The olfactory way to the soul

Essential Oils represent the aromatic principles of many plants, or parts of them. They consist of complex mixtures of oily organic substances, mostly volatile, with different chemical compositions (aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, phenols, terpenes, sesquiterpenes, esters, lactones, ethers...) located in specific tissues of the plant. Essential oils fall under the broad category of Phytotherapy, as they are derived from plants through various extraction processes. Their history begins and leads back to ancient Egypt, where medicine, pharmacy, and perfumery were sciences under the protection of Horus, 4500 years before Christ. Across eras, cultures, and geographies, we understand that essential oils have always been the foundation for the interaction with the physical, mental, and spiritual health of humans.

Moving to more recent times, around the 1940s, Jean Valnet and other researchers (such as Duraffourd, d’Hervincourt, Lapraz, Franchomme) wrote about the subject, marking the transition from empirical aromatherapy to the modern era and scientific approach to aromatherapy.

I now report a short text from Dr. Leonardo Paoluzzi, whom I had the pleasure to personally meet. Italian physician and maximum expert on essential oil’s use in the medicine field.

Congress of S.I.Fit (Società Italiana di Fitoterapia) (Italian Society of Phytotheraphy), 2010 Boario Terme (Brescia).
“Essential oil’s use throughout their energy”

What I presented was directly inspired by the French Society of Phyto Aromatherapy of Duraffourd, d’Hervincourt, Lapraz, students of Master Jean Valnet. This report, compared to others, had the distinctive trait of considering the use of essential oils starting from the assessment of individual psycho-biological and emotional ground, established through an overall evaluation, allowing to categorise the diverse subjects based on their neuroendocrine reactivity, therefore vagal or sympathetic. All of this was wonderfully combined with my studies in Traditional Chinese medicine, which I began in 1976, that took into account the individual, not just on its organs taken and evaluated separately, anatomically, but included in a comprehensive context following a comprehensive and holistic, energetic, parameter. Therefore, the essential oil was considered not exclusively for its chemical contents, singularly analysed and evaluated, but as a phytocomplex within the plant complex, whose outcome was demonstrated in energetic and informational terms.

With such premises the paradigm changed, from receptor site to informational, capable of operating straight to an overall level by means of superior nerve centers, regulator of neuroendocrine and immune answers, given that the stimulation enables a very specific biological cascade (vagal-sympathetic).

The holistic insight of the human brings along the living connection between organs and systems, with an important reference to care not only for the anatomical side, which presents disorders, but also the organism in its wholeness. An instance for all: the close connection between skin and intestines, skin and nervous system, skin and respiratory system and so on. In 2008 I had already published and important and ground-breaking volume entitled “Phytos Olea - Sull’uso degli oli essenziali” (“Phytos Olea - About the use of essential oils”), in which is presented a medical matter, not certainly exhaustive, of 48 essential oils. Those were studied and clinically used following the criterion of PNEI field and 39 vegetal oils: essential elements for the correct use of the former.

Some years later, in 2012 I was called by the Director of the Hospital of Bibbiena (AR), in Casentino, to discuss the potential use of essential oils in delivery rooms. The main focus was to enhance both the psychic and physical well-being of new mothers with the purpose of better delivery. Thus making sure that the patient would not face draining hours of labour, perineal lacerations, episiotomy procedures or caesarean delivery (see the numerous works in London nurseries).

Concretely

The first slides of my report highlighted that essential oils could be used in two ways: a chemical route and an energetic route, focused on four different spheres of action: infectious, percutaneous, psychic, and digestive, choosing time after time the best route of administration. But since, in the end, beyond the selected route and the field to handle, everything comes into the blood and from there to the limbic system (amygdala, hippocampus, etc.), responsible for our emotions and the neuro-hormonal and immune response, I believe that the preferred route of administration is inhalatory/olfactory (Olfacto therapy), relegating others to the background.

It took some time before the idea of a scientific society dedicated to essential oils was conceived. Society of which I was one of the founders and the representative for Umbria and Marche. Today, essential oils are being wildly discussed, and I hope that in the future, their study and medical application will become part of daily practice. This would help prevent the reckless use of synthetic chemical substances, which greatly contribute to antibiotic resistance and offer little to no benefit in treating nervous system disorders.

Leonardo Paoluzzi “Aromaterapia: ieri-oggi-domani” Istituto Superiore di Ricerca in Medicina Tradizionale e Antropologica. Ed. Morphea 2019

OLFATORY MEMORY NETWORKS: FROM THE EMOTIONAL LEARNING TO SOCIAL BEHAVIOURS

Odors have a strong impact on emotions and memory due to their direct connection with the limbic system, bypassing thalamus. This gives to the sense of smell a unique influence on the mood, learning, and social interactions. Smell is crucial for survival, allowing the recognition of predators, food and social partners. The role of odors is highly conserved across the species and it early develops. Due to the similar structure of the olfactory system in mammals, it is an ideal model for studying behaviour and neural mechanisms. The limbic brain plays a central role in the regulation of emotions and behaviors, as described by Paul D. MacLean’s “Triune Brain” theory. It acts as a link between the reptilian brain, responsible for primary instincts, and the cortical brain, the seat of complex thought.”

The main structures of the limbic brain include:

• The amygdala, engaged in emotional responses, mainly fear and emotional memory

• The hippocampus, crucial for memory and learning.

• The cingulate cortex, which regulates emotions, stress and pain.

• The thalamus, communicator of sensory information to emotional regions.

• Ventral Tegmental Area, part of the reward system, adjusting pleasure and motivation.

The research is divided into five areas:

1. Memory and human olfactory perception: Experts demonstrate specific brain activation. Smell is crucial in episodic memory and threat perception. Olfactory discrimination can be improved through learning.

: Odors can be conditioned. Obesity influences olfactory sensitivity. Orexinergic system modulates the perception of food-related odors.

5. Odors and social behaviour:Smell is essential for mother-infant recognition, social learning, and the transmission of food preferences. Predator odors evoke fear response, influenced by serotonin.

5. Smell and Sniffing:: Smell is closely linked to respiration. Sniffing behavior varies based on context and odor pleasantness. Sniffing helps in exploration and odor perception, which can evoke emotional memories and influence mood. The olfactory system is plastic: experience can alter its sensitivity and associations, with short- or long-term effects.

5. Olfactory memory: The sense of smell is involved in memory processes. Sleep helps consolidate olfactory memories, and the brain can associate odors with visual contexts. Studies shows the importance of smell for emotions, learning, and social behavior, with potential applications in clinical and therapeutic fields.