People have been using essential oils in rituals, relaxation practices, and therapies for hundreds of years. These vegetable oils are not only fragrant, they possess a certain power to directly touch the emotional and memory center of the brain – the limbic system. This relationship between limbic system and essential oils is supposed to answer the question of why some hostile odors can remind us of strong memories, can change our emotions, and can add to a state of equilibrium.
It is time that we have a closer look at the way this interaction occurs and the very reason that keeps the scientists and aromatherapy enthusiasts involved.
The Limbic System: The Emotional Center of the Brain
The limbic system is an arrangement of integrated organs in the brain containing the amygdala, hippocampus and hypothalamus among some regions in the thalamus.These are the components that deal with feelings, make memories, and manage some automatic operations. The limbic system allows us to process what we experience with our senses, such as the sight of the one we love, the sounds of some music, or the smell of a flower.
Smell is differentiated compared to other senses in that the odors go straight to the brain. Whereas sound or tactile takes very many steps to reach the limbic system, scent molecules hit the system practically immediately. That is why certain smells can arouse emotions, and we are not even aware.
The Science of Scent and Memory
Loading in the nose: When you smell an essential oil, the volatile molecules are directed to the nose and they attach to olfactory receptors. These are receptors that relay a message to the olfactory bulb, a bulb located at the bottom of the brain that follows up with direct communication to the limbic system. This action can be used to explain why a whiff of lavender can seem to be calming..
The strong association of aroma and memory is the basis of the effectiveness of using oil elementalism during meditation and relaxation activity, and even in office setups aimed to enhance concentration.
Organizations/ businesses such as Young Living develop their essential oil remedies in a very delicate manner, where the results are oils that can work effectively on the limbic system and provide a sensory and emotional encounter.
Emotional Regulation and Essential Oils
Any form of essential oils that stimulates the limbic system can be employed to assist in a sense of calmness, focus, or even energy, depending on the fragrant elements within.
By way of illustration, sweet and flowering aromas of the Roman chamomile or the ylang-ylang are commonly associated with relaxation activity. Quite the contrary, the fresh smell of peppermint or rosemary can encourage clarity and alertness.
The fact that the brain can identify familiar smells and the emotions they awaken gives anyone a readily available method of creating helpful habits, whether it is unwinding after a long day or holding an intention during morning reflection.
How Purity and Quality Matter
Remember that not all essential oil influences the limbic system in the same way. The purity and quality of the oil go a long way toward determining its effectiveness in reaching the emotional centers of the brain. The watered-down, fake, or Grubby oils may lack all the fragrance elements required to awaken our olfactory sense.
This is the reason why most individuals using essential oils rely on companies such as Young Living. It provides oils that promote the complete depth and power of the original plant by selecting, distilling, and inspecting appropriately. Such a degree of help can make of great difference to people who desire to enhance their environment or feelings using their smell.
The Usage of This Knowledge by Businesses and Individuals
The connection of key oils with the limbic system is not merely something that scientists make note of; it is also applied in practice. Stores and hotels employ the sense of smell to manipulate customer emotion, influencing mood to lose track of their brand tone or meaning.
This science is used by people frequently without realizing it. They may spread a friendly odor in the home office to feel themselves in their element or apply a certain odor to initiate their rest process. These inclinations are found on the basis of the way the brain is connected to smells.
Conclusion
Essential oils and the limbic system have a relationship, which demonstrates the intersection of nature and brain science. This is because of the direct connection to the center of emotions in our brain that makes a single sniff of our favorite oil be able to transport us, either emotional or mental state or just focus our mind. The more we discover about the ways the brain reacts to smells, the more we can wonder about the power of pure essential oils.
In case you would like to have a look at this link, you need to get a good source of essential oils. One of them is Young Living, which offers oils that have been prepared to retain all the complex scents that are required to trigger the limbic system to give the desired impressive sensory effects.