Which hormones does aromatherapy release and how do they benefit the user?

Byamna shareef

Aromatherapy administers essential oils in four different ways and delivers countless health benefits. Since it uses essential oils, it is also called essential oil therapy. For best results, the method used for essential oil extraction has to obtain these oils in their purest possible form. 

Four ways of applying essential oils for aromatherapy are as follows:

  • Massage
  • Direct Inhalation
  • Lotions or Bath Salts applied on Skin
  • Indirect Inhalation 

When applied, these oils release two hormones that are at the root of the benevolent health effects of aromatherapy:

  • Endorphins bring down stress levels and the feeling of pain.
  • Oxytocin is related to social behaviour areas such as trust, recognition, and anxiety. It also plays a major role in childbirth. 

Release of these hormones treats or mitigates the following conditions:

  • Stress
  • Insomnia
  • Alopecia areata
  • Pain
  • Anxiety
  • Agitation 

Aromatherapy is also making rapid strides in the treatment or mitigation of:

  • Acne
  • Burn Scars
  • Respiratory and Cardiovascular Disorders
  • Indigestion
  • Cough and Cold
  • Immunity Boosting
  • Healing Wounds 

Speaking of essential oil extraction, the following methods are used for the same:

By far, the CO2 SCFE is the preferred method because it extracts the essential oils in their relatively pure form i.e. without altering their chemical composition. CO2 SCFE uses carbon dioxide as the supercritical fluid (SCF) and its extraction action is based on pressure differential:

  • At high pressure, supercritical CO2 (sCO2) separates the essential oil from the raw material. This process takes place in the extractor.
  • At low pressure, sCO2 releases the essential oil from solution. The location for this process is the separator.

Solvent power of SCFs is tunable to extract one particular compound. In the extractor, the SCF separates the required essential oil while leaving other compounds from the raw material largely untouched. Solvent power is the capacity to dissolve the required compound.

Another reason for SCFE being a pure method for essential oil extraction is the low critical temperature of CO2 – 31.1 deg-Celsius. This keeps process temperature low and prevents thermal distortion or change in chemical composition under the action of heat.

Hydrodistillation uses heat and is prone to thermally distorting the extracted essential oil. Solvent extraction, another alternative method, is also likely to change the chemical composition of essential oil. The solvent first dissolves the essential oil molecule. Later, it is separated from the molecule but not completely. Solvent residues continue to linger with the essential oil molecule thereby affecting its purity and subsequent efficacy.