posted on December 3, 2005 08:55:37 PM new
Several have asked about essential oils and I have just not had time to respond.
I started using the oils this year after my SIL introduced me to them. I have been delightfully surprised at their effectiveness.
Just thought I would give you a few places to start learning about them.
The main thing to keep in mind when buying oils is quality and consistence. Those are issues to be concerned about when using any un-regulated health products.
One of my favorite sites is http://www.naturesgift.com She shares so much information and has some great monthly specials. The oil quality seems to be very good for the oils that I have tried.
I also use Young Living Oils. I don't like MLM schemes, but I did sign up as a distributor just so I could save $$ on my products. They have some of the best quality oils that I have tried.
Both my MIL (82) and SIL (62) use the full line of products such as ART skin care and Nixia Red fruit juice daily. I'm not that into it, but they swear by it.
Some of my favorite oils are:
Clary Sage for PMS, hot Flashes, insomnia due to hormonal changes
Blue Tansy for asthma
Lavender for everything. It has been called the first aid kit in a bottle because it calms nerves, soothes burns, is antiseptic and antibacterial.
Lemon, a few drops in your drinking water helps alkalize the body and purify the water.
All citrus oil help enhance mood. Kind of like a dose of sunshine on a rainy day.
One thing I should caution you about if you think you are interested in the oils is that they are addictive <g>
The more you read about them and experience them, the more you will want to buy and share.
And don't be put off by the price. Essential oils are highly concentrated and need to be diluted in a carrier before use.
a 15 ML bottle goes a long way when you are using it a drop at a time.
posted on December 4, 2005 05:40:10 AM new
Peppermint is great when you have a cold. A bit on a cotton ball and it'll help unstuff that nose!
I use Rosemary oil in my bath when I'm not feeling well. I put a couple of drops in a tablespoon of seasalt and add it to the running water.
For Christmas, my mother is a getting a "feel better" kit: a cozy pair of massaging slippers, a bar of organic Peppermint soap, Peppermint oil and a scented candle!
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." - Martin Luther King, Jr.
posted on December 4, 2005 06:49:00 AM new
Typical rubber stamp insult from knuckle dragging males:
""classicrock000
posted on December 4, 2005 06:00:04 AM
"Clary Sage for PMS, hot Flashes, insomnia due to hormonal changes"
I think crowfart could use a gallon of this """
If it works, classic I'll send you a few gallons, your 365 days a year PMS seems to be out of control
""LtRay
posted on December 4, 2005 06:15:22 AM
A great blend for aches and pains is rosemary, eucalyptus and peppermint in olive oil.
As for the clary sage, it should not be used by people who drink alcohol. But yes, Classic, I think a lot more women need to be using it!"""
And what do you, oh wise one, recommend for the mental degeneration , emotional instabilility , and general stupidity of some "men"....bet there are no cures
posted on December 4, 2005 07:44:34 AM newAs for the clary sage, it should not be used by people who drink alcohol
Why not?
Curious what you mean by "used", is that ingested, applied, or smelled?
I like the smell of some essential oils. SWMBO puts them on the paper vacuum cleaner bags to make the house smell purty....I'm not sure about the therapy part tho'...sounds like some kind of new-agey voodoo to me.
____________________________________________
Habla siempre que debas y calla siempre que puedas....
posted on December 4, 2005 09:46:22 AM new
Exactly-once I was told by a shopowner in New Orleans French Qtr to buy some dragon oil -to add a few drops in the water when I take a bath and smear it on the light bulb to ward off evil spirits.
posted on December 4, 2005 10:07:03 AM new
I once heard that if you coat the shell of a raw egg with 'dragon oil' and then put it in the microwave for 10 minutes on high, that it'll do essentially the same thing.....ward off evil spirits.....try it.
posted on December 4, 2005 11:50:00 AM new
Mingo, Lavender oil is supposed to soothe the savage beast in all of us. It is great to use on children to quiet them down and help with their stress levels. Many adults report the same results.
LOL Pi, it will also give you something to do for the 3 days.
Hi Profe, good questions.
1st, Clary Sage has a soothing sedative effect. When coupled with alcohol use, it's effect is increased. In earlier ages, the Europeans used clary sage to enhance the effects of wines. Needless to say, they eventually realized that it was a foolish practice. Modern patent drugs carry warnings about use of alcohol because alcohol is a drug in and of itself and can cause drug interactions.
As for "how do you use EO's" ?
Due to the different properties of various oils, there are different suggested means of using them.
Some can be ingested, most can be applied to the skin and many are effective just by being inhaled.
It takes some study (and some intelligence!)to use EOs safely. Not all oils should be ingested just as some oils should not be applied "neat" (non-diluted).
Before anyone starts using EO's they should take some time to learn about them and understand their properties. EO's are the distilled product of plant material. The distillation method used to produce the oil will determine the characteristics of the final product.
EO are high concentrated and many oils can cause skin sensitivity. I usually use olive, almond or grapeseed oil to dilute them.
You will also find that a "good oil" will not bother your nose the way perfumes do. That is because true therapeutic grade oils do not contain man made chemicals.
As for the additional comments,
The use of EOs is neither Voodoo or myth nor New Aged unless someone decided to use them as such. For me, I use essential oils because I understand the science behind them.
The proper use of essential Oils (E.O.) is based upon thousands of years of experience and just a hundred years of "science".
The drug industry has relied upon natural plant matter for ages to develop patented medicines. They recognize the properties of the chemicals found in plants.
There are several good books out that identify the naturally occurring chemicals in the various plants and their effect on the body.
Things such as herbals and oils have received bad press in the last century because of their misuse by snake oil salesmen. Natural therapies have been around since the dawning of awareness in humans and will remain long after the drug industry has managed to kill off its own customers.
Aromatherapists are a mainstay in Europe and China. They are even licensed in many of the European countries. To write off aromatherapy as some kind of New Age voodoo is just showing ignorance bred by a hundred years of socially controlled medicine.
Many teaching colleges are finally starting to investigate what the Chinese have known for 2000. Grandma may not have known how her remedies actually worked, she just knew they worked. Now thanks to science , we can understand how they worked.
posted on December 4, 2005 12:26:30 PM new
Interesting LtRay, what books would you recommend reading on the subject?
I remember hearing my Grandma talk about how in the olden days that they used to mix marijuana with white lightning alchohol and rub it on to relieve arthritis pain and there were other plants that they used for other medicinal purposes too. I probably should have listened to her more when she talked about the other plant usages.
posted on December 4, 2005 12:34:22 PM new
dunno about marijuana,but rubbing a slice of ginger on your skin does the same.
But I still prefer GARLIC,potent stuff when you have to fend off blood sucking vampires.
/ lets all stop whining !! /
posted on December 4, 2005 12:42:32 PM new
One of my favorite books is The Art of Aromatherapy by Robert Tisserand. IT was originally printed in 1987. He is considered the European authority on EOs and has some other great books.
Another one that I am just starting to read and am enjoying and learning lots from is Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit by Gabriel Mojay.
As for your Grandmaw's marijuana cure, it would have worked as well without the marijuana. The white lightening would easily penetrate the joint and give release. Not to mention what the effects of the pure grain alcohol would have had on the spirits, lol.
Yes, Virginia, you can get drunk by soaking in it!
The skin is our largest organ, sorry to disappoint you guys
Whatever we apply to the skin WILL end up in the body. Something to seriously think about.
Wanna try a neat experiment? Cut a clove of garlic in half and rub it on the bottom of your foot. You will taste it in your mouth within 5 minutes.
The oils are quickly absorbed into your skin and most oils have circulated throughout your body within 5 minutes. Much quicker than ingesting them!
posted on December 4, 2005 01:55:31 PM new
LtRay, my family has used local plants for various health related purposes for generations. My grandmother knew the names and effects of every useful plant that grows around here. I understand and believe in the efficacy of certain plants when they are ingested or applied in salves and balms. We routinely use herbal supplements for ourselves and our animals here on the ranch. Ignorance has nothing to do with it. I'll grill my doctor or the veterinarian as hard as I'll grill an alternative medical practicioner before accepting their advice, because none of them are gods to me.
I guess it's just the name that gets me...Aromatherapy...the notion that a smell is somehow documentably therapeutic is pretty far fetched. I know there's a great deal of science behind herbs as medicines, and I don't have a problem with it. I seriously doubt there's anything more than anecdotal evidence behind smells as healing agents however. If somebody tells me lavender oil is going to calm me down, and I really really hope it will, it probably will. "Practiced in Europe for centuries" is pretty much a red flag to me for snake oil.
When you say you understand the science behind something, I wonder.... For example, a biologist can explain exactly how and by what means an antibiotic attacts and kills a pathogen, or exactly how a narcotic substance acts upon the central nervous system. That's science.They won't just tell you that "many people report feeling better after taking tetracycline", or that "Morphine is reported by many to kill pain". They know how it works. Actions can be described and results quantified over and over again in laboratory settings.
Can you point me in the direction of somebody who can tell me by what physiological mechanism sniffing lavender oil calms a person down? I know lots of people think it does, and that's not enough for me. It isn't science by any stretch of the imagination.
____________________________________________
Habla siempre que debas y calla siempre que puedas....
posted on December 4, 2005 02:59:35 PM new
... "I use essential oils because I understand the science behind them."
I think that you are using the term science very loosly when you make your claim for these expensive oils that actually have nothing but possibly a placebo effect --- for example, when symptoms are alleviated by an otherwise ineffective treatment by a users belief in the product.
Is placebo effect the "science" on which you are basing your claim of effectiveness?
Painful conditions should be checked out by someone in the medical field qualified to understand and treat the condtion causing pain ...not a snake oil salesman.
"sounds like some kind of new-agey voodoo to me.""
To:
Harrmph, haarmph!
"LtRay, my family has used local plants for various health related purposes for generations. My grandmother knew the names and effects of every useful plant that grows around here. I understand and believe in the efficacy of certain plants when they are ingested or applied in salves and balms. We routinely use herbal supplements for ourselves and our animals here on the ranch. Ignorance has nothing to do with it."
posted on December 4, 2005 05:29:31 PM new
What's funny about it mingo?
...somebody comes in claiming to understand the science behind the use of a smell to heal, I'd like to hear that science, that's all.
'fore I commence to spendin' a hundred dollars on smelly grease, I'd like to know how it works, that's all. I know rabbit fat will work to attract the coyote that's been bedeviling my lambs, and I know why it does, too. The coyote thinks there's food about. I'll be hanged if I can figure out why a flower smell will affect me physically...
is that less harummphy for ya?
____________________________________________
Habla siempre que debas y calla siempre que puedas....
posted on December 4, 2005 05:34:44 PM new
I think the scent has something to do with memory sensory triggers.
I dont care for lavender, but I know when I get close to the beach and smell the seaweed from the ocean..take a deep breath of it into my lungs, it elevates my mood.
posted on December 4, 2005 08:10:49 PM new
Never thought you'ld see this, but I agree with dble. I think it it simply a smell that evokes comfortable por pleaserable memories. Personally i hate Lavendar but for me Vanilla, or the Apple/Orange/Clove conconcoction on the stove does the same thing.
BTW - Cinnimon oil/scent is supposed to be an appetite supressant. Might work. The grocery store has bags of Cinnamon scented pine cones at the entrance. Smells fantastic but once I get in the store, nothing really grabs my attention food wise.
~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~ • ~~~
An intelligent deaf-mute is better than an ignorant person who can speak.
posted on December 4, 2005 08:24:33 PM new
I can buy the memory trigger explanation. Everybody's got certain memories attached to smells, but you couldn't say that these associations are universal by any means.
____________________________________________
Habla siempre que debas y calla siempre que puedas....
posted on December 5, 2005 02:57:04 AM new
Profe, the science behind essential oils is based upon their chemical constituents. And the questions you are asking are the same ones I asked before I started using the oils. I am still learning.
I am wary of anyone who "hawks" the oils for a profit. But then I am also leery of taking a pill just because my doctor says I need it. What I really need is to understand how it works, why it works and why I need it.
I think modern science and ancient wisdom work hand in hand if allowed to do so. To discredit either without trying to understand them is just plain foolish.
I also understand that not everyone thinks that way. Many just want someone to tell them what to take. Hey, if it works for them, I'm not knocking it, but it doesn't work for me.
I really don't have time to recreate the wheel here. So here are some basic links about oils and aromatherapy. None of them cover all the questions, but they can give you a direction to start with.
As I mentioned earlier, the Tisserand books seem to be the most comprehensive English versions to help with understanding how the oils work.
posted on December 5, 2005 04:08:10 AM new
I think there is something to the psychological scent connection. I know I hate the smell of lavender and can't explain why.
Could be that it reminds me of old women since they used to use it for bath powder and potpourri?
I'll use it in a pinch, but it is not an scent I prefer.
On the other hand, just inhaling Blue Tansy eases my asthma symptoms and I don't think that is simply pchycological.
Some of the oils have very volatile chemical components that are easily absorbed through the mucus membranes.
Our nose is a sensitive organ and there is more to the nose than just the sense of smell. Whatever the smell is can actually be absorbed into the our tissues.
That is why our eyes water when we smell an onion. We do not have to apply the onion to our eyes to "feel" it.
