Essential Oils For Health & Home - Part 1

Hello Fellow Health Enthusiasts!  I hope you're enjoying the early spring weather in your part of the country and if you are, I'm jealous!  Here it is April 12th in northern, coastal Maine and it just started snowing - again -  ugh!  No signs of spring yet except for the daffodils that are barely poking their green stems up by about an inch; a few spring onions are attempting to awaken from winter's grasp, peeking up from the crumbly garden soil; and a fresh bunch of robins landed in my back yard this morning, tilting their heads as they listened for worms.  Spring's coming - just being terribly slow this year.

Today, I want to begin a new series about the use of essential oils for both health and home.  Essential oils bring "living vibrations" or "vibrational energy" into your body.  They are totally unlike lifeless, synthetically-produced "meds" or "vitamin pills" that you get in pharmacies or even health food stores.  To truly benefit from using essential oils, and not have them become merely an occasional fragrance agent or inconsequential thing in your life, you must get into the habit of using them daily as part of your beauty and healing regimen - don't wait until you have skin problems or are suffering from sickness to reach for them.  The knowledgeable and frequent use of essential oils will prevent a multitude of illnesses and beauty problems.  Learn to love essential oils and make it a point to research all of their properties and contraindications before applying them to your skin, inhaling them, or adding them to your food.  Remember to always keep them stored in a dark, cool place, away from children and pets.

My favorite source of superior essential oils is Simplers Botanical Company, (800) 652-7646 or www.simplers.com.  Additionally, both of my best-selling books, Organic Body Care Recipes and Hands-On Healing Remedies are good sources for learning about essential oils and how they are best used in personal care and topically-applied herbal remedies.

In this blog, I'll begin by discussing frankincense and myrrh - which are gaining in popularity these days.  I can't list every known use for these essential oils, so learn what I"ve listed then look up the oils in other resources and expand your knowledge.  Enjoy!

- Frankincense:  Sometimes called olibanum, frankincense (Boswellia carterii) is one of the first spices brought back from the East.  It is a resin gathered from the stems and trunk of small trees which grow in the Arabian peninsula, India, and northern Africa.  Wonderful for preserving spiritual energy, enhancing meditation, and helping maintain a clear mind. Frankincense is part of the recipe found in the Bible for "holy anointing oil" and has been used in religious rituals for centuries. It is excellent for the sixth chakra, assisting in altering perception of truth and promoting clairvoyance.

It has a heating, drying energy with alterative, analgesic, rejuvenative, anti-inflammatory, disinfectant, antiseptic, and astringent properties.  Excellent for healing wounds, bronchitis, colds, sinusitis, and comforting and protecting environmentally damaged and aging skin.

For emotional trauma, sinus, and lung infections, inhale a few drops rubbed between your hands and cupped over your mouth and nose.  You can even mix a drop of frankincense with a 1/2 teaspoon of honey - chase it down with warm water - to help relieve sore throat.  A drop on each temple will help relieve stress headaches.  A massage oil made using 1/2 cup of jojoba oil or coconut oil to which you've added 30 drops of frankincense or 15 drops each of frankincense and myrrh, is wonderful as a relaxing perfumed body oil or bath oil.  Men and women like the aroma.

- Myrrh:  One of the oldest essential oils, myrrh (commophora myrrha) is made from the gum resin of a bush that grows in Arabia and Africa.  Myrrh essential oil creates confidence and awareness and is valuable for those who are afraid to speak up about their feelings.  Used for centuries as an embalming fluid, it continues to be used as a restorative / preserver of youthful skin and is often added to cosmetics for mature skin and prevention of wrinkles.

Myrrh has a heating energy with alterative, analgesic, emmenagogue, rejuvenative, astringent, expectorant, antispasmodic, and antiseptic properties.  Excellent for alleviating coughs, asthma, bronchitis, arthritis, rheumatism, traumatic injuries, ulcerated surfaces, and pyorrhea. 

I make a disinfecting spray that I use on my hands, to purify the air inside the house, and to clean bathroom surfaces by mixing 1 cup of cheap 80-proof vodka with 20 drops of frankincense and 20 drops of myrrh essential oils.  Shake well.  Smells nice, warm and fresh.

Until next time, be well, be happy, and be whole!

NOTE:  This blog was written by Stephanie Tourles, lic. esthetician, aromatherapist, herbalist, and author. The information is true and complete to the best of her knowledge.  All recommendations are made without guarantee on the part of Ms. Tourles.  She disclaims any liability in connection with the use of this information.  It is for educational purposes only.