Valerian Essential Oil Is Good For Anxiety And Depression
One of the most popular essential oils for treating symptoms of depression is valerian. Inhaling valerians calming scents can help combat negative emotions, stress, and feelings of fear.
Scientists found that valerenic acid in valerian extracts have a strong anti-anxiety effect. Valerenic acid helps to regulate GABA-A receptors which are connected with mental health and the physical effects of stress.
One study involving 20 healthy women found that an aromatherapy hand massage using a valerian and lemon essential oil blend was effective in lowering stress levels.
The Pros & Cons Of Eos For Anxiety
The Pros:
- EOs are potent a little goes a long way. For example, did you know that 30 lbs of lavender flowers go into just one bottle? Just one drop offers multiple active compounds that impact your mental and emotional state in a matter of moments.
- High-quality EOs should be 100% pure essential oils. This means you have direct access to natures pharmacy and emotionally healing plant wisdom.
- They are complex substances that were understanding in detail more and more. Over 3,000 compounds have been found in EOs so far.
- If you use EOs mindfully and consume them with care, youll likely experience little to no side effects.
- Think of EOs as preventative physical and mental health care thats relatively affordable and accessible. And unlike pharmaceuticals, you can blend multiple oils to maximize or enhance their calming and grounding effects.
The Cons:
Clary Sage Essential Oil
Clary Sage essential oil is known as one of the most relaxing, soothing, and balancing essential oils.
Clary sage essential oils is anti-anxiety. It has a calming scent and helps you relax and find balance. Clary sage can decrease the physical effects of stress, reduce feelings of dread, and lift you to a better mood
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How To Use These Essential Oils
There are multiple ways to use essential oils, for a full guide on how to use them check out my How to Use Essential Oils post. But for today, were talking about how to specifically use oils for anxiety. Here are my favorite ways to use these oils, I would not recommend internal consumption for these unless they are the vitality line by Young Living.
German Chamomile Essential Oil
German chamomile essential oil is known for its calming effects. It calms the nervous system and helps reduce anxiety. Chamomile essential oil is also associated with numerous other health benefits, including reduction of digestive tract inflammation, mood enhancement, stress alleviation, and sleep regulation. You can use chamomile essential oil in combination with a carrier oil and apply directly on your belly button and solar plexus for its anti-anxiety effects.
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What Are Essential Oils Good For
Although people claim essential oils are natural remedies for a number ofailments, there’s not enough research to determine their effectiveness inhuman health. Results of lab studies are promising one at Johns Hopkinsfound that certainessential oils could kill a type of Lyme bacteriabetter than antibiotics but results in human clinical trials are mixed.
Some studies indicate that there’s a benefit to using essential oils whileothers show no improvement in symptoms. Clinical trials have looked atwhether essential oils can alleviate conditions such as:
- Dry mouth
What Are Essential Oils
Essential oils are extracted from plants and distilled to a highly concentrated liquid. These aromatic plant essences have been used by humans for thousands of years, dating back to ancient Egypt, India, and Persia. In fact, ancient Greeks and Romans traded early iterations of essential oils with countries of the Near East.
The most potent and fragrant essential oils, such as chamomile, sage, and lemongrass, are often derived from plants that grow in tropical climates.
Essential oils are usually made from the bark, flowers, fruit, or leaves of a plant, which are steamed or pressed. For context, it can take 1020 pounds of lavender flowers to produce 1 ounce of essential oil and 2,000 rose petals to yield one drop of rose essential oil.
Essential oils are known for their medicinal properties, and many people use them for aromatherapy to reduce symptoms of anxiety and alleviate stress. Essential oils can also help boost your mood, relieve headache and migraine pain, promote sleep, and reduce nausea.
Some essential oils, such as tea tree essential oil, contain antimicrobial properties and can be used as an antiseptic.
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How Do Essential Oils Help With Stress And Anxiety
Here are a few different ways to use oils.
How Essential Oils Are Used
One theory of how aromatherapy works is that essential oils can stimulate the smell receptors in your nose, which then sends messages to your nervous system. Some also believe that essential oils can have a subtle effect on the bodys chemical and energy systems.
Because of this, aromatherapy is often used as a natural remedy to help relieve anxiety and stress. Topical applications and inhalation are some common ways that essential oils can be used for aromatherapy.
Essential oils should never be ingested, despite claims on the internet that suggest otherwise. Theres not enough research on any one essential oil to prove its safe to swallow. Each essential oil is very different, and some are toxic.
Its important to know that the Food and Drug Administration doesnt regulate essential oils, so be diligent in your practice. You should only use therapeutic-grade oils that dont contain synthetic fragrance and only purchase from a trusted source.
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How Do You Calm Down Anxiety Instantly
If youre driving, at work or in another public space and are feeling overly-anxious, then you may want to try and calm yourself down as soon as you possibly can.11
While its not always possible to immediately feel less anxious, there are plenty of self-help tactics you can follow to help make yourself feel calmer sooner. They include:
Content Reviewed By Pharmacas Health Care Advisory Board
According to the American Psychological Association , people in the United States have been profoundly affected by the Covid-19 crisis, with nearly 78% of adults saying that it is a significant source of stress in their lives, and 67% saying that their stress levels have increased over the course of the pandemic.
If you have experienced these symptoms, you might be seeking out ways to alleviate them via natural remedies. At-home aromatherapy is a great way to use essential oils for stress and anxiety. There are a variety of ways to reap the benefits of essential oils. You can add them to a diffuser, put a few diluted drops in a hot bath, or apply diluted essential oils to your skin.
If your feelings of stress and anxiety keep you from focusing, interrupt a good nights sleep, or generally bring you down, consider adding essential oils to your routine. Below are a few recommendations for the best essential oils for anxiety and stress in 2021.
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Essential Oils For Anxiety
If you are looking for essential oils for anxiety, then look no further. I have a comprehensive list of essential oils for anxiety that wont break the bank.
Citrus Essential Oil for Anxiety
Lime This essential oil is an uplifting essential oil. Its citrusy aroma will brighten your day.
Orange Orange is also very uplifting and calming. Its recognizable scent will help uplift your mood.
Bergamot This essential oil will help boost your mood. It has a citrusy floral aroma.
Lemon A zesty fresh aroma that is uplifting and refreshing.
Earthy and Woodsy Essential Oils for Anxiety
Cedarwood With its woodsy scent it will help calm your emotions and level your mood.
Sandalwood Sandalwood has a soft woodsy scent and will help calm your emotions.
Patchouli This essential oil has an earthy dirt scent that is helpful for tension relief and worry
Vetiver- Vetiver has an earthy woody scent that is calming to the mind.
Frankincense Frankincense has fresh and clean scent that is good for general wellbeing of the whole body and mind.
Floral Essential Oils for Anxiety
Clary Sage This earthy floral scented essential oil is soothing and calming.
Lavender Lavender promotes relaxation and is calming and has a familiar scent.
Ylang Ylang This oil eases nerves and helps with tension. Its scent is sweet and floral like.
Geranium Another oil that eases tension. It has a fresh sweet aroma.
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Essential Oils Help With Anxiety A Lot
From time to time everyone has suffered anxiety to some degree, and its horrible! I have struggled with both very low and sad feelings, lack of motivation as well as intense anxious feelings. It kept me home alone, saying no to things out of fear, and on days I couldnt breathe and my skin felt like I had little ants crawling around inside. No fun at all! These terrible feeling were not going to rule my life! Using essential oils was one way that I combated anxiety, in a totally safe and natural way. The beauty of essential oils is that they are natural, extracted from flowers, leaves, bark or roots of plants
Below Ive compiled a list of different therapeutic essential oils you can use to uplift the mind and body. You can use just one oil at a time or blended together they create a beautiful aroma, that can add a bit of harmony and balance to your life. Essential oils can ease anxiety from the very first time using it, however consistency is the key for a total and lasting effect.
Remember what appeals to one person may not appeal to the next person. And not all essential oils smell “beautiful”, but they do have wonderful therapeutic benefits. That’s the super important thing when dealing with anxiety. Also remember, they are not a magic potion, but instead a beautiful way to promote harmony to the body, mind, and spirit one day at a time.
1. Lavender
2. Rose
3. Vetiver
4. Ylang Ylang
5. Bergamot
6. Chamomile
7. Frankincense
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Top 12 Essential Oils For Anxiety And Depression
Anxiety and depression affects countless people around the world, some in more serious ways than others. Using essential oils for anxiety and depression has been a part of human culture for thousands of years, and remains a popular treatment to this day.
While stress is a natural part of life, and can often help our bodies prepare for different situations, anxiety can often become pervasive, changing your outlook on life. Stress and anxiety can increase inflammation, put strain on the immune system, and lead to oxidative stress and chronic disease. It can also negatively impact the stability of your personal, emotional, professional and social lives. And depression can cause you to lose interest in beloved activities, have poor sleeping habits, lose weight, and disengage from the outside world.
While many people think of anxiety as being a result of worry in our lives, it can also be caused by environmental factors, genetics, chemical changes in the brain and medical side effects. Similarly, depression is characterized by major changes in hormone and chemical levels in the brain and body, in conjunction with life events, grief, medical conditions and genetics. Using essential oils for anxiety and depression can help to alter that brain chemistry, promote the balance of hormones, and improve overall mood and attitude, thanks to their sedative, soothing, stimulating, energizing and detoxifying properties.
The 9 Best Essential Oils For Sleep & Anxiety
Essential oils are incredible many of them have been extensively studied and their use validated by the scientific community.
I find essential oils incredibly empowering.
Health care can be very expensive, but essential oils are a proven, completely non-toxic way to take charge of my health and make wellness fun and enjoyable.
Here are my favorite essential oils for sleep and anxiety:
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Basil Essential Oil For Anxiety
Essential oil extracts from various types of the basil plant have relaxing scents that can greatly lower your anxiety levels.
Researchers found that basil essential oil has a sedating effect and can help provide support during anxiety. The scientists identified phenols in basil extracts as having an anti-anxiety effect.
A type of basil called holy basil, or tulsi , helps reduce stress and the effects of negative emotions. Trials on the effects of holy basil found that they have anti-depressant effects similar to some pharmaceutical antidepressants.
Clinical trials on humans have found that holy basil extracts treat stress, improve sleep quality, and alleviate anxiety.
What Essential Oils Can I Mix For Sleep
Lavender, bergamot, and ylang ylang blend really well. Theyre a gentle, slightly citrusy scent with a floral background . All three are powerful sleep aids, and most people find the combination of scents pleasing. Lavender, cedarwood, and frankincense make a darker, muskier combination. but are an equally powerful blend of oils. Frankincense too expensive? Swap it out for vetiver or leave it out alltogether for a pleasing, woodsy aroma .
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