Tag: Essential Oil

A close look at Frankincense

Leave a comment

From the Epoch Times, comes this great article. Epoch Times is a good source for news is you aren’t familiar with them.

The Healing Powers of Frankincense

Frankincense, a popular essential oil, has been revered for millennia for religious, medicinal, and beautification purposes. A literal testament to its value comes from the Bible, where many know it as one of the three gifts the wise men brought to the birth of Jesus.

Frankincense comes from the Boswellia tree, which is native to Africa, much of the Middle East, parts of India, and Pakistan. An incision is made in the trunk of the Boswellia tree, which exudes a milky sap that hardens upon contact with the air, turning it into a resin. The resin also can be steam-distilled, producing a fragrant essential oil.

Frankincense Throughout History
The ancient Egyptians used frankincense resin as incense in religious rituals and for beautification by charring it and grinding it into a powder for eyeliner and tattoos. The Egyptian Ebers Papyrus, dated to 1500 B.C., prescribes frankincense resin for throat infections and asthma attacks.

The Iranian physician Avicenna (980–1037) recommended frankincense for tumors, ulcers, and fevers in his ancient medical texts.

There are earlier medicinal references to frankincense in the Chinese herbal manuscript, the Ming Yi Bie Lu, in the 6th century.

Several mentions of frankincense are found in both the Old and New Testaments of the Judeo-Christian bible, sometimes in regard to its use as an offering, and other times as a metaphor for what it means to endure without grievance.

Frankincense also had various uses in everyday life. Melted incense resin was used to repair pots and jars, creating a watertight seal, and the bark of the Boswellia tree made dye for cotton and leather clothing.

Frankincense in Chinese Medicine
In Chinese medicine, frankincense is the herb ru xiang and has been used medicinally for thousands of years. It has pungent, bitter, and warming properties and works specifically on the liver, heart, and spleen. Frankincense is in a class of herbs that move blood, strongly stimulating blood flow.

In the Eastern view, many health problems are caused by a “stagnation” or blockage of either qi (energy) or blood flow. When qi and blood are flowing freely in our bodies, the system is balanced, and we are healthy. But, when there is a blockage in this flow, problems arise. Pain is one example. Pain is a symptom of a blockage or “stagnation” of the qi or blood flow. Frankincense is often prescribed for pain because of its strong blood-moving properties and ability to break up stagnation.

Tumors, cysts, and other masses are considered accumulations of blood in Chinese medicine. The thinking is that if the blockage goes untreated for long enough, it will accumulate into a mass or tumor. Because of its powerful blood-moving actions, ru xiang is used to treat tumors and other masses. A lot of scientific research is being dedicated to its cytotoxic, anti-tumor effects.

Frankincense and Cancer
Research has been affirming frankincense and its potential effectiveness against cancer. In one study published in BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, frankincense essential oil induced cell death in human pancreatic cancer cells. This research is hopeful as it might offer a more natural alternative to chemo and radiation therapy for pancreatic cancer, an often aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis. In a research review published in 2016, researchers noted that the boswellic acids of frankincense have an antiproliferative effect on tumors.

“They inhibit proliferation of tumor cells of the leukaemia and glioblastoma subset. They have an anti-tumour effect since they inhibit topoisomerase I and II-alpha and stimulate programmed cell death (apoptosis),” they wrote.

Contraindications
Frankincense shouldn’t be used in pregnancy and should be used with caution for those with digestive problems because of its strong moving actions and potential toxicity. For these reasons, long-term use isn’t recommended.

As an additional warning, if you are considering taking frankincense internally, be sure that you are using a 100-percent pure oil that is labeled for internal use and not an aromatic or scented oil, and do so under the supervision of a health care professional.

Frankincense’s Everyday Uses
Frankincense is an incredibly versatile oil with many practical uses. You can use the oil topically on the skin, or put a few drops in a carrier oil such as coconut, jojoba, almond, or avocado for pain or inflammation. To reap its beneficial effects, you can also add a few drops to an essential oil diffuser or vaporizer.

Frankincense and Health
Frankincense has antiseptic, astringent, anti–inflammatory, disinfectant, digestive, diuretic, and expectorant properties. It’s known as the king of oils because it benefits every system in the body. It strengthens the immune system and helps the body to absorb nutrients. Frankincense helps healthy cell regeneration and keeps existing cells and tissues at optimum levels, giving it a wide variety of applications in medicine to treat a multitude of conditions.

Here are some ways you can use frankincense essential oil at home.

Stress
A few drops of frankincense essential oil in the bath will calm the nervous system and help you relax, making it a great thing to do right before bed to ensure a restful, rejuvenating sleep. This aspect of frankincense also has been studied by researchers. In one study on rats published in the Journal of Oleo Science in 2019, researchers declared, “Frankincense essential oil can counter the effects of stress by effectively relieving sleep debt and maintaining antioxidant capacity without increasing oxidative stress, and, therefore, may be beneficial in the management of stress.”

Skin Conditions
Known for its ability to treat skin conditions and heal wounds, frankincense is also an astringent and helps protect skin cells. It reduces acne and the size of pores, heals blemishes, prevents wrinkles, and lifts and tightens skin naturally. You can use it topically anywhere you have loose skin (six drops to an ounce of carrier oil on the skin). Frankincense also strengthens gums and hair roots, stops bleeding from wounds on the skin, speeds healing of cuts, acne, insect bites, and boils.

Oral Hygiene
Frankincense prevents tooth decay, cavities, bad breath, as well as oral infections. Reseach published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology in 2018 found that “The antimicrobial properties of essential oil derived from frankincense, a compound with well-known traditional use, showed that it possesses a clear potential as a natural antimicrobial agent.” It also helps to strengthen gums. You can add a drop of Frankincense oil to your toothpaste to help improve oral health.

Anti-Inflammatory
Research has shown that frankincense reduces inflammation, in particular helping to inhibit the breakdown of cartilage and painful swelling associated with both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Pain Killer
You can use frankincense oil directly on the skin or with a carrier oil such as coconut or jojoba for pain relief because of its blood-moving, as well as anti-inflammatory, properties.

Colds and Respiratory Health
Frankincense breaks up phlegm in the respiratory tract and the lungs, relieves congestion, and eases bronchitis. Add a few drops of the essential oil to a diffuser or vaporizer to clear the respiratory tract. Diffusing frankincense will also deodorize and disinfect your home of germs, bacteria, and viruses.

As you can see, frankincense has many health benefits. The fact that so many cultures have been using it for centuries is a testament to its healing prowess. When using essential oils externally, always ensure that you are getting high-quality, organic oils. They are very concentrated, so a drop or two goes a long way. If you are interested in using frankincense internally, be sure to do so under the supervision of a health care practitioner. Frankincense is a wonderful addition to your life and your home and is yet another example of how nature can heal us, body, mind, and spirit.

Young Living essential oils has excellent frankincense oils, as well as blends that contain frankincense. If you have questions or need to order, just use the contact form. I’ll be glad to help you.

 

 

Ledum essential oil

Leave a comment

Ready for a little light reading?

Dr. Scott Johnson: A preclinical study determined that Ledum essential oil causes the death of cells involved in joint inflammation and damage due to rheumatoid arthritis. This suggests that Ledum may be useful for RA if it is duplicated in human research.

Rhododendron tomentosum (Ledum palustre) is an aromatic plant traditionally used for alleviating rheumatic complaints which makes it a potential candidate for a natural drug in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) treatment. However, the effects of plants’ volatiles on apoptosis of synovial fibroblasts and infiltrating leucocytes of RA synovia, have not been reported. Volatile fraction of R. tomentosum is chemically variable and chemotypes of the plants need to be defined if the oil is to be used for therapeutic purposes. In the presented work, cluster analysis of literature data enabled to define 10 chemotypes of the plant.

Not all Essential oils are created equally

Leave a comment

From Dr. Doug Corrigan:

When you see a $6.99 price tag on a big bottle of essential oil at Target, Amazon, Walmart, or any other vendor, it’s quite natural to feel tempted to purchase it and use it throughout your home. After all, oil is oil, right? Well, like most things, the story is much more complicated than that.

What’s to stop a company from artificially synthesizing some of the constituents found in an essential oil and then using these synthesized constituents to approximate a natural essential oil through reconstitution? What’s to stop a company from using these cheaper and more readily available forms of the constituents to adulterate a natural oil to increase their profits? Nothing.

These types of games are routinely played.

The chemistry of artificially synthesizing molecules that replicate the scents of natural sources has been developed extensively by the perfume, scent, and flavoring industries, which are gargantuan. The infrastructure is extensive and the chemistry is well-established, making this pathway the cheaper option.

To give you an example: In the picture below I show you how they can take turpentine, derived from pine trees, and then chemically convert that to many of the terpenes that are found naturally in essential oils. They can then use these compounds to build an oil completely from scratch; or they can use any one of these artificial constituents to adulterate a natural essential oil to make it cheaper.

For the chemistry geeks who want to keep following along, they take resin from pine trees, and steam distill it to extract turpentine. Turpentine is mainly a mixture of alpha and beta pinene. They fractionally distill the beta-pinene and then use this to produce myrcene. To convert pine to myrcene, they use a process called “pyrolysis”, which takes place at very high temperatures (above 700F). It’s these high temperatures where the problems arise. Toxic compounds are produced at these high temperatures, just like in vaping.

To the right I list out a host of these products that are produced from this high temperature conversion process. On the bottom right, I show the detailed chemical pathways that lead to these decomposition products. They then take myrcene (along with all of the other unwanted byproducts) and produce menthol, citral, citronellal, geraniol, nerol, and linalool, among others. These then find there way into the perfume industry, and yes, you guessed it, into a cheap bottle of oil.

Now some of those decomposition products sound harmless. Pinene, limonene, etc. Well, do you notice three different forms of Xylene on the list? Xylene is a very harsh and toxic organic solvent that’s chemically derived from petroleum. Inhaling xylene vapor leads to depression of the central nervous system, delayed reaction time, nausea, vomiting and headaches. This can occur at very low exposure limits, as low as 100 parts per million. The Xylene component can make up more than 1% of the final myrcene mix after the pyrolysis reaction is completed. How much of that xylene makes it into the final “Essential Oils R Us. ” bottle is anyone’s guess.

This is typical with artificial synthetic chemistry. You always end up with a host of unwanted compounds. Every one of those compounds can make it into the final product, and they don’t have to inform you about these impurities on the label.

Please make sure you know your company and the processes that are being used to produce your essential oil. Your health literally depends on it.

Btw, I have over 70 articles like this in my Frequently Asked Questions Database for Essential Oils. You can access the entire database here —-> www.starfishscents.com/listing/547717651/

Using Essential Oils to help our animal friends

Leave a comment

Animals have an even more keen sense of smell than humans. They are also more sensitive to pure essential oils than we are, so it takes a surprisingly small amount to help even an large animal such as a horse, or cow.

To figure your dosage, look at the protocol for human application. If the dose for a human at 160 lbs. is 3-5 drops, then for a horse at 1600 lbs. (that is a BIG horse) you could use 10X the dosage, so 30-50 drops. For a dog at around 16 lbs. would need only 1 tenth the amount. When putting oils on a animal for the first time, apply them only to the feet, paws or hooves. You may also try the frog and coronet band on a horse. With cats and dogs, the oils should only be applied after being diluted in a carrier oil such as V6, almond, olive, or sesame oils. The diluted oil may then be applied to the paws. Avoid using high phenol oils such as oregeno and thyme on cats. They are very sensitive to these oils.
General Guidelines
For small animals: 3-5 drops diluted to 80-90% per application
For large dogs: 3-5 drops neat, unless it is a high phenol oil, then dilute as above.
For large animals (cattle & horses) 20-30 drops neat, but again, if you are using a high phenol oil, dilute it as above.
A special caution with cats: They metabolize things differently than other animals. Some oils are potentially toxic to them if applied incorrectly. Cats generally have adverse reactions to citrus products and citrus oils are sometimes used to keep them from being in a certain area. They are also very sensitive to strong odors. To be safe, when in doubt, just mist them lightly with floral water. You should also consider consulting with a veterinarian before applying oils to a cat for the first time.

To give an essential oil orally. As with humans, place the oil in a capsule and it can then be mixed in with their feed. A few drops could also be added to a gravy and placed on the food if you are treating a dog or cat. For a large animal, the animal’s bottom lip can be pulled out and 10 or 15 drops of oil put in. The effect will be quick due to the high vascular structure in the area. For a large dog, 1-3 drops is usually enough. Seek the advise of a good veterinarian before allowing your animal friend to ingest essential oils. ALWAYS make sure the essential oil you are using is PURE, no solvents, chemicals or anything added in.

When you have a hard to reach area, or a large wound, you can put the oil in a spray bottle, diluted with olive or vegetable oil and spray it directly onto the wound.

If an animal is jittery about you applying essential oils, apply either Peace & Calming and/or Valor on YOURSELF first. Then allow the animal to breath in your scent for a few minutes. Just remain still. As the animal breathes in the aroma, it will become calmer.

A few examples of what to use for what.
Exodux II for infection, inflammation and to promote tissue regeneration.
Helichrysum is a topical anesthetic.
Idaho Tansy is a very versatile oil for animals. It can purify, cleanse, help tissue regenerate, it has anti-inflammatory and anesthetic properties. It is used for bruised bones, cuts, wounds and colic. It also repeals flies!
Laurel is good for bruising and soreness.
Lavendar is good for tissue regeneration and desensitizing wounds.
Melrose can disinfect and clean wounds.
Mountain Savory will reduce inflammation.
Myrrh will fight infection and inflammation and help encourage proper tissue growth.
Ortho Ease can be used to dilute essential oils and will also work as a pain-reliever and anti-inflammatory.
PanAway- If the pain is from a broken bone, rather than a wound you can use PanAway to kill the pain at points where there is NO open or raw tissue. Do not apply this to an open wound, if an open wound, use helichrysum and balsam fir to reduce the pain & bleeding.
Purification is more effective than iodine or hydrogen peroxide! You can use it for washing & cleansing wounds and it will also repeal ticks & mites.
Roman Chamomile will also aid in tissue regeneration and desensitization.
Thieves works for inflammation, infection and bacteria. It also helps if an animal has started to grow “proud flesh”. This is when new tissue continue to rebuild itself resulting in a large lump of tissue, rather than the wound healing smooth and cleanly.
Valerian can be used internally or externally for controlling pain.
Vetiver can be used internally or externally for controlling pain.

I hope this gives you a few ideas of the wonderful ways our animal friends can be helped with the very same bottle of essential oil that can help you or your child. Essential oils really are, essential!

If you have any questions, or would like more information just send an e-mail to nancy@waystowellness.info

I do want to make it clear though, I am not a veterinarian.