|
Essential Oils Do's and
Don'ts
When I think of Aromatherapy
I see essential oils in
their plant forms. Many
people entering the world of
Aromatherapy see essential
oils in bottles. For a lot
of them, Aromatherapy is
their introduction to the
world of holistic healing
and health. While this is
great, it is also important
to connect these new
enthusiasts with the plants
from which these essences
are derived.
Once you understand the
guidelines to the safe and
effective use of essential
oils it is easy to think of
ways to combine them with
herbs.
Safety Tips
1. Never use essential oils
(EO) undiluted.
2. Don't take EO internally
(unless under the care of a
qualified practitioner).
3. Most citrus oils are
photosensitizing. Do not use
when exposed to sunlight.
4. Avoid EO in first
trimester of pregnancy; then
use only florals in 1%
dilutions.
5. Do not use synthetic oils
for Aromatherapy purposes.
6. Test diluted oils on
inner arm for sensitivities
& allergies before wider
application.
7. Keep all EO away from
eyes and out of the reach of
children.
8. Many EO are irritating;
research well before using.
Dilutions for External
Use of Essential Oils
Carrier oils - any vegetable
oil: grape seed, almond,
safflower, olive, sesame,
etc.
General use - dilute to 2%.
For kids/elderly/sensitive
skin/convalescing use 1%.
To make 1%: add 5 - 6 drops
of essential oil per ounce
of carrier oil
To make 2%: add 10 -12 drops
of essential oil per ounce
of carrier oil
Methods of Application
of EO with Herbs
1.Massage
- application of choice. Add
essential oils to an herbal
infused oil carrier in a 2 %
dilution.
2.Bath
- Start with 2-5 drops per
tub, depending on oil.
(Careful: peppermint,
citrus, lemongrass, culinary
oils, and more; many oils
irritate the skin.) Fill
tub, add oils, swish, enter.
Add 1 quart of strong herb
tea to the water.
For kids, mix 2 drops EO in
1 tsp. carrier oil or
shampoo, and add to bath
with herbal tea; mix well
before entering.
3.Gargle or mouthwash
- 1 drop per 1/4 cup of sage
or thyme tea.
4.Inhalant
- 6 drops in one quart hot
tea; inhale steam; or
sprinkle EO on tissue or
hankie.
5.Spray
- 5-10 drops per 2 oz. of
rosewater, for body or
environmental fragrance.
Herbal Preparations
Never pass up the
opportunity to use herbs in
some form in your
Aromatherapy formulations.
Herbs are important and
effective adjuncts to many
Aromatherapy treatments, and
when the essential oil of a
plant is deemed too strong
for a particular person or
application, the herb itself
in tea or tincture form will
be a very safe and
appropriate substitute. When
used together whole plants
and essential oils often
create a synergy that
provides a greater capacity
for healing than either
modality alone.
Herb quality is just as
important to herbalism as
purity of essential oils is
to Aromatherapy. The good
news is that it is much
easier to determine good
herb quality by smelling,
seeing and tasting than it
is with essential oils.
Dried herbs should be
fragrant, vibrant, and
ideally, organically grown
or picked in the wild with
regard for the ecology and
biodiversity of the area.
The delicate ecological
balance of plant life
affects us all, but it
especially affects our
future supply of healing
herbs, discovered and
undiscovered!
The following recipes
provide useful guidelines
for making basic herbal
preparations. These
preparations are all so easy
and fun to make you'll
wonder why you haven't been
doing it for years. Enjoy
the time you set aside to
partake of nature's gifts
and give thanks for all she
provides!
Herbal Infused Oils
Oils made by macerating
(soaking) herbs in vegetable
oils are called infused
oils. These oils can be used
instead of plain carrier
oils in all of your
Aromatherapy preparations
for the added healing
benefits the herbs provide.
Ingredients:
1 cup dried herbs
vegetable oil to cover
Coarsely grind in a blender.
Place the herbs in a wide
mouth jar and add enough oil
to cover. Keep in a warm
place and shake daily. Your
infusion can soak for one to
two weeks. By this time, the
oil should take on the
color, aroma and healing
properties of the herb.
To strain the oil, line a
kitchen strainer with
cheesecloth, muslin or a
thin flour-sack dishcloth
and place the strainer over
a bowl. Put the oil/herb
mixture into the strainer
and let it drip for a day or
two undisturbed. Most of the
oil will drain out but to
get every precious drop,
gather the corners of the
cloth and wring out as much
oil as possible. Compost the
herbs and store your herbal
oil infusion in the
refrigerator.
There are many variations on
this preparation. Choose a
vegetable oil such as olive
for medicinal preparations
like salves, or hazelnut or
some other light oil for
cosmetic applications or
massage. It is difficult to
give exact measurements for
each herb because each is
different in texture and
volume. Make sure the herb
is well soaked with oil,
plus a bit extra. To double
its strength, you can infuse
your oil again by making a
"double infusion". Add a new
batch of dried herb to the
same oil and repeat the
process.
SOOTHING MASSAGE OIL BLEND
The oil infusion: lavender,
roses, comfrey, and
chamomile herbs infused in
almond and/or grapeseed
carrier oil.
Essential oils to add:
lavender, orange, ylang
ylang.
Herbal Salve
1 cup herbal infused oil
1 ounce beeswax, shaved
Warm the infused herbal oil
in a pan and add beeswax.
The smaller the pieces, the
more quickly the beeswax
will melt, preventing your
herbal oil from exposure to
prolonged high temperatures.
Test the consistency of the
salve while it is still warm
by dipping a cold spoon into
it and letting it harden.
Then add more oil or more
beeswax as needed. Add
essential oils to your
salves at the end, just
before pouring into jars,
but let the salve cool a bit
first or the essential oil
will evaporate. You can also
add the essential oils to
the individual jars before
pouring.
BURN
SALVE
Herbs: St. John's Wort,
calendula, plantain,
comfrey.
Essential oils: lavender,
tea tree, chamomile.
Herbal Teas and Baths
Don't forget the simple
combination of drinking
herbal teas and using
essential oils in the bath.
The addition of herbal teas
in the tub along with
essential oils is another
way to combine the
synergistic effects of herbs
and essential oils. Here are
a few ideas:
RELAXING INFUSION
Herbs for tea or bath: hops,
scullcap, lemon balm,
catnip.
Essential oil bath or
massage: lavender, neroli,
sandalwood.
INFUSION FOR FEVER
Herbs for tea: peppermint,
elder, yarrow.
Essential oil bath:
eucalyptus, tea tree,
ravensare, lavender.
DECOCTION FOR LIVER
CLEANSING
Herbs for tea: burdock,
dandelion, yellow dock, milk
thistle seed.
Essential oil massage:
carrot seed, lavender,
rosemary, helichrysum.
IMMUNE SUPPORT
Herbs: echinacea, osha,
usnea, astragalus, ginger.
Essential oils in bath or
massage: ravensare,
eucalyptus, tea tree,
lavender.
There are endless ways that
one can combine the healing
potential of phytotherapy in
its many forms. Plants are
an incredible vehicle for
personal and social
transformation. It is
exciting to watch students
of all levels discover how
plants connect us to the
earth and to the healing
potential that is within
each of us.
Phytotherapeutic
Synergysm : working
example
To fully understand the
healing depth, potential and
energy of Aromatherapy, one
must be in touch with the
plants that essential oils
come from. While essential
oils contain active and
therapeutic constituents
such as ketones, phenols,
alcohols, aldehydes, ethers,
esters, etc., there are many
other plants used
therapeutically that do not
produce essential oils.
Their actions stem from
alkaloids, saponins,
mucilage, glycosides,
saccharides, tannins, etc.
These latter constituents
are not contained in
essential oils, but they
have varied therapeutic
actions upon the body, and
when used with understanding
can compliment the action of
essential oils in healing
and disease prevention.
Following is an example of
the use of these combined
energies in the treatment
and symptom alleviation of
spring/summer hayfever and
other allergies.
Aromatherapy
- From
an Aromatherapy perspective
one possible combination is
as follows:
Cypress
(Cupressus
sempervirens)
essential oil for its
astringent effect,
Chamomile
(Matricaria
chamomilla)
or
Melissa
(Melissa
officinalis)
as anti-allergenics and
Lavender
(Lavandula
vera)
for its general therapeutic
and relaxing benefits. Also
helpful is the mucolytic
action of essential oils
such as
Rosemary
(Rosmarinus
officinalis
chemotype verbenon) and
Inula
(Inula
graveolens).
The aromatic hydrosol of
rose or myrtle may be used
as compresses on the eyes to
relieve inflammation,
redness and itching.
Phytotherapy
- Most of the herbs listed
below have a long history of
traditional use.
Ma Huang
(Ephedra
sinensis)
- This herb has a long
standing reputation as an
antihistamine and
anti-inflammatory. It
contains the alkaloid
ephedrine (often chemically
synthesized to produce
pseudo-ephedrine, commonly
used in many
over-the-counter hayfever
and allergy drugs). Because
this herb is a stimulant it
should not be taken at
night, by pregnant women or
by those with hypertension.
Nettle
(Urtica
spp.)
- a plant with a wide range
of applications, nettle's
astringent action is
especially effective here.
It also acts to strengthen
and support the whole body
due to its abundance of
vitamin and mineral
nutrients. Its astringent
action is valuable for
inhibiting bleeding and
relieving mucous discharges
of the lungs.
Elder
(Sambucus
nigra)
-
The flowers are diaphoretic
and are indicated for acute
catarrhal inflammation of
the upper respiratory tract
accompanied by sinusitis.
Other useful herbs include
yarrow, golden rod,
horseradish,
and
sage.
Chamomile
tea bags or compresses of
eyebright
tea will help soothe the
eyes.
Combined therapies
A method for incorporating
these two therapies is as
follows:
Combine the essential oils
in equal parts and use 4-8
drops of this blend daily in
the bath. As a massage oil
dilute to 2-3% (10-15 drops
in 1 oz of carrier oil) and
apply to the entire body.
The mucolytic oils may be
diluted to 5% (30 drops of
essential oils per 1 oz of
carrier oil) and applied
inside the nostrils with a
Q-tip as needed.
The herbs can be used in
equal parts and taken as a
tea (1 tsp of the combined
herbs per cup of water) 3
times per day, or taken in
tincture form (15-30 drops
in water) 3 times per day.
Because whole natural plant
substances treat the body in
its entirety, healing can
begin. But we mustn't forget
to examine why these
symptoms manifest.
Determining and correcting
the cause is always the
primary objective in any
true healing and this may
require some dietary and
other lifestyle changes.
Plant medicines are
biologically familiar
substances that tonify and
boost one's natural immune
process and response. They
further act to correct the
terrain by eliminating
pathogenic bacteria. They
are a wonderful and
effective part of one's
journey to good health! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
