Essential Oils for the 'Winter Blues'

I don't know about you, but I am not a 'winter' person; here in Arizona, we are usually treated to some pretty nice weather, even in the winter months, with sunny, if cold, days.  However, for the last month it seems like we have had nothing but rain, snow and overcast days - with hardly a peek of sunshine - pretty much like the weather I was used to in the U.K.  Consquently, or maybe as a coincidence, I have been feelling pretty low and off-color the past couple of weeks.

However, there are some essential oils which can come to the rescue of 'winter blues' and depression.  Many essential oils possess the properties which make us feel more uplifted and more 'normal'.  Some essential oils which help with the 'winter blue' include:

• geranium
• rose
• rosemary
• neroli
• petitgrain
• sandalwood
• frankincense
• cypress
• juniper
• lavender
• chamomile
• ylang ylang.

In addition, I find that many of the citrus oils, such as lemon, mandarin and orange, can help me feel more 'uplifted'.  Use essential oils in an aromatherapy blend, in the bath or in a diffuser.  I also find buring pure essential oil candles helps, especially on a 'dark' day!

Now, I'm off for some 'winter blues' healing with my essential oils!

If you have any thoughts on 'Essential Oils for the Winter Blues'' please post me a comment below!

When Not to Use Essential Oils

I have probably already covered this topic, either here at Aromatherapy Notes, in a blog post, or elsewhere but my latest article is a reminder of the contraindications in the use of essential oils.  Essential oils are relatively safe to use - if used correctly and in the correct circumstances.  Some advise use in pregnancy, with medication and other situations, some do not - but in any essential oil use, it really is a matter of understanding how an essential oil works, what it contains and then understanding how it will cause (or not cause) a reaction.  Everyone is different so it is wise to take the time to learn about essential oils before using them - and know how you are going to react to them in different situations.

To learn more read:

Contraindications in the Use of Essential Oils

Please leave a comment below if you have experienced any particular reaction in using essential oils...

My Favorite Essential Oils for Romance!

So, Valentine's Day is just around the corner - and romance is in the air!  In fact, aromatherapy is in the air too!  Many essential oils are aphrodisiac, meaning they have the capability of inducing love and romance!  Rose is probably the oil most synonomous with love but there are others too; discover my top five essential oils for romance here....

The Link Between Chocolate and Aromatherapy

Some of you may know that I have a web site called Chocolate Aromatherapy; the inspiration for Chocolate Aromatherapy came from my love of chocolate and the frustration of the abundance of chocolate 'aromatherapy' products which were on the market - and were, in fact, not 'true' aromatherapy products.  Many chocolate aromatherapy web sites feature novelty items which combine chocolate in various items with a chocolate 'fragrance' and not 'true' chocolate aromatherapy - read my article, Essential Oil, Fragrance Oil or Hydrosol? to re-cap on the differences between essential oils and fragrance oils.

But, chocolate, isn't an essential oil either, so how can it be classed as 'true' chocolate aromatherapy?  Chocolate is made from the cacao beans/seeds of the cacao tree.  Cacao seeds have various uses - they were highly prized by the Mayan culture, more so than gold, and were in fact the equivalent of the value of 'money' as we use it today.  Cacao beans were traded with other tribes in exchange for goods and services.

Today, of course, cacao beans are used to make chocolate - and they are also the source of cocoa butter, also known as theobrama.  Cocoa butter is often used in aromatherapy, either on its own or combined with essential oils - hence the link between chocolate and 'true' aromatherapy!

To learn more about the link between chocolate and aromatherapy, check out these articles:

The Chocolate Tree
Chocolate and Aromatherapy

As Valentine's Day is approaching, why not treat yourself or a loved one, to a special treat of chocolate aromatherapy?  Check out Chocolate Aromatherapy to learn more!

Evening Primrose Oil

Evening primrose oil is often thought about in conjunction with taking evening primrose capsules - but did you know it was a carrier oil which is also used in aromatherapy?  The research and scientific evidence about whether evening primrose rose actually works is all a bit contradictory but there are some areas in which evening primrose oil is effective.  Skin conditions seem to be the main use of evening primrose oil - to learn more, read my full article Evening Primrose Carrier Oil....

Amazing Facts About Essential Oils

Although I've studied a lot about essential oils in the course of my aromatherapy studies, I still continually research and revise information for articles which I write for various web magazines and for my own blog. Some of the facts I discover/re-discover continue to amaze me, so I thought that I would share some of what, I consider, to be some of the amazing things about aromatherapy.  Of course there are many more but these are my favorite top ten amazing facts about essential oils! If you have anything to add, please leave me a comment below this blog post!

• there are only 21 plant families which produce essential oils (source: Aromatherapy Workbook, Shirley Price, 2000)
• only one per cent of the entire plant species population produce essential oils (source: Aromatherapy Massage for You, Jennie Harding, 2005)
• essentials oils, as used today, were 'discovered' by French chemist, Rene Maurice Gattefosse, in 1928, only 82 years ago (although, the use of plant oils, in various forms, have been in use for centuries)
• on the other side of the coin, ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans were using plant oils for medicinal and beauty purposes long before 'modern day' aromatherapy was 'invented'
• an Arab physician, by the name of Avicenna (980 A.D. - 1037 A.D.), is accredited with the invention of a refrigerated coil which changed the way plants were distilled; this method is still used today
• the exact chemical components of all essential oils is still not known; scientists have studied the chemical components of many essential oils and are still establishing what some essential oils are made up of.  Rose essential oil, for example, has some unknown chemical components, which is one of the reasons why it is so difficult to 'copy' the exact aroma of rose in synthetic form
• the bitter orange tree produces three different essential oils: petitgrain essential oil (from the leaves), neroli essential oil (from the flowers) and bitter orange essential oil (from the fruit).  The sweet orange tree produces one essential oil from the fruit
• many plant species/families produce different varieties of similar or different essential oils; examples include the lavender essential oils, the sage essential oils and the chamomile essential oils
• essential oils are versatile in their use; known for their healing properties, essential oils can also be used in the home as a natural cleaning product, to repel insects, in the use of pets and even assist plants in the garden, effectively taking them back to their source!
• an 'essential oil' is not always an essential oil - it may actually be a concrete, resin, resinoid, oleoresin or hydrosol.

Essential Oils for Pets

A few people have asked me about the use of essential oil for dogs and cats; I have no experience or training in this area, and for the inexperienced, it can be a case of 'trial and error' because cats and dogs (and other animals) react differently to humans in the use of essential oils.  This is partly due to their various sizes, different PH levels and other anomalies.

Horses have long been known to respond positively to all types of alternative healing - including aromatherapy.  I don't personally own a horse, so I can't verify that absolutely but it is common knowledge.

However, I do own a dog and recently I have been looking for an alternative treatment to the veterinary endorsed flea and pest medications; althought these medications kept the fleas and other insects off my dog, he didn't really like them.  Every time I went to apply the medication, he ran away and hid or struggled all the time I was applying it.  He was also sick a couple of times after the application which made me think that he wasn't actually responding that well to the chemicals it was made up of.  They say animals tend to know what is good for them (sometimes!) so....

I finally looked to essential oils for an answer.  My dog is not a big dog - he is a cavalier king charles spaniel who weighs approximately 21 lbs (at best guess, its a while since he was actually weighed!).  After researching Valerie Ann Worwood's book The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy, in which she has a chapter on using essential oils for pets, I narrowed my choice down to either citronella essential oil or lemongrass essential oil.

I chose to use citronella essential oil and applied a single drop to my dog's neck, after first letting him sniff it.  Although he wasn't keen at the actual application (he actually doesn't like anything being put on him!), he wasn't opposed to the aroma and didn't react to it as negatively as the chemical medication - and so far it appears to have worked.

Every dog is different, so if you are using essential oils for pets I would advise doing a patch test first, know your dog, and let him 'choose' the essential oil.  Take extra care in using essential oils for pets, particularly if you have little or no experience or knowledge of using essential oils.

Valerie Ann Worwood's book, The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy, is available in my Amazon book store for purchase.

If you have any thoughts on using "Essential Oils for Pets" please post a comment below!

Apricot Kernel Oil

Apricot Kernel oil is a similar oil to Sweet Almond oil and is a popular oil used in aromatherapy and massage.  Discover the properties of Apricot Kernel oil by reading my latest carrier oil profile, Apricot Kernel Carrier Oil...

The Practice of 'Aromatherapy' in Ancient Pompeii

Aromatherapy, as we know it today, is actually a relatively modern practice.  Students of aromatherapy know that Rene Maurice Gattefosse, a French chemist, is accredited with the 'discovery' of the power of essential oils in 1928.  Rene Maurice Gattefosse badly burned his hand, whilst carrying out his work, and immediately plunged his hand into the nearby vat of water -except the vat of water turned out to be a vat of lavender.  Gatterfosse was amazed at the lack of burn scarring on his hand and thus aromatherapy, or as the French call it 'aromatherapie' was born. (Incidently, my business Sedona Aromatherapie takes its name from the French for aromatherapy, although this causes much confusion amongst non-aromatherapy educated individuals!).

However, ancient people have been using plants - and their oils - for thousands of years.  Many argue that this is not 'aromatherapy', and in the most strict sense of the word, this is correct. However, the oils the ancient people used might not be the same as essential oils distilled today (the distillation process of essential oils was greatly advanced by Avicenna in ancient Persia) but these ancient people certainly knew the power of a plant's oils and properties.  The Ebers Papyrus of Ancient Egypt lists many plants which ancient Egytpians used.

On a visit to Pompeii in Italy a couple of years ago I was fascinated to learn that amongst the archeological excavations of ancient Pompeii was the discovery of the use of many plants and oils, several used in similar ways to the way we use them today.  And this was in 79 A.D.  A fascinating book on this subject (and more) is Perfumes, Ungents and Hairstyles in Pompeii by Carlo Giordano, Angelandrea Casale.  The book is published in both Italian and English.

To learn more about how Pompeiians used plants and oils read:

Ancient Perfumes of Pompeii
Lost Medicinal Plants of Pompeii

Of course, the Pompeiians weren't the only ones who used plants and oils in aromatic ways.  England and Europe used many ancient 'lotions and potions' throughout the preceding centuries, many of which got 'lost' in the 'dark' ages.  However, today many people are rediscovering the benefits of aromatherapy and essential oils - perhaps we can look back to our ancestors for some ancient 'aromatherapy' advice!

You may also be interested in the related blog post - The Historical Use of Aromatherapy in Skincare

If you have any comments on 'The Practice of 'Aromatherapy' in Ancient Pompeii' please post a comment below!

Aromatherapy in the Garden

For my first blog post of the New Year, I got to thinking about aromatherapy in the garden.  Spring is not far away, although depending on where you live it may seem like winter will never end! This year I really want to try and add some fragrant and aromatic plants and flowers to my porch/yard/garden.

A book which I have found extremely useful in this area is one which is on my favorite books list, on the left hand side of the blog - that is An Aromatherapy Garden by Julia Lawless.  Although it is written from an English perspective, I think it contains many interesting and useful facts and information no matter where you live in the world.  To give you an idea of what the book contains, here's a list of the contents page:

• history of the scented garden
• aromatic herbs for health and cooking
• a perfumery and aromatherapy border
• fragrant exotica and container plants
• secrets from the still room
• planning an aromatherapy garden
• aromatherapy plant potraits.

Of course, it depends on where you live as to what is possible to grow, but if you have an interest in both aromatherapy and plants, I would highly recommend this book, to give you some ideas.  It also contains many beautiful photos of flowers and plants which will inspire you if nothing else!  You can purchase the book by clicking on the link on the left hand side of the page, which also directs you to a review of the book.

I also have a couple of articles in the Sedona Aromatherapie library about aromatherapy garden, including an article I wrote on return from a trip to Pompeii in Italy, a couple of years ago.  I'll write more about that next time but in the meantime, here's the link for the two articles:

• Gardens of Pompeii
• An Aromatherapy Garden

People often associate aromatherapy with the bottles of essential oils - and often forget where those essential oils originally came from, so I think that creating your very own aromatherapy garden is both a reminder of that and a tranquil and calming place to study more about aromatherapy!  At least, that is my intention for the following year!

If you have any thoughts on aromatherapy and gardens please post me a comment below!

Aromatherapy Review of 2009

As the New Year approaches people traditionally make plans for the next year and review the outgoing year.  I am no exception!  2009 was a year of change (amongst many others!) for me.  Focusing on aromatherapy, I changed the direction of my business away from local and treatment services to focus more on aromatherapy web enterprises - online web stores of aromatherapy products, more of which to come in 2010 - and decided to pass my knowledge of aromatherapy onto others.  So, after some further aromatherapy training in the early part of 2010, I will be planning aromatherapy classes.  With regard to my writing in the past year, I initially set out to promote my aromatherapy through my writing.  However this has taken on a life of its own and I now write about almost anyone and everything - although my primary intention is still to spread the word about aromatherapy.  With that in mind, I'll be focusing on building some aromatherapy information web sites too.

But before the New Year arrives, I will be taking a break until January 4th, to renew my energy for the upcoming year.  Consequently, this will be my last blog post of 2009!

Have a safe, peaceful and aromatic holiday season!  And I look forward to seeing you in 2010!

Silver Fir Essential Oil

Silver Fir essential oil is probably not as well known as Scotch Pine essential oil, yet it has very similar properties, being from the same botanical family.  To learn more read my latest essential oil profile - Silver Fir Essential Oil....

Extraction of Carrier Oils

There is quite a lot of information about the extraction of essential oils but not so much about carrier oils.  Yet carrier oils are used in aromatherapy too.  True carrier oils used in aromatherapy have therapeutic properties and can be used on their own or combined with essential oils.  To learn more read my latest article - The Extraction of Carrier Oils....

Using Hydrosols in Aromatherapy

Hydrosols, in the words of Suzanne Catty, are "the next aromatherapy".  I recently purchased my first hydrosol and was amazed at the potency of it.  I'm familiar with essential oils but not hydrosols.  Hydrosols, sometimes called hydrolats or flower waters, used to be discarded in the essential oil process, as a 'waste' product.  It is only recently that they have become more popular.  So what exactly is a hydrosol?  A hydrosol is the by-product of the distillation process so it naturally contains some of the properties of the essential oil from which it is distillled. Hydrosols are popular in skin care.  Unfortunately though hydrosols are open to abuse as much as some essential oils and can be adulterated, so check your supplier carefully.  Hydrosols should also not be confused with fragrance oils, which are popular in the U.S - fragrance oils are synthetic and not naturally extracted from plants.

To learn the differences between an essential oil, a hydrosol and a fragrance oil read my article - Essential Oil, Fragrance Oil or Hydrosol?

For books on hydrosols, I reccomend Suzanne Catty Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy (see the link on the left) and another one, which I have not read (yet) , but have several books by the same author, so have no hesitiation in recommending it, is Len Price Understanding Hydrolats: The Specific Hydrosols for Aromatherapy A Guide for Health Professionals.

Check on the left hand side of the blog for links to the recommended books.

I am really amazed at the power of the hydrosol I purchased and would highly recommend giving one a go!

If you have any comments on this post please leave me a comment below!