Aromatherapy Functional Groups

Earth Solutions became an aromatherapy company in 1995 after it launched the ScentBall Aromatherapy Diffuser to the medical community that was carrying our skin care products. I never expected the path would lead us here. Nor was not my practice to provide aromatherapy to patients as I prescribed other alternative remedies because at the time, there was not a lot of published evidence around aromatherapy and essential oils. Besides, with Earth Solutions, I was looking to escape from the scrutiny of pro-medicine organizations that conflicted with the therapies that I offered in my practice. Chelation therapy, IV Vitamins, Hydrogen peroxide and nutrition consulting were always at odds with mainstream medical convention. And I was enjoying a profession that developed and produced natural personal care products that were not at risk of censure.

Since then, medical science, pharmaceutical science and aromatherapy science have each contributed to the understanding of aromatherapy and essential oils. In fact there is a great deal of evidence that these plant derived aromatic compounds are therapeutic. It is the "functional compounds" from the essential oils that explain why an oil like lavender may express many benefits including what seemed to be somewhat contradictory effects.

The reason for this is that essential oils often contain many functional groups that all have different effects. One functional group may be known to be calming, while another uplifting, even though they are found in the same single note essential oil.

For instance, lavender is helpful in the reduction of mental stress while also increasing arousal rate at the same time (NIH website: Percept Mot Skills. 2001 Dec;93(3):713-8). Not only that, but in the case of immune stress, lavender has been researched and found helpful in that aromatherapy massage with lavender oil provides immunological and psychological benefits by raising the level of white blood cell (CD8 and CD16 lymphocytes) (Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2005 Jun;2(2):179-184. Epub 2005 Apr 27). The benefits of these variable effects are attributed to the various functional groups found within the same plants essential oil.