Understanding why plants contain essential oils is helpful to fully understand the amazing power of aromatherapy. Plants smell for two main reasons, defense and attraction. The aromatic oils promote a plant’s growth, aid in reproduction by attracting insects, repelling predators and protecting them from disease. As a defense mechanism some leaves, roots and barks have smelly molecules that are unappetizing. This smelly security measure inhibits the growth of neighboring plants, molds, fungus and guards the plant from being chewed by insects or animals.
As an attraction devise flowers and fruit need to catch the attention animals and insects for pollination and seed dispersal. These plants tend to have a sweet tempting and attractive fragrance. Plants depend on these messages of scent to communicate through chemical signals to each other and the world around them.
The therapeutic action of essential oils is attributed to the naturally occurring chemical components within the plants. There are a variety of uses for plants including, essential oils, spices, teas, herbal remedies and nourishment.
Plants are chemical factories. They draw energy from light, darkness, sun and earth. They synthesize this energy into molecules of carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Plants are the “crude fuels” that humans and animals break down to produce adenosine triphosphate, which is our energy frequency of life or our “high-grade fuel” created when we ingest foods. Essential oils are the energy frequency of life or “high-grade fuel” of the plants themselves created when they absorb plant foods. Essential oils are the purest form of the plants living structure.
Where the plant is grown is criticial to the overall therapeutic proporties of the essential oils from the plant. Often I hear people saying that we should stop buying supplies overseas and only buy American. As patriotic as I am that would end the supply of some of the greatest essential oils in the world. I can’t imagine not being able to blend with Tea Tree from Australia, Jasmine from India, or Cistus from Spain.
