Our sense of smell is the only sense that is directly tied to the limbic area of the brain, which is considered the emotional control center. And when we inhale essential oils they go directly to the brain. The other four senses — taste, sight, touch and hearing — are first routed through the thalamus before reaching designated areas of the brain.
Therapeutic-grade essential oils can have amazing psychological and physiological effects since the limbic system is directly connected to parts of the brain that control blood pressure, heart rate, breathing, stress levels, memory, and hormone balance. Every essential oil has therapeutic calming, sedative, stimulating, and balancing properties. The inhaled molecule of the essential oil travels through the nasal passage to a receptor neuron that transports it up to the limbic brain, particularly the hypothalamus. The limbic center in the brain controls all the physical, psychological, and emotional responses that the body performs based on stimuli that come from the outside. Therefore, the capacity of essential oils to target the limbic center makes them a powerful tool in the treatment of many health diseases.
