Kari Mauser / The Bulletin

It’s been said that if you want to sell a house, bake some cookies or a pie right before it gets shown. Likewise, when you buy a new car, one of the best things about driving it home is “that new car smell.”

What is it about certain scents that just make us happy? Or sad, perhaps?

“Smell feels like such an integrated part of our human experience,” said Chelsea Phillips, co-owner of Hawthorn Healing Arts Center in Bend. “Smell is part of our human experience. It enhances our lives in such a beautiful way, and makes our lives rich and full. It’s the first sense that you have when born and the last one you have when leaving this earth.”

The reason scents can affect us so deeply, said Phillips, is that our limbic system, which controls our emotions, is home to the human olfactory bulb, which provides our sense of smell.

“The limbic system is the most primitive part of the brain, which is connected to memory and emotion,” said Phillips, who is a licensed acupuncturist and has a master’s degree in Chinese medicine.

“The limbic system is the emotional highway to our mid-brain,” said Elyse Williams, a clinical herbalist, certified nutrition specialist and reflexologist with training in essential oil therapies and aromatherapy.

“The mid-brain directly affects emotions. When we smell something, it immediately stimulates our memories,” she said.

“The fun part is that science has not completely figured it out. We are learning more about this all the time.”

Scientific explanations aside, Phillips defined “aromatherapy” as “the skilled use of essential oils or any aromatic substance to bring physical, mental or emotional well being.”

“The term ‘aromatherapy’ came from a French chemist who made perfume,” said Phillips. “He wrote a book on it. Aromatherapy is born from essential oils, but really it can come from anything, even walking into a house and smelling a pie cooking. What’s cool about it is that aromatherapy is so highly personal. If you smell something, it directly links you to something from your past.”

Phillips said that smells have a double effect on us; they trigger both memories and emotions. A certain scent can pick us up, or bring us down. Aromatherapy can also be seasonal.

“Right now, in fall, there is a fresh crispness in the air that can bring in more smells,” said Phillips, who is an avid user of essential oils in both her practice and her home. Some of her favorite smells of the fall season, she said, include rain, wet leaves, pumpkin pie, cinnamon, clove, campfires, nutmeg and apples.

We are so tied in to seasonal smells that a particular scent can become part of a holiday tradition.

“Smell is one of the most powerful senses. It can create a sense of self, home and family. It’s comforting,” said Williams. “This can be important during the holidays and at family gatherings. It’s part of honoring the nostalgia, tradition and ritual of family meals and drinks.”

There are a number of ways to use aromatherapy in your home. Diffusing essential oils, burning candles, brewing tea on the stove, burning resins over an open fire and baking or cooking can all infuse a desired smell into the house. Massage oils, lotions and body oils, oils in baths, direct or steam inhalation and aromatic spritzers are other ways to utilize aromatherapy.

“Incense in church is even a form of aromatherapy,” said Phillips. “The smell of incense goes to the spiritual level; I think that’s why many faiths use incense.”

“In the old days, people used to put lavender and peppermint on the floor so people would walk on it,” said Williams. “It helped deter mice and rats.”

When using aromatherapy, Williams said there are endless options from which to choose, and much of a scent’s effect on us will depend upon how our systems are functioning on any given day.

“It’s really fun to explore your own blends and see what helps you balance your own being,” said Williams. “A lot of people typecast certain oils, but it can be pretty individual.”

Generally, with essential oils, there are top, middle and base notes, each of which accomplish something a little different.

Top notes typically are fast-acting and evaporate quickly. They can help with feelings of heaviness or low energy by offering a quick uplifting and invigoration, said Williams. Citrus such as lemon, lime, orange and tangerine, lemon zest, peppermint, eucalyptus, basil and sage are among the oils that fall into this category.

Middle notes are known as “heart notes” that affect our emotional balance and are a little slower to take effect. They can come from grasses, trees such as pine, juniper and Douglas fir, spices such as nutmeg, cardamom and black pepper and flowers such as lavender.

Base notes are those that have a grounding effect and help balance the nervous system, Williams said, adding that base notes can have more long-term results, boosting energy reserves and helping with focus and effectiveness. Base notes can come from cedar wood, vetiver root, patchouli, rose, jasmine, vanilla, clove and other intense, heady oils.

“All essential oils can have these effects,” said Williams. “What happens with aromatherapy is that more oxygen is brought to the body and brain and assists with circulation,” she said, adding that diffusing oils in the home can also help kill germs and pathogens during cold and flu season.

Although the most common use of aromatherapy involves essential oils, there are many other herbs, spices, resins, fruit, bath salts, flowers and other sources that can be used to create pleasing smells and effects.

“There are so many wonderful ways to use herbs,” said Williams. “They are therapeutic to the system and pleasurable to us.” In food, she suggests adding a rosemary sprig or bay leaves to stews to create good smells and add anti-oxidants to the meal. “Rosemary is one of my favorites during winter. It helps keep the blues away.”

In the kitchen, spiced mulled cider with cloves and cinnamon makes the house smell good, and it tastes good too, she said. In the tub, she recommends adding bath salts and a sprig of a favorite plant to enhance calm and relaxation. If a bath isn’t possible, a foot soak in hot water with peppermint at the end of the day can be calming, she said.

At Hawthorn Healing Arts Center, Phillips said she uses cinnamon in Chinese medicinal formulas for its warming effect and for its boosting of brain functioning, including memory and attention span.

“The cool thing about cinnamon is it’s so aromatic,” she said. “You can just use it in your coffee or tea.”

Phillips said she also burns resins such as copal, frankincense, myrrh, white sage and mugwort both in her practice and at home. Mugwort can even be used directly on the skin in traditional Chinese medicine therapy.

“The aroma and smoke helps clear out the yucky, negative stuff if you need fresh air,” she said. Williams also burns plant materials, including sage, which is traditional in Native American rituals.

“I have a passion for this. It’s amazing to bring this into your life,” said Williams. “My advice is to narrow it down to one or two plants or herbs that really resonate for you. Otherwise it can be overwhelming.”

She added, “There is a lot of science behind this, but really you know what works for you. Just be present and experience it. Allow yourself to experience how something makes you feel and breathe deep.”