Women and essential oil usage: a literature review
Essential oil (EO) is a natural oil typically obtained through the process of distillation of plant and natural sources. Recently, the use of EOs has gained popularity, particularly among women as a result of renewed interest in the art of aromatherapy. In this paper, the researchers review the l...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Penerbit Kolej Universiti Islam Melaka (KUIM)
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://irep.iium.edu.my/68534/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/68534/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/68534/1/68534_Women%20and%20essential%20oil%20usage.pdf |
| Summary: | Essential oil (EO) is a natural oil typically obtained through the process of distillation of plant and
natural sources. Recently, the use of EOs has gained popularity, particularly among women as a
result of renewed interest in the art of aromatherapy. In this paper, the researchers review the
literature on EO usage across cultures in two ways: 1) describing the experience of using EOs and
2) defining factors that encourage women to use EOs. Searches of both social sciences and
physical sciences databases were performed on relevant articles and empirical studies. Data from
30 articles were reviewed in this paper. The researchers conducted a summative content analysis
to see variations in EO usage among women from different cultures. The study suggests that EO
usage is common among women. EO is chosen to improve women’s physical and emotional wellbeing. It also shows considerable variations in outcome of EO usage like reducing agitation,
relieving pain, improving sleep quality and mood, treating depression and also functioning as an
antioxidant. Although this study found agreement among all cultures on the preference of using
EOs, much of the evidence has put less emphasis on the importance of variables like different age
group, racial/ethnic composition, social status, education and media exposure which explain
women’s overall experience of using EOs. These socio-economic variations must also be taken into
consideration. Finally, the study also indicates that researchers attempting cross-cultural studies
need to holistically address in detail the social and cultural aspects surrounding EO usage. This
paper also suggests for more interdisciplinary studies which will improve the understanding of this
scenario in the future. |
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