Essential Oils?

[fidgiegirl]

Anyone know anything about essential oils? My girlfriends and I were talking about them today . . . they were telling me some pretty promising things they've learned . . . I'm about to launch my surfing of the Interwebs but as always, wanted to check with the collective wisdom of the boards . . .

:thankyou:

[Juds]

I use many essential oils. I make my own fragrance and use oils, singly or in combination, to help me feel better. What do you guys want to do with them?

[redfox]

Some are highly toxic, so BE CAREFUL!

[Acorn]

I'm interested in learning more about essential oils as well. I recently read an article (which of course I can no longer find) about the benefits of ylang ylang oil on high blood pressure. While I was shopping I remembered to purchase a small bottle of it and now, since I can no longer find the article, am not sure how to go about using it to address high blood pressure. From what I gather it is a relaxing scent and can be used on your pillowcase or as perfume, but I'm not sure.

[chanterelle]

I have used them for the past 20 years or so. Check out my favorite site for them in the US...naturesgift.com.
She has a wealth of good info for uses and caveats for EO in general and very good specific descriptions of all the oils.
You can spend a great deal of time on this site and learn quite alot!

[jania]

I always have tea tree and oregano essential oils on hand for their anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal properties. I also keep peppermint (which I mainly use to freshen things up when I clean, or add to a foot balm). Looking in my closet I also see I've got some sweet orange and a pink grapefruit (purposes unknown at this point because I didn't purchase them). I also use a product from Banyan Botanicals called Nasya Oil which is an oil/essential oil mixture that I use in my nasal passages, especially in winter.

My use of essential oils is primarily health related rather than as perfumes/scents (except for the peppermint in the bathroom!).

[fidgiegirl]

I am interested in consuming oils for health reasons. My friends think myrrh will help my issues. But with my extremely limited knowledge, I feel reluctant to just go for it. And it seems like my online methods for research only turned up sales sites. I thank you chanterelle for your recommendation of a good site and will check it out.

Any books anyone would recommend? I'm really disappointed in my library's selection. They almost all have "aromatherapy" in the title.

[herbgeek]

I've used a lot of essential oils over the years, but I find the ones I use most are lavender, rosemary, grapefruit, orange, tea tree and peppermint. One of my favorite (new to me) uses is handmade wipes that I keep in the car for using after gassing up the car: I used pinking shears to cut some flannel into usable rectangles. I fold the flannel pieces to fit a closable plastic container (I like the snapware type of containers), then moisten them with water. Then, I squeeze out most of the water. Meanwhile I mix a half shotglass of vodka with some essential oils, and pour that over the wipes in the container until they are moist but not dripping. Peppermint is really refreshing, particularly in the summer, and it also keeps you awake so I like that most in the car. The vodka adds to the cleaning power, and helps break up the essential oil for better distribution.

I also use a few drops of EO in the trashcan (usually grapefruit or orange), add a few drops with vodka to a spray bottle of water for a room spray- usually use lavender for this. I use tea tree directly on my skin when I have a blemish forming (most oils other than tea tree and lavender should not be used on the skin without diluting first).

Aura cacia has a good selection of "recipes" for the home as well as the body. www.auracacia.com.

[Mrs-M]

What a great thread this is. I've never actively incorporated the use of essential oils in my life, but after Marianne mentioning she uses a little to freshen her laundry, and now, with Jania mentioning that she uses peppermint to freshen her bathroom, I'm sold!

Jania. How do you use the essential peppermint oil (exactly)?

[Mrs-M]

Herbgeek. Thanks a bunch for the link to the recipe website!

[Rosemary]

I use them in my homemade cleaners and sometimes in bath water, but do not consume them.

I looked up myrrh on the Univ. of MD Complementary & Alternative medicine database, and there was not much there other than it being one of many EOs studied for eczema. Dr. Weil recommends it for gingivitis, as an ingredient in toothpaste.

The most comprehensive information I found was here:
http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-570-MYRRH.aspx?activeIngredientId=570&activeIngredientName=MYRRH

[fidgiegirl]

Hmm. That's all I found online, too. My friend's book talked about other applications, but I dunno. It's a book put out by the same people who sell the oils. Maybe that's what has me a little uneasy about jumpin' right in with it . . . I'm not skeptical about the whole concept, per se, because I know that these have been around for tons of years and I'm sure there are lots of medicinal uses that have been lost in our collective knowledge. But I want to make sure to use them correctly and for the right purpose.

[Rosemary]

I really like the idea of healing with diet as much as possible. We take in so much food every day, and if a food is contributing to poor health, it makes so much more sense to eliminate that food than to try to heal with some other thing, whether it's another food or a medicine or supplement.

An example is my mother-in-law, who has painful joints and arthritis but consumes a highly-inflammatory diet and doesn't do other things to support her health, like get regular sleep. She's tried medications and supplements but they can't undo everything, without lifestyle changes.

Resources: Nina Simonds' book A Spoonful of Ginger discusses the Chinese tradition of healing with food. Joel Fuhrman's Super Immunity book (new, library should have it) has a lot of information as well. I have some other books and can give you more titles if you're interested.

[Jemima]

Here's a reasonably informative link for myrrh on WebMD:

http://tinyurl.com/Myrrh-Web-MD

I've been interested in herbal medicine and using herbs and oils in household products for quite a while, but your question is the first I've ever come across involving myrrh. I use citronella oil as an insect repellent and have live mint growing around my front steps to keep voles from coming into the house, both of which work, and keep tea tree oil around for a variety of uses.

I also use some herbal supplements - tart cherry extract and "Eldermax", a combo of dried, powdered elderberries and blueberries. The tart cherry extract seems to be helping my joint problems quite a lot.

The herbal supplements come from Swanson Health Products and I order essential oils and large amounts of herbs and spices from Penn Herbs in Philadelphia. Both have websites.

[fidgiegirl]

Rosemary, I also believe in food. I know we have talked about the elimination diet before and I still have your links. I don't have a lot of confidence in myself when it comes to eating plans, and less so with us remodeling and moving. Perhaps once we're in the new house I will focus on it and give it an honest try. Until then, I think I'm setting myself up for failure :(

[HappyHiker]

I saw the effectiveness of essential oils first hand the other night when a friend spritzed the room with a mixture of distilled water and essential Frankincense oil. Her little hyperactive terrier dog, who had been spinning in circles, so happy to greet us, stopped, lay down and got very calm. We, who were in the room, too, getting ready to do yoga, got pretty centered, ourselves. But not nearly as much as little Ginger dog who was so dramatically affected.

Very interesting to behold.

[herbgeek]

HappyHiker- I used to keep a bottle of "get along" spray in my office drawer. The place I worked at had a number of contentious personalities, and meetings were long, drawn out and often angry. I would sneak into the conference room about 10 minutes before any meeting I had to attend and spray around the room. It was subtle, the smell was not enough that people would notice. But I did. The meetings got significantly less contentious.

I just wish I could remember the exact formula of that spray.

[Rosemary]

I definitely believe that aromatherapy has an impact, particularly when it comes to relaxation. I do, however, hesitate to take things internally, because so many things have effects that are not fully studied or known, including interactions with foods or other medications.

DH and I recently watched the PBS video of 'Anticancer with David Servan-Schreiber' - book was out a few years ago, and we got the DVD from the library. He had a really thorough overview of the parasympathetic nervous system - more information than I've seen anywhere else - and discussed how being out of balance between sympathetic/parasympathetic can cause health symptoms. Why is this related? Because stress is a big trigger for this imbalance.

[fidgiegirl]

HappyHiker- I used to keep a bottle of "get along" spray in my office drawer. The place I worked at had a number of contentious personalities, and meetings were long, drawn out and often angry. I would sneak into the conference room about 10 minutes before any meeting I had to attend and spray around the room. It was subtle, the smell was not enough that people would notice. But I did. The meetings got significantly less contentious.

I just wish I could remember the exact formula of that spray.

Tee hee, I'm picturing you sneaking around with your spray bottle ...

[jania]

Mrs M., after cleaning the bathroom I'll take a few drops of peppermint oil on a cloth and wipe out the sink again, or add a few drops of the oil to a piece of toilet paper and simply place it in my little trash can....this brightens up the room immediately and usually lingers for a few days, I find it refreshing.

fidgiegirl, do you have any good herbal shops near where you live? This can be an excellent source for information. Internal application of essential oils should be well researched. Because like all medications, there can be contraindications.

I've consulted my text "The Yoga of Herbs" by Dr. Vasant Lad and Dr. David Frawley. This is an Ayurvedic view of herbal use and myrrh is taken internally in the form of infusion, powder, pill or paste. It is recommended for preventing decay, reversing the aging process and rejuvenating the body and mind and a great detoxifier. There is certainly more about it in the text. If you are interested in the Ayurvedic approach to health it is a good book to look at.

Sound like you have a lot going on in your life right now, try to take some quiet time each day if possible. Best wishes...

[jania]

fidgiegirl, I just found another book in my collection by Valerie Ann Worwood "The Complete Book of Essential Oils and Aromatherapy" 1991. She does discuss myrrh a little, listing it as good to use with wounds, mouth ulcers, dermatitis, bacterial infections, bronchitis, diarrhea, fungal infections and candida.

Another book I highly recommend, I was so excited by it in fact (!), is "Healing Spices" by Bharat B. Aggarwal, PhD, 2011. It is described as "How to use 50 everyday and exotic spices to boost health and beat disease". It does not mention myrrh but as you were considering the benefits of food as medicine I think this is an excellent book to read through.

[Mrs-M]

Originally posted by Herbgeek.
I just wish I could remember the exact formula of that spray.Yeah right! :laff: I know all about guarding old secret recipes. :~)

[Mrs-M]

Jania. Thanks a bunch for the info! I'll be trying it, definitely. Peppermint is one of my very favourite scents.

[fidgiegirl]

fidgiegirl, do you have any good herbal shops near where you live? This can be an excellent source for information. Internal application of essential oils should be well researched. Because like all medications, there can be contraindications.

I've consulted my text "The Yoga of Herbs" by Dr. Vasant Lad and Dr. David Frawley. This is an Ayurvedic view of herbal use and myrrh is taken internally in the form of infusion, powder, pill or paste. It is recommended for preventing decay, reversing the aging process and rejuvenating the body and mind and a great detoxifier. There is certainly more about it in the text. If you are interested in the Ayurvedic approach to health it is a good book to look at.

Sound like you have a lot going on in your life right now, try to take some quiet time each day if possible. Best wishes...

Thank you, jania! I really appreciate the info. And we do have quite a good little health food store nearby. I also finally got an appointment with an integrative MD who hopefully can help me down the right road, if it's to help guide through the elimination diet, using oils, or what have you . . .