:: May/June 2004 Volume 3/Number 3

Aromatherapy:
The Healing Power of Scent

By Felicia M. Tomasko

“The wind, one brilliant day, called to my soul with an odor of jasmine.”

–Antonio Machado

Poets exalt the power of smell. In this season of blooming jasmine, its wafting fragrance opens the heart bringing smiles to all but the most jaded. Scents transport us into our memories and connect us to our emotions. Flowers’ perfumes beguile pollinators; similarly, we apply colognes to attract. But smell is not merely a frivolity; in herbal traditions both East and West aromatherapy is a potent therapeutic technique for physical, psychological and spiritual healing.

Photo by Felica M. Tomasko

Aromatherapy is the medicinal use of scent. Not just any fragrant chemical is used; in both Ayurveda and western aromatherapy the use of pure essential oils rather than synthetic copies is recommended. Pure essential oils are the distillation of volatile compounds from flowers, seeds, bark, heartwood or resin. Herbs comprise a multitude of interacting chemicals, so essential oils contain a symphony of scented compounds that affect the body in a manner both subtle and profound. 

When a smell is perceived in the nose, its particles are immediately absorbed into the bloodstream. These particles are also transported along the olfactory nerve directly to the brain’s limbic system, accounting for the effects of smells on our emotions and memories, as the limbic system is intimately connected to both emotion and memory.

Ayurvedic aromatherapist DeAnna Batdorf states that one of the safest ways to use essential oils for aromatherapy is in abhyanga or Ayurvedic oil massage, either through self-massage or with a practitioner. Essential oils are applied over the entire surface of the body, diluted with a vegetable-based massage oil. The scent is inhaled during the massage and lingers on, creating an enduring effect. Additionally, the essential oil is absorbed into the skin, multiplying and intensifying its action.

Aromas to affect the doshas

In frantic moments, overwhelmed by stress, worry, anxiety, or too much mental activity, the vata dosha has blown in. The dry empty qualities of vata (made up of the air and space elements) are soothed and assuaged by sweet, earthy, or musky scents. Ayurvedic herbs like khus, vetiver and jatamansi have earthy qualities that ground and settle the airy vata dosha, while sweet smells including rose geranium and ylang ylang both warm and uplift. 

When skin is breaking out, ulcers won’t cool down, or anger, frustration and impatience flare, the campfire of pitta dosha (the fire element) has escaped its rocky enclosure. To dampen the flames, try light, sweet, and astringent, flowery, and cool fragrances to soothe the blistering heat. Sandalwood, rose, jasmine, mint, lavender, yarrow and blue chamomile are all botanical fire extinguishers.

In situations of physical or emotional stagnation, weight gain, sluggishness or edema, kapha dosha, composed of water and earth, has taken hold. To tear down the earthen walls, spicy, pungent or activating aromas break up and shift stagnation and excess earth. Rosemary, camphor, myrrh and citrus scents including orange, bergamot, lemon and grapefruit, warm and activate. 

The practice of aromatherapy can take many forms and can be added to a daily routine. A jasmine bush planted outside a window can infuse a room or garden with soothing sweetness. The burning of sandalwood incense can calm a raging pitta fire, and a few drops of rosemary in a diffuser promote an uplifting energetic state. Scent-infused soaps and body care products are not only luxuries, but medicines for the body and mind, too. Lavender oil can be used directly on the skin to heal wounds, and oils can be applied to marma points. Adding a few drops of essential oil to your morning abhyanga creates a transformative personal concoction; khus and sandalwood induce relaxation and support meditation.

To explore the medicinal qualities of essential oils, see a qualified practitioner. But be assured that by incorporating the use of essential oils into your treatment regimen or daily routine, you can experience first-hand why poets exalt the power of smell.

Felicia M. Tomasko teaches yoga and is an Ayurvedic practitioner in Santa Barbara, CA.