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How we respond to a fragrance influences our heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and possibly even our immune system. Did you know the brain registers as many as 10,000 different fragrances, in contrast to our sense of taste which can only register 4 types of taste? Imagine no sense of smell. Our food would taste pretty bland without a sense of smell. Think of how tasteless food is when a cold has blocked our nasal passages.

First, we have to start at the beginning by understanding the sense of smell. The olfactory function allows the direct connection of smell to the brain. There are sensory cells in the mucous membranes of the nasal cavity which are stimulated by the presence of chemical particles dissolved in the mucus. Fibers of the olfactory nerve run upward from smell receptors high in the roof of the nose through tiny holes in the skull where they enter the olfactory bulb of the brain. The signals are carried to an area in the brain associated with the sense of smell (the limbic system) where these smells are analyzed. The olfactory bulb, controls our sense of smell. What is perceived in the brain as an odor is in fact the chemical particles inhaled.

Our brain can register many thousands of fragrances, whereas taste is only registered as sweet, sour, bitter, and salty.  But, we can be convinced into thinking we taste something simply by smelling a substance.  Think of when we have a cold.  Our food doesn’t taste good, and we cannot smell anything except sometimes a very strong camphoric odor.  When you apply a flavored lip product, most often we do not truly taste the flavor, but smell the flavor. We are convinced by the fragrance that it tastes good. 

Rather synthetically produced, or obtained directly from an herb or flower, the fragrance produced from these can influence our heart rate, our blood pressure, and our breathing. Essential oils, derived from flowers and herbs are chemical compounds, just as fragrance oils are combinations of synthetically produced chemical compounds.  Often, fragrance oils are combined with essential oils to produce an essence.  The chemical particles of a substance, once inhaled, is interpreted by the brain as an odor.  The odor can influence our perception of a person, an object, or our surroundings.

Studies have shown when marketing a house, the smell of that house is a great influence on the buyer’s perception of the house and its owner. Additionally, studies have shown dreams and behavior can be influenced by our sense of smell.  When I smell the aroma of a certain gentlemans aftershave, I am reminded of my dad.  The aroma of butter melting on toast reminds me of breakfast time at my grandmother’s house.  The power of those aromas can take me back to my childhood!

One would want to use essential oils for true therapeutic benefits such as relaxation, meditation, skin irritations, etc.   These essential oils contain the chemical composition and aroma of the plant they are derived from.  But, fragrance oils, although synthetically produced , can offer a wide variety of aromas that are not available in an essential oil.  Not all herbs or botanicals produce an essential oil.  These fragrance oils do not contain the same benefits of an essential oil, but once inhaled, can project images, thoughts, and perceptions.

Fragrances, rather to influence, relax, or project and image or thought, have been in use for thousands of years.  Do you have a favorite fragrance that brings back memories or makes you feel all warm and cozy all over?

Time and again, the question comes up: “how come your minerals are so inexpensive?” The answer:

As the owner of Herbal Natures, I am also a consumer.  As a consumer, I do not want to pay for added expenses that are not part of the product. For example:

1)   Herbal Natures minerals are high quality, but the packaging is affordable, therefore no added expenses are passed on to our customers to cover fancy packaging.

2)  Herbal Natures has no expenses for infomercials or model contracts that are added to  the product cost.

 3)  Herbal Natures does not add fillers to increase profit margin and short change our customers.

When you purchase your minerals from Herbal Natures, you will get high quality, no fillers, and made with your budget in mind!