Thousands of years ago ancient cultures in China, Egypt to Greece realized the important power that scent played. The use of beautiful smells with fragrant oils was popular for religious ceremonies to incense clocks for timekeeping, medicine, massage to perfume the body with herbs and flower essences to skin care.
Scent has the power to influence physiological effects of mood, stress and energy levels according to various studies on brain activities and cognitive functions. Different smells can affect the brain and nervous system in a direct way to stir up emotions and memories. Scents such as rose or vanilla can be all it takes to relive a certain memory in detail enough to picture it once again in the mind.
After all, smells go through the nose, which is the supporting structure that supports the olfactory bulb in the front cortex of the brain that dictates commands through the nervous to other areas of the body. Being a straight path to the limbic system, it deals with our behaviourial and emotional responses needed for us to exist. As a result, it can be how we respond to food, fear and danger to caring for our children to sex.
Even when you eat, this supporting framework in the nose that leads directly to the olfactory bulb is what enables you to distinguish the aroma of various foods. Have you ever noticed when you have a stuffy nose that you can’t smell food that is cooking in the same way or not at all? This is because that path to the olfactory bulb is blocked until the head clears up. Thus, any head injury or direct blow to the nose can be detrimental and disrupt this critical function.
All and all, the influence of scent and aromatherapy is more significant than you may have given it credit for. For instance, inhaling chamomile is wonderful for help when overcome with stress and anxiety. By the same token, lavender also has that ability to calm the senses as you breathe it in. Yet, it also goes a step further by helping induce sleep just as rose can benefit depression while building confidence when feeling at your lowest point.
Citrus scents such as lemon and bergamot also are capable of reducing stress and depression, but they also can support your focus for a clearer mind set.
There is a lot of merit to the healing power of scent that can improve the quality of our lives for its psychological and physiological abilities on the body.
