By: Ozren Podnar |
Essential oils for lighting up the mood |
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Depression is one of the most common illnesses in a modern world.
It is among the three leading health problems in developed countries.
Aromatherapy can help with mild to medium types of depression and it can also alleviate mental fatigue and insomnia.
It is more efficient if you use it as additional therapy, with other alternative methods.
Essential oils can be safely used in combinations with conventional medicine or psychotherapy. They are very useful during the period when patients are trying to stop using medicines.
Depression brings deep suffering; it steals our energy and distances us from society. All of that with time even worsens the mental state of patients.
Some essential oils enhance and foster depressed nervous system, others have a calming (anxiolytic) effect or can strengthen our appetite or libido.
Anti-depressive oils with stimulative effect
Many depressed people feel tired; they lack the will for anything and are often sleepy. They need a treatment that can light up their mood and pick up their energy, return home and to stimulate them.
Anti-depressive oils with stimulative effects are lemon, orange, tangerine, grapefruit, bergamot, neroli, geranium and rose.
Oil made of the extract of jasmine flower (Jasmineum grandifloreum) has a heavy, harsh scent that stays in the room for a long time.
It is emotionally warming and stimulative and is one of the most effective oils for lifting up the mood and picking up energy levels.
Rose (Rosa centifolia and Rosa damascene) is probably the first ever flower used for making essential oil – in 10th century AD in Persia. As the rose is called the queen of flowers, its oil is famous as the king among essential oils.
Rose is a gentle but powerful natural antidepressant, nerve tonic and aphrodisiac.
It was shown as most effective for treating depression caused by stress such as giving birth, relationship break up or any other form of loss.
Citric oils give energy
Whoever is prone to depression should have at home a collection of essential oils made of lemon, orange, tangerine and grapefruit.
All citrus fruit essential oils are great for waking up the central nervous system.
Their refreshing scents give new energy and bring back the will for life so they are best if used right after waking up.
Neroli and bergamot oils are also made of citrus fruits, to be more precise, they are made of bitter orange (Citrus aurantium). Neroli is made of flowers and bergamot is made of bitter orange peels.
Neroli has a bittersweet scent that is slightly metallic, while bergamot has a gentler and softer scent. Both oils are good for waking up, revitalizing and enhancing self-confidence. In addition, neroli oil can help with pregnancy or post-partum depression.
Apart from having antidepressant effects, orange essential oil also alleviates anxiety. During one study, people waiting at the dentist’s office were separated into two areas. One was filled with the scent of orange essential oil, the other one was not.
It has shown that patients exposed to the scent of orange oil had lower anxiety levels and had displayed more positive mood than other groups.
Anti-depressive oils with calming effect
Depression is often mixed with anxiety, fear, concern, frustration and insomnia.
If you suffer from such depression, rely on oils that have combined antidepressant and sedative properties, such as lavender, chamomile, clary sage, sandal and ylang-ylang.
Lavender is one of the most famous anti-depressive oils and it is considered that the secret of lavender’s effect lies in the fact that lavender molecules enhance excretion of serotonin in the human brain.
Lavender oil brings peace of mind, harmonizes mixed emotions and calms inner dialogue.
As other calming oils, lavender is best inhaled in the late afternoons and in the evenings since it alleviates insomnia and helps us slip into dreams.
Lavender is also used for enhancing appetite which is often weakened in many depression patients.
Use sage for great mood
Clary sage (Salvia Sclarea) comes from Italy, southern France and Syria, but we can find it in any areas that have dry soil. This essential oil has a beautiful aroma similar to walnut.
Clary sage oil effect is described as a mixture of euphoria, peace of mind and relaxation. Apart from lifting up our mood, it strengthens stress resistance, alleviates psychical tension and relaxes muscles.
Ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata) is a tropical tree that grows in the Philippines, Java, Sumatra and Madagascar.
This oil, whose name means flower-flower, reduces despondency and anxiety, alleviates fears and irritability and enhances dreams.
It also has aphrodisiac properties and wakens up sexual drive. It has a heavy and harsh scent, so do not expose yourself to it for too long because you could develop nausea or headache.
Anti-depressive oils are used in a combination with aromatic lamps, dispensers, scented baths or massages.
You can put several drops on your pillow or linen or on a piece of cotton wool or handkerchief and held under the nose.
- stimulative oils: lemon, orange, tangerine, grapefruit, neroli, bergamot, rose, rosemary, geranium
- relaxing oils: lavender, chamomile, clary sage, mint
- self-confidence oils: jasmine, ylang-ylang, neroli, cedar tree, sandal
- oils for socialization and libido: jasmine, ylang-ylang, neroli, rose and sandal
- oils for appetite: lavender, bergamot, spruce
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