AROMATHERAPY: THE NOSE KNOWS

There are more than 50 essential oils commonly used in aromatherapy, used to treat a variety of symptoms. It takes at least 50 pounds of plant material to make one pound of oil.

Lavender oil is used to treat sunburns, stress and headaches. The floral scent is also popular in cosmetic products.

A growing trend in alternative health care is aromatherapy, the practice of using fragrant oils extracted from plants for relaxation and medicinal purposes.

Grace Parry, owner of A Touch of Grace herb shop, said she began experimenting with aromatherapy when she opened her herb store about 18 months ago.

"It goes hand in hand with herbs and homeopathic remedies," she said. Parry and her husband have two children and use herbs and homeopathic remedies.

She said she has been teaching her children about the healing qualities of plants and their essential oils, used in aromatherapy. She sells essential oils in her store.

Essential oils are distilled from plant leaves, flowers, roots, seeds, barks and resins or are expressed from the rinds of citrus fruits.

Studies show it generally takes at least 50 pounds of plant material to make a pound of essential oil.

Some, like Melissa, which is produced from the herb lemon balm, take up to 600 pounds of plant to yield an ounce of oil.

Essential oils are usually so concentrated they're mixed with a vegetable-based oil or in water.

Thought to have been developed by the Egyptians more than 6,000 years ago, aromatherapy was continued by the Greeks and Romans. Europeans and North American Indians also used aromatic oils for healing.

Today, Parry said she sees aromatherapy used most often for stress and stress-related ailments.

Her customers often use eucalyptus, frankincense, camphor or tea tree oil in a vaporizer or a burner to help treat stuffy noses and colds.

Others use citrus oils as natural bug repellents and skin cleansers.

Parry said she's not sick very often but has used lavender oil to treat headaches and sunburns.

Massage therapist Kelly Hartmann sometimes uses scented oils for her clients, saying it helps to relax them. "I'm just learning about aromatherapy," she said.

Lavender oil is one of the most popular aromatherapy products, purchased both for health and cosmetic purposes.

Used to treat everything from burns, stress and headaches, the scent of lavender oil is also popular in shampoos, bath salts and perfume.

Candles, aroma stones -- decorative terra cotta pieces scented with essential oils -- and incense are also used in aroma therapy, Parry said.

Touch of Grace employee Annette Emons said she prefers the smell of essential oils to the more common synthetic fragrance blends.

"You can smell so many artificial perfumes coming from a mile away," Emons said. And because of their chemical reaction with different body types, the effect is not always pleasant.

She described essential oils as having a "clean" scent.

How aromatherapy works:

Olfactory nerves in the nostrils transmit aromas to the limbic system, a part of the brain that perceives and responds to memory, pleasure and emotions.

Because olfactory nerves are a direct extension of the brain's limbic system, recognition of smell is relayed immediately.

Recognition takes longer for taste, sound and touch.

Odor triggers the limbic system to release brain-affecting chemicals called neurochemicals: enkephalin, which reduces pain and creates a feeling of well-being; endorphins, which induce sexual feelings and also reduce pain; and serotonin, which creates a feeling of calm.

The theory of aromatherapy is that the brain responds to the aroma of an essential oil by retrieving a past memory associated with the aroma. If the smell is unfamiliar, the brain creates a new memory response.

Memory responses can be relaxing, balancing, energizing or uplifting.

Parry said a favorite aroma of hers is geranium, which she says is an "uplifting, happy" scent.

While certain oils and the responses they trigger are generally agreed upon, no two people are affected exactly the same way, and aromatherapists warn that essential oils are not intended for use in the treatment of specific medical conditions.