We know essential oils for their disinfectant power. But some of them are also fabulous for the mind and memory (medicine of the spirit). Essential oils can thus help us to cure negative emotions that overwhelm us. They also act, when used correctly, to stimulate the brain and boost it.
List Of Benefits Of Essential Oils For The Memory.
How Do Essential Oils Work On Your Memory?
Essential oils act by increasing the oxygen supply to the brain. In this way, they allow to optimization of the functioning of the memory. Essential oils also help to improve concentration and stimulate or boost our creativity.
They do this in a completely natural and healthy way, without causing addiction since they are not drugs!
The beneficial effects of essential oils for memory are useful in everyday life and benefit most people. These scents are easy to use and the treatment can be applied wherever we are, at home or at work. Essential oils are especially recommended for children and students, who need to develop their learning skills.
However, the area of application of essential oils is still confusing. We hope to help you out with this article! Their effects on memory, in any case, have already been studied and proven by numerous scientific studies. Some benefits have been known for a long time and have been used in traditional pharmacopeia.
Man has a sense of smell. This sense is not as developed as in most animals. But during our evolution, it is the sense of smell that has helped us to “smell danger”, to detect food, to recognize spoiled or toxic food. It is therefore not surprising that the sense of smell and the scents of essential oils are able to stimulate one of the oldest parts of our brain.
But What Is An Essential Oil?
Essential oils are currently experiencing a boom. They can be bought in pharmacies, organic stores, drugstores, or on the Internet. They are more and more often mentioned in the press. Tips and recipes are exchanged on the Internet.
In this flood of information and products, it is not always easy to separate the wheat from the chaff, and customer reviews are not always enough to guide you.
You will be able to recognize authentic essential oils thanks to the label “100% natural essential oil”. This means that you have in your hands an oil that has been extracted exclusively from the corresponding mother plant – without the addition of similar (cheaper) fragrance oils or even synthetic additives.
Aromatic plants produce essential oils through photosynthesis. Essential oils are actually highly concentrated and volatile plant essences, which are mainly obtained by steam distillation of aromatic plants (herbs, flowers, leaves, branches, seeds).
Large quantities of plants are used to obtain a few drops of essential oil. For example, 120 to 140 g of lavender flowers are needed to produce 1 gram (about 25 drops) of lavender oil; for the same amount of rose oil, up to 5 kg of rose flowers, and for 1 gram of lemon balm oil, even 7 kg of lemon balm herb!
Main Essential Oils For The Memory.
1 – Rosemary Essential Oil To Boost Memory.
One of the main essential oils to support or boost the brain and cognitive functions of rosemary. This aromatic plant gives off a very powerful scent when you crush its needles. It has been demonstrated that this oil is able to significantly increase the performance of our memory.
Scientists from the University of Northumbria in Newcastle, UK, have shown that long-term memory was significantly improved in people who had only used rosemary oil for a few minutes and that the improvement was almost 15%. A promising discovery for Alzheimer’s patients.
The same scientific team looked at the performance of rosemary in school-aged children in 2017 and found that exposure to the aroma of the essential oil helped boost working memory performance. The ability to solve mental math tasks was significantly improved.
For the moment, these are purely empirical studies, without the researchers have looked into the causes of the phenomenon. However, they believe that the observed effect is linked to an interaction between rosemary essential oil and the electrical activity of the brain.
2 – Sandalwood Essential Oil To Boost Concentration.
The essential oil of Indian sandalwood (and to a lesser extent Hawaiian) produces aromas that are beneficial to the health of our brain and promote concentration.
First of all, the aroma of sandalwood develops a relaxing and soothing effect. On the other hand, the main component of sandalwood essential oil, alpha-sotalol, has been shown to increase attention and improve your mood at the same time.
Because of these combined effects, it is useful to diffuse sandalwood essential oil if you are exposed to stress. However, it is known that tension is not beneficial to the memory and facilitates forgetfulness.
You can also use it when you are in a period of your life where you have to provide high or complex cognitive performances.
3 – Frankincense Essential Oil To Stimulate Learning Ability.
Frankincense essential oil is one of those oils that are able to cross the blood-brain barrier of the human body.
The blood-brain barrier protects the brain from harmful substances. Sesquiterpenes, which are chemical components contained in certain essential oils such as sandalwood and frankincense, can overcome this barrier and act on the brain.
Frankincense essential oils help to improve the oxygen supply to the limbic system. This results in increased secretion of antibodies (which play an important role in fighting pathogens), endorphins (our “happy hormone”), and, in particular, neurotransmitters.
Frankincense essential oil is, therefore, useful against memory and attention disorders.
4 – Peppermint Essential Oil To Boost Cognitive Performance And Attention.
Peppermint essential oil is not only a great help for headaches and migraines, but it can also support our brain in its various tasks, including memorization.
This oil is revitalizing, its aromas have tonic effects and stimulate the nervous system. Peppermint is composed of menthol and menthone, two substances that support the activities of the brain during intense efforts. It is therefore not surprising that peppermint essential oil also contributes to better memory and greater productivity.
5 – Boost Memory And Sensory Perception With Clary Sage.
Clary sage essential oil has long been known to help preserve mental capacity. Studies are underway on patients with Alzheimer’s disease and the partial results seem promising.
Clary sage essential oil stimulates our senses. It helps increase the release of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in the transmission of signals between synapses.
A few drops of clary sage essential oil are enough to promote memory action and stimulate perceptions. A higher dosage improves mood and attention while allowing a sense of inner peace and contentment.
6 – Neroli Essential Oil For More Creativity.
Citrus oils in general help boost our creativity. This is the case, in particular, of the essential oil of neroli which is extracted from the flowers of the bitter orange. This substance is found in great perfumes. Neroli stimulates the mood and promotes concentration.
7 – Basil Essential Oil For Learning.
Fatigue and stress are one of the most common problems today. Especially in a school setting, these disorders interfere with learning. Fortunately, the essential oil of tropical basil can contribute to their rapid management.
You can diffuse it during the revisions, to slacken you and reduce as well the tensions as the muscular spasms. It helps with relaxation, allowing you to focus on your learning.
A 2012 study showed that a blend of basil, peppermint, and helichrysum essential oils can effectively reduce fatigue and stress.
That’s why this essential oil is not only used to increase concentration during learning processes but it’s also proven effective in treating nervousness, mental fatigue, melancholy, sleep disorders, and migraines.
Vetiver Essential Oils Help Memorization.
Vetiver root is used for the production of essential oil. It is successfully used in aromatherapy to relax and reduce anxiety. As it promotes sleep, it is also beneficial during learning phases, where the work of memorization is intense.
Studies have shown that Vetiver essential oil improves brain activity and relieves ADHD symptoms. Dr. Friedmann in particular has been investigating the properties of vetiver essential oil and their relevance to children with disorders such as ADHD.
The experiment consisted of having young patients inhale vetiver oil three times a day for 30 days. The doctor was able to see an improvement in concentration, as well as increased performance in school. 80% of the children saw an improvement in their situation.
8 – Patchouli Essential Oil For Memory.
Patchouli is an intensely fragrant essential oil derived from the patchouli flower, a plant of the Labiatae family, native to Asia.
In addition to a potentially positive effect against headaches, inflammation, and colds, the essential oil is also used for learning, especially in stressful situations.
It is considered that patchouli essential oil develops a beneficial effect on memory and learning due to its regulating and balancing effect on the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.
9 – Other Essential Oils For Memory.
Not all essential oils are stimulating for memory. Lavender, for example, is said to have the opposite effect, even though it is calming and promotes calming and relaxation. Here are some other essential oils that can be used to boost memory.
- Bergamot: helps fight stress and strengthens the mind.
- Ylang-Ylang: this essential oil has a calming effect and helps to fight against stress during learning.
- Grapefruit: stimulates the brain and nervous system and makes you more alert.
How To Use Essential Oils For Memory?
The health effect of essential oils is no longer in question. They are commonly used to disinfect or to heal wounds. They are also very effective for massages, in a carrier oil.
But how to use them to boost memory?
As we have seen in this article, it is when they are inhaled that essential oils unfold their full potential and come to boost our cognitive abilities. When you’re on the go, you can simply slip a bottle of your favorite essential oil into your pocket or bag and breathe deeply.
But there are more pleasant techniques for diffusing aromas.
- You can put a few drops on a handkerchief and inhale.
- You can also pour a few drops into a bowl of water and place it on a radiator for a gentle and gradual diffusion.
- Finally, you can buy an essential oil diffuser, which has two compartments: one for the water and the oil drops, and another for a candle that will ensure the diffusion by the effect of heat.
Conclusion.
Essential oils allow you to take care of your cognitive functions and memory in a completely natural and, above all, very pleasant way. They improve blood circulation in the brain, help fight stress and facilitate concentration, which is necessary for learning and building memories. Tell us below what you thought of our list of essential oils for memory. Did you already know about them? Did you discover others? Feel free to tell us in the comments about your experiences with essential oils!
