As an herbalist I have experienced the absolute healing power of pure essential oils.
Taking time to develop a deeper relationship with these plants and flowers requires smelling them slowly and tasting them gingerly as one drop can be literally the essence of 10 plants or more. Resonating with a scent is a unique experience as the droplets penetrate the deep emotional areas of the brain inspiring pleasant feelings or dreamlike visions changing your mood almost instantly.
After working with herbs and essences for 30 years I’ve learned to stop and smell the roses. Savoring a single essence in all its layers is like tasting a fine French wine, allowing its’ medicinal complexities to fills ones’ body and to vibrate its’ botanical healing powers.
enjoy!
essential oils
rosemary rosmarinus officinalis 13
Rosemary herb has long been used to stimulate the brain, memory and hair growth. Turkish researchers have found that it inhibits the growth of cancer cells and interestingly enough it has also been found to decrease cortisol levels. I also love rosemary to cleanse negative or dulled energies, to cleanse a room inhabited by others and left dirty. It’s sharp bright pungent scent fills my imagination with a bright new day, a clean slate to create and a surrender to let go of anything that may be weighing me down.
eucalyptus eucalyptus globulus 13
Eucalyptus oil is like always having the comfort of a quintessential healer at my fingertips. Its’ scent breathes fresh clean piney mountain air, which penetrates down to the very bottom of the lungs breaking up phlegm and even the most resistant bacteria. Even its signature shiny iridescent leaf speaks its essence, to cut through and break up deep sticky illnesses of all kinds.
peppermint menthol piperita 17
Oh sweet peppermint how the menopausal woman in me loves you! Cool, calm, collected and soothing for the tummy. This is my rescue oil. It makes me feel I can handle anything that life sends my way, I put a drop on my temples to relieve a tiny headache or one on my tongue for a tummy ache. Just keep it in your pocket or purse for a mental PEP, one sniff and it’ll brighten the mind right up.
geranium pelargonium graveolens 19
Geranium oil reminds me of the breadth of a woman, young in its rosy green and long lasting and wise as a grandmother. It’s deep floral bouquet smells like the essence of spring itself yet its scent lasts and lasts. It also contains its own depths as a natural healing aid, with some 65 phytochemicals, as well as being rich in antioxidants. Little wonder then it has been long used for a wide variety of health benefits, including possessing anti-fungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, anti-hemorrhagic, and antiseptic benefits. Geranium oil has many anti-cancer benefits as well.
clary sage salvia sclarea 19
Clary Sage has a deep herbaceous sage scent that sends me directly to the mountains of New Mexico. Its’ ancient wisdom embraces the spirit of the woman and helps in menstrual pain, hormonal irregularities, depression, worry and aging skin. A few drops of Clary Sage can be massaged directly to the lower abdomen and covered with a warm pillow or heating pad, relieves pain and instantly relaxes.
grapefruit citrus paradisi 14
Pure grapefruit oil scent reminds me of the care of my mother when, in the winter months she use to cut all the tiny little triangles of the fruit out for her five little girls for breakfast. Healthy, refreshing and full of Vitamin C, the sweet citrus aroma of grapefruit can aid digestion by stimulating the gall bladder and uplifting the spirit.
lavender lavandula angustifolia 19
The scent of lavender is heavenly, like a soothing breath of fresh air, sweet and beautifully floral. The magic of this multi purpose plant is that, its as much a fragrance, as it is a workhorse. Lavender opens the third eye, increasing our intuitive sense at the same time, it’s an anti-bacterial and anti-viral. A beauty oil, it can be used to regenerate cell growth after a burn, cut or wound. I like to use a gentle lavender wash to cleanse the pollution of the city air off of my face. Truly if there were any one oil to have while stranded on a desert island it would be lavender and it would even keep the bugs away.
lemongrass cymbopogon schoenanthus 14
Lemongrass is happy juice. Its’ bright, mellow lemon scent instantly uplifts my spirits. It adds the most wonderful rich lemony flavor to Asian noodle dishes and coconut soups. I love to plant 5 or 6 plants in my garden and harvest them when they’re long and tall, twist them up and let them dry and throw the whole thing into a big pot of chicken soup. A few drops in grapeseed oil massaged into cellulite helps to break up the fat cells and reduce swelling.
ylang ylang cananga odorata 19
Ylang Ylang is a delicate gift from heaven. Its’ yellowish flower is otherworldly, the petals, like the gardenia are silky and intoxicating. It can be full and rich on its own, with a hint of spice and then, it can fill out as a middle note fragrance in combination with an earthy scent like patchouli. Without a doubt these two are real lovers, inciting warm earthy sensual feelings.
patchouli pogostemon cablin 17
Patchouli has a deep earthy woody scent that inspires pot-smoking hippies of the 60’s. Truthfully it is so cool that one can’t really wear it without feeling a bit conspicuous. Patchouli is very relaxing and intoxicating so, once in a while I do like to indulge and wear it with rose geranium or a bit of Ylang Ylang when I’m in a sultry kind of mood and it lasts and lasts. It’s also wonderful for skin problems in a light carrier oil like grapeseed or jojoba oil. It calms acne and stimulates new cell production when artfully combined with lavender and geranium.
rose geranium pelargonium egyptian 17
The beauty of geranium combined with rose makes this scent wonderfully enjoyable as a perfume or a few drops added to your facial moisturizer. It’s warm velvety rose scent is so beneficial for the body and mind, both your skin and heart will basque in the delight of its’ floral love.
tea tree melaleuca alternifolia 17
Tea tree smells clean, fresh and green, a bit like my grandmothers’ love of Pine-sol on all of her floors to disinfect the heck out of them. There is really nothing wrong with adding it to your cleaning spray or floor wash, it is a highly effective deep cleaning oil with many uses, a must in your medicine kit. It can also be applied directly to the skin for infections such as acne, fungal infections in the nail, lice, scabies, athlete’s foot and ringworm.
oregano organum vulgare 18
When I smell oregano, I think of my 85 yr old Sicilian friend, Angela who always orders a tiny bowl of oregano for our pizza at our favorite Italian restaurant in Miami. A good pungent oregano makes for a magic chef, it’s so warming and spicy. Oregano is also a strong antiseptic, anti-bacterial and anti-viral. It’s properties lend it useful for respiratory infections, sore throats, lice, parasites, etc