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It is an amazingly healthy natural product, easy to use and available regardless of the season. Essential oils are a concentrate of pleasure from a huge variety of pleasant aromas … and, imagine, tastes!
They lift our spirits and make us feel better. The experience of the therapeutic use of essential oils goes back thousands of years. Complex aromatherapy recipes with burning candles and aroma lamps are the work of professionals. We propose to take a different look at these instantly evaporating, volatile substances and try to give our dishes a very special taste with their help.
Open channels
The uniqueness of essential oils is that – no matter how we use them – they always affect the body as a whole. “Due to their low molecular weight, they are able to penetrate into our body through all three major channels – through the skin, respiratory tract, and through the mucous membranes of the esophagus into the blood,” says biochemist Lyudmila Sazonova, expert cosmetologist Yves Rocher. “They act through a system of receptors, which is very similar to the natural biochemical mechanisms inherent in our body, such as the effects of hormones. Penetrating through the skin, they interact with cells, tissues, exerting an inhibitory or stimulating effect at the cellular level. When inhaled, the molecules of essential oils are transported to the cells of sensitive receptors – and in about half a second, information about this in the form of nerve impulses is transmitted to the brain. Entering the body through the digestive organs, the molecules of essential oils are carried through the blood to all organs and tissues.
Read more:
- Natural essential oils – medicines created by nature
Tasty Rules
Organic cooking expert Valérie Cupillard offers a few basic rules for using essential oils.
- Essential oil should be added to a fatty base (butter, milk, egg yolk, cream, yogurt) or sweet (honey, syrup, sugar…), but not to water.
- To determine the dosage, you need to take a tablespoon of the prepared dish, put a drop of the selected essential oil on the tip of a toothpick and mix. If the resulting taste satisfies, you can add a drop (no more!) Oil to the dish.
- You need to add essential oil at the very end of the process – this will allow you to better preserve the aroma.
Apply to skin
Concentrated essential oils have earned a reputation for being very active (even aggressive) substances, which are undesirable when applied to the skin in a pure, undiluted form. But as part of various products, we use them almost constantly: balms and plasters against sprains, rheumatic and arthritic pains include essential oils of pepper, ginger or clove oil. And the composition of baby creams often includes, for example, chamomile essential oil. The active components of essential oils are transported through the skin in the same way as the components of pharmaceutical anti-inflammatory drugs. The fundamental difference is that the effect of essential oils is multilevel: their volatile components are perceived through the sense of smell and affect not only our physical condition, but also our psycho-emotional one. “And the cosmetic benefits of essential oils cannot be overestimated,” continues Lyudmila Sazonova. – Easily penetrating the skin, they positively affect most of the biochemical processes occurring in it, stimulate the synthesis of endogenous (produced by the body itself) bioactive substances. And besides, they have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and preservative properties.
First five
Five essential essential oils that will help improve our well-being and create an impressive variety of dishes.
1. Lemon Properties: antibacterial, normalizing digestion. Effect: Helps improve memory and concentration ability. Usage: Suitable for fish dishes and desserts.
2. Ginger Properties: antiemetic, stimulating digestion. Effect: helps restore energy. Use: for baking and drinks.
3. Sage Properties: anti-inflammatory, antibacterial. Effect: helps to overcome stress and restore emotional balance. Usage: for salads and soups.
4. Basil Properties: antispasmodic and tonic. Effect: helps to cope with fatigue. Use: for salads and pasta.
5. Cinnamon Properties: antiviral, stimulant. Effect: gives strength, restores emotional balance. Use: for baking and drinks.
inhale the fragrance
Olfactory (olfactory) system includes all organs and cells associated with the perception of smell. In the process of inhalation, volatile molecules come into contact with the olfactory organs and through receptors act on the limbic system (“emotional brain”). “The limbic system is directly connected to those parts of the brain that control heart rate, breathing, hormonal balance, and emotional memory,” says American naturopath Connie Higley, author of Aromatherapy A to Z. –Z, Hay House, 2000). Aroma can act on the deepest layers of the psyche, which allows the use of aromatherapy techniques in the treatment of conditions such as depression, insomnia, panic attacks. But besides aromatherapy, which requires experience and special knowledge, there is also aromacology (the science of the effect of aromas on the psychophysical state of a person). “To master the art of using essential oils in everyday life means to improve the quality of life,” says Lyudmila Sazonova. – The fact is that essential oils are something like the quintessence of the life force of plants. They – unlike, for example, synthetic fragrances – make it possible to recharge with the power of nature without leaving the metropolis. They brighten the perception, add color and taste to life.”
Rate the taste
The sense of taste and aroma are inextricably linked: with some culinary skills, we can use all the benefits of essential oils – both for health and for pure pleasure. French pharmacist Daniel Festy claims that the aromatic effect of natural essential oils enhances the flavor of dishes so much that less sugar, fat or salt is used. “However, the taste and aroma of an essential oil is fifty times more concentrated than that of the plant or leaf from which the oil is extracted,” she cautions. One single drop is enough for a whole serving, and often even for the whole dish. Where lemon juice can sharpen or change the consistency of dough, lemon essential oil will only add flavor. But in addition to taste, these aromatic additives also have useful properties: salad dressing with the addition of basil essential oil stimulates digestion, and lavender crème brulee calms the nervous system. And ice cream with essential oils of rose and jasmine helps restore emotional balance and overcome stress.
Ethereal Creatures
Michelin-starred chef Joël Guillet is passionate about cooking with essential oils. He offers three easy dressing recipes to add flavor to our salads.
Aroma of flowers. Add a drop of ylang ylang essential oil and a drop of geranium essential oil to 50 ml of sunflower oil.
Fruity aroma. Add two drops of lemon essential oil, two drops of sweet orange essential oil and one drop of grapefruit essential oil to 100 ml of sunflower oil.
Aroma of Provence herbs. Add a drop of thyme (thyme) essential oil, three drops of rosemary essential oil and one drop of lavender essential oil to 50 ml extra virgin olive oil.