The Dynamics of Topical Application and Absorption
Review By Lalia Wilson
Written by Heather Dawn Godfrey, PGCE, BSc.
Published by Healing Arts Press a division of Inner Tradition (2019).
This book is perfect bound and measures 6” by 9”, 305 pages with index and bibliography. The book has many full color illustrations, charts and diagrams. It is also available in an e-book format. ISBN 978-1-62055-871-3 (print) and 978-1-62055-872-0 (e-book)
Essential oils are a natural oil typically obtained by distillation of the bark, leaves, flowers, or roots of a plant and having the characteristic fragrance of that plant or other source from which it is extracted. Healthline defines aromatherapy as: “a holistic healing treatment that uses natural plant extracts to promote health and well-being. Sometimes it's called essential oil therapy. Aromatherapy uses aromatic essential oils medicinally to improve the health of the body, mind, and spirit. It enhances both physical and emotional health.”
The author, Heather Godfrey, is a teacher of aromatherapy as well as a therapist using essential oils. The book begins with a chapter on human anatomy as is related to aromatherapy. The second chapter is about how essential oils enter the body. One way essential oils enter the body is through the skin, but you may not have known that some skin areas offer quick assimilation, such as the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet, and others offer slow assimilation, such as the back, legs, and buttocks. Essential oils also can be inhaled, that is breathed in from a diffuser or using oils on your palms cupped over your nose. A third route is to ingest the essential oils.
The third chapter is about safety concerns in the use of essential oils—these include dosages, which oils must be diluted, and which are suitable for absorption, ingestion, inhalation or any combination of these. At the end of this chapter is a one page chart showing essential oils for different uses which include physiological, cleansing, emotional, and fragrance/ambience.
Chapter four is on blending the oils. For those of us who have previously used essential oils, this is the heart of the book. Blends can be made for any of the broad categories previously mentioned, or they can be directed to a specific result (such as opening the lungs and breathing freely). Additionally perfumes, colognes and the like are blends of essential oils and sometimes man-made ingredients that are created just to smell good. Essential oil blends are used in many common products that you encounter each day. Here are just a few: laundry care products, household cleansers, hand and body lotions, face makeup, shampoo, and deodorant. The three remaining chapters focus on characteristics of specific essential oils, how they are best combined, and their use.
If you have any interest in the therapeutic uses of essential oils or in their aesthetic use, such as making your own perfume or potpourri, this book is for you. Also, you may know that at least one tarot expert has associated each of the 78 cards with an essential oil. Though this is not discussed here in this book, the book is still a good reference for any work with essential oils.
Review copy provided by Inner Traditions