102: Smell On Earth
Andrew’s recent rediscovery of a vintage fragrance is giving him a lot of feelings. But does aromatherapy actually work? And which scents do what? And is it possible to be a person who enjoys fragrant oils without going full-on Crunchy Lady Who Doesn’t Believe In Science?
Who knows! But I did do a little bit of research into the science of scent and how it impacts your brain and I think it’s pretty interesting!
From a Harvard Gazette article:
Smells are handled by the olfactory bulb, the structure in the front of the brain that sends information to the other areas of the body’s central command for further processing.
Odors take a direct route to the limbic system, including the amygdala and the hippocampus, the regions related to emotion and memory. “The olfactory signals very quickly get to the limbic system,” Murthy said.
That fast action means smells can have a very quick reaction - both positive or negative. And if you associate a smell with a good feeling (like calmness), then the piece of advice that Andrew got ages ago might actually work. Then again, it might just bring up fond memories. Researchers at John’s Hopkins say that there’s some promising findings around the science of aromatherapy, though it’s definitely not conclusive.
Although people claim essential oils are natural remedies for a number of ailments, there's not enough research to determine their effectiveness in human health. Results of lab studies are promising — one at Johns Hopkins found that certain essential oils could kill a type of Lyme bacteria better than antibiotics — but results in human clinical trials are mixed.
Some studies indicate that there's a benefit to using essential oils while others show no improvement in symptoms.
Either way, if you’re going to get Into Fragrances, John’s Hopkins advises that you look for high-quality oils without a lot of filler and other shit.
Listen to Andrew’s poetic feelings about essential oils:
If you could only have five cleaning products, what would they be? This is a great question and one that we had a lot of fun discussing. At the bare minimum, I’d say:
An all-purpose that can do a lot, preferably one that comes in a concentrate and can be refilled for less money than if you’re buying a new bottle every time. For this, we’d say something like the Grove concentrate, Simple Green, Public Goods, or my beloved CitraSolv. These can all handle floors, counters, sinks, and just about anything else. Ideally this cleaner can also deal with sticky stuff, fats, and oils.
A toilet/tile/tub cleaner with some kind of anti-bac. This can be as simple as bleach or even vinegar, but you need something to handle odor and like, bathroom grime.
A window cleaner of any kind. This cleaner handles mirrors, stainless, cooktops, and anything else you don’t want to smudge.
A soap for outdoor stuff, for washing textiles and large things, and just for times when you need Real Ass Soap. Dawn, Dr. Bronner’s, etc, can do this.
Some kind of a scrubber, like baking soda or the Mrs. Meyer’s creamy cleaner or Bon Ami or something.
What are your must-haves? You can always call us and let us know (508-HOW-WASH). You can also tell me about where I went wrong with my vinegar. There’s a video of the moment I nearly vomited into it on our Instagram so be sure to check that out, too!