When I turned seven, a couple of family friends gave me Nancy Drew mysteries for my birthday. I gobbled them up and was soon devouring the whole collection from our little public library in Brooklyn. By the time I was twelve, I was devouring Agatha Christie mysteries. Since the essential oil I’m sharing about today is Cypress, that made me think of the Christie mystery, Sad Cypress.
Actually, Cypress isn’t sad at all–it has quite the opposite effect. It is gentle and uplifting to the emotions. Happy Wellness Wednesday, friends! It’s time for another edition of “What Should I Do With My Oils?”.
Latin name:Cupressus sempervirens L.; Family:Cupressaceae; Part of plant used:Leaves, twigs, cones.
Therapeutic Actions: Antispasmodic, Antiseptic, Decongestant, Restorative to the Nervous System.
How to use: Helpful for varicose veins, edema, preventative for sore throats, relieve lymph congestion, respiratory infections in the early phase, influenza, asthma, sore throats, dry spasmodic coughs, bronchitis, rosacea, wound healing, calming, helpful for transitions or times of grief, soothes anxiety.
Each Tuesday I go Live on Facebook at 12pm ET and Instagram at 12:15pm ET with a series called “What Should I Do With My Oils”. I focus on one essential oil each week, sharing benefits, ways to use it, blends and recipes, as well as any safety concerns. And on Wednesday I share the info here on the blog. This week I’m focusing on Sweet Orange. S
Latin name: Citrus sinensis; Family: Rutaceae; Part of plant used: Peel/zest of fruit. Aroma: fresh, fruity, citrusy.
Safety info: Store Sweet Orange in a cold, dark place. The fridge is a good place! Shelf life is 1-3 years. If the oil is stored improperly (been exposed to heat and sunlight), or is old, it can oxidize and cause dermal irritation.
Like Lemon, check to see if your supplier distills or cold-presses their Orange oil. Cold-pressed Orange is not phototoxic, but distilled is. This just means you shouldn’t slather on a product with a high dilution of Orange in it and then go out in the sun. If you do use a product with lots of Orange, Lemon, or other Citrus oils and are unsure about how it was processed, just avoid exposing your skin to the sun for 12 hours. Example: no tanning beds or lying poolside.
It’s a great oil for digestion: can help to relieve indigestion, nervous or upset stomach, gas and bloating
It is a friend to the nervous system/emotions: calms anxiety, agitation/irritability and restlessness, can relieve insomnia and depression.
Three Aromatherapy Blends with Sweet Orange:
Anytime Soothing Diffuser Blend
5 drops Sweet Orange
4 drops Lavender
3 drops White or Black Spruce
Study Buddy (Mental Clarity) Inhaler
4 drops Black Spruce
6 drops Sweet Orange
2 drop Peppermint
Happy Belly Lotion
(In 2 oz bottle with fragrance free lotion or use a carrier oil like Jojoba or Sweet Almond Oil)
10 drops Sweet Orange
5 drops Cardamom
3 drops Bergamot
In my Live videos, I recommended the free Introduction to Aromatherapy course from New York Institute of Aromatic Studies. You can find it at www.aromaticstudies.com.
OK, that’s all for now! Happy Wellness Wednesday and let me know if you try the blends.
Every Tuesday, I go Live on Facebook and Instagram with my series “What Should I Do With My Oils?” and talk about one essential oil, its uses and benefits, and share a few recipes/blends as well. This week I shared about Niaouli, an EO that is super beneficial this time of year.
Niaouli: Latin binomial: Melaleuca quinquenervia ct 1,8 cineole; Family: Myrtaceae; Parts used: Leaves; Aroma: Camphoraceous, fruity, warm, earthy,
Safety concerns: Don’t put near the nose or face of infants and children under 5 years old; can cause breathing problems in infants and young children.
Sore throat recipe: 1 drop Frankincense, 1 drop Niaouli, 1/2 teaspoon Jojoba oil. Rub on front of throat and back of neck.
Breathe Clear Blend: 6 drops Niaouli, 3 drops Cypress, 3 drops Spike Lavender. Diffuse for 1-2 hours at a time.
Allergy Lotion Blend: 15 drops Niaouli, 9 drops Lavender, 5 drops Eucalyptus Radiata, 8 drops Lemon, 8 drops Scots Pine in a 1 oz bottle of lotion. Apply lotion to neck, chest, and upper back.
I also wanted to recommend an aromatherapy book that I refer to often that you might want to consider for your home library. Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit contains plenty of history and lore connected with plants, as well as information on essential oils to use for emotional and mental well-being.
I just had the most painful back pain episode of my life! I was at the gym this past Sunday morning, walking on the treadmill, when I felt a tightness and pain in my upper left back/shoulder area. Attempting to ease it out, I stretched a bit and thought I’d just keep going. About ten minutes later a pain like nothing I’ve ever experienced started stabbing me in that same spot. I couldn’t breathe without extreme pain and nothing would stop it. Somehow I managed to get myself out of the gym and drive home, crying all the way.
Alan massaged my back, got me some ibuprofen, and had to help me shower and dress–it was that debilitating! I laid flat for most of the day, and could only take shallow breaths. At dinner time, I went downstairs determined to help myself, made a list of analgesic, anti-spasmodic, anti-inflammatory essential oils, and made myself Daytime and Nighttime Roll-on Blends.
Alan applied the Nighttime Blend after dinner. I didn’t feel any better and took ibuprofen around 9:30pm. I was crying in pain by 11, so he applied the Nighttime Blend and massaged my back again. At 5AM I woke up and felt quite a bit better, fell back asleep and woke at 9:15AM to way less pain and much more mobility without pain. No ibuprofen all Monday, just a massage and the Daytime Blend!
Although I’m going to take it easy for the rest of the week, I am thrilled that the pain and stiffness have been reduced this much. I will have the doctor take a look at my back and hopefully I can get some physical therapy soon.
So here are the blends in case you want to re-create them for yourself to have on hand for extreme pain situations.
Daytime Pain Relief Blend: In a 10ml roller bottle, 10 drops Clary Sage, 7 drops Rosemary, 7 drops Laurel, 10 drops Sweet Marjoram, and 11 drops Spike Lavender, and fill the bottle with Calendula oil or a carrier oil of your choice
Nighttime Pain Relief Blend: In a 10 ml roller bottle, 11 drops Clary Sage, 7 drops German Chamomile, 5 drops Frankincense, 7 drops Black Spruce, 15 drops Lavender
(Disclaimer: The information contained in this post does not take the place of medical advice and is not meant to diagnose or treat any illness or ailment. If you are in pain, see your healthcare provider.)
I’ve started a new series with my Facebook and Instagram Live videos on Tuesdays and I’m calling it “What Should I Do With My Oils?” Plenty of people I know have quite a collection of essential oils, but some don’t actually know what to do with them. (Hint: You DON’T DRINK/INGEST THEM!!!) I thought it would be helpful if I share the information I talk about in my Live videos in written form, especially so you can find all the blends and recipes in one place. Click here to watch yesterday’s Facebook Live video on Lemon.
Let’s Dive into Lemon:
Latin binomial: Citrus limon; Family: Rutaceae; Part of plant used: peel or zest of fruit.
Storage: Because it’s high in limonene (one of the chemical components) you need to store lemon in a dark container in the fridge or a cold room away from sunlight and heat. It can become oxidized and cause dermal sensitization. Average shelf life is 1-3 years. Err on the side of a shorter shelf life.
Safety concerns: It depends whether your lemon was expressed or distilled. Expressed lemon is preferred for aromatherapy; distilled tends to be used in food flavoring.
Expressed lemon presents a low risk for phototoxicity. If you’re using it topically, and your skin will be exposed to sunlight, applications should be lower than 2%. Or you shouldn’t expose your skin to sunlight/tanning beds for at least 12 hours.
Distilled lemon can be a dermal sensitizer when oxidized. (can cause skin irritation when the essential oil is old)
Drinking Lemon Essential Oil (Don’t Do It!!!):
Two reasons why you shouldn’t put essential oils in water and drink them:
Essential oils don’t dissolve in water, so it’s hard for your body to absorb or assimilate essential oils because it’s not dispersed evenly.
Because it isn’t evenly dispersed, the droplets of oil are floating around in your stomach and can irritate the mucus membranes of your stomach.
Indicated for: It’s an air purifier, immune-boosting, preventative measure against contagious illnesses, detoxifying, good for circulation, varicose veins, digestion, lymphatic congestion, muscular/joint aches and pains, headaches, general fatigue and weakness, prevents prematurely aging skin, good for acne, oily skin, helpful for anxiety and depression, anger/irritability, calming and stabilizing, refreshing, and cooling.
Blends well with: evergreens like Black Spruce, Scots Pine, Cypress, Juniper, Cedarwood, Lavender, Clary Sage, other citrus oils like Grapefruit, Lime, Mandarin, Niaouli, Eucalyptus, Spike Lavender, Helichrysum gymnocephalum.
Blends/Recipes:
Pick-Me-Up Diffuser Blend
5 drops Lemon
3 drops Lime
2 drops Grapefruit
Anti-Anxiety Diffuser blend
3 drops Lemon
3 drops Lavender
2 drops Basil
Anti-Inflammatory Muscle/Joint Blend (adapted from Aromatics International Recipe)
5 drops Black Spruce
5 drops Helichrysum Italicum
5 drops Roman Chamomile
5 drops Juniper Berry
4 drops Lemon
1 oz olive or sesame oil or Calendula Herbal oil/Trauma Oil
Blend together in small jar or bottle and apply to sore muscles or joints as needed.
Sore Leg Relief Blend (great for varicose veins, swelling, pain, etc.) This recipe is one I use every single day and at night too! You don’t have to have all of these oils–Lemon on its own is great for circulation, swelling, and leg pain, but if you have any of the others, they go great together!
I highly recommend taking the free introduction to aromatherapy course at the New York Institute of Aromatic Studies! It’s about 20 hours long and will give you a good introduction to the world of aromatherapy, including essential oil safety, blends and recipes, and much more!
Life of Kim 