I am sure many of you have heard of vanilla and vanilla extract, as it is a common food flavoring agent used to make a variety of desserts and pastries as well as cakes. It is indeed mouth-watering and it has a very fragrant scent to it too.

However, many might not know that vanilla essential oil also contains much medicinal properties that can serve to provide much beneficial effects for your health!

The essential oil of vanilla is extracted from the Vanilla Planifolia plant, which is native to Mexico but is now widely grown throughout the tropics. Specifically, it is derived through the solvent extract of a resin-like substance that comes from fermented vanilla beans. The Spanish word for vanilla is actually vaina, which means “little pod”! Today, vanilla is actually the second most expensive spice after saffron because of the labor-intensive nature of growing the vanilla seed pods.

Read on to find out more about the health benefits and uses of vanilla essential oil!

Health Benefits of Vanilla Essential Oil:

1. Potent Antioxidant Agent

Vanilla oil contains much antioxidant constituents that help to protect the body by combating free radical damages. They help to prevent cell damage which are caused by oxidation, which is one of the main cause of many health troubles and diseases.

In fact, a 2007 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry notes how vanilla extract components are indeed potent antioxidants, which can potentially be used for food preservation and in health supplements as nutraceuticals. As such, vanilla oil is a potent substance that can protect the body from wear and tear, infections and even some forms of cancer by combating damages done by free radicals.

2. Exhibits Anti-Cancer Potential

As abovementioned, vanilla oil contains much beneficial antioxidants, which helps prevent cancer in the first place as it helps to stem and stop the development of cancer cells, thus preventing them from spreading and mutating.

This is done through the process of killing free radicals and reversing oxidative stress in the body because the damage done to the cells through free radicals play a huge role in the development of cancer. Therefore, vanilla oil also has anticarcinogenic properties in this way.

3. A Natural Aphrodisiac

Vanilla oil also helps to stimulate the secretion of hormones like testosterone and estrogen, thus helping to solve sexual related problems, such as erectile dysfunction, impotence, frigidity and loss of libido. This hence makes it a viable, all-natural remedy to boost your sex lives and improve hormonal levels, thus making you more confident in the process.

4. Helps Fight Infections

Like most essential oils out there, vanilla oil also contains potent antibacterial and antimicrobial qualities that helps to fight infections, on the skin and internally. This thus facilitates a much speedier healing process and prevents diseases or complications from setting in your body.

For example, a 2014 research study from Basel, Switzerland found that vanilla essential oil strongly inhibited the growth of S. aureus cells, an antibiotic-resistant bacterial strain which is commonly found in the respiratory tracts and on the skin, whenever there are wounds.

5. Eases Anxiety and Depression

Vanilla oil is also a potent remedy for helping to soothe feelings of anxiety and depression as it is known to have antidepressant and sedative qualities. Vanilla oil exudes a calming and relaxing effect on the brain, thus helping to alleviate anxiety, stress and tension.

A 2013 study published in the Indian Journal of Pharmacology notes the antidepressant nature of vanilla oil in mice, which is actually comparable with fluoxetine, a medication that is commonly used to treat depression and obsessive compulsive disorders. As such, they concluded how vanilla oil can serve as a natural aid in treating depression as its aromatic fragrance helps to uplift your emotional spirits and induces positive feelings in you.

6. Regulates Menstrual Flows

Because vanilla oil promotes the secretion of estrogen as abovementioned, it helps to regulate menstrual flows and ensure the proper and timely secretion of blood out from the uterus. It also helps to relieve some of the other symptoms commonly associated with menstruation, such as mood swings, painful abdominal cramps, fatigue, bloating and nausea.

It balances hormonal levels and helps to manage stress, thus leaving your physical body and mental health relaxed, with its sedative qualities. As such, these menstrual symptoms can be minimized and mitigated, thus making the experience not so painful and discomforting for some women.

7. Lowers Blood Pressure Levels

Vanilla oil is also a natural sedative, thus it can help to lower blood pressure levels natural by relaxing the body and mind, as well as reducing stress. As such, it prevents blood pressure levels from reaching dangerously high levels, which in turn decreases the risks of incurring stroke, heart attacks or even diabetes.

Vanilla oil is also a tranquilizer, and with that it helps you sleep better by relaxing the muscles and promoting relaxation. This will all indirectly serve to lower blood pressure levels. Coupled with its antioxidant properties and constituents, vanilla oil can be your natural remedy for high blood pressure.

8. Reduces Inflammation

Vanilla essential oil also contains anti-inflammatory properties as it reduces stress in the body and actively seeks to reduce the damage caused by inflammation, thereby preventing much diseases in the process.

It also helps to alleviate symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, making it a viable, natural arthritis treatment as it has anti-inflammatory, sedative and antibacterial properties.

How to Use Vanilla Essential Oil?

Now that you have read about 8 wonderful health benefits of vanilla essential oil, here are some of the common ways you can use the oil in your daily lives to reap its amazing health benefits!

• Direct Inhalation: You can directly inhale the sweet scent of vanilla oil from the bottle to improve sleeping patterns and to ease your mind.

• In Warm, Bathing Water: You can also add about 5-10 drops of the oil into a tub of warm, bathing water to make your very own vanilla oil bath to soak inside and pamper yourself!

• Topically: Rub 2-3 drops of pure vanilla oil to the desired areas, especially if you want to soothe burns, wounds or treat inflammatory conditions as well as painful menstrual cramps.

• Internally: You can consume vanilla oil with a glass of water or add it into a cup of tea. Add one drop of the oil and ensure proper dilution by stirring thoroughly before ingesting it.

Because of its sweet scent, vanilla oil can also be used as a natural, DIY, homemade perfume! Simply add 10-20 drops into a spray bottle and combine it with equal parts of a carrier oil (like coconut or jojoba oils) and water. Then, spray it onto your hair, body and even on your bed sheets or furniture to smell nice!

Safety Precautions:

• Vanilla oil is safe to be ingested, but do ensure that you only purchase 100% pure, high-quality and top-grade vanilla essential oil from a reliable and reputable seller. This is because other products might contain synthetics which can be harmful to your health. Also, only add one drop of the oil into a glass of water or cup of tea, and ensure you seek the advice of your doctor or medical expert before proceeding to ingest it.

• Vanilla oil might produce some skin irritations, swelling or inflammation if you are allergic to it or have sensitive skin. In that case, you can dilute it with equal parts of a carrier oil (such as coconut, jojoba or almond oils) and perform a skin patch test on a small part of your skin first to test for any allergic or sensitive reactions.

• If you are pregnant or nursing, it is best to avoid vanilla oil since it is known to stimulate the secretion of hormones and menstruation.

References:

Shyamala BN, et al., “Studies on the antioxidant activities of natural vanilla extract and its constituent compounds through in vitro models”, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2007); 55(19)

Bilcu M, et al., “Efficiency of vanilla, patchouli and ylang ylang essential oils stabilized by iron oxide@C14 nanostructures against bacterial adherence and biofilms formed by Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae clinical strains”, PubMed (2014); 19(11)

Ahsan Shoeb, et al., “Evaluation of antidepressant activity of vanillin in mice”, Indian Journal of Pharmacology (2013); 45(2)