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May 2004
Underneath is the main part of the newsletter that was sent out, excluding special offers or items that were being promoted during that month. To access any previous newsletters, please click here, or if you want to sign up for our free newsletter, please click here.
In this issue:
To play around at blending essential oils, to make your own unique mix can be most rewarding an great fun! It is commonly believed that a person has to be highly skilled to work with essential oils, but this is not the case, provided of course that the correct amount of each essential oil is blended, and certain safety precautions are obeyed.
Various results may be achieved by mixing essential oils with one another, and the correct blend may calm, relax, invigorate, or improve concentration.
Essential oil blends have been known for their therapeutic benefits since ancient times, and Hippocrates, the said founder of modern allopathic medicine, prescribed an essential oil massage for his patients in ancient Greece.
Essential oils and essential oil blends are used to promote a specific mood in the home or workplace, or even at a meeting or gathering, and have also been used to promote a specific theme at a party. Essential oils have a very beneficial use in romantic situations, and the blending of essential oils form the base of almost all perfumes and fragrances.
A certain kind of synergy is created when different essential oils are blended together, since you may wish to add some therapeutic properties of one oil to another when putting together a massage oil or creating your own essential oil cream or your own homemade fragrance. This is then basically the Gestalt theory at work, where the sums of the individual items are larger than the individuals on their own.
Although you may be looking at blending therapeutic oils, it is important to note that the fragrance achieved should be balanced and pleasing to the nose. This is where "fragrance notes" come into play.
A Frenchman called Piesse classified essential oils according to musical scales in the 19th century, referring to essential oils as having a "top", "middle" or "base" note or smell.
According to these "rules" a well-rounded fragrance is achieved by following the formula below:
Top notes 15 - 25% of the blend. Middle notes 30 - 40% of the blend. Base notes 45 - 55% of the blend.
For example - you would use 4 drops of Geranium (middle note) with 3 drops of Eucalyptus (top note) and 5 drops of Ylang Ylang (base note).
Even with such "rules of blending" being bandied around, the most important factor to keep in mind is that you, or the person on which the oil blend is going to be used, likes it.
If for instance you wish to create massage oil in the winter, you may want to add peppermint to the blend, but since peppermint is cooling oil, you would need to balance it with other oils, such as ginger and sandalwood.
A good blend is normally compiled by mixing oils from all three classes - that being top notes, middle notes and base notes.
It is however very important that you are happy with the aroma and fragrance of the blended oils, since it has to be pleasing to your senses to achieve the maximum effect.
A suitable carrier or base oil (such as grape seed, macadamia nut, hazelnut, jojoba oil etc) should be selected, as essential oils are too strong to be used undiluted on the skin and your choice of essential oil or oils should be mixed into the carrier oil.
The amount of essentials oil to a carrier oil varies according to the age of the person being massaged, as well as the sensitivity of their skin, for example:
- 5 drops essential oil/s to 20 ml carrier oil for
- people 65 years old or older
- 11 drops of essential oil/s to 20 ml carrier oil for
- people aged 12 to 64 years
- 7 drops of essential oil/s to 20 ml carrier oil for
- people aged 6 to 11 years
- 5 drops of essential oil/s to 20 ml carrier oil for
- people aged 4 to 10 years
- 1 drop essential oil/s to 20 ml carrier oil for
- people aged 1 to 3 years, or for pregnant women
It is recommended that you do not add more than 7 drops of essential oil/s to your bath, but this rule also depends on the sensitivity of your skin. If you think that your skin is sensitive, rather mix the essential oil with a carrier oil before adding it to your bath, and do a skin patch test by applying a small amount to a sensitive area of your skin - to check for any negative reaction.
For children between 4 and 6 years of age, as well as for elderly persons, it is best to only add up to 4 drops of essential oil to a bath of water, and for children under 1 year and if you are pregnant, only 1 drop.
Select an un-perfumed cream or lotion, such as aqueous cream, for a base for the oils. This type of cream can be bought from your chemist / pharmacy.
The total percentage of essential oil/s to the cream/lotion should not exceed 2%. The oil/s should be mixed well into the cream/lotion.
To check for allergic reactions, we do suggest that you do a skin patch test before using the cream/lotion liberally.
Essential oils are very powerful compounds, and safety measures should be kept in mind when having them around the house:
- Never take essential oils internally unless so advised by a medical practitioner.
- Keep essential oils out of the reach of children.
- Always dilute essential oils with a suitable carrier oil/cream before applying to your skin.
- If you are pregnant, lactating, have high or low blood pressure, have cancer or liver damage, or any other medical condition, consult a qualified aroma therapist/practitioner BEFORE USING ESSENTIAL OILS.
- For a more complete listing of safety measures used with essential oils, please visit www.essentialoils.co.za/safety.htm
Summary 
When creating your own blend of essential oils, ensure that you take the therapeutic properties of the various oils into account. Create a pleasing aroma by balancing the fragrances through using the "top". "middle" and "base" notes of the various oils. Keep safety instructions and dilution percentages in mind. Above all, have fun!
Goldenseal is also known as Yellow root, Indian turmeric, eye root, eye balm and poor man's ginseng, amongst many other names.
The use of this powerful antibiotic herb is reported to have originated amongst the Native Americans of the north-eastern United States, who pulverized the roots of the plant and used the resulting sap as a yellow dye. They are also reported to have used the pulverized rhizomes, roots and the sap to treat wounds, sore throats and problems with the digestive tract.
In the 19th century, the founder of Thomsonian herbal medicine, Samuel Thomson, used the herb as an anti-septic. He also noticed that the scars left on the stem of the plant by annual stems resemble letter or envelope seals, and decided to name the plant goldenseal.
Goldenseal is currently a favorite of homeopaths, as the plant contains berberine and hydrastine alkaloids, (the berberine gives the plant its rich golden color) and they find its use beneficial in fighting infectious diarrhea and yeast infections.
These treatments have been scientifically corroborated in studies of the bacteria found to cause diarrhea, using control groups. It was found that the berberine in goldenseal kills many of the bacteria that cause diarrhea and even cholera.
It was also found that berberine boosts the immune system, by stimulating macrophages, the white blood cells that destroy disease causing organisms. These studies are of great interest amongst researchers fighting HIV and AIDS, and it has been recommended that people who are HIV positive include a form of berberine in their diet.
It is interesting to note that some naturopaths claim that goldenseal is effective in restoring liver function in people with alcoholism and that many people report that goldenseal helps with urinary tract infections, sinus problems and that it promotes healing of mouth ulcers and cold sores.
Numerous cell culture studies have found that goldenseal helps to destroy tumor cells and there is hope that the use of the herb may serve as a complementary therapy to chemotherapy.
Other compounds found in goldenseal are albumin, b-complex vitamins, biotin, calcium, candine, chlorine, choline, chologenic acid, inositol, iron, lignin, manganese, PABA, phosphorus, potassium and vitamin A, C, & E.
PLEASE NOTE:
- The excessive intake of this herb may lead to diarrhea, breathing problems, and may irritate mucous membranes.
People who are on anti-coagulant medicine, suffering from heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes or glaucoma should not use goldenseal. Use by pregnant women is also not recommended and people who suffer from Lupus or multiple sclerosis should also not use this herb.
Other articles of interest
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You are as young as your faith, as old as your fear and as long as your heart receives messages of beauty, cheer,
courage, grandeur, and power - from the earth, from man and from the Infinite - so long will you stay
Ageless. |
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