Aromatherapy for sports and fitness

Abstract

The article describes the use of aromatherapy for achieving excellence in sports and fi tness. Aromatherapy is the science of holistic approach for taking care of the body and mind using pleasant smelling of botanical oils. It has been extensively studied and found to be one of the fastest growing areas of alternative medicine. There have been numerous studies showing different plant oils' synergistic effects on body and mind energy facilitating excellence in sports and fi tness. Most of the fi ndings of these studies have found their way into various aromatherapy products and services. There are well over a hundred different natural essential oils having antiseptic, anti-infl ammatory, pain relieving, antidepressant and even expectorant properties. The application of these oils not only helps to prevent and cure sports injuries but also to stimulate and relax the mind and body leading to higher fi tness levels. Because of these inherent properties of essential oils, there is a growing interest in using them in toning up the body and mind in a variety of ways, viz. muscle preparation, musculo-skeletal, injury prevention, as sports medicine and an agent for uplifting sports psychology for achieving highest success rate in sports and fi tness. Therefore, essential oils have a role in preparing the body and mind for optimum sports performance as well as postexertion recovery. They can be used as an aid to make the recovery faster by reducing the effect of fatigue and uplifting mind and body energy level. That is why essential oil therapy is now being recognised as a valuable therapy to enhance performance in sports and fi tness. on 30 April 2019 by guest. Protected by copyright.

State of the art and major clinical outcomes of the use of essential oils in the performance of athletes: a systematic review

“…They are also shown to improve the body's ability to absorb essential vitamins and nutrients. EO can enter the body through application to the skin, ingestion or inhalation (aromatherapy) [4].…”

“…Furthermore, EOs can improve anxiety, depression and stimulate neurological function. Other studies have shown that athletes who used peppermint oil before an event had a significant improvement in lung function [4]. When applied to the skin, the EOs are absorbed and the active principles are used by the body for specific therapeutic treatments.…”

“…sports and fitness, as well as postexertion recovery. They can be used as an aid to make recovery faster, reducing the effect of fatigue and raising the energy level of the mind and body [4,5].…”