Smell talk: aromatherapy and essential oils

“I just need a few dabs of oil and I’ll be fine.” — Tinman, The Wizard of Oz

All of us have weaknesses — essential oils are one of mine. In fact, I got a whole bunch of them in my vanity. That’s because I never throw away essential oil bottles — there might be a few more drops in there. Why the obsession? Because they smell good and they really work wonders.

The use of these oils and aromatherapy dates back a long way. Tutankhamun — the young King of ancient Egypt was embalmed in myrrh, clove and frankincense; Hippocrates took daily aromatic baths; Alexander the Great, Louis XIV and Napoleon loved rose oil and Sir Walter Raleigh wore strawberry scented colognes.

The sense of smell begins in the Olfactory region behind the bridge of the nose and is connected to the limbic system in the brain which has an instant and powerful sense of recall. Think of how a whiff of lavender can remind you of your granny. Or how good the smell of freshly brewed coffee, freshly mowed lawns, baking bread or jasmine in full bloom can make you feel.

A human being has about 5 million olfactory cells and, interestingly enough, women have a more powerful sense of smell than men. But a cautionary fact about our four-legged family members — they have about 220 million olfactory cells. So if you have a dog in your home…