Natural Body Guru

My spouse is always busy when he works at Fragrance World so when he awoke this morning and said he didn’t feel good, I thought he was going to stay home but he didn’t. He went to work but his stomach was upset all day. I tried to get him to eat something besides a smoothie for breakfast but he wouldn’t. He called me about an hour after he got to work and said he had just upchucked the smoothie and was feeling terrible so I went to the store to help with customers.

When we got back home in the evening he still didn’t feel well and he hadn’t eaten anything all day so I persuaded him to eat some soup. When he finished it, he felt nauseous again so he went to lay down. After a while, I told him I was going to brew him some tea that would make him feel better. He drank the tea and  in a few minute, he felt better. I tried to get him to drink this brew this morning and if he had, he probably would have had a better day.

Aromatherapy tea for indigestion and upset stomach

• 1 cup very hot water
• 1 to 2 drops peppermint essential oil
• 1 pinch of baking soda
• 1 tablespoon honey

If you are female and approaching the age of menopause or perimenopause, you will probably want to know that many women are successful at calming hot flashes using essential oils.  One of the most effective oils not only helps relieve night sweats, it also is proven to promote deeper sleep.

According to researchers shown in the Journal of the Chinese Medical Association, breathing in the scent of lavender can reduce hot-flash frequency and intensity by 53%. These researchers say the scent lowers stress hormone levels and also activates the hypothalamus (the brains temperature control center) to ward off hot flashes and night sweats.

Other research shows that lavender improves sleep. One study showed that those who breathed the scent of lavender essential oil before bed spent more time in deep sleep and were 50% more energetic the next day than people who didn’t inhale the scent.

If you want to get these benefits, try mixing 3-4 drops of 100% pure lavender essential oil into a dollop of unscented lotion and rubbing it into your skin. Or you can just pour a few drops of the oil onto a tissue or cotton ball and place it on your nightstand.

Menopause not only causes hot flashes and bloating but also exhaustion and fatigue. If those are your only symptoms, you may not even associate menopause with your physical difficulties but these issues can also be a part of menopause.  Below are the essential oils you can use to relieve exhaustion and fatigue.

• Basil
• Bergamot
• Cardamom
• Geranium
• Grapefruit
• Rosemary
• Frankincense
• Eucalyptus
• Petitgrain
• Ylang ylang

Some women go through menopause without any uncomfortable symptoms but most of us are not that lucky. Yesterday we talked about hot flashes. Today’s menopause symptom is fluid retention. This includes bloating and water retention. The essential oils to use for fluid retention are below.

Essential Oils for Fluid Retention

• Juniper Berry
• Cedarwood
• Cypress
• Rosemary
• Lemon
• Sweet Orange
• Coriander

If you are experiencing menopause, you are probably having those embarrassing hot flashes that are often one of the first recognizable uncomfortable symptoms of this condition. The physical and emotional difficulties of menopause are very unique to each individual woman so the essential oils used should be chosen according to what is most appropriate for you. These are the essential oils to use for hot flashes.

Essential Oils for Hot Flashes

• Cypress
• Geranium
• Chamomile Roman
• Clary Sage
• Peppermint
• Niaouli
• Rosemary
• Palmarosa

Here is another recipe you can make at home using essential oils. Use this first aid washing mix to wash and cleanse cuts and grazes. This mix is to be diluted in water before use.

Put the following into a small dropper bottle:

• 30 drops lavender
• 30 drops tea tree
•  5 drops eucalyptus
• 20 drops bergamot
• 5 drops rosemary

Shake the mixture to blend the oils. Use 2-6 drops of the mix in a small bowl of water to wash cuts and grazes. Do not apply the blend neat to any open cut or graze.

You can make your own antiseptic skin spray with essential oils for use on bites, stings, cuts, scrapes etc. To make this spray you will need:

• 2 ounces of preboiled spring water
• 1/2 ounce alcohol or vodka
• 5 drops lavender
• 10 drops tea tree
• 10 drops thyme linalol
• 5 drops chamomile

Combine the essential oils and the alcohol or vodka in a clean bottle and shake vigorously. Add 1/2 of the water a little at a time and continue shaking. Store this mixture for 48 hours. Now add the remaining water and leave for another 24 hours, shaking the bottle whenever you remember. Strain the blend through an unbleached paper coffee filter and put this into a sterile spray bottle.

Aromatherapists often use hydrolats, essential oil waters or infused oils. These are products that include some of the same healing properties as the essential oil properties found in plants. Hydrolats are complicated to make and you should purchase them from specialist suppliers. Essential oil waters are made with essential oils and can be used (in some cases) in place of hydrolats.

A hydrolat is a by-product of the essential oil distillation process. It is only the water-soluble components of plants that become infused in the water used in the distillation process. Hydrolats are not just watered down essential oils because they do not contain all the components the essential oils have and they often smell quite different from the plant or the essential oil. They do contain antiseptic properties and have their own unique uses. They can be used to spray rooms, put on bedding and to spray on compresses. They usually have a delicious scent and can be used like an essential oil.

Essential oil waters can be used in place of hydrolats when they are not available. These are easily made in the following manner:

• pour 1/2 pint of boiling water into a heat proof bowl
• add 6-10 drops of lavender (or whichever essential oil you want to use)
• cover the bowl completely so that the cooled condensed water falls back into the bowl
• pour the mixture through an unbleached paper coffee filter to remove the globules of essential oil
• leave it to cool and then bottle it

Infused oils can be made at home too. Use a jar that can be tightly sealed. Pack it tightly with whatever plant material you want to use like lavender, chamomile, marigold or calendula. Fill the packed jar with an organic carrier oil like grapeseed oil, almond oil or sunflower oil. Put the sealed jar in a sunny window for at least 48 hours and shake the bottle every day. After 48 hours strain the oil (it will be thick so it will take a while.) To make the oil stronger, add more fresh plant material and repeat the process until it smells the way you want.

Yesterday we discussed the top essential oils to have in your home for children (as well as for you.) In addition to the oils listed yesterday, there are other essential oils that will be very useful to have in your home’s basic essential oil care kit. These are listed in order of preference so if you are counting your pennies, I would start with the top one on the list and as you have the money to purchase more oils, go with the next one on the list.

• Geranium (Pelargonium graeolens)
• Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii)
• Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium)
• Neroli (Citrus aurantium)
• Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
• Lemon (Citrus limonum)
• Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
• Rose Otto (Rosa damascena)

Besides the essential oils, your basic essential oil care kit should include some carrier oils, a few small amber bottles and some other items you probably already have. These would include cotton balls, band aids, dressings and a bowl. You might also want to get a diffuser and there are many different kinds.