Essential Oils and Swine Flu

Lately I have been receiving a number of emails passing along information on Swine Flu and today was no exception. People are sharing lots of information and tips on various ways to keep oneself healthy and I believe that essential oils could be a wonderful defense at this time.

For those of you interested in see where Swine Flu is prevalent click on Google Maps' Swine Flu Tracker they will apparently be keeping this updated.

According to Wikipedia:

Swine influenza (also swine flu) refers to influenza caused by any strain of the influenza virus endemic in pigs (swine). Strains endemic in swine are called swine influenza virus (SIV). Of the three genera of human flu, two are endemic also in swine: Influenza virus A is common and Influenza virus C is rare. Influenza virus B has not been reported in swine. Within Influenza virus A and Influenza virus C, the strains endemic to swine and humans are largely distinct.

Swine flu is common in swine and rare in humans. People who work with swine, especially people with intense exposures, are at risk of catching swine influenza if the swine carry a strain able to infect humans. However, these strains rarely are able to pass from human to human. Rarely, SIV mutates into a form able to pass easily from human to human. In humans, the symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of influenza and influenza like illnesses in general, namely chills, fever, sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing, weakness and general discomfort.

The 2009 flu outbreak in humans is due to a new strain of Influenza A virus subtype H1N1 that derives in part from human influenza, avian influenza and two separate strains of swine influenza. The origins of this new strain are unknown, and the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) reports that it has not been isolated in swine. It passes with apparent ease from human to human, an ability attributed to an as-yet unidentified mutation.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention here are a list of things you can do to Stay Healthy

• Stay informed.
  
• Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person through coughing or sneezing of infected people.
• Take everyday actions to stay healthy.
• Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Alcohol-based hands cleaners are also effective.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs spread that way.
• Stay home if you get sick. CDC recommends that you stay home from work or school and limit contact with others to keep from infecting them.

• Follow public health advice regarding school closures, avoiding crowds and other social distancing measures.
• Develop a family emergency plan as a precaution. This should include storing a supply of food, medicines, face masks, alcohol-based hand rubs and other essential supplies.

And what about our essential oils - they all have some anti-viral components with some being more anti-viral than others. Incorporating them into our every day routine could certainly go a long way to keeping us healthy and disease free.

See our website for Ways in which essential oils can be used

Prevention is always the best approach and diffusing an essential oil synergy in your environment can be a very effective way of getting the essential oil molecules out into the air. Topical use of an essential oil synergy would allow you to take your preventative blend with you where ever you go. An anti-viral essential oil synergy could also be added to a liquid soap for washing your hands. It could also be added to a hand sanitizer.

Monoterpenes have air antiseptics, antiviral, bactericidal and decongestant and essential oils high in monoterpenes include Lemon (Citrus limonum), Frankincense (Boswellii cartari)and Sweet Marjoram (Origanum majorana) among others.

Phenols are powerful antiseptics and are a excellent stimulant for the immune system. Essentail oils high in phenos include Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) and Oregano (Origanum vulgare).
Caution: These can be skin irritants so use topically with respect.

Medieval doctors used to wear beaks filled with aromatic herbs and spices to keep them disease free. There is also the Legend of the Four Thieves Vinegar. There are a number of different versions of both the legend and the formula, but the story goes that there were four thieves who were looting homes and business abandoned by terrified or dead owners during the plague raging in the town of Toulouse in France in the 1630s. They were caught and the judge, amazed at their continued health offered to let them go free if they shared the secret of their resistance to the plague. While the ingredients in the formulas may vary a bit depending on the source, they do all seem to contain the same basic four aromatics of lavender, rosemary, sage and thyme. Many herbalists have made up a Four Thieves Vinegar containing these four herbs. All of these essential oils would certainly be worth considering adding to your synergy.

The article I have on the website Aromatherapy and the Common Cold lists essential oils which would be good used in synergies against Swine Flu as well as the Common Cold.

One of my favorite Germ Busting Synergies is:
8 drops Lavender
10 drops Lemon
5 drops Eucalyptus globulus
3 drops Geranium
3 drops Palmarosa

I use this on all my kitchen surfaces. Adding Thyme to this blend would make it even more anti-viral.

Upcoming workshops:
May 24: Advanced Massage Techniques - Back and Neck
June 14: Reiki Level 1
For more details follow the Link for workshops.

Clove Essential Oil

Eugenia Caryophyllata; Eugenia aromaticum and Syzygium aromaticum are all accepted botanical names for Clove. This tree, native to the Molucca Islands (also known as the Spice Islands) in the Indian Ocean is now cultivated throughout Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Tanzania and Brazil and is a member of the Myrtaceae family. It is an evergreen with large oval leaves and crimson flowers and grows to a height of around 12 meters. At the start of the rainy season long buds appear with a rosy-pink corolla at the tip. As the corolla fades the calyx slowly turns deep red. These are then beaten from the tree and dried to become the spice that is well known all over the world. The name clove is derived from the Latin clavus which means ‘nail’ and refers to the shape of the dried buds which vaguely resemble small irregular nails.

Did you know according to folklore sucking on two whole Cloves, without chewing or swallowing them, can help to curb the desire for alcohol. In Moluccan folklore, villagers treated blossoming clove trees like a pregnant woman. No man could approach them wearing a hat, no noise could be made near them and no light or fire could be carried past them at night for fear they would not bear fruit. Some Moluccans still plant a clove tree at the birth of a child, with the belief that if the tree flourishes, so will the child.

Chinese medicine has used cloves to treat indigestion, diarrhea, hernia, ringworm and athlete's foot and other fungal infections. In traditional Indian Ayurvedic medicine, the spice is used to treat respiratory and digestive problems. St. Hildegarde wrote in her book ‘Morborum Causae et Curae’ that cloves were included in the treatments for headaches, migraines, deafness after a cold and dropsy. She advised that cloves would warm people feeling cold and cool those who felt hot. During the Renaissance, pomanders were made with cloves to keep epidemics and the plague at bay.

Toothache is still effectively treated with cloves as thanks to its eugenol content it has both analgesic and antiseptic qualities. A bruised clove or some clove oil on cotton wool is held in the mouth near the tooth. And of course cloves are used as a culinary spice in kitchens around the world.

On a subtle level clove helps one to reflect on the root cause of fear, pain and anger. It supports one in moving forward into greater joy and spontaneity. Clove can be helpful in clearing negative feelings or pessimism. It can give one a sense of protection as well as the courage to take whatever steps are needed at the time.

Use in low concentrations on the skin as this oil can cause skin irritations. It can also cause irritations to the mucous membranes.

Ten Years Down the Road

It's our birthday!!!

Today is WCIA's Tenth Anniversary!!

Wow the time sure has gone by quickly but I look back with such gratitude to all the wonderful people who have signed up for and taken our courses. It has been a real pleasure and privilege to work with them all.

And yet in spite of the feeling that time has passed so quickly, when I look back over the ten years I do see that quite a lot has changed, or perhaps more accurately evolved.

• In April 1999 the launch of Aromatherapy 101 and Aromatherapy 201 Home Study Courses
• In most years the course notes and/or workbooks have grown larger with revisions and additions
  
• In September 2002 the first Aromatherapy 301 course was taught
  
• In June 2003 the Home Study Caddy Course was introduced
  
• In March 2005 the Aroma Massage DVD was launched
  
• In May 2006 I started the Blog
  
• In January 2008 I introduced the first of the E-Books - Aromatic Gifts for All Ages and All Seasons, followed by Subtle Aromatherapy and Infant Massage
• In August 2008 I introduced the E-Book on The Hawkins Protocol
• In 2009 the launch of the monthly workshops

If anyone had told me 10 years ago that I would create all of these things I would have found it hard to believe, but looking back it seems amazing to realize how all of these things developed easily one step at a time fueled by requests from my wonderful students and nudges from the Universe. If you are interested in checking out any of the above just follow the appropriate link on the side.

I am certainly not going to limit myself as to what to expect in the next ten years and I am looking forward to it with great anticipation.

"Do all you can with what you have, in the time that you have, in the place that you are."
Noksi Johnson
Twelve year old Zulu boy, living with AIDS

Aromatic Astrology - Aries

The next sign of the Zodiac is Aries which is generally considered to run from 21st March – 20th April.

Plant: Mars
Element: Fire
Quality: Cardinal
Symbol: The ram
Polarity: Masculine
Physical correspondence: The head and brain
Stones: Amethyst, ruby, diamond, bloodstone
Flowers: hollyhock, carnation, poppy, thistle, geranium
Colors: white, red
Herbs: basil, catmint, nettle, wormwood, geranium, cypress, pine, chervil, carnation
Bach Flower Remedy: Impatiens
Essential Oils: Rosemary is the signature oil for Aries. Cedarwood, cinnamon, clove, frankincense, juniper, peppermint, pine.
Positive Traits: A pioneering and adventurous spirit; enterprising, courageous, direct in his approach; highly energetic, hating restriction, loving freedom.
Negative Traits: Selfish, always putting himself first; unsubtle, impulsive, pugnacious; a satirist, quick-tempered, impatient – wanting everything now.

As rosemary is considered to be the signature oil for Aries I have used that as the anchor oil for both my Lord and Lady Aries blend. It can be quite restorative for Arien's when they push themselves to the limit and beyond. The herbalist Culpeper describes rosemary as being 'ruled by the Sun in Aries'. For Lord Aries I have combined rosemary with cedarwood to enhance stability, patience and integrity; frankincense to help stabilize the emotions and an optional touch of lime to freshen and bring a sparkle to the blend. While for Lady Aries I have combined rosemary with juniper to promote wisdom; pine which helps us recognize the love that endures in the hearts of those we have loved and an optional touch of rose which helps one to forgive others and one's self.

Lord Aries
Rosemary - 2 drops
Cedarwood - 1 drops
Frankincense - 1 drop
Lime - 2 drops (Optional)

Lady Aries
Rosemary - 1 drop
Juniper - 2 drops
Pine - 2 drops
Rose - 1 drop (optional)

Quotes reflecting the qualities of Aries:
"Move and the way will open." - Zen Proverb
"And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time." - T.S. Eliot
"Nothing is more real than nothing." Samuel Beckett
"And if there is not any such thing as a long time, nor the rest of your lives, nor from now on, but there is only now, why then now is the thing to praise and I am very happy with it."
Ernest Hemingway