Scent from high quality plant sources plays an important, if not, crucial role in emotional health.
PHYTO5 knows something about the benefits of fragrance. Not only do we formulate skincare products using high grade essential oils from flowers and plants our factory is located in Fleurier, Switzerland. The name Fleurier itself roughly means "Flowering Village" or “one who flowers.” And it’s entirely apropos for a company whose skincare products are largely made from the essential oils of flowers.
We strive to highlight the basic premise of essential oil use in skincare—that flower blossoms which are essential the face of the plant store the sun’s solar energy and vital force and transmit these to skin through their essential oils.
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How a Flower’s Scent Gets Processed in the Brain to Offer the Benefits of Its Fragrance
In the molecules of natural essential oils, the scent of the flower is inhaled and the hypothalamus(1) in the brain produces hormones that provoke an appropriate reaction in the body. The hypothalamus controls the pituitary master gland of the body and plays a key role in connecting our hormonal (endocrine) system with the nervous system.
Located a mere inch or so away from the amygdala in the brain, the olfactory bulb (the neural structure involved in the sense of smell) has obvious intimate access to it. The amygdala is a roughly almond-shaped mass of gray matter inside each cerebral hemisphere.
Both of these, the hypothalamus and the amygdala, are part of the limbic system, the area of the brain most heavily implicated in emotion and memory. The hypothalamus plays a role in the activation of the sympathetic nervous system which is a part of any emotional reaction. The amygdala itself is primarily involved with the experiencing of emotions.
Perhaps this is why philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche(2) is justified in declaring,
“All my genius is in my nostrils.”
Further, biophysicist Luca Turin developed the quantum vibration theory in 1996 which suggests that olfactory receptors actually sense the quantum vibrations of odorants' atoms. We touch this subatomic space in the arena of quantum vibration where we begin to move toward the deepest core of the mind-body system creating the space for spontaneous healing to occur.
Scent registers in our brains first—before sight, sound or touch.
“Until recently, smell has been the most underrated and underutilized of our five senses, but it’s turning out to be the most important,”
Scent philosopher Annick le Geurér argued more recently that:
“Smell is revelatory not just of substances, but also of moods, climates, and even existential states. The sense of smell is a subtle tool of knowledge that allows for an intuitive and prelinguistic understanding.”
The Benefits of Fragrance: Meaning In Its Aromatic Quality
The scent of rose loves and heals. Myrrh is prophetic and grounding. And frankincense evokes quietude and holiness.
After pausing to understand the interaction of scent, the brain and nervous system, taking time out to stop and smell the roses has more meaning for us now than ever before as we quest for authenticity and connection and strive to create more mindful lives.
“This focus on scent’s powerful connection to our brains and it’s potential to heal, soothe and delight is making consumers hungry to learn more about how it can be leveraged for health and wellbeing,”
Using scent to balance emotions and treat “disease” is actually an ancient practice and today large-scale medical studies are underway that will probably bring legitimacy to this healing modality.
Benefits of Fragrance for Alzheimer’s Disease
Because the brain produces memories in conjunction with smell, scientists are finding that scent can play a healing role in neurological disorders like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.
Treating Alzheimer’s with scent may prove effective since loss of the sense of smell is an early symptom of the disease. It is believed scent therapy can be effective with Alzheimer’s patients by triggering positive memories from their past.
Deriving Benefits of Fragrance In These Aspects of Life
scent in mental wellness
scent as flavor as in choosing a drink in a restaurant, for example, by its scent
fragrance in branding where studies show customers will be more loyal if their experience involves scent
scent of a place; the typical place might be a PHYTO5 spa where lingering scent of the products can trigger subtle changes in clients’ bodies and minds
fragrance in art where large-scale multisensory art exhibits focus on the sense of smell
wonderful odors as feel good fragrances in candles and bottles (perfume) and which incorporate a wellness aspect while transporting us back to fond memories
scent as functional/workplace wellness where scent is an invisible mood enhancer improving learning, cognition, function and productivity; a Japanese company found that diffusing a lemon scent in the air increased productivity by 54%.
“Rachel S. Herz, assistant professor of psychology at Brown University, writes that people who work in the presence of pleasant-smelling air set higher goals and are more likely to employ efficient work strategies. People are more creative in problem solving when exposed to a pleasant scent compared to an unpleasant one.”
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Endnotes:
(1) a region of the forebrain below the thalamus that coordinates both the autonomic nervous system and the activity of the pituitary, controlling body temperature, thirst, hunger, and other homeostatic systems, and involved in sleep and emotional activity.
(2) (1844–1900), German philosopher philosopher, cultural critic, composer, poet, philologist, and Latin and Greek scholar whose work has exerted a profound influence on Western philosophy and modern intellectual history
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Sources:
McGroarty, Beth, et al. 2019 Global Wellness Trends Report. Global Wellness Summit, 2019, 2019 Global Wellness Trends Report.
“8 Wellness Trends for 2019.” Global Wellness Institute, globalwellnessinstitute.org/global-wellness-institute-blog/2019/01/30/8-wellness-trends-for-2019/?utm_source=Global%2BWellness%2BInstitute&utm_campaign=a36e55f195-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_BRIEF_2019_1_30&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_bbb41a322d-a36e55f195-69763529.
Annick le Guerer, (2002) ‘Olfaction and cognition: A philosophical and psychoanalytic view’, in C. Rouby, B. Schaal, D. Dubois, R. Gervais, & A. Holly (Eds.), Olfaction, Taste, and Cognition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
Photo by ChuXue Lu（@luchuxue1997）on Unsplash