Angelica Root Essential Oil
Ideal for fatigue and stress-related disorders, Angelica Root is known for alleviating feelings of hopelessness and dread, as well as aiding the digestive system all things impacted by anxiety. Angelica Root has revitalizing and restoring properties that help the body rebuild strength after severe illnesses, and is considered to be an extremely potent purifier for your lymph nodes and blood circulation.
Tolerable For External Use
Researchers have determined that lavender oil is tolerated well by users for aromatherapy. In these cases, toxicity is low, and poisoning by lavender oil is rare. Plus, it has the FDAs seal of approval, which, to us, has an anxiety-relieving name: Generally Recognized as Safe.
To use topically though, you must always make sure to dilute properly in a carrier oil and do a patch test first.
What Essential Oils Work Best For Anxious Feelings
Heres the thing.
Im going to give you the list below, but you FIRST should know how essential oils affect the brain.
Why? So you can be empowered with the knowledge to know why essential oils work!
And just how do all the thousands of therapeutic compounds in essential oils get to your brain?
Through your nose!
Sniff an essential oil either out of the bottle or through a diffuser and all the little oil compounds, which we CANT see, get attached to specific receiver cells in your nose, known as olfactory cells.
The essential oil molecules, which contain therapeutic compounds, act like tiny messengers that are sent to the part of our brain that processes memory and emotions, known as the Limbic system.
Still following?
Once in this memory and emotion processing centre of our brain, a primitive survival-focused gland called the Amygdala gets to figure out if what we are smelling is either safe or unsafe .
Did you know a healthy human nose can smell TRILLIONS of aromas?
Yep. Smell is important to our survival.
Essential oils have the ability to interrupt an anxious feeling produced in our limbic system and sort of prompt our brain to swap it in with a calm one. I said it, essential oils let you choose your mood.
You see what happens is when we smell something pleasant our amygdala can process that as safe and tell our hypothalamus to STOP the release of cortisol by our adrenal glands and start releasing neurotransmitters, serotonin and dopamine.
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How To Use Essential Oils To Combat Anxiety
By now, you’ve likely heard of the benefits of using various essential oils to soothe feelings of anxiety and overwhelm. If you’ve ever used them and not noticed a difference, it may be time to slow down and create a routine with your blends that supports your mental health. Once you find a blend that works for you, you can create a calming routine around the scent that aids in the reduction of anxiety symptoms.
For instance, Mindbodygreen explains, diffusing a stress-busting blend of oils can help regulate your nervous system into a state of peace. Find a calming aroma such as lavender or ylang-ylang and add a few drops to a diffuser, letting it run for a few hours. The outlet notes that, by inhaling various scents, they travel to the brain where they can promote a relaxed feeling. If you don’t have a diffuser, place your oil onto a cotton ball, close your eyes and slowly inhale. Since essential oils should never make direct contact with your skin on their own, reaping the benefits this way is an easy outlet.
Furthermore, using essential oils before your meditation or breathwork routine can deepen your practice while enhancing its benefits. It encourages deeper breathing, which stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system aka the rest and digest response. Mindbodygreen suggests taking long, slow deep breaths to fully calm the system into a state of relaxation.
How To Use Essential Oils: The Only Guide Youll Ever Need
If youre considering incorporating different essential oils into your daily routine, then you may be unsure where to begin. In short, essential oils are potent natural extracts from flowers, plant stems, and leaves. They provide a wide array of health benefits ranging from promoting healthy sleep to treating the common cold. If you want to know how to use essential oils, this article will be perfect for you. It contains everything and anything you need to know about these highly concentrated natural oils! But lets start with the basics.
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How To Use Chamomile Essential Oil
There are numerous health benefits of using chamomile essential oil in aromatherapy. If you have anxiety-induced sleeping problems, try inhaling the scent of chamomile essential oil. You can use it in a diffuser, which will spread the evaporated scent of chamomile essential oil through a room.
Chamomile essential oil can be used in massage or bath oil. Make sure to dilute it with a carrier oil before skin contact. You can also make a compress by soaking the towel in warm water and adding a few drops of diluted chamomile oil.
Using Lavender For Anxiety
The first oil I wanted to recommend to support you through anxiety is lavender!
Lavender is extremely calming which you probably know even if youre brand new to using oils!
When youre struggling with anxiety, at least for me personally, almost everything feels 10x more overwhelming. I chose Lavender not only because of how extremely calming and comforting it is but also because its simple!
Its a smell were all familiar with and probably the least intimidating oil. When were struggling, the last thing we need is here try this complicated thing that is going to confuse and overwhelm you! So if you want to just make it super simple, just use lavender!!
There have been several clinical studies done on lavender and its ability to ease anxiety.
In fact, a review done in 2019 evaluated over 70 studies that used lavender to reduce anxiety.
They found that simply inhaling lavender could significantly lower your anxiety and this is because our olfactory gland reaches our limbic system, the part of our brain where emotions are controlled.
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Pharmaca Essential Oil Blend Sweet Dreams
For bedtime aromatherapy, try Pharmacas Sweet Dreams blend. This mixture of lavender, orange, and other organic essential oils works to bring you peace at bedtime and help lull you into a stress-free sleep.
Essential oils should be safe when used properly, but if you encounter any side effects, make sure to seek medical advice from a professional.
Pharmaca offers a wide variety of essential oils and blends! You can explore the options on our essential oils page.
Reasons An Oil Might Not Work For You
Three caveats given all I have said.
An essential oil is not always a magic bullet.
But I am a believer that small consistent wins will increase your capacity to cope.
Over time, you will work toward emotional freedom by also addressing your central nervous system , your gut health, and reducing your toxic load .
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Which Essential Oils For Anxiety And Stress Are Best
Essential oils have been shown to enter the bloodstream when they are inhaled or applied topically. They can be diffused alone or in a combination of oils that team up to combat a specific problem, which in this case is stress and anxiety.
Essential oils can be diluted with a carrier oil and applied to the feet before bed for a good nightís sleep without all-night worrying. Experiment to find the combination that you love and that brings you feelings of peace. Use any carrier oil that you like whether it be almond, apricot, olive, coconut, avocado, or anything else you have on hand.
Although essential oils are helpful with anxiety and depression, if you have other issues, including medication or other standards of care that havent worked for you, then it may be worth your time to see a doctor.
You will be well on your way to full emotional health and a less stressful life with the use of essential oils in combination with healthy lifestyle changes and guidance from someone who is experienced in integrating natural therapies into their therapy.
Clinical Contributors To This Story
David C. Leopold, M.D. contributes to topics such as Integrative Health and Medicine.
Aromatherapy, the therapeutic practice of using essentials oils extracted from plants, has been around for centuries. Recently its become more accepted in mainstream medicine as a supportive approach to promoting health and well-being, including managing anxiety.
There are multiple small and some larger studies that look at lavender in particular for the relief of anxiety. I think the evidence tilts toward aromatherapy being of benefit in the right circumstances and when used appropriately, says David Leopold, M.D., network medical director for Hackensack Meridian Integrative Health & Medicine.
The risk of any negative side effects from aromatherapy is low, he says. The biggest concern is using aromatherapy as an alternative to essential medical care. Its important to talk to your doctor if youre experiencing a high level of anxiety or stress to discuss options and check for any underlying medical conditions.
But for someone who is looking for help with everyday stressors, aromatherapy can help. Here are four tips to keep in mind:
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The Top 7 Best Essential Oils For Anxiety
Famous for giving Earl Grey tea its trademark aroma, bergamot is one of the best essential oils for anxiety. Multiple studies indicate bergamot is capable of reducing anxiety while also having a mood-lifting effect. You can choose to incorporate bergamot essential oil in many ways, including inhalation, massage, and cosmetics. One thing to take note of is that bergamot is phototoxic, which means it can cause a reaction in your skin when in contact with sunlight. If you do decide to use bergamot oil topically, in addition to diluting it you should avoid being outside without proper sun protection.
Like other citrus essential oils, sweet orange oil offers a bright, refreshing aroma. Many aromatherapists use orange oil to help reduce feelings of depression and anxiety in patients. A 2012 study backs this up, indicating that orange oil can help improve symptoms of common anxiety disorders.
Safety First Essential Oils Can Be Dangerous
Generally speaking, at age 6 and older, most essential oils are safe to use on your child, but there are different age recommendations for children under 6 depending on the oil. This is a great safe essential oil guide for kids.
Beyond that, anytime you use essential oils with your kids, you always want to watch for side-effects. Good and bad. Does it help calm them? Does it seem like they developed a cough when you started using them .
If you have any concerns at all about essential oils before, during, or after use, then you should talk to your childs doctor.
Always, read the recommendation on the bottle. For instance, some essential oils need to be diluted by being added to a carrier oil . The above guide also gives these recommendations. However, some essential oil producers create ready to use child friendly versions that already have the oil diluted for you.
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The Best Essential Oils To Calm Anxious Or Stressful Thoughts
One thing I will say about feelings of unrest, stress or anxiety. Giving the body what it needs is the best way to handle those feelings. Feedingit healthy, getting lots of sleep and avoiding alcohol as much as possible because it is a depressant. Also, dealing with the underlying emotional issues and taking care of our mental state. I have personally used all these oils when I feel an attack come on and find them to be extremely helpful.
Ylang Ylang Essential Oil
Ylang Ylang or Cananga odorata is also known as flower of flowers because of its out of the world aroma. Ylang Ylang essential oil comes from the petals of these sweet aromatic flowers of tropical ylang ylang tree.
The flower tree is a native of Indonesia, Philippines, and Polynesian Islands. Did you know Chanel no.5 perfume is the essence of ylang ylang flowers? Moreover in Indonesia the bed of the newlyweds is decorated with these aromatic flower petals. Cases of overdose caused by the simultaneous use of many drugs that depress the central nervous system, including Ambien, led to more severe consequences, up to fatal outcomes.Treatment: induction of vomiting or immediate gastric lavage , administration of activated charcoal. Monitoring of vital functions is indicated, if necessary symptomatic and supportive therapy. You should refrain from using any sedative drugs . Hemodialysis is ineffective. Specific antidote is benzodiazepine receptor antagonist flumazenil. The results of the The flower has aphrodisiac and spirit uplifting qualities.
Ylang ylang essential oil is an effective treatment for anxiety disorder, depression, and panic attacks. The oil has sedative and calming properties. Hence the oil is associated with cheerfulness, sexual energy, courage, and optimism in life.
What Youll Need:
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