Aromatherapy: Identify your essential oil with Ayurveda

Aromatherapy is a method of treatment that is personalised. A Scent that might work for you might not work for everybody. Identifying what works for you can often be by the 'trial and error' method. Sounds like a long and daunting process? Don't give up just yet, Ayurveda has unique and diverse ways of identifying the essential oils best suited to you, depending on factors such as your particular mind-body type.

It has been classified into the 3 basic body types. here is how you can identify what would suit you the best:

If you are a vata type (typically susceptible to headaches, dry skin, constipation, nervous anxiety, hypersensitivity, insomnia), avoid sharp or strongly perfumed essential oils. You would benefit from warm, energizing oils such as camphor, cinnamon and cypress, combined with the stabilizing, calming oils such as sandalwood, jasmine or rose, blended in sesame oil, a carrier oil generally regarded as incomparable in its ability to penetrate the skin.

A pitta type (typically prone to ulcers, fevers, inflammatory skin diseases, acidity, agitation, anger) would benefit from cooling, calming oils, flowery fragrances such as gardenia, jasmine, mint, rose, sandalwood blended in a cooling carrier like coconut oil.

Akapha type (predisposed to respiratory ailments) will benefit from the use of warm, light, stimulating oils such as sage, basil, cedar, pine, myrrh in very light carrier oils. The use of sharp, stimulating fragrances is beneficial for the kapha type.

Aromatic ayurvedic massages, whether for rejuvenation or health, are big business the world over. An entire tourism industry is booming around it in Kerala, with tax and other incentives given to entrepreneurs to set up quality ayurvedic resorts offering genuine ayurvedic treatment. Aromatherapy, an integral part of ayurveda, will obviously receive a fillip with such incentives. Over centuries and across cultures, the belief holds that essential oils have the ability to advance mystical ecstasy and heightened awareness be it in places of worship, religious gatherings or in the meditation room.

Beneficial oils include frankincense, sandalwood, lavender, rose, jasmine, rosemary and angelica. An ancient recommendation of essential oils to balance, strengthen and energizes your seven chakras: jasmine and ylang-ylang for the base or root chakra, vertivert for the hara, rose-mary and lemon for the solar plexus chakra, neroli for the heart chakra, benzoin for the throat chakra, sandalwood for the third eye chakra and rose for the crown chakra.

For instance, sandalwood oil, blended in a carrier oil and rubbed between the brows, the third chakra, holds the promise of psychic enfoldment. So what in essence, doe one have here? An alternative remedy which has crossed barriers, got the tacit nod of approval from orthodox medical researchers, scientists and doctors. Their research has demonstrated that medicinal properties are actually present in aromatherapy oils, that aromatherapy is an immensely versatile system which is accessible to both scientific examination and individual experimentation.

Also read:

• Aromatherapy : Identify your essential oil with Ayurveda
• Aromatherapy - The basics
• Aromatherapy - Practice and principles
• Aromatherapy - does it really work ?
• Understanding Ayurveda: Know thy Doshas