Uses for Rosemary Oil To Boost Our Performance Proven By Research

Rosemary is scientifically known as Rosmarinus Officinalis. It is now under research and has been found that the rosemary oil improves cognitive performance..

It is found that if you sniff rosemary aromatherapy oil you will feel more satisfied and there will be improvement in your performance. This research is done in Great Britain - in the Brain, Performance and Nutrition Research center at Northumbria University, UK.

20 participants of age 20 years were taken for the study. They kept the rosemary aromatherapy oil in their desk so that they will not feel that they are deliberately exposed to the scent. This is done for 4 to 10 minutes.

These participants were asked to solve simple subtractions and more complicated subtractions and find number patterns in the computer after they were exposed to the scent of the oil. They even did a mood questionnaire and a blood test was also conducted.



The participants who took the scent for lesser time appeared less content. The study also proved that there is no connection between the oil and feeling alert, calm or pleasant which are the other types of moods under study.

Those who are exposed to the scent for more time solved the basic mathematical questions in less than 2 minutes. They did not show any difference in answering the complicated subtractions or the number patterns as compared to those who are exposed for a lesser time.

They used speed and accuracy tests and mood valuations to identify the effects of rosemary oil. They took blood samples to find out the amount of 1,8 Cineole they captivated.

The research said that if they smelled the oil for longer time there are more amounts of 1,8 Cineole, a chemical compound in their blood samples which is normally present in aromatherapy oils.

The results what they obtained show that the amount of this chemical compound has a lot to do with the reasoning ability of the individuals. The results showed an improvement in the performance with higher levels of the compound. It is found that both speed and accuracy improved writing off the actual relationship between speed and accuracy.

It is also found that the chemical had an effect on the mood though not so significant. It has improved the contentment levels of the individual. The compounds of the rosemary essential oil have a significant effect on the personal state and the reasoning ability of the individual by working in varying neurochemical pathways.

They found that the oil however did not have any effect on the alertness or attention of the individual.

Nasal or lung mucosa help the Terpenes like 1, 8 Cineole to enter the blood stream in the form of organic molecules which are soluble in fat. These can easily cut across the blood brain barricade.

This chemical compound in volatile state is found in many plants which are aromatic.

These comprise of eucalyptus, bay, wormwood and sage besides rosemary. This compound is under study by many researchers to find out whether it prevents the enzymes called acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase which are essential for brain and central nervous system neurochemistry.

It is also being studied to find out whether the components of rosemary stop the breakdown of neurotransmitter acetylcholine.

In the words of the research scientist Moss it is said that there is an important relationship between only contentedness and 1,8 Cineole levels.

Based on the reasoning performances of the individuals it is interesting to know that only positive moods can improve performance and not aroused moods.

Rosemary essential oil consists of 35 to 40 percent of 1,8 Cineole which has straight pharmacological characteristics.

The blood samples which are tested for this compound can also be used as an indicator for comparative levels of other compounds of rosemary oil like rosmarinic acid and ursolic acid which are usually present in lesser quantities.

This study is too small to draw inferences and cannot be told how noteworthy these results are. But it can be satisfactorily believed that rosemary aromatherapy oils will set our mood to content.

Citrus essential oils provide a natural antibiotic effect to cows

Experts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) have performed various studies into the non-antibiotic processes to lessen harmful food-borne bacteria (pathogens) which are present in an animal’s gut.

The group of scientists include microbiologist Todd Callaway and animal scientist Jeffery Carroll (team leader) from the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) as well as John Arthington from the University of Florida.

The Agricultural Research Service is the USDA's primary in-house scientific investigation agency who aims to conduct studies which support the Department’s goals of endorsing food security as well as guaranteeing food safety at an international scale.

Early research has revealed that citrus produce are beneficial to cows as they provide ideal roughage and natural vitamins as well as providing a chemical-free antibiotic supply which is featured in the essential oil structure of such products.

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Beware of Certain Essential Oils

Having an aromatherapy based treatment at a spa may seem like a relaxing, wonderful idea but you might just come away with more than you bargained for...



Aromatherapy is becoming an increasingly popular complementary therapy which is used by many people around the world as it is considered to offer numerous health benefits, such as enhancing skin condition, boosting the immune system and aiding with sleep issues. This rise in the aromatherapy trend is evident as British people alone spend approximately £126 million on this type of product and on herbal medication every year.

The essential oils, which are derived from plants and include lavender and peppermint oil, are also very popular in spa's as they are burned for inhalation, used for massages and in the baths to relieve tension, instill a feeling of relaxation and soothe aching muscles and limbs.



Scientists in Taiwan have however found that the so-called fragrant essential oils used by relaxation spas have a higher concentration of potentially harmful tiny irritant particles called secondary organic aerosols (SOAs) which are formed when the volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the oil reacts with ozone in the air and these by-products may cause irritation in the eyes, nose or throat as well as nausea, headaches or even liver or kidney damage.

During the study conducted by the researchers, they tested fragrant and Chinese herbal essential oils for SOA formation in a controlled-environment under various test conditions. They then performed air sampling and analysis tests in two spa centers in Taiwan which offer massage treatments and used this information to compare the size and volume of particles released when massages were being undertaken.

It was found that the oils which produced the most number of SOA's were lavender, peppermint, tea tree, eucalyptus and lemon and the scientists have warned that the negative 'impact on indoor air quality and health effects cannot be neglected'.

However, they also concluded that ventilation and layout of spas can affect and help to control levels of indoor pollutants.

Previous research has shown that these particles are also produced when scented essential oils are burned for personal use at home but not to the same extent as in a spa, where it is said that they can increase tenfold. Furthermore, in 2007, other research in Taiwan illustrated that when lavender, tea tree and eucalyptus oils were burned in an office, a large volume of these unsafe particles were released.

Those who are more skeptical about the healing properties of essential oils argue that many of the apparent benefits are caused by people having so much faith in it that they psychologically convince themselves that they feel more relaxed, are calmer and can sleep better – a case of placebo effect.

Additionally there is little scientific evidence that essential oils can actually cure wounds, boost immunity or relieve pain in fact they have, in some cases, increased asthma symptoms and breathing problems in those who have lung diseases.

Furthermore, medical nurses have stated that the oils can cause rashes and irritated skin but this is usually because too much has been put into bathwater or onto skin.

Get relief from Menstrual Pain

Menstrual pain is a common discomfort of women and according to a study it is present in 25 to 29 percent of women.

There are a lot of pain relieving treatments like herbal medicine, acupuncture, and spinal manipulation.

However, a recent study in Korea suggests that menstrual pain can be reduced with the help of famous aromatherapy too.

This study was conducted on Korean school girls to see whether essential oils had any effect on the pain.



The selection criteria for the study were to select a girl having menstrual pain which could be measured on at least six points with a Visual Analogue Scale.
Moreover, the participants did not have any systemic disease or any other kind of disease related to genital organs.

During the experiment volunteers were divided into two groups, one was control group and the second was on which the treatment had to be applied.

The massage was given to the second group once in 24 hours and the level of pain was measured with Visual Analogue Scale before and after massage and after 24 hours.

The ingredients of essential oil and the ratio in which they were used are:
Clary Sage - 1 part
Marjoram - 1 part
Ginger - 1/2 part
Cinnamon - 1-1/2 part
Geranium - 1-1/2 part
All essential oils diluted in Almond oil.


The experiment group was given this massage for ten minutes and the control group was only given acetaminophen. After 24 hours when the pain was measured again the reduction was significant in the experiment group as compared to the control group.

However it is unknown that the effect was achieved from aromatherapy oil or the massage. Or maybe it was an effect of both.

To find this out more clearly further studies should be done. But until any further study is conducted, you can use the above described essential oil to reduce menstrual pain and you will see a significant change in the level of pain.

Aromatherapy has served man kind in almost any kind of disease. It would be a great news for women if menstrual pain could also be cured with it.

Stress Reduction Research

Aromatherapy is long term known for the treatment of many diseases. A new research shows that it can also reduce the level of stress and pain. For reduction of stress and pain lavender is being recommended.

The research has been carried out by a Korean team from Dept. of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine at School of Dentistry in Kyungpook National University.

The team measured the effects of lavender aromatherapy on a set of 30 individuals without any physical disease. You can read the abstract of the study at: http://pubmed.gov.



The level of stress and pain intensity on insertion of a needle was tested in all the volunteers and it was found to be the same. The volunteers were then divided into two groups randomly. The experimental group was given an oxygen face mask to wear for five minutes. This face mask was coated with lavender oil. The control group was also given the oxygen for 5 minutes but it was not coated with lavender oil.

After the experiment, it was noted that the stress level and needle insertion pain intensity was significantly reduced in the experimental group which had the lavender aromatherapy. This research shows that lavender oil can be used to reduce stress and pain.

Citrus essential oils to reduce fungal growth on food

New findings in Britain have shown that treating food with citrus essential oil vapor could reduce the growth of fungi on food by over 60%.

Fungi cause spoilage and poisoning of food which is a major problem for the food and import industry as well as consumers and the decay caused by lack of fungicide treatment can increase post harvest losses by up to 50%.

Until now, the use of synthetic fungicides has been sufficient but environmental risks and demands of consumer groups have required alternative treatments to be introduced including essential oils which were found to be effective but possibly detrimental to the organoleptic properties of the food.



Researchers from the University of Northampton therefore decided to explore whether the use of essential oil vapors may retain the food properties whilst also reducing contamination.

It was found that food which was exposed for fifteen minutes to Citri-V essential oil vapor, which is publicly available, displayed a significant decrease in the growth of Penicillium Chrysogenum (by 44%), Aspergillus niger (34%) and Alternaria alternate (64%).

These findings were published in Food Research International. click here to read the report

A healthier way to reverse Type 2 Diabetes

What is Diabetes Type 2?

Regarding type 2 diabetes two major organs are involved: the liver and the pancreas. These are the two organs that need to be healed in order for the diabetes to be reversed.

Traditional medicine makes use of prescribed drugs, such as Glucaphage and Metformin, to try and heal this disease.

However, all these drugs do is mask type 2 diabetes. There is a much more natural and healthier way to successfully heal the pancreas and liver: by means of Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils.

There are actually 3 different Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils which have been proven to successfully treat Type 2 Diabetes in a large group of patients.





These Essential Oils do not damage your organs, nor do they cause adverse reactions such as diarrhoea, vomiting, drowsiness, abdominal pain (just to mention some of the typical harsh reactions experienced when taking prescribed chemical medicines). On the contrary: not only are they helpful in healing your damaged organs, they are known to do that without causing you any harm.

Ocotea essential oil from young living is extracted from the Ocotea tree (actually it is contained in the plant’s stem and leaves) in Ecuador. This essential oil is known to have the highest level of alpha-humulene (higher even than the levels found in copaiba); alpha-humulene successfully balances the body’s internal response to irritation. Ocotea also has Eucalyptol (which works on the lungs).

Among its advantages, Ocotea can successfully balance the pancreatic and liver enzymes, thus being a wonderful solution to diabetes. The recommended dose is 1 to 3 drops of Ocotea under the tongue 3 times a day: it has been proven to reduce glucose levels, making them drop to up to 30 points in an amazingly short time. How does it work? By lowering cortisol, which in turn lowers insulin.

Dr. Jed Adamson tested Ocotea, and some of his investigation was actually videotaped. One of his most impressive achievements was the drastic reversal of the disease in a patient who was suffering from diabetes’ most upsetting symptoms, such as cold feet, low energy and, of course, high blood sugar. After taking Ocotea for a week, his blood sugar went from 330 to 212, and then down to 140 (the normal level being 150). Absolutely impressive!


More on Aromatherapy Treatment for health problems

Aromatherapy for ADHD

What is ADHD?

ADHD or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder is commonly diagnosed in children and young age.

This disorder, as the name suggests, creates hyperactivity, impulsiveness or shortens the attention span of the child.

The child may start to get impatient while working. He may not be able to concentrate on something for a long period of time.

ADHD is more common in young boys as compared to girls. It can be congenital but there is no significant study for what actually causes the disorder. Anyone can be a victim of this disorder.





Although ADHD can be cured with the behavior therapy and some drugs but these can only cure the symptoms and if the family of the child is not supportive enough, chances of relapse are high.

Aromatherapy Research for ADHD

However, a study done by Dr. Terry Friedmann in two years (1999-2001) has given hope to the parents of those suffering from ADHD.

Dr. Friedmann is a noted researcher in the study of essential oils and therapies done by them.

The research conducted by Dr. Friedmann shows that this disorder can be cured by use of essential oils including Lavender, Cedar wood and Vetiver.

With Vetiver being best for the treatment, it has given 100% results in the study.

During the study, children with ADHD disorder were prescribed to inhale these essential oils three times a day and arrangements were made for continuous inhalation at night.

This experiment was carried out in a 30 day period and it gave unbelievable results. Pattern of brain waves were detected to come to normal and the performance of children improved in their school and other daily activities.

Essential oils have always been of a great interest for people to cure diseases for which there is no known treatment in medical science. The treatment done by them is not so time consuming as they get to the brain very fast and work quickly. If one of your children has ADHD, there is now hope for him.

Inhalation aromatherapy in children and adolescents undergoing stem cell infusion

The power of herbs and essential oils to travel through the blood stream in order to react with the hormones and enzymes gives birth to another healing process called Aromatherapy.

We all have heard a lot about the Stem cell transplantation used for treatments of various blood disorders. The exquisite property of SCT also makes it useful for treating some cancers when the bone marrow of the patient is destroyed because of the high doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

What are stem cells?

These are unspecialized cells from which other multiple specialized cells can be derived.



Origination of stem cells:

Stem cells used can be one’s own cell or donors. Best stem cells are found in embryos and fetuses which withstand transplantation unlike those derived from child and adults.

Precautions for SCT:

• Stem cells derived from one’s own should be collected before chemotherapy or radiation
• Risk of infection if WBC is destroyed or reduced in number by radiation

Alternative therapy:

Stem cell transplantation is often seen as a life saving attempt but it is discommode as well, thus comes aromatherapy. It seems to be catching importance in every field. It has now attempted to rejuvenate and heal cancer by pairing up with SCT. Its healing, calming and energizing compound makes it an excellent healer. A trail project was conducted to evaluate the respiratory administration of bergamot essential oil on the anxiety, nausea, and pain.

Sample size: 37 patients with malignant and non-malignant disorders undergoing stem cell infusion and their parents were chosen as samples.

Sampling technique: Random sampling method chosen to select the samples.

Analysis:

One hour post-infusion:
• Greater anxiety and nausea observed amongst children and adolescent
• No pain felt in both groups
• Anxiety declined amongst parents but failed to reach statistical value

Post-infusion:

• Transitory anxiety predicted in Child’s monitoring coping style

Last words:

Though the test or the trial was not very successful in fighting the anxiety, nausea or pain, it provided a very concrete first of its kind experiment rather than the usual descriptive report of testing. But the future test may explore the cutaneous applications of essential oils via massage and psycho educational counseling among parents with better anxiety level and patients with more info seeking copying styles during SCT.

Detect Early Parkinson’s Disease with Aromatherapy

Does Aromatherapy can be used to diagnose Parkinson’s disease? I think that might be. Here is the research about how ability of someone's smell has something to do with Parkinson’s Diagnose.

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the Central Nervous system disorder in the brain which results in difficulty in muscles movement. The muscle movements in any body are controlled with the help of a chemical called Dopamine which is secreted by the nerve cells in the brain. With the absence of dopamine, nerve cells are unable to send messages which results in loss of movement. This also affects the speech and mood of a person causing behavioral problems too. This disorder generally occurs after the age of 50 and the number of functions lost may vary.

It gets very tough for a health care provider to diagnose Parkinson’s disease at a very early stage. One can diagnose this disease based only on the symptoms and physical examination.



Though there is no cure for this disorder, the ultimate goal of a doctor is to control the symptoms. Lots of research is being carried out in this interest. One of the recent studies by Dr. Silke Nuber, speaks that her team has discovered an element which could be an important tool to sort people who are likely to develop this disease. She spoke about this tool in a conference which focuses on the ability of a person to smell.

This tool will help treat this disease at a very early stage. This experiment was first tested on transgenic mice where the alpha-syncline, protein which develops Parkinsonism was turned off. The mice initially showed signs of alpha-syncline in the olfactory bulb which resulted in smell related behavioral changes. The team was successful in meeting its chronic first stage i.e. developing the initial signs of PD of a human in that of mice.
The sense of smell in transgenic mice was noticed to be blocked. This expressed the variation in the dopamine levels of middle-aged mice to that of normal mice. An olfactorial dopamine deficit was observed without any additional abnormalities in the nigrostriatal pathway. The Nigrostriatal pathway controls the muscular movement in a body. Substantia nigra, located in the midbrain, starts losing dopaminergic neurons but these results only in the variation of smell behavior with the motor symptoms showing no change until the half of dopamine function is lost. This ability to trace the early symptoms of PD is a jackpot in treating the same.

A small variation in the above test was also done and carried out, namely, fear related smell test. In this test the mice were exposed to their predator’s smell but in vain, they showed less anxiety. A suppression in the sense of smell results in hyperactivity and increased exploratory behavior which in turn diminishes the anxiety and depressive signs. This is very natural to be found in the mice lacking sense of smell. As there as sings of depressiveness seen, it could be interesting to watch if an anti-depressive drug is cable of increasing the odour sensitivity in the parkinson’s patients.

A standardised test should be developed for testing the smell functions. Tests have not been done yet to check if the existing drugs used at a later stage in PD are effective at early stages of this disease. After all these tests, the diagnosis of PD should not solely depend on the motor symptoms. The olfactory detections should help in early diagnoses of PD and also strategizing different treatment methods for the same.

An efficient preclinical therapy can be developed by functional analysis paralleled to that of the behavioral studies in the mouse model. This therapy can be used to put a stop to the massive dopaminergic neurodegeneration that takes place in PD patients.

Does Aromatherapy Work on You ?

I know some of you still doubt about aromatherapy and to make it worse, recently there are Researchers at Ohio State University found that lemon and lavender oil had no physiological effect on study subjects, despite lemon's reputation as a stimulant and lavender's as a sleep aid.

The researchers chose lemon and lavender since they were two of the most popular scents tied to aromatherapy. Recently, two other studies focused on these same two scents.

This is how they do :

56 person ( men and women )took part in three half-day sessions where they were exposed to both scents.Participants were monitored for blood pressure and heart rate during the experiments, and the researchers took regular blood samples from each volunteer.

Researchers taped cotton balls laced with either lemon oil, lavender oil or distilled water below the volunteers’ noses for the duration of the tests.

The result said that lemon oil showed a clear mood enhancement, lavender oil did not. Neither smell had any positive impact on any of the biochemical markers for stress, pain control or wound healing.

Further reading on this research can be found here

The results of the study didn’t daunt Kathy Keville, a noted aromatherapist and author of a dozen books on the subject, including “Aromatherapy for Dummies.”

She didn’t dispute the science of the Glasers’ work, but she said that any of the more than 200 essential oils she uses regularly might have led to different results. Applying the essential oils topically instead of simply sniffing might also have produced different effects.

It would be unfair to conclude that aromatherapy doesn’t work based on the results of even a rigorous single study, Keville said. Aromatherapy may not be a cure for specific illnesses or pain, but it’s a great adjunct therapy, she added.

For this comment I agree. I myself have experience some tremendous benefits when using aromatherapy. Just for examples, I would use eucalyptus for cold, or to reduce nausea I would use cajeput oil. And of course not to mention lavender for relaxation.

Do you feel the same with me? Does aromatherapy really work on you ? Share your comments here!

Or if you are a true believer of aromatherapy, you can help the community by share your experience with aromatherapy.

Click here to share your experience.