Essential Oils You're Not Using But Should Be

As you scroll through your Facebook feed or sip wine at a friend's party, chances are you'll hear someone talking about the power of essential oils. They seem to be everywhere these days, and it can be hard to determine which ones are worth trying. Essential oils are used for everything from physical health problems like fungal infections to emotional concerns like anxiety or depression. They have been used for thousands of years as both medicine and perfumes. Essential oils are even included in many religions' rituals and practices.

Several studies have found that when healthcare providers use essential oils with their pregnant patients, the women not only report less anxiety and fear, but their pain level and nausea are improved as well. Essential oils have been helpful for hair loss, constipation, and psoriasis. Smelling some essential oils could even help you feel better during a colonoscopy! Those are some powerful little plants.

Because essential oils, like all natural remedies and supplements, are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), they are not guaranteed to be safe or effective. It's important to always be cautious and talk with your doctor if you have any questions about how essential oils will affect your health and any medications you're currently taking.

While we don't know exactly how essential oils affect our health, we know our sense of smell plays an important role. When we inhale essential oils, the tiny smell receptors in our nose pick up the message and send it to the brain. Our sense of smell can send messages to the part of the brain that affects our emotions and memories. This explains why every time you smell tequila, you're immediately transported back to college spring break.

Mayo Clinic nurse Sheryl Ness, R.N. explained the process on the hospital's blog. "Aromatherapy works by stimulating smell receptors in the nose, sending messages via the nervous system to the limbic system — a part of the brain that controls emotions," she wrote. "Some common aromatherapy scents used for relaxation include: lavender, jasmine, chamomile, bergamot, rose, clary sage, neroli, sandalwood, ylang ylang, and vanilla."

If you're used to suffering all winter with red, chapped hands and skin, evening primrose oil is here to help. This essential oil has been proven to improve the itching and dry skin caused by eczema and dermatitis. As the mother of a child with eczema, I would be willing to try anything that will keep her from itching her skin off. Evening primrose has even been used by Native Americans to treat bruises, open wounds, and sore throats.

Evening primrose oil can also help with premenstrual syndrome (PMS)! When you take a supplement of it by mouth, it should help with common PMS symptoms like breast pain. Now if it only took care of those chocolate cravings.

Next time you enjoy half a grapefruit in the morning, hang on to the seeds and pulp. That's where grapefruit seed extract comes from. Grapefruit seed extract is a natural detoxifier and can help our immune systems fight off infection. Taking it by mouth can help with tummy troubles like diarrhea and even food poisoning.

While grapefruit seed extract is loaded with health benefits, make sure to read the label before you buy it. Many store-bought varieties can be loaded with chemicals and preservatives, which pretty much defeats the purpose of trying this natural remedy. For this reason, physician Andrew Weil, M.D. recommends only using grapefruit seed extract on your skin, as opposed to taking it by mouth. Dr. Weil suggests placing some of the oil on your nails to treat nail fungus or even spraying it around your kitchen to prevent mildew. That sounds like a much better way to take care of that buildup in the shower than spending your weekends scrubbing it down with harsh chemicals.

Munching on too many candy canes during the holiday season? Go for it! Peppermint is good for you and does a lot more than just make your hot chocolate taste extra delicious. Peppermint has been found to have a numbing effect, which is why it's used to treat headaches, nausea, diarrhea, menstrual cramps, and even anxiety.

Peppermint has also been shown to calm our stomach muscles. When our muscles aren't all clenched up, we can then digest food faster and even get rid of painful gas faster. This could also be why peppermint is so helpful for nausea. When I was dealing with constant morning sickness during my pregnancy, smelling and drinking peppermint tea was the only thing that helped me. Peppermint can also ease the cramping and pain from irritable bowel syndrome. However, peppermint can actually make heartburn and reflux worse, so avoid it after that big burrito at lunch.

If you'd like to drop a few holiday pounds, don't put the candy canes away just yet. The Chicago Tribune reported on research finding that smelling peppermint reduced feelings of hunger and actually caused study participants to eat 2,800 fewer calories in a week! Smelling a little peppermint can even help you feel more alert and motivated.

Peppermint is also helpful for colds and flu. That menthol in sprays and rubs for throat pain and congestion comes from peppermint. It helps loosen up the annoying phlegm sitting in your sinuses and lungs, so you can cough it up and move on with your life. If you'd like to use peppermint for your cold, brew up some peppermint tea or try the coated capsules.

Bilberry is the blueberry's younger, cooler little sister. It's also full of antioxidants, but has loads of other healing properties. It can even be used in pies just like blueberries! Well, maybe make that a sugar-free pie, because bilberry can help manage diabetes. It's been used to control blood sugar levels and can be especially helpful right after a meal. Some research has found that taking bilberry activates fat burning in the body. Maybe a little bilberry pie after dinner tonight? Some research has shown that the antioxidants in bilberry may be good for our hearts as well. Bilberry has properties that strengthen our blood vessels and improve our circulation. This means less work for our heart, which is always a good thing.

A little bilberry jam or essential oil may help you see better, too. Its antioxidants can improve retina health and may improve our vision. It has also been shown to be helpful in patients who have the vision problem glaucoma.

If you open your kitchen cabinets, you'll likely find rosemary sitting back there. Not only can it add some great flavor to chicken and fish, but rosemary essential oil may improve memory, help muscle pain, and improve circulation. Rosemary oil should always be used on the skin and not swallowed. Like its essential oil friends, rosemary oil has been shown to kill some types of bacteria and fungus.

Rosemary may help with hair loss, too. Massaging your head with rosemary oil could stimulate hair growth, but the research is mixed. Either way, you'll smell delightful. Just smelling the oil can lead to feeling more relaxed and less stressed. It may even improve your memory.