin, while also stimulating hair growth. Apart from aiding you spiritually, oil extracted from rosemary herb has the potential to strengthen your body and mind simultaneously. Aromatherapists also recommend this oil to cure constipation, stomach cramps, and indigestion.
Rosemary oils antiseptic and antimicrobial characteristics are effective in treating skin diseases like eczema, skin dryness and dermatitis. Pour a few drops of this oil with your regular hair oil and shampoo to stimulate hair to grow.
Essential Oil Blends for Fall
Here are some wonderful oil blends that will freshen up your mood and make the ambiance pleasant.
- If you love the delightful fragrance of freshly baked Gingerbread, this recipe will certainly uplift your mood.
3 drops ginger essential oil + 1 drop cinnamon essential oil + 1 drop nutmeg essential oil - This Autumn, relax your mood with Citrus Forest blend.
5 drops Douglas fir essential oil + 1 drop orange essential oil - A Thankful blend is ideal for those who prefer sweet yet spicy fragrances.
3 drops of orange essential oil + 2 drops of Douglas fir essential oil + 1 drop of cinnamon essential oil
These are fantastic blends that will keep you perfectly warm you during fall, and then, in winter. These rich and powerful essential oils not only boost your immune system and overall health but also revitalize your psychological health and eliminate negativity from your life.
If you love essential oils and feel stressed, check out our 6 favorite essential oils for Stress Release.
