So, let’s talk about how essential oils can help you reach your weight-loss goals. Trust me, it’s not hocus-pocus. There is an entire branch of science that validates why essential oils “work.”

Scent can communicate to your body that it’s time to burn fat. According to one study, “Olfactory stimulation with scent of grapefruit oil excites the sympathetic nerve innervating the white adipose [fat] tissue. It [the scent] can also reduce appetite and body weight.”  Pretty cool, huh? But let’s go a little deeper.

Inhaling volatile organic compounds has a direct effect not just on your body but also on your brain. That’s because these compounds affect the limbic system of your brain (aka your primal brain) that controls emotions, mood, and memory. This explains why certain scents can be associated with certain memories and can even trigger post-traumatic stress.

Here’s how it works: When you smell a rose, for example, the volatile organic compounds in the rose oil dissolve in the mucous lining on the roof of your nasal cavity and stimulate olfactory receptors. Sensory neurons carry signals from your receptors to your brain’s olfactory bulb, which filters and then processes the input signals of the rose scent. Next, mitral cells carry output signals to the olfactory cortex, which allows you to perceive and recognize the rose scent. This system is amazingly complex, but even more amazing is that it happens within an instant.

The Limbic Brain and Weight Management

What role does the limbic brain play in weight management? In simple terms, the scents of various essential oils impact your brain’s responses. A response to grapefruit oil can decrease your appetite and even stimulate fat breakdown. Orange oil can help alleviate depression, making you less likely to reach for (junk) food to cheer you up. Peppermint oil boosts your energy level by relaxing bronchial smooth muscles, thereby expanding your lung capacity so you can breathe in more oxygen. The result is that your cells burn fat more efficiently.