Chapter Six: Use of Fragrance and Aromatherapy

Pleasant and pure fragrances, such as natural essential oils, enhance intellectual capacity and optimize brain function. These aromas, by stimulating the limbic system of the brain (responsible for memory and emotions), positively influence mood and cognitive performance. Connection with the open sky and clean air, coupled with inhaling the natural, life-affirming scents emanating from certain individuals, rejuvenates the body, promotes vitality, and extends longevity. Conversely, foul odors from the mouth or body signal decay and portend mortality, accelerating premature aging. Bad breath (halitosis) or body odor may indicate underlying health issues, such as oral infections, gastrointestinal disorders, or poor hygiene, which can adversely affect mental health by diminishing self-confidence. Foul body odors suggest internal infections, impairing brain function and cognitive processes.

Fragrances applied to clothing or the body via sprays or mists are energizing and, like saffron and garlic when used appropriately and in moderation, strengthen the nervous system and body, liberate emotions and senses from lethargy and weakness, and purify the inner self. Natural fragrances, such as plant-derived essential oils, stimulate olfactory nerves, improving mood and reducing stress. Essential oils like rosewater or jasmine exhibit calming or invigorating effects, with lavender proven to enhance sleep quality and peppermint effective in alleviating headaches.

Natural fragrances, particularly those derived from flowers and other aromatic substances, are more potent and expeditious than solid foods in fortifying and activating cerebral faculties. The use of alcohol-free fragrances in environments or on clothing boosts morale, enhances self-confidence, and promotes tranquility. By stimulating olfactory receptors, natural fragrances contribute to mood enhancement.

When olfactory nerves are activated by natural (non-chemical) fragrances, an individual’s spirit is uplifted. Aromatherapy, utilizing scents such as jasmine, can mitigate depression. Jasmine essential oil has demonstrated calming and antidepressant effects by influencing the parasympathetic nervous system, reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety.

The use of high-quality fragrances, especially solid ones, fosters emotional and social bonds, guiding individuals toward affection, love for their spouse, devotion to worship, and a propensity for spiritual growth. Unlike saffron and garlic, which serve as complements to other foods, fragrances are independently effective, offering superior energizing, strengthening, and purifying properties. Consuming garlic or onions in isolation is akin to ingesting pure acid.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy holistically influences the interconnected mental, physical, emotional, and psychological systems, channeling emotions such as love, fear, hatred, and joy into healthy and pure expressions, clearing their residual effects, and rendering individuals vibrant and invigorated. By impacting the brain’s limbic system, aromatherapy modulates emotional and physiological responses. Natural fragrances, such as lavender or peppermint, reduce stress and enhance concentration. Lavender, by decreasing sympathetic nervous system activity, promotes better sleep and stress relief, while peppermint is effective in relieving tension headaches.

The use of natural fragrances, by stimulating the sense of smell, imparts such vitality that it prepares individuals for spiritual ascension and transcendence. High-quality fragrances, such as rosewater, should be applied via sprays or mists to avoid compromising bodily health. Applying fragrances through rubbing is detrimental to the skin, hair, nerves, and psyche, and predisposes outer garments to contamination.

Fragrances can serve as sedatives, stimulants, sleep inducers, or beauty enhancers by engaging emotions, though they may also lead to toxicity if misused. Fragrances, saffron, and garlic are uplifting and joy-inducing, significantly alleviating despair, sorrow, anxiety, and distress.

Cologne

Authentic fragrances, which invigorate the senses, render the body pleasant, and enhance receptivity, solidify in cold air, whereas synthetic, chemical fragrances, which dull the senses, remain unaffected by atmospheric changes. The term “fragrance” herein excludes colognes and chemical perfumes. Synthetic colognes, particularly those composed of artificial and chemical compounds, lack the therapeutic benefits of natural fragrances and aromatherapy. They are harmful to the nervous system and inner essence, serving as breeding grounds for negative phenomena and attracting malevolent forces. Chemical colognes adversely affect brain function and are significant contributors to premature aging. The use of synthetic fragrances and keeping dogs are primary factors in nervous system debilitation.

Apple

Among fruits, apples impart a pleasant and fragrant quality to the body. Inhaling the aroma of fresh apples or apple essential oil, by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, reduces anxiety, enhances focus, and soothes nerves. Apples, particularly rosewater apples, neutralize food-related contaminants, eliminate foul odors from waste residues, and imbue the body with a delightful fragrance. Due to their high fiber content (especially in the skin), apples aid digestion and cleanse the intestines, while their polyphenolic compounds offer antioxidant benefits that support overall health.

Apples, by virtue of their cleansing, healing, and restorative properties, render the entire body fragrant and agreeable. When consumed with the skin, apples cleanse the stomach’s outer lining, enhancing its function.

An ideal apple is one that ripens on the tree, retaining its vitality and joy. Naturally ripened apples possess superior flavor and aroma, as the natural ripening process increases volatile aromatic compounds. Apples harvested unripe and stored in cold storage or warehouses, subjected to sorrowful and isolating conditions, evoke feelings of sadness and discomfort in the consumer, as they are severed from their tree and roots. Apples endowed with aroma and fragrance possess inner quality and vitality, whereas juiceless, odorless apples are mere material husks, lacking essence and potentially harmful rather than restorative.

Impact of Live, Natural Flowers on the Nervous System

The presence of natural flowers in living and working environments positively affects the mind, facilitating tasks and enabling individuals who engage with flowers to perform their work more effortlessly and fluidly. Environmental psychology studies demonstrate that natural plants and flowers reduce stress, improve mood, and enhance productivity. Placing natural flowers, such as jasmine or roses, in an environment reduces stress, uplifts mood, and, by influencing the limbic system, fosters tranquility.