How do essential oils affect us?
Once inhaled, the scented molecules pass over and stimulate the olfactory membrane nerves and receptor cells in the nasal cavity. The olfactory membrane is the only place in the human body where the nervous system is exposed and in direct contact with the environment. Impulses from the receptor cells are directly transmitted to the limbic portion of the brain (the subconscious and emotional center) which holds a strong connection with appetite, emotions, heart rate, hunger, instinctive activities, memory, sexual impulses, sleep, and temperature. Before we even consciously perceive scent, the subconscious has already received and reacted to it. More specifically, it is the hypothalamus and pituitary endocrine glands of the limbic brain which create and release hormones and neurochemicals in response to the chemical messengers stimulated from scent. These two glands have the greatest control over many bodily functions. Such chemical changes affect all living cells within your body, espec
