Wellness Wednesday: Essential Oils

Hi Everyone. Happy Wellness Wednesday!

I am currently in the middle of finals and my diffuser, loaded with essential oils is keeping me sane. Here is an article by my mother, Dr. Elizabeth Trattner about essential oils and how they can help us.

Essential oils give plants their smell and are used in perfumes, medicinal agents. Essential oil extracts can be up to 100 times more potent than the plant itself,, Now that essential oils are gaining in popularity  so are both benefit and risk. (Battaglia, 1997). Essential oils should be used diluted with a carrier oil, used with a diffuser, with the exception of flavorings like peppermint or fennel.

The most common preparation for essential oils are inhaled or used topically. Peppermint, wintergreen, eucalyptus and rosemary are all used for upper respiratory infections. These can also be used topically, diluted with a carrier base for pain as well. The use of essential oils for skin complaints is well-founded as many have been shown to possess antibacterial (Hmamouch et al., 1990) and antifungal (Onawunmi, 1989) properties. Though the use of essential oils shares a common origin with herbal medicine, the use of isolated essential oils is more properly referred to as aromatherapy. Aromatherapy has been used worldwide for ages. Rosemary was used hundreds of years ago to disinfect hospitals.

 

Eucalyptus: when we think of cough drops we think of eucalyptus. Eucalyptus is used for treating the common cold and all its side effects like coughing, mucous, sinus infections sore throat. Other uses are for insect bites and itching. Eucalyptus oil also has anti viral, fugal and bacterial effects. My favorite use for eucalyptus is during a cold. I like to take a bowl of hot water and create a tent with a towel over my head draped around the bowl. I will put a few drops of eucalyptus oil in inhale the steam. It works wonders for any cold, or virus and opens my repository passages. I would use this oil in a diffuser or a few drops in a bowl of hot water. Do not drink it or put directly on the skin!! Inhalation is best and only a few drops!

 

Lavender is the superstar in the essential oil world. It too has anti-microbial, fungal and viral activity to it. It also in an analgesic, sedative, antiaxiolitic, it helps with headaches, lice, cysts, muscle pain, digestive issues, depression, nervousness and many other mood disorders. It can also help with PMS as wellbeing. Lavender is a wonderful first aid remedy, especially for burns; it is among the safest and most widely used essential oils. Lavender was used during the Victorian times for fainting. There are over 350 studies on lavender on Pubmed demonstrating everything from mood enhancement and balance to pain relief. It brings balance both physically and emotionally. I like many uses for lavender. For relaxation I put a few drops mixed with clary sage, geranium , ylang ylang in a spray bottle of distilled water. This is very similar to my favorite aromatherapy scent, Clear skies Ahead by Little Moon Essentials.

Peppermint

This is wonderful for digestion. Peppermint tea is one of the most prescribed herbs I use for digestion. It helps with nausea, upset stomach and all digestive disorders. It can also be used in a diffuser for headaches and fatigue. Peppermint oil can be used as an analgesic but only use 2 drops in a whole bath because it can be very chilling. I use peppermint oil for digestive spasms. Peppermint oil is sold in special  enteric coated capsules to get into the intestines and bypass stomach acid. My favorite is Peptogest by Nature’s Way. I also like using peppermint with lemons to make refreshing lemonade. Peppermint in a diffuser helps with fatigue.

Rosemary:

Rosemary was burned in French hospitals to purify the air up until the 20^th century. This essential oil is also an excellent anti-bacterial, antifungal and antiviral. It is an excellent antiseptic as well and why is was used in hospitals a long time ago. It is an excellent tonic and is very similar to lavender as far as uses but rosemary is more of a stimulant and lavender is more of a sedative or has a calming nature to it. Research has demonstrated that it helps with memory and cognition. Rosemary can be used in cooking. I have used the essential oil diffused to help in memory and recall for test taking. A great mixture to help with cognition is to use a few drops of rosemary, lemon, orange and lavender in a spray bottle with distilled water to lift mood.

Tea Tree

Tea tree oil is nature’s antiracial and anti-fungal wonder!! It is also immunomodulatory as well when inhaled. Readers need to be careful as tea tree oil is highly volatile and must be used in carrier oil. I have witnessed so many patients who have had allergic or reactions to it put directly on skin, scalps, and nails. This essential oil has been widely studied an there are almost 400 pub med research papers on it’s efficacy. Tea tree oil has also been demonstrated to have anti-protozoan activity as well. The best way to use tea tree oil is to use it very diluted in a carrier oil or lotion. Currently there are so many products on the market that the safest way to use it is pre compounded because of its known risks with dermal irritations. Do not try using this oil directly on your body or internally!

Right now our favorite company, Little Moon Essentials is running a ten percent off for all Lady code readers: use the code Elizabeth10 for a discount which will last all through July. We love Clear Skies Ahead!

Make sure to check out www.elizabethtrattner.com for more tips about living a healthy lifestyle.

 

Stayed tuned in the next couple of weeks where I will be reporting from the Indie Beauty Expo in Dallas!!

Love,

Char ❤