With the increasing popularity of aromatherapy, with various types of aromatherapy candles available for purchase, the essential oils are being used more and more. These are completely natural and readily available locally and from many Web sites, as well as from various mail-order sources that sell herbs and other natural health products. They are well worth your attention and investigation, not only for the pleasant scents they can provide for your candles, but also for the therapeutic possibilities they offer.

Many excellent books are available on the fascinating subject of essential oils. You can obtain a detailed listing of essential oils, descriptions, Latin names, the part of the plant used, and the country where the oil is produced, at www.halcyon.com/kway/details. Another useful source of information is www.aromaweb.com. This site will provide information about where to buy essentials, allow you to look up books, contact experts, and gives lots of tips for beginners. The advice here is straightforward and no-nonsense — written by real people who know their stuff, not by manufacturers or someone trying to sell you something.

A History of Essential Oils

How, one might wonder, is it possible to extract those tiny droplets we call “essential oils” from the bulk of the plant material? And how can these extracted oils be stored?

Considering this secret was known some 5,000 years ago in Egypt, it seems quite odd that it has been so often “lost” through the ages and has had to be rediscovered.

Archaeologists discovered distillation devices in Mesopotamia, circa 5,000 B.C., and Egypt was using essential oils as early as 4,000 B.C. The most frequently used oils in that ancient era were distilled from cedar and other conifers, cinnamon, lily, dill, basil, and coriander — all plants still familiar to us today. Used for healing as well as cosmetic purposes — and for ritual ceremonies — essential oils were known in Babylon, India, and China. After their conquest of the Egyptian empire, the Romans incorporated the knowledge of essential oils into their culture.

However, there are no records suggesting that essential oils were used after the fall of the Roman Empire. They reappeared at the end of the tenth century in Arab countries where physicians used them to treat patients. It is believed that the famous Arabian physician who went by his European name of Avicenna (980–1037) rediscovered the method for extracting the precious oils from plants. Later, after their conquest of Spain, the Moors taught the art of extracting essential oils at universities in Spain, which they founded. However, with the ouster of the Arabs from Spain, essential oils once again fell into disuse.

Ironically, the first major indication of the antiseptic properties of essential oils in Europe came from the fact that perfumers — who handled the oils daily as part of their profession — were seemingly immune to the plague known as the “Black Death” and to the epidemics of cholera that periodically swept Europe during the Middle Ages. By the late seventeenth century, the oils were back in use, primarily for medicinal purposes.

Toward the end of the nineteenth century, scientific inquiries into the antibacterial properties of plants began to clarify the chemical composition and potential healing powers of essential oils, which work on a molecular level, benefiting the chemical makeup of our organisms. Alas, and as usual, instead of this discovery leading to an increase in the use of essential oils, scientists attempted to mimic their properties in order to create synthetic chemical substitutes.

It was the work of a French chemist, René-Maurice Gattefossé in the early 1900s that brought renewed interest to this form of healing. Considered the “father of modern aromatherapy,” Dr. Gattefossé coined the term aromatherapy when he used it as the title of a book he published in 1937. He was especially interested in the medicinal aspects of essential oils.

During World War II, another French physician, Dr. Jean Valnet, who had been much impressed with Gattefossé's findings, used essential oils in the treatment of wounds received by soldiers in wartime Europe. He used the oils to disinfect and heal, and in turn published a book, translated into English as The Practice of Aromatherapy: A Classic Compendium of Plant Medicines & Their Healing Properties.

Fortunately, Dr. Valnet was interested in teaching other physicians the medical uses of essential oils and, as a result, there are today more than a thousand physicians in France who use essential oils in their practices.

During the 1920s, Italian scientists conducted experiments with the psychological effects of essential oils. Two of them, Dr. Renato Cayola and Dr. Giovanni Garri, published an article in 1922 discussing the effects of essential oils on the nervous system. They had not only observed the bacteria-destroying capacities of the oils, but they had studied their stimulating and calming effects as well.

Another Italian, Professor Paolo Rovesti, at the University of Milan, conducted research on the psychological effects of essential oils, treating patients afflicted with depression and hysteria. He recommended a variety of combinations of the oils — for example, for depression he recommended combining jasmine, sandalwood, orange blossom, verbena, and lemon oil.

How Essential Oils Work

Today, people all over the world are paying attention to the healing effects of essential oils, and scientists are continuing to conduct research in an attempt to understand more about the effects of these amazing aromas on the human mind, body, and psychology.

Essential oils are extracted from the aromatic essences of certain plants, trees, fruits, flowers, herbs, and spices. Natural volatile oils, they have identifiable chemical and medicinal properties. At this point, over 150 have been extracted — and each has its own definitive scent and unique healing properties. Oils are produced from a wide range of plants — from the exotic jasmine to the garden-variety parsley. For optimum benefit, the oils must be extracted from natural raw ingredients with attention to purity. They must be stored in dark, tightly-stoppered glass bottles and kept away from light and heat in order to maintain their potency. They can be used individually or in combination.

Essential oils affect people through the sense of smell, which is the most potent of all the senses because the information is delivered straight to the hypothalamus. As moods, motivation, and creativity all stem from the hypothalamus, odors affect all of these processes. Think of a disgusting odor and how it can put you off at dinner — or think of a fragrance that brings back a pleasant memory of a loved one, and you'll get the idea of how intimately intertwined scents are with our emotions, memories, and ideas.

Despite considerable research, the chemistry of essential oils is not fully understood. Each oil — by current count — contains at least 100 different constituents, which are chemically classified. Not only that, scientists think there may be many other chemical compounds in essential oils, yet to be identified.

Thus, the oils and their actions are extremely complex. Not only are all of them antiseptic, but each also possesses individual properties. The collective qualities of each oil give it a dominant characteristic — stimulating, calming, energizing, relaxing. Essential oils have obvious psychological effects, and they also have notable physiological effects, which means that within the body they are able to operate in three ways: pharmacologically, physiologically, and psychologically. From the pharmacological perspective, the oils act like medicine by reacting with body chemistry, but with a slower and more sympathetic effect — and with fewer side effects.

Some oils, like lavender, are known as adaptogens. As the name implies, these oils adapt to whatever condition needs assistance. In addition, certain oils have a particular affinity for different body parts — spice oils, for example, tend to benefit the digestive system. Finally, the psychological effect of essential oils is triggered by the connection the aromatic molecules make with the brain.

Those to Leave Alone

Not all natural plants and essential oils are beneficial. The following essential oils should neve r be used:

Bitter almond

Boldo leaf

Calamus

Horseradish

Jaborandi leaf

Mugwort

Mustard

Pennyroyal

Rue

Sassafras

Savin

Southernwood

Tansy

Thuja

Wintergreen

Wornseed

Wormwood

Yellow camphor

Source: The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy by Valerie Ann Worwood

Using Essential Oils to Scent Candles

Essential oils are volatile, which means that merely adding an essential oil to your wax mixture may not produce the strength of fragrance you expect when the candle is burning. One way to use essential oils to scent your candles is to soak the wick in the oil before pouring in the wax. Another is to add a drop or two of the oil to the pool of melted wax after the candle has been burning for a while. This is the same principle as the aromatherapy “diffuser,” which is a small cup or indentation under which a small candle is lit, such as a votive or tealight. The heat from the candle releases the constituents of the oil into the air where they produce the results through the olfactory system.

Commercially prepared candle scents contain fixatives and stabilizers to make the fragrance last while the candle burns. Most of these products are synthetic, and so the person in search of a natural alternative usually turns to the essential oils, or to herbs and flowers from the garden.

One candlemaker suggests experimenting with the ingredients commonly found in your home: vanilla beans, scented bath oils, or any other scented oil-based product. Often these oils are made with a small percentage of essential oil in what is known as a “carrier base,” which could be vegetable oil or mineral oil — a neutral oil. You can also purchase various oils made from spices — cloves, cinnamon, and so on, at your pharmacy for use as candle scents. Just remember the scent must be oil-based or it will be useless.

As a general formula for using essential oils to scent candle wax, start out with half a teaspoon of essential oil to one pound of wax. Never use more than 3 percent of oil by weight, unless you are deliberately trying to mottle the candle's surface. (See “Surface Mottling” on p. 175.)

Here are some representative examples of the uses of essential oils to make scented candles:

Lime blossom	= Energy
Lemongras	= Love
Lavender	= Stress relief
Sweet citrus	= Rejuvenation
Tangerine and lavender	= Well-being
Patchoili and cedarwood	= Sensuality
Wood spice	= Tranquility
Chamomile	= Comfort