• Home

Spikenard essential oil: ease insomnia and stress

March 27th, 2009    Subscribe To Our Feed

We live in a stressful world. Those things that can cause stress in our lives are personal relationships, work, finances, illness, etc. To help cope with these stresses there are many things that individuals can do. Some of those things included a walk in the park, meditation, yoga, listening to music, etc.

One additional stress relieving activity is through the use of aromatherapy. Aromatherapy utilizes various scents to help the body emotionally, mentally and physically. Generally, aromatherapy uses essential oils.

Essential oils are liquid in nature and are usually drawn and created from certain natural elements. Those elements could be leaves, roots, spices, trees, flowers, grasses, and fruits. Within the category of essential oils a certain subcategory has been established. The subcategory is known as rare essential oils.

One such rare essential oil is Spikenard. When considering the use of this rare essential oil it is important to know what constitutes a rare essential oil, what Spikenard is and what the uses of this oil are.

What Are Rare Essential Oils?

Rare essential oils are those oils that provide a unique scent or aroma. This uniqueness is based on the substance or combination of substances that are used in comprising the rare essential oil. Often this uniqueness is based on the limited availability of the flower, spice, tree, etc. In addition the rarity of the essential oil may be determined through a blending or combination of ingredients.

What Is Spikenard?

One such rare essential oil is Spikenard. The Bible alludes to this oil as the one that Mary Magdalene used on the feet of Jesus. The reason for this essential oil being labeled as rare is because it is taken from the Spikenard plant that is found in the Himalayas.

The actual oil is produced by crushing the stems of this flower and through a distilling process it is produced into a usable form. When created into an oil form the appearance of the oil takes on an amber color.

Uses Of Spikenard

This rare essential oil serves a number of purposes when used as oil or in incense form. One of the best methods to take advantage of this scent is through the use of a diffuser. A diffuser is a device that helps to circulate essential oils into the air as part of aromatherapy.

Some of the popular uses of Spikenard are to treat insomnia, difficulties during pregnancy, excessive gas and to aid in addressing sleeplessness. One of the precautions to remember when utilizing rare essential oils is that they are not recommended for an individual to inhale if they have asthmatic problems.

Lavender Essential Oil - relaxing and therapeutic too

February 23rd, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

For many years lavender essential oil has been used in the production of perfumes and for aromatherapy treatments. The lavender scent has a calming quality which helps to reduce anxiety and aid in relaxation - it’s great when you’re feeling stressed.

The oil comes from the distillation of flower spikes from specific lavender plants. It is one of the more popular and widely used essential oils in the world today. This oil is used in many commercial products to help with numerous skin ailments.

Lavender essential oil is also used to help relieve the pain of migraine headaches when breathed in as a vapor or diluted and rubbed on the temples or other pressure points. When lavender essential oil is added to a vaporizer, the oil can help treat cough and respiratory infections. Another interesting use for lavender essential oil is a mosquito repellent.

When worn as a perfume or added to lotions or hair products, this oil will naturally repel mosquitoes and other pesky insects. Before the invention of mosquito repellant, lavender essential oils were all that people had to rid themselves of these insects which explains why it is included in the commercial repellants today.

First Aid Use

There are many holistic first aid uses for lavender essential oil.  Diluted or undiluted, the oil may be used as an antiseptic and pain reliever when applied to minor burns, stings and insect bites. It is used for the treatment of sunstroke and sunburn.

When lavender essential oil is added to chamomile, it is an effective treatment for eczema. Lavender essential massage oils are effective for the treatment of muscle and joint pain, and chest rubs can provide relief of asthmatic and bronchitic spasms. This oil is also used as a treatment for head lice. Undiluted oil on a comb will eliminate nits.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin have found that lavender essential oil may play a role in the reduction of advanced mammary tumors in lab rats. Researchers are constantly looking into potential breast, liver, ovarian, pancreatic and prostate cancer treatments with the involvement of lavender essential oils.

France is highly known for its many perfumes and emollients which are derived from and with lavender essential oil. There are certain areas of France that are covered with acres and acres of lavender. Lavender from this area of the world is highly fragrant and tourists flock to these areas yearly. It is no wonder that with all of its properties and fragrance, that lavender essential oil is the most popular of the essential oils.

Aromatherapy For Depression

December 22nd, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Aromatherapy for depression of the minor, temporary sort can be very effective.  Scents do alter out moods by triggering past memories and making us breathe deeper and thus get more oxygen into our bodies. 

An aromatherapy massage is good for uplifting any mood, depressed or not.  But with the clinical depression that never goes away, you need to see medical help of all kinds.  And, most importantly, you need to take a deep look at yourself and your lifestyle.

Part of clinical depression is not being able to sleep properly, if at all.  Aromatherapy can help you relax and get drowsy to sleep, whether it’s a few drops of lavender oil on your pillow or soothing aromatherapy bath.  So, in that way, aromatherapy for depression can help a depressed person get badly needed rest.

When you combat depression, you need to look at everything in your life, from what you eat to who your “friends” are.  In order to lift the weight of depression, you will need to eat healthy food, exercises regularly, don’t take events so seriously and to allow yourself a treat, like a few drops of aromatherapy oil in the bath. 

You also need to keep track of what others tell you or what you tell yourself - find ways to relieve everyday stress. If your job is literally giving you nightmares, see what you can do to either change that job or better cope with it.  If you have a partner who is unsupportive and even verbally abusive, leave them. 

If your own thoughts are abusive, you can leave, then, too and practice thinking good things about yourself.  It takes a lot of practice, but it can be done, even if you can do it for only ten minutes a day, the good thoughts will sink down into your subconscious beliefs.

Although you shouldn’t rely on aromatherapy for treatment for depression - it’s a clinical condition and you need to be treated by a doctor, you can use aromatherapy too, and it can make a difference.

— Next Page »

Copyright © 2007 Essential Oils And Aromatherapy For Health And Wellness

30 Day Slimmer | Matteo Turchetto | Andreas Viklund

Esscentually: Essential Oils

Aromatherapy Courses: Learn Aromatherapy