CERTAIN SWEET SCENTS CURE AILMENTS

Flowers of many plant species produce a scent. This scent is typically a complex mixture of low molecular weight compounds emitted by flowers into the atmosphere and its structure, color and odor are critical factors in attracting pollinators. Although flowers can be identical in their color or shape, there are no two floral scents that are exactly the same because of the large diversity of volatile compounds and their relative abundances and interactions. Thus, scent is a signal that directs pollinators to a particular flower whose nectar and/or pollen is the reward. Volatiles emitted from flowers function as both long- and short-distance attractants and play a prominent role in the localization and selection of flowers by insects, especially moth-pollinated flowers, which are detected and visited at night. Species pollinated by bees and flies have sweet scents, whereas those pollinated by beetles have strong musty, spicy, or fruity odors

To date, little is known about how insects respond to individual components found within floral scents, but it is clear that they are capable of distinguishing among complex scent mixtures. In addition to attracting insects to flowers and guiding them to food resources within the flower, floral volatiles are essential in allowing insects to discriminate among plant species and even among individual flowers of a single species. For example, closely related plant species that rely on different types of insects for pollination produce different odors, reflecting the olfactory sensitivities or preferences of the pollinators. By providing species-specific signals, flower fragrances facilitate an insect's ability to learn particular food sources, thereby increasing its foraging efficiency. At the same time, successful pollen transfer (and thus, sexual reproduction) is ensured, which is beneficial to plants.

Plants tend to have their scent output at maximal levels only when the flowers are ready for pollination and when its potential pollinators are active as well. Plants that maximize their output during the day are primarily pollinated by bees or butterflies, whereas those that release their fragrance mostly at night are pollinated by moths and bats. During flower development, newly opened and young flowers, which are not ready to function as pollen donors, produce fewer odors and are less attractive to pollinators than are older flowers. Once a flower has been sufficiently pollinated, quantitative and/or qualitative changes to the floral bouquets lead to a lower attractiveness of these flowers and help to direct pollinators to unpollinated flowers instead, thereby maximizing the reproductive success of the plant.

There is nothing quite like the fragrance of flowers in full bloom on a quiet summer evening. Cutting fresh flowers for the home brings the scent inside for a while, but it soon fades, leaving you with nothing but memories. With a few inexpensive supplies and a little time, you can preserve the fragrance of summer flowers by extracting their scent with oils to use as perfume or to scent your home throughout the year.

Research on these floral oils is pouring in. Some twenty recent studies show sniffing the stuff could benefit your health—but only if it is done right.                                                    

Staking drugs is no longer just the domain of new-age spas and hippie enclaves, essential oils have become a $1.2 billion business. The plant-extracted, highly concentrated liquids have historically been selling points in beauty and cleaning products—and now research proves that when inhaled properly, they're also good medicine, says Brent Bauer, M.D., director of the Complementary and Integrative Medicine program at the Mayo Clinic.

Dozens of studies have found that essential oils can both protect your long-term health and relieve symptoms of common maladies. They can help lower stress levels, relieve pain, improve mood, and quell cravings and nausea. Essential oils have even been demonstrated in lab studies to kill flu, E. coli, and cancer cells.

"Research shows that, when inhaled, the oils activate your brain's hypothalamus, which controls hormones, energy, and drive," says Louis Gravengaard, a director of alchemy at I AM Enlightened Creations, an aromatherapy and healthy-lifestyle company. Different essential oils trigger different responses in the brain, which, in turn, directs your nervous system to, say, chill out or spring into action.

The findings are promising (imagine swapping pills for scents!), but they come with a caveat: "Whatever is powerful enough to exert a beneficial effect in the body is powerful enough to exert a negative effect," says Bauer. Essential oils release volatile organic compounds (VOCs), off-gases often linked to paints and pesticides. (Some VOCs are more hazardous than others, and "volatile" just means a substance can evaporate.) So while, for instance, moderate exposure to essential oils can be heart-healthy, prolonged exposure can pose cardiac risks.

The key is staying within a 15-to 60-minute sweet spot—never breathe in essential oils for more than one hour at a time. Always follow the instructions on the bottle, and if you are taking any medications or suffer from a chronic health condition, ask your doctor before you start practicing aromatherapy. Just as with any other medicine, essential oils must be used correctly to yield huge health rewards.

Since they're not yet FDA-regulated, the essential oils on store shelves may not be the real thing, says essential-oil expert Megan Schwarz, creator of the blog Seed to Serum. Follow these tips to make sure you purchase genuine products.

Beware the blanket aromatherapy label, often slapped on diluted oils laced with synthetic fragrances.

Look for 100 percent pure and organic oils free of fillers, pesticides, and synthetic chemicals.

If a label says therapeutic grade or steam distilled,  it is eeven better.

Most essential oils have long shelf lives—more than a year if stored in a cool, dry place. If the shop you're in is hot or humid, buy elsewhere.

A diffuser is the most effective way to unleash essential oils into the air, but if you don't have one (they run from $25 to $200), you can drip oil into a bowl of steaming hot water. In either case, use one or two drops of  any of one particular oil at a time. Stand a few feet away and take ten deep breaths, then breathe normally. If you stay within the safe time limit and open a window when you're done, you can practice aromatherapy every day. If you are at work or in your car, place one drop of any one particular oil on a cotton ball, put it under your nose, and inhale normally for one to two minutes.

                                 

When I was 12 years of age, I was living temporarily with a family in Vancouver on the west coast of Canada while my mother was attempting to find work. She would visit me every two weeks.  In one of her visits, she gave me a small tube and when I inserted it in one of my nostrils and sprayed the substance inside the nostril  and breathed in a sweet smelly flagrance, it cleared my nose. As I got older, I bought more of those tubes not to clear my nose but to remind me of my mother which then made me feel good. Of course, the effect was purely psychological. 

Various smells will always bring back memories. When I smell flowers, it reminds me of the flowers I smelled when I was living at that home.  When I smell oil in a service station, it reminds me of the bunker oils our ships used and it brought memories to the fore about events I experienced when I served in the Canadian Navy during the Korean War.

Various oils have different effects on our psychological feelings. However, inhaling essential oils in large quantities or for long periods of time may cause dizziness, headache, and nausea. Driving a motor vehicle after in haling these flagrants to excess at any one time can be very risky.

Picture this scenario. You are overwhelmed by smelling a particular scent in your car and you became dizzy. Your dizziness resulted in you losing control of your car and you smashed into the car ahead of you that stopped for a red light. The Police officer asked you to step outside your car and you stumbled because of your dizziness. He asked  you if you had been drinking alcohol. You told him that you were sober. He told you to blow into a handheld breathalyzer and it shows that you are not impaired by alcohol.  He lets you go. Meanwhile, driving your vehicle while still under the influence of that rather dangerous flagrance will still make you a danger to others on the road. 

Does this mean that the day will come when the police have breathalyzers that can define essential oils that you inhaled in large quantities or for long periods of time that caused your dizziness, headache, and nausea and if you fail the test, you will be charged with driving while impaired by  haling a particular flagrant to excess?

Hey. Stop your laughing!  My fellow sailors laughed at me in 1952 when I told them that the day would come when we could take money from our banks by inserting a bank card into a machine.  They’re not laughing now.