The use of essential oils for emotional well-being are what many people have become familiar when  discussing aromatherapy, a healing modality of alternative medicine which claims that aroma from essential oil has curative effects .  An essential oil is a liquid generally distilled by steam from various parts of a plant known to have medicinal, psychological and therapeutic benefits when applied topically or through inhalation. The parts of a flower used to produce this oil stored in small vials can be the flowers, stems, leaves or roots of the plant.  Essential oils are the essence of the plants which are often blended to produce another oil combining the main qualities of the ingredients.

For travelers the qualities such as balancing, relaxing, purifying and energizing are helpful to keep one's holistic health in check while in transit, in temporary residence, and dealing with diverse stress factors that come with travel. Even though there are a number of essential oils available in the market, travelers could choose from the basic five for travel:  rose, lavender, spearmint, orange, and sandalwood essential oils.

Rose essential oil has a strong floral and sweet scent.  It is indicated for depression, eczema, frigidity, mature skin, menopause and stress.  No special precautions are indicated for using this oil.

Lavender essential oil has a fresh, sweet, floral yet fruity scent.  It is indicated for acne, allergies, anxiety, asthma, athlete's foot, bruises, burns, chicken pox, colic, cuts, cystitis, depression, dermatitis, dysmenorrhea, earache, flatulence, headache, hypertension, insect bites, insect repellant, itching, labor pains, migrane, oily skin, rheumatism, scabies, scars, sores, sprains, strains, stress, stretch marks, vertigo and whooping cough. No known contraindications are noted.

Spearmint essential oil has a minty yet slightly fruity scent. It is indicated for asthma, exhaustion, fever, flatulence, headache, nausea, scabies and vertigo. Care must be taken as this oil can irritate the mucus membranes.

Sweet orange essential oil has a sweet fragrance similar to that given off by orange peels.  It is indicated for colds, constipation, dull skin, flatulence, flu, slow digestion and stress.  Care must be taken as this oil may cause dermatitis in some people.

Sandalwood essential oil has a rich, sweet, fragrant woodsy scent.  It is indicated for bronchitis, chapped skin, depression, dry skin, laryngitis, leucorrhea, oily skin, scars, sensitive skin, stress and stretch marks.  There is no known special precautions to use this oil.

Comfortable and sanitary air travel using essential oils

For references:

Julia Lawless, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (Rockport, MA: Element Books, 1995)

Robert Tisserand, Essential Oil Safety (United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone, 1995)

By Gina Alzate, who is also the National Intercultural Relationship Examiner and the Philadelphia Romance Examiner. She is a Travel Consultant and a Cruise Planner with World Tours and Cruises, and she leads Divine Romance workshops with Holistic Life Designs.  For more information on holistic and metaphysical workshops Gina hosts and/or leads or about the special world tours she coordinates, contact her today.

Examiner.com delivers the next edition of this series right to your Inbox. To subscribe, please visit here.