In this article, I’ll be sharing information about how essential oils can positively affect our brain health.
Essential oils have long been used to promote overall health and wellness. But for the moment, let’s focus on its benefits for brain health.
What is Brain Health?
Primarily, when your brain is healthy and sound, it has harmonized blood flow vital and necessary to highly function.
A healthy brain is essential for living a long and full life. When your brain is healthy, you’re better able to pay attention, solve problems, communicate, and much more.
Let’s explore how essential oils can play different roles in our brain health through these three specific categories:
How our Brains Work
Our brain is not only one of the most important organs of our body. It is also the most complex.
Do you know how our brains function? Well, our brain contains billions of nerve cells called neurons.
Neurons must communicate and work together for the body to function normally. The neurons communicate through electrical signals. Special chemicals, called neurotransmitters, help move these electrical messages from neuron to neuron.
Information is fed into the brain through the senses. What is heard, felt, tasted, seen, or smelled is detected by receptors in or on the body and sent to the brain through sensory neurons.
The brain decides what to do with the information from the senses and tells the body how to respond by sending out messages via motor neurons. To learn more about brain function read here.
Essential Oils for Brain Injury, Concussion and Trauma
Concussions are usually caused by a blow to the head. Violently shaking of the head and upper body also can cause a concussion. Falls are the most common cause of concussions. Concussions are also common if you play a contact sports, such as football or soccer. Most people usually recover fully after a concussion.
Some effects of concussions include headaches, concentration and memory problems, balance and coordination difficulties and worst some lose consciousness.
On the other hand, traumatic brain injury usually results from a violent blow or jolt to the head or body.
Mild traumatic brain injury may affect your brain cells temporarily. More serious traumatic brain injury can result in bruising, torn tissues, bleeding and other physical damage to the brain.
Injury to the brain can be life changing, and symptoms of brain injury can act as a barrier to engaging in a healthy lifestyle. One of the common symptoms of brain injury is inflammation.
Best Recommended Essential Oils
Peppermint
The key ingredient in doTerra peppermint oil is menthol, which acts as an analgesic. This high menthol content of the doTERRA Peppermint oil sets it apart from others when it comes to quality. Also, it can help ease muscle pain and headaches which are common problems after a brain injury or concussion.
Lavender
Lavender is the suitable essential oil for brain injury patients with anxiety problems or sleep disorders.
It helps decrease blood pressure, heart rate, and skin temperature. Additionally, it improves sleep quality and helps patients improve their insomnia symptoms.
Roman chamomile
Roman Chamomile is one of the popular doTerra oils because of its sweet and soothing nature. It has unique, floral scent and chemical components known for their soothing and anti-inflammatory abilities. When applied topically into your skin it can help prevent swelling or inflammation.
Essential oils for Brain Fog and Low Focus
Let me give you a brief insight about Brain Fog.
Brain fog is a term used for certain symptoms that can affect your ability to think. You may feel confused or disorganized or find it hard to focus or put your thoughts into words.
Common causes of brain fog and low focus are medication, over consumption of sugar pregnancy, menopause, chronic fatigue syndrome, sleep deprivation, thyroid problems, depression and more.
When lately you’re experiencing brain fog or you’re feeling down, and not able to think clearly then it’s best to take a break and try using natural and beneficial products like essential oils to help you uplift, boost your focus and memory and revitalize yourself.
Best Recommended Essential Oils
InTune® Focus Blend
InTune is a proprietary blend of doTerra essential oils. These oils include Sandalwood, Frankincense, and Lime promotes a sense of clarity, while the benefits of Patchouli, Ylang Ylang, and Roman Chamomile are calming and soothing.
This amazing oil blend is perfect to use for any age. It can help you enhance your ability to think clearly and bring back your sense of focus. You can apply it topically or use aromatically.
Rosemary
Rosemary is one of doTerra well known oil that increases alertness and focus. It contains a chemical called 1,8-cineole, which has the ability to inhibit the enzymes that break down acetylcholine in the brain, allowing more to remain and aid the brain in its function.
Also, I love its aromatic and energizing scent. Using Rosemary essential oil will improve your brain focus and clarity without the worry of side effects or putting unnatural substances into your body.
Peppermint
Peppermint is also one helpful essential oil to combat brain fog.
It helps open up airways delivering more oxygen to the brain and mitochondria along with improving alertness and energy. Besides, it also supports stimulate the mind to improve memory, focus, concentration, and mental performance.
You can use peppermint internally, topically or aromatically.
Frankincense
Another go-to essential oil when you’re experiencing brain fog and low focus is Frankincense. It’s known as the king of oils. It’s amazing for supporting important neurological pathways. When diffused, it provides soothing and peaceful experience.
You can also make this DIY Essential Oil Blend that can help you have extra energy, focus and concentration. Breathing in this blend is the best way to boost energy, motivation and focus in a matter of minutes. I love rolling it on my wrists and then inhaling it in.
Essential oils for Brain Fatigue and Weak Memory Retention
Brain or Mental fatigue is a condition triggered by prolonged cognitive activity. Basically, it sends your brain into overdrive, leaving you exhausted, hampering your productivity and overall cognitive function.
The common indications of brain fatigue include mental block, lack of motivation, irritability, stress eating or loss of appetite, lack of clarity, weak memory retention and insomnia. Mental exhaustion can have a negative effect in your life and health.
Best Recommended Essential Oils
Bergamot
Bergamot is an amazing essential oil with fruity and citrus aroma that helps revitalize the senses and improves memory retention. When diffused, it also fights feelings of stress, agitation, depression and anxiety. It’s usually used as a massage oil, just be cautious of its photosensitivity.
Basil
Basil essential oil help benefit both the mind and body. This highly useful oil is a natural tool often used to sharpen focus and memory. It’s typically used when performing a challenging activity or when studying.
Moreover, it provides calming and relieving feelings. This oil contains a chemical component known as Linalool. It is a natural chemical that has the ability to help ease the mind and body, by affecting neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. In addition, Linalool can reduce memory loss and stress.
Ylang-Ylang
Sharpen your brain and memory while reducing negative emotions with Ylang-Ylang essential oil.
Sweet, rich and spicy aroma of Ylang-Ylang has the ability to alleviate stress and anxiety when used aromatically or topically. Also it has the properties to decrease blood pressure and cortisol levels – a hormone that is released as a response to stress.
Reducing stress levels by using this essential oil can provide better mental clarity, where focus and concentration can thrive.
Other Ways to Take Care of Your Brain
Aside from taking care of your mental health through using the extraordinary power of all-natural essential oils here are other ways to take care of your brain health and function.
