Aromatherapy in your cup!
Many of the blends in our Your Day collection were designed for their aroma, as well as taste. As we know through the practice of aromatherapy, scent plays a huge role in putting us in a more calm and positive state of mind.
Did you know that humans have about 300 active scent (olfactory) receptor genes devoted to detecting thousands of different fragrance molecules through a large family of olfactory receptors? Our sense of smell had a large effect on our mood, stress, and working capacity. Fragrance has been shown to change EEG brain waves recorded from the scalp (1) and is known to modulate the brain's stress response (2). In animals, scents are known to elicit a range of innate behaviours essential for the animal's survival, wellbeing or reproduction (3).
Ancient civilizations, including Egypt, China and India, used aromatherapy as a therapy for thousands of years(4), and fragrance is still used therapeutically for the treatment of physical and psychological disorders in traditional medicine, herbalism and aromatherapy.
(image Areej Aromatherapy: https://areejaromatherapy.com/en_us-aromatherapy-in-egypt/)
It is not surprising that aroma has such an immediate and profound effect on our emotions and responses because of the direct neurological link between our sense of smell and our emotions: the olfactory system projects directly to the amygdala, a critical part of the brain's limbic system responsible for behavioural and emotional responses to stimuli. The amygdala, named from the Latin word for "almond" due to its shape, is linked with the "fight or flight" stress response, in situations perceived as threatening or fearful. Current theories suggest its role is to constantly integrate and evaluate sensory information from the environment and assign appropriate emotional value, such as valence (positive, negative), intensity. The amygdala participates in the regulation of autonomic and endocrine functions, decision-making and adaptations of instinctive and motivational behaviors to changes in the environment.
(image Wikipedia: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/73/Amygdala.png)
Read on to give your brain and mood a boost with some gloriously fragrant Serendipiteas!:
Elderflower Strawberry Hug is the ultimately uplifting fragrant tea. It has an amazingly elderflower, lemongrass and peppermint aroma. For people who prefer no caffeine, this tea is a great way to wake up in the morning. It also supports a positive mindset and energy at any time of day - a positivity "Hug in a Mug". #positivitea
Think Pink! Think romance, think gloriously fragrant roses! Delicate rose buds and petals add a beautiful note to a flowery oolong tea. Tangy juicy raspberries and pink cornflowers add beauty to the blend. A truly lovely fragrant tea to settle you into the moment at any time of day, in any season.
Need to feel comforted?
Pistachio Pu-Erh has a deeply rich, warm and nutty aroma that will envelop you. Its flavour is velvety and earthy with an enticing oriental nuttiness. This is the perfect comforting cuppa to drink as you sink into your chair on a Sunday morning.
Enjoy!
Ready for the tropical holiday vibe? The aroma of lively ripe pineapple and golden sweet mango brings you joy as soon as you open a bag of Organic Tropical Bliss. Then, as the tropical-scented steam from the cup reaches your nose, it envelopes and transports you to a holiday full of sunshine, beaches, palm trees and tropical fruit.
It's pure pleasure drunk hot or cold.
Stay tuned for more treats for your nose, and amygdala!
....and how to mindfully drink your tea.
In the meantime, have a lovely flavour- and aroma-filled summer!
Not sure which tea to choose? Book a call:
References:
Sowndhararajan S. & Kim S. (2016) Influence of Fragrances on Human Psychophysiological Activity: With Special Reference to Human Electroencephalographic Response. Scientia Pharmaceutica, 84(4): 724–752
Masuo, Y et al. (2021) Smell and Stress Response in the Brain: Review of the Connection between Chemistry and Neuropharmacology. Molecules, 26(9): 2571
Root, C. et al. (2014) The participation of cortical amygdala in innate, odor-driven behavior. Nature, 13; 515(7526): 269–273.
Ali B., Al-Wabel N.A., Shams S., Ahamad A., Khan S.A., Anwar F. Essential oils used in aromatherapy: A systemic review. Asian Pac. J. Trop. Biomed. 2015;5:601–611. doi: 10.1016/j.apjtb.2015.05.007
Šimić G et al. (2021) Understanding Emotions: Origins and Roles of the Amygdala. Biomolecules, 11(6): 823
With thanks to the following photographers from Pexels: Keegan Evans
fotografierende
Rebecca
Julia Avamotive Pixabay
Quang Nguyen Vinh
Alexandr Podvalny