Friday, August 7, 2009

Blue Tansy Essential Oil


Blue Tansy oil's high azulene content gives it a vivid, deep blue color. It's delightful scent is warmly herbaceous with a complex sweetness that to me is reminiscent of apples with a hint of spice. Everyone loves the friendly and inviting scent of Blue Tansy!
A natural antihistamine with anti-allergic properties. Research shows Blue Tansy essential oil to be especially effective for allergy relief!


Useful in blends for asthma and emphysema due to its bronchio-dilating effect, blending with Lemongrass or Ravensara will enhance this effect. Blue Tansy's strong analgesic properties also help to reduce any swelling or itching associated with allergies.
"Environmental allergens" means anything in your environment you may be allergic to, including cats and dogs!


Blue Tansy oil acts as a regulator and has a relaxing or invigorating effect depending on the circumstance for which you are using it. Its rapid and powerful anti-inflammatory action immediately calms the nervous system and associated muscles, ligaments and tendons. Use Blue Tansy for relieving muscular aches and pains, sprains and strains, arthritis, rheumatism and sciatica. Soothes nervous tension and relieves stress!


Blue Tansy pure essential oil is an excellent first aid remedy for radiation burns from cancer treatment, as well as for inflamed or sun damaged skin. My friend Sylla, owner of Atlantic Institute of Aromatherapy, used Blue Tansy as a spray on mist, along with Helichrysum, for relieving radiation burns from her cancer treatment. Blue Tansy oil is an active ingredient in PurePlant Essentials' First Aid + Burn Care and Radiation Burn Care.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Black Pepper


Black pepper essential oil


Black pepper oil is extracted from the plant Piper nigrum of the Piperaceae family. The oil is made from the unripe red fruit of the plant, while white pepper for household use, is made from the same fruit, but the berry is picked when fully ripe and the outside layer (pericarp) is removed before drying.

This warm and spicy essential oil helps to increase warmth of the body and mind, relieving sore muscles and joints, boost the immune and digestive system, stimulate the kidneys and disperse bruising by increasing circulation to the skin.


Oil properties
It is a strong and sharp spicy smelling oil and is faintly reminiscent of clove oil, yet more refined. It can range in color from light amber to yellow-green and has a watery viscosity.


Origin of black pepper oil
The plant originated from India, Malaysia, Madagascar, China and Indonesia and the oil is mostly made in Singapore, India and Malaysia.


The plant
The plant is originally a forest plant and this climbing woody vine uses trees or other supports to grow to about twenty feet high, but is normally kept to about 12 feet for commercial purposes and has a lifespan of about twenty years.
The word pepper is derived from the Latin word piper, which in turn is taken from the Sanskrit word pippali.
It has been used since the times of the Ancient Romans and Greeks. Even the Turks levied a tax on pepper, while the French, Portuguese and Dutch often went to war in the middle ages to fight for this lucrative trade from the far east.


Extraction
The unripe, sun-dried peppercorns (fruit) are used for the extraction of the oil, using steam distillation which produces a yield of nearly 2%.

Precautions
Black pepper oil may cause irritation to sensitive skins and using too much could over-stimulate the kidneys. It should be avoided in pregnancy due to its possible skin sensitizing effect.


Therapeutic properties
The therapeutic properties of black pepper oil include analgesic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitoxic, aphrodisiac, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, febrifuge, laxative, rubefacient and tonic (especially of the spleen).

Uses
Black pepper oil can be used to help in the treatment of pain relief, rheumatism, chills, flu, colds, increase circulation, exhaustion, muscular aches, physical and emotional coldness, nerve tonic and fevers. It furthermore increases the flow of saliva, stimulates appetite, encourages peristalsis, tones the colon muscles and is a general digestive tonic.


Summary
This warming oil can be used to great effect to help circulation and bruising and specifically to help with muscle tone, aching limbs and rheumatoid arthritis. It further helps to promote digestion, the colon as well as the kidneys.


Burners and vaporizers
In vapor therapy, black pepper oil can be used to help add warmth to chills and colds and to create an atmosphere of 'getting things done'.


Blended oil or in the bath
Black pepper oil can be used in blended massage oil, or diluted in a bath, to assist with circulation, bruises, rheumatoid arthritis and muscular aches and pains.
Blended in base cream
As a constituent in a blended cream is can be used for tired aching limbs, sore muscles, rheumatoid arthritis, stimulating the appetite and to help sort out bowel problems. In small quantities it can be used to reduce high temperatures. It increases circulation to the skin and is therefore helpful in restoring proper functioning of the skin.


Black pepper blends well with
Although essential oils blend and mix well aroma wise with one another, Black Pepper oil does go very well with other essential oils such as bergamot, clary sage, clove, coriander, fennel, frankincense, geranium, ginger, grapefruit, lavender, juniper, lemon, lime, mandarin, sage, sandalwood and ylang-ylang.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Tired at work revive with oils


A crazy work scheduel got you down? Are you tired at work? Do you constantly have to fight of yawns. Perhaps a simple solution if a little motivation for your senses. I keep a simple bottle of Pepermint Essential oil in all of my work areas. I have one on my desk at work and one at home. I also have one in my clients office so that if I am there I can get to it. The idea is simple the scent of Pepermint oil is very stimulating so I just uncap the bottle and take a big breath of the scent. This wakes me up and revitilizes better than a cup of coffe or coke would do and of course if much mor healthy for me.
As always if you use oils we would love to know what you use them for and how feel free to respond below and we will post the answers.
Thanks

Monday, August 3, 2009

Black Cumin Seed Essential Oil

Black Cumin Seed Essential Oil

Country Of Origin: Egypt

Classification:
Nigella sativa essential oil

Other Names: Love in the Mist essential oil, Fitch essential oil, Kalonji essential oil, Onion Seed essential oil, Black Caraway essential oil, Hei zhong cao essential oil, Fennel Flower essential oil, Black Sesame Seed essential oil, Black Seed Essential Oil.

Interesting Facts: Although black seed oil is not mentioned in the common Bible translations, there is good evidence that an obscure plant name (fitch) mentioned in the Old Testament means black cumin; if true, this would indicate that black cumin is cultivated since far more than two millennia. Today, the plant is cultivated from Egypt to India.
For me the common name "love in the mist" aptly describes the poetry of this exquisite plant. In the garden, one easily imagines etheric spirits flitting about amongst its evanescent bluish-white blossoms. Even the seedpods, which are so often used in dried flower arrangements, suggest an otherworldly sense of exotic enchantment. Is it possible that such a delicately beautiful herb, with such potent medicinal properties would be so hardy as to easily reseed itself in our gardens year after year?
With an exalted position of use throughout the Middle East and to a somewhat lesser extent in India and other Eastern lands, the information about Black Seed Oil I owe to herbalist, plant-scientist extraordinaire, Jim Duke as presented in his book Medicinal Plants of the Bible. In it he describes Black Cumin as a Muslim Miracle Herb which, according to an Arab Proverb it is said that, 'in the black seed is the medicine for every disease except death.'
In Turkey the black cumin seeds are widely cultivated and traded in ton lots throughout the Middle East, Northern Africa and India. The black cumin seeds are used both as a condiment in bread and cakes and various confections and like pepper or combined with pepper such as cayenne in sauces. The Ethiopians add along with other spices to flavor local alcoholic beverages. Still another use is to sprinkle them with woolen garments as a moth repellant.

Use: Black Seed Oil has been used as a digestive aid, an effective medicine for colds, headaches, toothaches, and infections. Because of Black Seed Oil's complex chemical structure (more than one hundred active ingredients) Black cumin essential oil has positive effects on the respiratory, circulatory, digestive, immune, and urinary systems. Recent research has verified claims that Black Seed Oil strengthens and stabilizes the immune system and is effective in the treatment of asthma, allergies, and other immune disorders as well as numerous skin conditions ranging from acne to psoriasis. Black Seed Oil has helped with bronchial spasm, spasmodic coughs, muscle pain, osteo-arthritis, rheumatism, accumulation of fluid or toxins, poor circulation, lymphatic congestion, mumps, glandular swelling, colic, dyspepsia, flatulence, colitis, colic, indigestion, constipation, frigidity, debility, migraine, tiredness, nervous exhaustion, insomnia, and lethargy. Black Seed Oil may be useful in hepatitis, hypothyroidism, normalizing menstrual cycles, and testicular inflammation.