what is lilac essential oil good for?
The lilac is more than just an eye-catching flower. The enchanting scent heralds spring and forms a dimension in itself. Lilacs’ aroma can vary from strain to strain, ranging between pleasantly sweet to light spicy.
Lilac Origin & Characteristics
Lilac essential oil is a steam-distilled extract of the flowers from the Syringa vulgaris plant, part of the Oleaceae family. The Syringa is native to the Middle East and Eastern Europe, particularly the Balkan region.
The lilac tree is a beloved garden decoration for many, displaying its lush florals in spring and spreading the most refreshing scent. The fragrance is characteristic for the light purple coloured oil. Its documented use in curatives only stretches back a few hundred years but has most likely been used by indigenous people for far longer. Since the 19th century, lilac oil has been used to treat various disorders.
benefits of lilac essential oil
Lilac essential oil’s benefits can be attributed to several healing properties, such as sedative, tonic and antiseptic. As a topical agent lilac oil can be mixed with a carrier oil and applied to sunburn, rashes and wrinkles or be used as a mild massage oil. Diffused in a vaporizer and inhaled, lilac oil will help relieve the symptoms of depression and anxiety. It can be easily added to a bath or beauty products, such as your favourite lotion or cream.
Lilac Oil for Skin Care
One of the many health benefits of lilac essential oil is its ability to help treat skin problems like cuts, rashes and burns. Lilac oil is even suitable to soothe and treat sunburn. In general, this oil promotes a glowing and healthy skin.
This divine smelling oil has proven astringent properties, which makes it an effective skin tightening agent and toner. It can help to reduce age lines, wrinkles and skin sagging by applying it topically to the skin.
Reduces Inflammation
When foreign substances invade the body, as can happen with skin injuries from cuts or sunburn, inflammation is the body’s natural response. Swelling and redness are common signs of inflammation, which in some cases may need extra external help to support the body in its healing process and to speed up recovery. Lilac oil contains a substance that has been shown to reduce inflammation, including inflammation caused by an internal source.
Additionally, lilac oil has strong antibacterial properties, which makes it an ideal means of sterilization purposes that can eliminate infection-inducing bacteria. Due to its potent antifungal properties lilac oil is an effective agent to eliminate fungi from the body as well, and it helps to lower the risk of fungal infections.
Prevents Sunburn
Even being aware of the harmful effects that UV-rays from the sun can have on our skin, we still like to enjoy the sun. The damage from UV-rays can lead to premature ageing, such as age spots and wrinkles, and carries the risk of certain cancers. However, many products designed to protect the skin from UV-rays also contain substances that can cause other skin problems. The antioxidant properties of lilac oil protect the skin without causing additional problems. It is because of these properties that lilac oil can help repair cells which are already affected by photoageing.
Prevents Premature Ageing
The combination of the antioxidant and astringent compounds in lilac oil promotes improvement of the skin’s appearance, making it look and feel younger. Fine lines, wrinkles, blemishes or other age-related marks? Lilac essential oil promotes tightening of the skin, increases its elasticity and prevents many symptoms of premature ageing.
Reduces Fever
Lilac oil has been traditionally known as a fever reducer, it can be used as a remedy to break persistent fever and promote the recovery process in cases of respiratory illness or infections. Febrifuges help stimulate the immune system to eliminate toxins from the body by promoting sweating.
Relieves Pain
Diluted with a carrier oil, lilac oil can work wonders as a soothing massage. Lilac oil can provide relief from rheumatic pain through topical application, rubbing the painful areas a few times a day. A lilac oil massage may also reduce muscle pain, treat gout attacks and relieve pain in sciatica.
Lilac Oil & Aromatherapy
The aromatic effects of lilac oil are strongly comforting and bring feelings of joy; lilac magically makes everything soft and sweet. The seductive aroma of lilac oil brings inner harmony and a soothing atmosphere to your environment, the scent opens you to new love and innocence. It has a supportive effect in situations of stress, sadness, tension and uncertainty. Lilac oil is said to even have the concealed effect of enhancing psychic abilities.
Mood Lifting
Let the tantalizing scent of lilac entice you into memories of lazy summer days, the easiest way and the smartest choice to lift your mood. Substances in lilac oil can lead to reduced nerve irritation in the brain, enabling the production and more effective use of the feel-good hormones. Other indicators of stress can also be reduced, such as high blood pressure and the presence of the stress hormone cortisol.
Soothes Anxiety
Lilac oil’s characteristic sweet fragrance can indeed aid to ease anxiety and calm the mind. In fact, it is much used in aromatherapy for relaxation. Lilac essential oil induces a harmonious mood, promoting calm feelings and reducing the levels of stress hormones in the body. Moreover, lilac oil even has the ability to reduce the risk of chronic diseases (such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease) by treating insomnia and sleep deprivation.
Using lilac oil in a vaporizer can help with anxiety, stress or panic attacks, invigorating your mind while inducing your surroundings with its soothing scent. Just a few drops of this essential oil will work wonders for your limbic system, which is responsible for creating memories, promoting calm feelings, and decreasing the amount of stress hormones in your body.
Prevents Depression
Depression is a common condition worldwide, for which aromatherapy has become a highly touted aid. Lilac oil is a much used oil to promote relaxation and relieve mild depression. If being exposed to many stressful situations or tensions, or to prevent depression, lilac oil is an excellent aromatherapy agent at home. Inhaling lilac fragrance before bed can help alleviate symptoms of insomnia.
For simple aromatherapy at home, add a few drops of lilac oil to your bath water, for example, or spread the scent using an aroma lamp or diffuser. Besides the wonderful smell it brings to your home, its antibacterial properties make it an ideal sterilizing agent that can eliminate infection-inducing bacteria.
Improving your health has never been so enjoyable!
