Essential Oils

Below is a speech I wrote for a COMM 101 class. It was my ticket into the BSU Speech Showcase.
Citation was added later... if interested, though, all of the info came from a book mentioned in the intro paragraph.

Topic: Essential Oils
Type of Speech: Informative Speech
General Purpose: To inform audience about Essential Oils
Specific Purpose: To make listeners aware that they can heal themselves.
Thesis Statement: Essential Oils are and have been a powerful healing tool.
Organization: Star Pattern

Introduction:

Picture yourself in Egypt, long ago. You are a robber, in King Tut's tomb looking for valuables. Piles of precious metals like Gold, and mounds of beautiful jewels are at your grasp. Pushing these objects out of the way, you head for a set of 50 alabaster jars filled about 350 liters of oil. After transferring the oils from the original heavy containers into lighter bottles, you and your comrades excitedly leave with your mother-load of valuable oils-- oils that are worth more than all of the ancient pharaoh's riches combined. What kind of oil would be worth more than that much gold, you might be wondering? Well, today, we are here to inform you about this. These oils are modernly known as Essential Oils. The ancients used and cherished them and so can you and I. Through Reading the beginning of Gary Young's reference book Essential Oils: Integrative Medical Guide, we have come to better understand what essential oils are, the history of essential oils, and how essential oils should be used. Because we found this book to be full of extremely interesting information, we thought we'd share what we learned with you. All of the following information comes from the afore mentioned book, which means that if you have any questions, along with asking us you can find answers on your own!

Body:

First, what exactly are essential oils? Essential oils are liquid substances distilled from different types of plants. Enfluerage is the name of the oldest form of this process. Along with Enfluerage (which is just the smashing of plants and then mixing the ground bits with olive oil or animal fat) there are many ways of extracting oil from plants. Other ways of distilling oils are soaking plant parts in boiling water or alcohol, and steam distillation (which is the process in which steam goes through plant material and when the steam is condensed the oil separates out). These may seem easy enough, but sometimes it may take a whole shrub just to make one drop of oil! Each oil has its own extreme chemical make-up. Because of this, each has a unique purpose. Some oils like lavender smell good and can have calming effects. Other oils like peppermint and balsam fir can give nourishment and oxygen to cells. Some like lemon, frankincense, and oregano are good at killing bacteria/viruses, and etc. And, also, several oils, like citronella and geranium repel insects. Basically essential oils are substances that can be used by applying to the skin, by taking with food and drink, and/or by breathing in their aromas. They are substances that can better a persons emotional and physical state.

Moving on, we will now talk about the history of Essential Oils. Essential Oils have been around for a long time. In fact, there are records from about 4500 B.C. that talk about oils being used for religious rituals (like embalming) and healing. There are many examples of civilizations that have used essential oils. Along with using oils in the usual religious and healing ways, Egypt (one of the first known civilizations to have produced and used oils) also used them to make cosmetics (eyeliners, eye shadows, perfumes, and etc). Other examples of oils throughout history are as follows:

1. Napoleon is said to have loved cologne that was made of neroli (among other oils). He liked it so much that he ordered 162 bottles of the stuff!

2. After the crusades, oils and essences made of oil were popular substances that were brought back from Jerusalem to Europe.

3. Hildegard of Bingen, a famous nun from the 12 century, wrote a book about how she used herbs and oils for healing in her convent.

4. There are more than 200 references to oils in the Bible (which is used as a historical reference for this speech). Here are a few instances:

1. The three wise men brought gifts to the Savior like Frankincense and Myrrh (both of which are essential oils).

2. In Exodus, God told Moses to blend certain amounts of different oils (i.e. myrrh, cinnamon, calamus, cassia, and olive oil) to create a particular holy anointing oil.

3. Also, in the 12^th chapter and the 3^rd verse of John, oils are mentioned. It reads: "Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment."

Oils were rediscovered in th late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. In 1907, a group of scientists, including Dr. Rene'-Maurice Gattefosse' (the father of modern aromatherapy), started studying oils. Gattefosse' later wrote a book about the studies he had conducted and in his book he told a narrative about how he had burned himself in a lab explosion. He said that described his experience with applying lavender oil to his burns. In doing so he said he was able to increase his body's healing process. Eventually knowledge about Essential Oils spread and in WWI hospitals used essential oils because of their cleaning/healing abilities.

The study of essential oils has continued and today scientists are working on finding cures for HIV, AIDS, Ebola, and etc.

Continuing on to our final topic, we will now discuss how to use essential oils properly. Though Essential Oils aren't very popular here in the United States, they are commonly used in places like the Middle East, the Orient, and Europe. Aromatherapy (or the study of essential oils) is even a class taught in school. How do one know if one needs an oil or not? There is a simple test that we'll call an aura test. This test can also be sued with other substances like the food we eat or medication we take. First, a person must chose a bottle of oil (or whatever it is that you want to test). Second, that individual must place the bottle in both hands and hold it in front of his or her stomach. The stomach/naval of the body is thought to be the center of the body where the body's aura is located. If an individual holds an object next to his or her aura and asks his or her body whether or not he or she needs the object the body is supposed to respond. If the body needs the substance, then the body will move towards it. On the other hand, though, if the body doesn't need the substance, the body will move backwards and away from the object. And if the body pulls sideways, the body doesn't really care one way or the other. Once you've established whether or not you need the oil, you should skin test yourself. Though your body says you need an oil it is better to be safe than sorry. You never know; your skin might be allergic to an oil. Once you have determined the oils that work for you, you can then use the oils. There are several ways to use oils. Massages, treatments of acupuncture and acupressure, warm and cold packs, and baths and showers can all be enhanced with a few drops of a desired oil. Even the nutrition of food can be increased, if the cook adds a few drops of oil, while dish is being prepared.
According to the book, applying different oils to different places of the body can help different issues. As you can see with our visual aid, if you rub different oils into various parts of the foot, you can help various parts of the body. The same thing is true about our ears—rubbing oils onto different parts of the ear can assist healing with different parts of our bodies and with different emotional issues.

Conclusion:
In conclusion, Essential Oils or oils made from plants and used for healing have been around for a long time. People have benefited from them since before the reign of pharaohs in Ancient Egypt. Through the different forms of application (externally and internally) each oil can be used to help in its own unique way. Now that we have quickly taken you through the basics of Essential oils, we hope you more fully understand what they are, how they fit into history, and how we can properly use them today, in our daily lives.