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Essential oils are volatile oils that come from herbs, flowers, or trees. Extraction of these aromatic oils can be done by various means, but distilling is by far the most common. They are used in a variety of settings and purposes. For example, it is no longer uncommon to find perfumes, beauty, hygiene, and household products that contain them. There are also food-grade essential oils that impart flavor and scent to food items and beverages.The therapeutic use of these oils is called aromatherapy, which is widely considered as a form of alternative medicine. The curative effects of essential oils are theorized to result from the effect of odorant molecules on the brain's emotional center, the limbic system. Aromatherapy practitioners assert that a number of these volatile oils, such as frankincense and lavender, can soothe inflammation, treat infections, and alleviate pain.Additionally, frankincense essential oils are believed to treat disorders like ulcerative colitis. Some studies also suggest that the aroma of Frankincense essential oils can help treat depression and lessen anxiety. Lavender essential oil has shown calming effects too, and is actually used as an ingredient in certain anti-anxiety medications. When taken in vapor form, lavender essential oils are known to relieve tension headaches and treat cough.Essential oils are generally not applied to the skin undiluted because they are known to cause severe irritation, and can even trigger an allergic reaction. Use of lavender essential oil has also been pointed out as a possible contributory factor to gynecomastia, which is the enlargement of breasts among males. Though non-life threatening, it can still cause problems in terms of the person's self confidence. There have been reports as well of consumers suffering from mild to moderate bouts of GI upset after taking or using products which contain frankincense essential oils. Given the probability of experiencing adverse reactions, it would be prudent for you to discuss your plans of taking or using essential oils so that proper modifications to your healthcare management can be made and to determine if there are no pre-existing conditions or current therapeutics that will contraindicate its use.Essential oils for therapeutic use can be bought from online and offline health stores. Those you can add to food and non-food items are typically sold by the manufacturing company or their dealers. Various agencies regulate essential oils according to their intended use. In the United States, essential oils are regulated by the FDA in terms of their intended use. Although a few companies have obtained FDA approval to carry out research on essential oils used therapeutically, the majority of these aromatic oils are not considered drugs by official agencies. Thus, they can be bought by anyone even without a prescription. Abroad, quality and safety can be evaluated by determining if the product has passed ISO or AFNOR processing standards. Regulation of the sale and marketing of industrial-grade products containing these aromatic oils is typically governed by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission.
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The use of lavender and frankincense essential oils has many health benefits. Both of them can help in reducing your anxiety. Learn more about lavender essential oil here.
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