We owe a huge gratitude to the wisdom of our bodies. The blood/brain barrier is a most wondrous cellular membrane that prevents anything out of integrity from entering into our precious brain tissue. As ONE of our blessed command centers (the heart and the gut being the others in this powerful trinity) we would be remiss in not acknowledging that most substances we ingest medicinally will not penetrate this valiant and wise fortress. Essential oils, however, because they are whole and natural and from plants and trees, are recognized by our bodies as beneficial. Ones with sesquiterpenes, hermiterpenes and monoterpenes are all small enough to cross this barrier and are readily absorbed into the brain tissues because of their lipophylic nature. For all those dealing with brain trauma, hold your hand out to Frankincense, Artemesia, Juniper Berry, Sandalwood, and Myrrh to start with. There are others that would be hugely supportive, and regenerative, but those above would be my favored for brain trauma, swelling, and bruising. Your brain, then, in its wisdom, will hold out its hand to the essential oils in your blood stream and usher them with gratitude and grace through the gate where they can have maximum effect.