Thursday, May 26, 2011

Lavender, The Swiss Army Knife of Essential Oils

Lavender is one essential oils that should be in every home and first aid kit! Lavender is the most "universal" oil and is the Swiss army knife of essential oils. It is steam distilled from Lavandula angustifolia.

Lavender is one of the few essential oils that is safe to use neat or undiluted, on the skin, if it is therapeutic grade.

When in doubt, use Lavender. Lavender is good for all kinds of problems.

Personally, I have used Lavender for quite a long time to control my blood pressure by inhaling and applying to the heart reflex points and directly over the heart.

Lavender reduces inflammation, relieves burns, headaches, cuts, skin abrasions, analgesic, anti-fungal, calming and relaxing, anti-stress, anti-depression, insomnia (inhale), PMS and more.

Burns and Sunburn - Apply 1-3 drops on burn location to cool tissue and reduce inflammation. Apply 3-6 times daily or as needed.

Use Lavender to cleanse and sooth cuts or scrapes.

Reduce or minimize scar tissue by massaging it on or around affected areas.

Apply 2-3 drops Lavender to relieve itching and soothe skin.

To Calm and Relax- Lavender is well-known for its calming and sedative properties. Massage Lavender into the back of the neck or bottom of feet for relaxation. Add a few drops of Lavender to your bath water for a relaxing soak. Diffuse Lavender before bed to quiet the mind and prepare for sleep. Inhaling also works wonders. Lavender can also be used for insomnia.

For restless leg syndrome, apply to the bottoms of feet. Inhale deeply to get back to sleep if necessary. If you have insomnia, try rubbing some Lavender on your chest and put a couple drops on your tongue.

Headaches- lavender is good for headaches. Put a couple drops in your hand and then inhale. Apply a drop on your temples, the back of the neck across forehead or on location.

Mood Uplifting - Diffuse or put a couple drops in your hand and then inhale. Apply direct application. Lavender also helps PMS symptoms.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Essential Lavender - Always in the Mix

Mom, Tryssie said, sampling essential oils and offering her own unsolicited commentary, I know essential lavender oil is supposed to be calming and soothing and all, but it smells more like comatose. Tryssie's signature fragrance review line: "essential lavender smells like grandma and the bridge club." She does not intend the line as criticism, more like very precise and vivid reporting, and certainly delivered with proper homage to the queens of three-no-trump. For today's post-modern emerging woman, lavender probably does seem sadly twentieth century.

I explained, however, one need not make this oil the leading ingredient, but one really ought, always, to include it in the mix. Yes, even if we concede lavender evokes all things Victorian and quite a few things Eisenhower, we must acknowledge that lavender shared Victoria's secret-appear prim and innocent, but pack a potent wallop. Among the essential oils, lavender rivals all the best in medicinal and therapeutic applications and benefits. Even Wendell, our Wonder Dog, has experienced and benefitted from its soothing effects. essential oil beginners must learn that lavender, and its sister chamomile, calm and soothe everything. Experts act on the principle, if it needs calming and soothing, lavender and chamomile are there. In pillow sprays-essential lavender is essential. After-cleanse skincare-must have lavender in the mix. Unruly dry hair-lavender ranks number one as your go-to oil. Of course, lavender dominates the sachets in your drawer full of "intimates"; no one wants anxious and unruly drawers.

Essential lavender in "Complementary Medicine"

Naturopaths rely on essential oil in treatment of neurological disorders. Sounds serious, Tryssie volunteers, and I agree that essential lavender can serve as serious medicine. Relying on essential lavender for inhalation therapy, naturopaths use it to treat severe headaches-including migraines and they have found it works extremely well for treatment of the entire constellation of pre-menstrual symptoms. Aches and cramps abate, exhaustion and fatigue lift, and irritability softens to grudging tolerance. Although massage therapists confess lavender has only limited benefit, strictly speaking, for serious skin disorders, they insist on its value in promoting intimacy and the power of a healing touch. In other words, lavender has little topical-biochemical effect on eczema or acne, but healing massage promotes recovery from the inside out. Mothers, if your child suffers a serious skin disorder or you are battling measles and chicken pox, healing massage promotes rapid recovery by enhancing children's sense of love, affection, and safety.

Rigorous Clinical Studies of Essential lavender

The University of Maryland, the nation's leader in strict clinical research for "complementary medicine," determined essential lavender substantially contributes to control and relief of post-operative o oxygen to one half of the group and oxygen alone to the other half. All twenty-five patients in the experimental lavender group reported considerably higher satisfaction with the facility's pain management regime than patients in the control group. Researchers also reported patients in the experimental group recovered and were ready for discharge sooner than patients in the control group.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Essential Oils and Burns - Why Many People Choose Therapeutic Grade Lavender Essential Oil

The essential oil of lavender is one of many natural and pharmaceutical products available for treating burns. It is my treatment of choice, and has been the treatment of choice for a number of people since the ancient Egyptians, if not before.

An Example

Recently, a friend emailed me to ask what essential oil I might recommend for first and second degree burns on his face. He had been out burning tree branches, when he became careless and got too close.

People who have studied essential oils for any length of time have learned that the highest choice for burns of any kind is a pure, therapeutic grade lavender essential oil.

Why Lavender?

A therapeutic grade of lavender essential oil is made up of over a hundred different compounds that do more than just help with burns.

1. One of these compounds has analgesic (pain relieving) properties.

2. Another compound in lavender gives it antiseptic properties.

3. Some medical doctors - mostly in Europe and Ecuador - also use lavender to prevent scarring.

4. The bottom line is that the constituents in lavender oil have many healing properties.

How to Use It

There are a number of ways to use lavender essential oil on such a burn, and here are three ways that come to mind first.

1. Diluting therapeutic grade lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia) with a high quality, organic vegetable oil 50:50 and applying it on the burn.

2. With therapeutic grade lavender essential oil, some people would not dilute it at all.

3. Putting therapeutic grade lavender essential oil in a spray bottle with purified water and spritz on.

Two Cautions

Before you go out and buy the first bottle of lavender esential oil that you can find, there are two extremely important cautions you should know about, because there are two types of "lavender" oils that can make burns WORSE.

1. Lavender that has been adulterated with synthetic chemicals. This includes the "lavender" that says "pure" on the label, but according to U.S. law, might have as little as 5% lavender and who knows what else as the other 95%.

2. Lavandin that has been labeled as lavender, or even mixed with lavender. Lavandin, because of its camphor content, will make burns worse!