Ayurvedic Aromatherapy: Using Essential Oils in Ayurveda

In Ayurveda, the traditional healing system of India, Ayurvedic aromatherapy complements diet and lifestyle choices to balance your body based on your dosha and sub-doshas.

The Humors (Doshas) of Ayurveda

Ayurveda has five concepts, called elements:

• Earth represents solid matter (bones, teeth, and tissue).
• Water represents the fluids in the body.
• Fire represents bodily processes such as digestion.
• Wind represents gaseous processes in the body, including respiration.
• Ether represents space in the body.

The five elements combine to form three energies (humors or doshas) that govern the body:

• Vata (ether and air) is cold and dry.
• Pitta (fire and water) is hot and wet.
• Kapha (water and earth) is cold and wet.

You have a predominant dosha, plus each dosha has five sub-doshas, giving you a unique constitution. Ayurveda treats you based not only on your symptoms but also on your constitution. Thus, two people with the same symptoms may receive different treatments.

Ayurveda and Aromatherapy

For the use of aromatherapy and essential oils in Ayurveda, the best resource I have found is Ayurveda & Aromatherapy: The Earth Essential Guide to Ancient Wisdom and Modern Healing. This book explains how to use essential oils in a way consistent with Ayurvedic principles.

For example, essential oils either add heat or have a cooling effect on the body. Blue chamomile is cooling, lavender is neutral, and thyme is hot. So, thyme would increase pitta, which is hot. Neutral oils balance the body and can either cool you down or warm you up.

Ayurveda also classifies essential oils as either wet or dry. Wet oils (for example, geranium and rose) mix well with water, while dry oils (for example, citrus oils and pine) float more on the surface of water. Because vata is dry, dry oils increase vata and wet oils decrease it, while wet oils increase pitta and kapha. Again, some oils, such as lavender, are neutral.

The book goes on to list essential oils appropriate for specific imbalances and also gives you ways to use the oils, including Ayurvedic massage.

Dosha Imbalance and Ayurvedic Aromatherapy

Imbalance in the doshas create physical symptoms. For example:

• Symptoms of vata imbalance include premenstrual syndrome, constipation, insomnia, restlessness, nervousness, anxiety and worry.


• Symptoms of pitta imbalance include high blood pressure, anger, frustration and emotional upsets.


• Symptoms of kapha imbalance are high cholesterol, low metabolic function, slow to lose weight, fluid retention, stagnation and blockage, lethargy, and depression
  

Source: KG Stiles Essential Oils and Aromatherapy Library

Balancing oils for each dosha:

• Balancing oils for vata include bergamot, cardamon, cinnamon leaf/bark, clary sage, clove, frankincense, ginger, lemon, nutmeg, orange, patchouli, and rose.

• Balancing oils for pitta include Roman chamomile, geranium, helichrysum, jasmine, neroli, peppermint, sandalwood, and ylang ylang.

• Balancing oils for kapha include basil, bergamot, black pepper, clove, eucalyptus, fennel, frankincense, juniper, lemon, nutmeg. orange, peppermint, rosemary, sage, and spearmint.

Source: Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art

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Image Credit: Krishnavedala (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons