Essential Oils

Aromatherapy For Beginners

By Sharon Hopkins

The ancient science of healing, relaxing and energizing oneself with the use of plants and its parts like roots, barks, flowers, fruits, seeds and nuts is called Aromatherapy. Aromatherapy is the amalgamation of two words "aroma" and "therapy" that mean "fragrance" and "healing" respectively.

Essential oils, extracted from plants and its parts form the crux of aromatherapy. These oils stimulate the brain, effect our body, hereby improving our mood, relaxing and rejuvenating us. Extracted in various ways, they are highly concentrated and should not be used directly onto the body. They should be blended with carrier oils such as olive oil, sweet almond oil, etc, for best results.

If you are new, then explore this world of fragrance at home with a handful of inexpensive oils. To avoid allergic reactions to essential oils, perform a skin test before you indulge yourself. Take a drop of the oil on a cotton swab. Apply it to the inside of your wrist or inner elbow. Cover the area with a bandage and avoid washing for 24 hours. If there is no itching or redness, oil is safe for external use.

Basic oils that any beginner can start with:

- Lavender - Most basic and very important oil in aromatherapy. Helps in relaxation, calming and balancing of mind. Acts as antibiotic, antiseptic, antidepressant, detoxifier and sedative. Soothes cuts, burns, bruises and insect cuts. Relieves stress if blended with your usual bath oil.

- Rosemary - Acts as stimulant for mental health and physical body on low energy days. Relieves muscular strains, sprains and headaches. Alleviates fatigue, congestion and prevents scar tissue formation.

- Bergamot - Oil for refreshing and upliftment. Acts as antiseptic, antidepressant, antispasmodic, analgesic, sedative, expectorant and deodorizer. Could be a slight irritant to skin.

- Peppermint - A great mental stimulant and digestive aid. Eases headache and fatigue. Behaves as anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic and expectorant.

- Tea Tree - A versatile antiseptic that is very gentle on the skin. Remedy for infections, ringworm, sunburn, acne, athlete's foot, gum disease. It is antibacterial, antiviral, antifungal, antiseptic oil.

- Lemon - Great for dispelling a somber mood, lemon oil can be used to treat insect bites, alleviate tension, headaches and stimulate immune system.

- Tangerine - Works well to create a bright, uplifting atmosphere. It's soothes and calms insomnia and promotes digestion.

- Floral oils - Great stress relievers. Add floral oils like rose, jasmine along with carrier oils to your bath oils for a soothing massage.

- Germanium - Eases stress, acts as antidepressant, adrenal, hormone balancer, detoxifier, sedative and antiseptic. Helps during PMS.

- Clary Sage - Relieves PMS. Soothes and relaxes mind and body. Works as antidepressant, antiseptic, astringent, aphrodisiac and sedative.

- Clove - Relieves toothache pain, asthma, sinusitis. Avoid using it directly on the skin. Acts as antibacterial, antiseptic, analgesic and disinfectant.

- Eucalyptus - Cools the body in summer and warms in winter. An effective treatment for candida, diabetes, sunburn, congestion, cough and neuralgia. Also works as antiviral, antiseptic, stimulant, anti-inflammatory and antibiotic.

About the Author: Sharon Hopkins is the Webmaster for Aromatherapies.net, an Online guide to Aromatherapy alternative medicine, essential oils, recipes, synergies, blends, oil profiles and products.

Source: www.isnare.com

Five Tips For Buying The Best Aromatherapy Oils

By Vincent DeLuca

Walking into an aromatherapy supply store can feel like walking

into a slice of heaven. The sweet scent of aromatic skin care

solutions excite the soul while the tantalizing aromas coming

from scented candles steal the show. However, the aromatherapy

connoisseur knows that not every scented oil and sweet smelling

candle on the shelf contains healing power. Here are five tips

to help you find only the best in aromatherapy products.

Tip #1: Check the bottle. If your aromatherapy essential oil is

in a clear bottle or a plastic bottle, then you should not get

it. Light has a damaging effect on oil and truly essential

aromatherapy oils can be contaminated when stored in plastic

bottles.

Tip #2: Check the label. Keywords such as “perfume” or

“fragrance oil” are a big sign that the oils contained within

the bottle are not pure essential aromatherapy oils. Even

though the bottle may have the term aromatherapy printed on it,

if you see natural identical oil or fragrance oil on the label,

then your aromatherapy oil more than likely contains unwanted

perfumery chemicals.

Tip #3: Check for dust. If you see an aromatherapy product on

the shelf that has dust on its cap or around its container,

then avoid getting it. Dust generally means that your

aromatherapy product is old. Like many other types of oil and

solutions, as aromatherapy products age, they lose their

healing powers and aromatic scent.

Tip #4: Check the price. Different types of aromatherapy oils

demand different prices. Pure therapeutic oils that are exotic

cost more than aromatherapy oils that are more common. If every

bottle of aromatherapy oil is the same price, you may want to

reconsider.

Tip #5: Do your research. Each type of aromatherapy oil has a

different therapeutic quality. The scent of aromatic essential

oils such as cypress is good for treating coughs and asthma.

However, the scent of Patchouli is used for anxiety,

depression, and healing skin conditions.

Don’t let the sweet talk of the salesman override the natural

therapeutic power of pure essential aromatherapy oils. Whether

you are purchasing your aromatherapy supplies from one of the

many great online retailers or from the local establishment at

the shopping center down the road, by following these five tips

you can avoid the pitfalls and start enjoying the healing power

of aromatherapy.

About the Author: Vincent DeLuca is author of “Healing Health

from Home.” To learn more about aromatherapy and purchasing

aromatherapy supplies, look at the aromatherapy resources

available at http://www.aromatherapy-oils.info

Source: http://www.isnare.com

Has Chemical Overload Got You Tired And Sick? Could The Solution Be In The Plants, Flowers and Trees

By Sandra Richardson

Since the beginning of our creation, the plants, flowers and trees have been with us. Even at our most primitive, we relied on them for their profound healing abilities. What has changed? Mostly, our lack of personal relationship with them. Our highly technical, over busy, media-drenched lives have us relying on quick fixes with artificial chemicals and antibiotic super bugs. This unnatural reliance combined with the unhealthy air and highly processed foods are all resulting in far less than vibrant health.

So, naturally, we search for what we intuitively feel is missing! Could it be in the plants, flowers and trees? Could the solution be in the natural world around us, which has nurtured and sustained us throughout our evolution?

YES!!

After falling very ill in 1994, just walking down the detergent isle in the supermarket became a nightmare. Perfume sections and artificially scented candle isles, forget it! Confusion, severe debilitating pain, shortness of breath, nausea, headaches, and fatigue beyond belief became my constant companions. Searching for the cause and answers, my Dr. and several specialists put me through a battery of tests resulting in diagnosis of Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Mayo Facial Pain Syndrome, and Multi Chemical Sensitivities. I was so ill that I was pronounced permanently disabled and receive disability from my home in Canada.

My traditional doctor’s were unable to help me beyond giving me a prescription for a “Natural” substance to help me sleep. Their other “solutions” degraded my health further, rather than resolving any of my problems. Reading what Dr. Jean Valnet wrote, “Essential oils are especially valuable as antiseptics because their aggression towards microbial germ is matched by their total harmlessness to tissue—one of the chief defects of chemical antiseptics is that they are likely to be as harmful to the cells of the organism as to the cause of the disease.”(Dr Jean Valnet, 1980), I began to think that; maybe, my body’s ‘sensitivity’ was a reflection of my body’s inherent wisdom, rather than a reflection of its weakness.

Searching for some help and relief, I found an herbalist, who has been of great help to me. Still, pain was my constant companion. Unable to take any over-the-counter pain medication, let alone prescriptions, due to my chemical sensitivities, I tried essential oils. I had some minor success with headaches relief, until I tried Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils. And FINALLY, I found products that are giving me profound relief, without triggering my body’s sensitivities to un-natural chemicals! No additives or fillers, just the pure, therapeutic-grade, essential oil of the plants, flowers and trees.

This company uses impeccable extraction methods. They help with exhaustive and ongoing research with top experts in the field of Essential Oil therapeutic uses! All of this knowledge, care and sensitivity have produced the largest variety of therapeutic-grade essential oils in the world. What a resource me, people like me and for human kind in general!

The more I learn about and use these oils, the more relief I am finding. The ‘side effects’ of the pain relief include increased energy and better quality sleep.

“Essential oils are 50 times more powerful than herbs.” (Dr. Gary Young N.D.).

“European scientists have studied the ability of essential oils to work as natural chelators, binding with heavy metals and petrochemicals and ferrying them out of the body” (Essential Oil Desk Reference, Compiled by Essential Science Publishing).

I have also seen some profound benefits for family and friends.

“While helping friends with house construction, I was suffering from a very debilitating sinus headache. My friend had me use her Myrtle oil on my forehead, temples, under my nose and the sinus sites on the back of my head. I went back to work and within 15 – 20 minutes I happily realized that I was working as hard as ever and the headache and pressure was completely gone.” Char N.

“While helping friends, wash windows in their newly built house, my roommate and I were concerned about our arms being very sore since we both suffer from severe tendonitis. By the end of the day, both of our arms had started to hurt and ache. Since I had just purchased Idaho Balsam Fir oil I suggested that we apply some. We did that and the next morning we had NO discomfort what so ever. We even decided to continue to wash windows the next day for a couple more hours. Again we applied the Idaho Balsam Fir on our arms and again did not suffer any discomfort.”

Sandra R.

The opportunities for profound health benefits are almost endless. What would your life look like if you benefited like I did? I have had PROFOUND pain relief, a renewed sense of emotional well being, VIBRANT health and increased ENERGY.

The more I learn about the frightening effects of our overly artificial lifestyles, the more I realize each of us must take personal responsibility for our health. We must learn all we can and use our great intelligence, make informed choices, take care of our bodies with integrity, and question the effects of everything we take in through our mouth, skin, mind and breath.

Discover these organic products that are produced with the greatest of integrity, and meticulous attention to quality.

I am very excited to open the door through which you can gain greater health, vitality and relief. Learn more about therapeutic-grade essential oils with a FREE report at www.vibrantoils.com Join the journey of discovery that has made such a difference to me!

About The Author

Sandra Richardson is a Reiki Master/Teacher who uses Thereapuetic-grade essential oils personally as well as in her practice. Website is www.vibrantoils.com and my e-mail is swandancer@mybluelight.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sandra_Richardson