Thanksgiving, Gratitude and Essential Oils

For me time seems to be just whizzing by - I can't believe that October is already here.

Looking out at a cloudy morning with the breeze moving the leaves on the trees that lovely feeling of warmth that Summer brings has definitely gone. Guess I do have to accept that while we may still have some warm days ahead (and there are a few predicted in the long term forecast) we have of course begun the spiral into the shorter, cooler days of Fall and then Winter.

Now that everyone has settled back into a more or less regular routine, we can look around at what comes next. On the 12th Canadians will celebrate Thanksgiving so now might be a good time to look at some essential oil blends we can prepare for the time we get together with family and loved ones to celebrate our year and our blessings.

I seem to write a blog around this most years and so you might get some inspiration of what to create by looking at past posts: Essential Oils around Thanksgiving; Canadian Thanksgiving 2008

I believe the important thing is to make this your own by creating a blend that is meaningful to you and your family. This year I have a great deal to be thankful for and I am looking forward to having my family around me Thanksgiving weekend to acknowledge my gratitude. It is always a pleasure to watch the celebration and joy in the eyes of the littlest to the biggest.

This year I am thinking of creating a centerpiece with the trimmings of the season, crystals and a very special essential oil blend. I will probably draw some inspiration from the article I have on the website: Your Own Special Blend but I want to bring together an aroma that, for me, embodies my family and all that we have to be grateful for. I have some ideas already and if I have it complete by next week I'll share it with you. In the meantime why don't you think about what would work for you and your family and create a special blend for this time? I'd love to hear about your ideas so please share them with us all. Of course if you live in the States you have lots of time before you need to think about Thanksgiving but you might like to get a head start on this. If you allow a more complex blend time to mature the end result can be a wonderful surprise.

You might also get some ideas of what to make from the e-Book Aromatic Gifts for all ages and for all seasons.

In class workshops will continue to be offered once a month throughout the year.

Upcoming Workshops

October 24 & 25: Lymphatic Stimulation
November 7: Reiki Level II
November 21: Advanced Massage Techniques - Back and Neck
December 12 & 13: Aromatherapy Caddy Chemistry

Aromatherapy Courses are available to start at any time during the summer - so if you are looking for something to do this summer perhaps one of our aromatherapy courses is the way to go.

If you don't want something as formal as a course perhaps you'll find what you are looking for in one of our E-books or our aroma massage DVD.

Using Essential Oils around the House: Windows

This past weekend we had great weather. Yes the days are getting shorter and the evenings cooler but when the sun shines it's a great day. September 22nd is considered by many to be the 'official' start of Fall so if you go by that then, we have moved into the Fall season. While I would like to see Summer last as long as possible, this weekend I found myself beginning to clean up and clear both in my house and my garden. Not necessarily my favorite things to do but it got me thinking about incorporating essential oils into the mix to both make me feel happier and to get the job done more efficiently.

One of the bigger jobs I got done on Sunday was cleaning my windows, inside and out. What a pleasure it is to view the world through clean, sparkling glass! I also got a personal lift with the use of essential oils. Many years ago, while I was living in Germany and expected to clean my windows on a monthly basis, my mother-in-law told me that the best way to clean windows well and easily was to use a solution of 2 teaspoons of vinegar in 1 liter of warm water and crumpled newspaper. I have followed her advice for years with one small change, I have added 20 drops of essential oil to the bucket.

Mama's Method of Cleaning Windows:

1. Crumple up a sheet of the newspaper and saturate it with the vinegar/essential oil solution. Squeeze out the excess liquid.
2. Apply the solution to the window using a circular motion. Be sure to give extra attention to any especially dirty areas or any caked-on dirt. Discard the newspaper when it starts to fall apart and get another sheet.
3. Wipe the window dry with a clean sheet of dry newspaper

I like using one or more of the citrus oils for this job but other essential oils would work too.

Lemon with its antimicrobial, antiseptic and antiviral properties certainly cuts the grease and gives a nice shine to the windows.
Orange has antifungal and antiseptic properties.
Grapefruit has antiseptic properties and is one of my favorite essential oils, smelling it just makes me feel good.
Pine with its clean smell has antifungal, antiseptic and antiviral properties.
Thyme is one of the strongest antibacterial and antiseptic essential oils of all.

Whatever you choose cleaning windows with essential oils can become a pleasure instead of a chore!

In class workshops will continue to be offered once a month throughout the year.

Upcoming Workshops

October 24 & 25: Lymphatic Stimulation
November 7: Reiki Level II
November 21: Advanced Massage Techniques - Back and Neck
December 12 & 13: Aromatherapy Caddy Chemistry

Aromatherapy Courses are available to start at any time during the summer - so if you are looking for something to do this summer perhaps one of our aromatherapy courses is the way to go.

If you don't want something as formal as a course perhaps you'll find what you are looking for in one of our E-books or our aroma massage DVD.

Using essential oils for Herpes simplex, Cold Sores

After the onset of my ‘runny nose’ last week I developed cold sores around my nose. What joy!! I immediately reached for my essential oils. I have found that, for me just one or two applications of Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium) essential oil is all I need for the cold sores to be completely on the mend. I know that this works really well for me so I thought that I’d have a look and see if I could find any studies that backed up my personal experience.
I know that a lot of other essential oils work well for cold sores but as Manuka is the one I personally reach for first that’s what I went looking for. Not as many studies available for this oil but here is one that I found:

Virucidal activity of a ?-triketone-rich essential oil of Leptospermum scoparium (Manuka Oil) against HSV-1 and HSV-2 in cell culture
Author(s)
REICHLING Jürgen (1) ; KOCH Christine (1) ; STAHL-BISKUP Elisabeth (2) ; SOJKA Cornelia (2) ; SCHNITZLER Paul (3) ;
Author(s) Affiliation(s)
(1) Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Department of Biology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, ALLEMAGNE
(2) Institute of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Biology and Microbiology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg, ALLEMAGNE
(3) Hygiene Institute, Department of Virology, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, ALLEMAGNE

Abstract
The inhibitory activity of manuka oil against Herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1) and Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) was tested in vitro on RC-37 cells (monkey kidney cells) using a plaque reduction assay. In order to determine the mode of antiviral action of the essential oil, manuka oil was added at different times to the cells or viruses during the infection cycle. Both HSV types were significantly inhibited when the viruses were pretreated with manuka oil 1 h prior to cell infection. At non-cytotoxic concentrations of the essential oil, plaque formation was significantly reduced by 99.5% and 98.9% for HSV-1 and HSV-2, respectively. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) of manuka oil for virus plaque formation was determined at 0.0001% v/v ( = 0.96 ?g/ mL) and 0.00006% v/v ( = 0.58 ?g/mL) for HSV-1 and HSV-2, respectively. On the other hand, pretreatment of host cells with the essential oil before viral infection did not affect plaque formation. After virus penetration into the host cells only replication of HSV-1 particle was significantly inhibited to about 41% by manuka oil. Flavesone and leptospermone, two characteristic ?-triketones of manuka oil, inhibited the virulence of HSV-1 in the same manner as the essential oil itself. When added at non-cytotoxic concentrations to the virus 1 h prior to cell infection, plaque formation was reduced by 99.1 % and 79.7 % for flavesone and leptospermone, respectively.
Journal Title: Planta medica ISSN 0032-0943 CODEN PLMEAA
Source: 2005, vol. 71, no12, pp. 1123-1127 [5 page(s) (article)] (17 ref.)
Language: English

In the Articles Archives on the website you will find an article on Herpes Simplex and another one on Herpes Simplex Blends.

In class workshops will continue to be offered once a month throughout the year.

Upcoming Workshops

September 19: Reiki Level I
October 24 & 25: Lymphatic Stimulation
November 7: Reiki Level II
November 21: Advanced Massage Techniques - Back and Neck
December 12 & 13: Aromatherapy Caddy Chemistry

Aromatherapy Courses are available to start at any time during the summer - so if you are looking for something to do this summer perhaps one of our aromatherapy courses is the way to go.

If you don't want something as formal as a course perhaps you'll find what you are looking for in one of our E-books or our aroma massage DVD.

Air conditioning, sniffles

I have just gotten back from visiting my family over the Labour Day weekend. While I was there I developed my usual reaction to air conditioning - a runny nose. I haven't been able to figure out what it is about air conditioning that affects me in this way but if I have to spend any extended time in an air conditioned environment with circulating cool/cold air my upper respiratory tract has a reaction. Thank Goodness for the essential oils - they certainly help to keep things under control and quickly on the mend.

While the symptoms I get are cold like I don't believe it is a cold, but rather an allergic reaction to the cold air I have been breathing. I have been thinking that the next time I have to be in an air conditioned environment for any length of time I should try wearing a mask with essential oils and see if that makes a difference.

In my travel kit of essential oils there is always a personal inhaler with Ravintsara and Rosalina. I generally keep that in my pocket and find it is great for sniffing on the plane and in environments where there are a lot of people. Other must have oils in my travel kit are lavender, helichrysum, peppermint and oregano.

I was back at work yesterday and wearing a mask while I worked with clients. I put a drop Eucalyptus globulus on a cotton ball inside the mask and refreshed this a couple of times during the day. This made a great difference and I certainly didn't have to worry about a runny nose while I was using the mask. This has double benefits - the client feels protected that I am not breathing my germs all over them and I am getting a mini treatment with essential oils all the time I am wearing the mask.

There are of course a number of different ways to use essential oils see the article on my Newsletter on Ways in which Essential Oils can be Used. The article in the Articles Archive on the website on Aromatherapy and the Common Cold would certainly be a place to get ideas on other oils to use and as summer now appears to have moved into Fall it won't be long before colds and flu start showing up.

Now that we are into September some people like to start thinking about what they will gift others with at Christmas time. It seems like it is far away but with the way the time has been flying by these days the Holiday Seasons will be with us before we know it. If you are looking for inexpensive, personalized gifts for those special people in your life, perhaps you'll find just the right recipe in in my e-Book Aromatic Gifts for all ages and for all seasons.

In class workshops will continue to be offered once a month throughout the year.

Upcoming Workshops

September 12 & 13: Reiki Master Level
September 19: Reiki Level I
October 24 & 25: Lymphatic Stimulation
November 7: Reiki Level II
November 21: Advanced Massage Techniques - Back and Neck
December 12 & 13: Aromatherapy Caddy Chemistry

Aromatherapy Courses are available to start at any time during the summer - so if you are looking for something to do this summer perhaps one of our aromatherapy courses is the way to go.

If you don't want something as formal as a course perhaps you'll find what you are looking for in one of our E-books or our aroma massage DVD.

Soul Blends

We know from experience that essential oils carefully chosen and skillfully blended together work on many different levels.

• When we have a physical complaint we make a blend to alleviate our aches and pains, our inflammation and our bruises and find quick relief.
  
• When we have emotional cares and worries we turn again to the comfort of our essential oils and find that our hearts are soothed and lightened through the simple act of sniffing an oil or blend or having it diffuse through the air.
  

Therefor why not turn to essential oils when we are looking to move forward on our soul's path? According to the Jewish Kabbalah the scent of a plant is its 'keter' its soul. Essential oils are the distilled 'scent of the plant', their distilled 'souls', making them an excellent support tool when one is working on developing one's soul potential.

Spiritual PhytoEssencing was developed by Dr. Bruce Berkowsky for just such a purpose.

Dr. Berkowsky believes that:" all chronic disease, and to a great extent human unhappiness, is characterized by inertia or “stuckness” and that disharmony on both physical and emotional levels emanates from a deep-seated central disturbance, which ripples outward to the more superficial planes of being.

If the idea of having a unique Soul Blend intrigues you you can read more about this on the main website.

Upcoming Workshops

September 12 & 13: Reiki Master Level
September 19: Reiki Level I
October 24 & 25: Lymphatic Stimulation
November 7: Reiki Level II
November 21: Advanced Massage Techniques - Back and Neck
December 12 & 13: Aromatherapy Caddy Chemistry

Aromatherapy Courses are available to start at any time during the summer - so if you are looking for something to do this summer perhaps one of our aromatherapy courses is the way to go.

If you don't want something as formal as a course perhaps you'll find what you are looking for in one of our E-books or our aroma massage DVD.