What’s That Smell?

January 12, 2009 – 8:40 pm

I just read an interesting post on MSN Health about smell and depression.  In particular, the article mentioned citrus scents as being uplifting but then went on to suggest you purchase Calvin Klein or Armani citrus colognes.

These types of articles really get to me because they are so off the mark.  Most cologne does not contain natural scents and are actually toxic pollutants.  If you look at the list of ingredients – such as Diethyl Phthalate, a solvent which is a carcinogen, mimics hormones thus blocking receptor sites from real hormone acceptance, and can cause disruptions to the Central Nervous System, how could you ever recommend someone use it for depression?  This is just one of the ingredients – imagine the synergistic soup when you combine all the other synthetic fragrances and solvents.

It’s great to get on the Aromatherapy bandwagon.  But first let’s get a grasp on what aromatherapy really is before we go endorsing products that supposedly are healing or helpful.  True Aromatherapy can only be achieved when the “therapy” outweighs the “aroma”.  What this means is that you have to start from the point of using pure, unadulterated, unaltered, unrefined, meticulously sourced, grown, and processed plant material.

It is true that citrus scents are wonderful for depression. But in fact citrus scents are not distilled like essential oils, but pressed from the rind.  What if you press a lemon that was grown with pesticides, near a highway with toxic emissions, or watered with fluoridated and other toxic water borne substances?  Is this therapeutic? 

So, if you buy your citrus scent from a vendor that cannot tell you how it was grown, picked, and processed would you still think it contains all of the therapeutics inherent in the nature giving plant?  You cannot assume this to be true.

To be educated on anything that you are going to use with an expected therapeutic intent is the best thing you can do for yourself, and if you use oils on others, for your clients.  Ask the questions of the suppliers.  Demand the highest quality and only purchase the highest quality.   Some oils are labeled therapeutic-grade but are in fact perfume grade.  There are no labeling laws in the US so suppliers can call their oil grade anything they want.

That $9.00 bottle of lavender is cheaper than a true therapeutic-grade lavender for a reason.  It’s time to find out why.

Love my oils,

Maria