Essential Oils From Around the World

In these stressful times, the ability to find ways to reduce stress is greatly valued. Here, from the Discoverer blog are some ideas for essential oils from around the world.

Essential oils have been used around the world for centuries, and they're an easy way to bring the scents of the world into your home during a time where you can't go outside or travel as much as you might like.

Before trying any essential oils, you'll want to do some background reading, such as this article from Johns Hopkins Medicine, to see if using essential oils is suitable for you and your family. Healthline also has a number of helpful articles specific to particular essential oils, such as this one about ylang ylang, and this one about peppermint. In short, the health benefits of essential oils are inconclusive, but they're still a great way to make your home smell nice.

You'll want to ensure that you choose a pure oil, with no additives. Regardless, essential oils should never be ingested. Instead, you’ll need a Diffuser to use them to best effect. There are many types that you can buy but it’s also possible to make one yourself.

If you plan to use essential oils in the bath, always use a carrier oil to dilute the essential oil; this is vital so that the concentrated oil doesn’t come into contact with your skin. Blend five drops of essential oil with a tablespoon of jojoba, grapeseed or almond oil. Do a patch test first, and never use on broken skin. Add the oil after you have run the bath so that the tub doesn’t get too slippery and the impact of the oil’s aroma isn’t lost before you get in.

Here‘s what you need to know about some of the most popular essential oils and where they’re from.

Lavender

A lavender field in France. Photo: prochasson frederic

Suggested for: anxiety and fatigue

Lavender essential oil is distilled from the variety Lavandula angustifolia, commonly known as English lavender or spike oil lavender. These dense evergreen shrubs bloom in mid to late summer and their fragrant purple flowers add a vivid pop of colour to many gardens. The plant is also grown on a commercial scale, particularly in the south of France and across the Mediterranean region.

Peppermint

Peppermint oil. Photo: Tatevosian Yana

Suggested for: digestive issues and headaches

Peppermint, a hybrid of spearmint and water mint, was originally found in the Mediterranean and Middle East. It even gets a mention in Greek mythology: the nymph Minthe tried to seduce Hades, causing the enraged Queen Persephone to turn her into a mint plant. These days the fast-growing herb is cultivated throughout North America, Europe and Japan. It has distinctive leaves with a serrated edge and when it flowers, the blooms are pink and mauve. A process of steam distilling its leaves, fresh or dried, creates the essential oil.

Patchouli

Patchouli plant. Photo: wasanajai

Suggested for: skin conditions and stress

Patchouli, botanical name Pogostemon cablin, is native to Asia. It’s cultivated in countries such as China, Indonesia and Vietnam as well as the nations of South East Asia and some Indian Ocean islands. The bushy herb grows to between 2 and 3 feet tall, and has tiny pink-white flowers; to produce the oil, it needs to be extracted from dried leaves. Its heady scent makes it popular for perfumes as well as essential oils.

Ylang Ylang

Cananga tree flowers. Photo: SiNeeKan

Suggested for: high blood pressure and depression

Steam distillation of the yellow, star-shaped flowers of the Cananga tree creates a potent essential oil. Because of its strength, some people find it can cause headaches or nausea, so it’s often combined with other essential oils before use. Nevertheless, it has its fans, particularly of the subtler, less pungent version known as Cananga oil. You’ll find this tropical species in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and India, as well as tropical Queensland in Australia.

Lemon

Citrus fruits. Photo: New Africa

Suggested for: boosting moods and promoting energy

Essential oils from the citrus family have a zingy quality that can lift the spirits, making them popular choices for freshening a room. Most come from the rind of the fruit. According to this fascinating article from the BBC, we can trace all citrus fruits back to the foothills of the Himalayas. They spread from China, India and Burma because of climate change; now they’re associated with places as far afield as Florida and Italy. If the scent of bergamot seems familiar, you might be an Earl Grey tea drinker – the oil is what gives this type of tea its distinctive aroma.

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The science is inconclusive, but so long as you’re doing no harm, you may feel you’ll gain from using them. I love the scent created by combining orange and bergamot essential oils. What about you? Let us know your favorite oils and combinations on Twitter or Facebook.

A New Age Interpretation of Christmas

Here is my annual Christmas musing about the three wise men of the Christmas recounting. Wise men in those days were the astrologers. So it was the configuration of the planets and the astrologers who interpreted them that set things in motion and spread the events to the world.

The original interpretation was that there would be a momentous moment that would change the world as evidenced by the positioning of the stars. The Magi - the three wise men (astrologers?) followed a star to the city of Bethlehem. Whether or not you believe in Christianity, you would have to admit that the events predicted by the Magi did change the world.

Also, the Magi brought Frankincense and Myrrh which are religious aromatherapy essences. Frankincense represents Christianity and Myrrh represents Judiasm. It all connects....

Merry Christmas to all!

Using Aromatherapy to Repell Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes love me and I can't figure out why. Whenever I am outside, it seems like I can be bitten anywhere by location, city or country, and anywhere on my body. Aside from constantly spraying myself with chemicals, is there an all natural way to create a mosquito repellant? There is.

According to an article in Alternet, aromatherapy mixtures can help repell mosquitoes and are safer to use than pesticides like DEET.

For those looking to avoid toxic chemicals like DEET or permethrin (a possibly carcinogenic insecticide frequently used to treat clothing and mosquito nets), plants might hold the key to repelling mosquitoes. One of the most often cited is lemon eucalyptus. In fact, a 2014 Australian study found that a mixture of 32 percent lemon eucalyptus oil provided more than 95 percent protection from mosquitoes for three hours, compared to a 40 percent DEET repellent that gave test subjects 100 percent protection for seven hours.

But lemon eucalyptus is not the only option. A 2013 study examined the ability of 20 different plant essential oils to repel malarial mosquitoes. Notably, rosemary, lemon, eucalyptus, neem, and pennyroyal each had no repellent effect. The three best were cinnamon, citronella, and thyme, which were repellent, irritating, and toxic to the mosquitoes. Additionally, they found that cumin, lemongrass, coleus, and thyme were irritants to the mosquitoes at all concentrations. Another 2013 study found that cinnamon repelled the Asian Tiger mosquito, and so did a plant called Herba Schizonapetae that is used in Chinese medicine. Yet another plant that proved effective in studies is Nepeta parnassicus, a species in the mint family related to catnip.

Unfortunately, plant based products evaporate quickly, which means they must be re-applied. But another study, published in 2001, tried the novel step of adding vanillin to the essential oils it tested on several species of mosquitoes. Vanillin, the primary component of vanilla (which is sometimes created synthetically and used as cheap vanilla flavor), extended the efficacy of the four plants tested (turmeric, kaffir lime, citronella and hairy basil). One commercial product that makes use of this finding is Dr. Mercola’s Bug Spray, which combines citronella, lemongrass, peppermint, and vanillin.

Or, if none of the above works, use Jewelweed after you get bitten. If you live in the eastern half of the United States, you are in luck, because this beautiful wildflower literally grows as a weed. Grab a few leaves, mush them up in your fingers until they are mucilaginous, and apply them to your bites. Voila! The itch is gone.

Find all of your mosquito repellent using aromatherapy here.

 

How to Smell Wealthy Using Aromatherapy

This might be good information for anyone trying to impress - whether in a singles bar, or in a business situation. Try a little aromatherapy to smell wealthy!

As it turns out, the magnolia tree smells like wealth. So spray a little magnolia scented essential oil on you and see what happens.

This bit of aromatherapy insight comes courtesy of Cool News and perfumer Frederic Malle who is a grandson of Serge Heftler-Louiche, founder of Parfums Christian Dior. In fact Frederic puts his concept into action with Jurassic Flower – a scent that smells like magnolia trees (or prosperity).

The scent was commissioned by the Mark Hotel in New York and permeates its corridors, kind of like "Glade air freshener for billionaires." While it may seem like an obvious idea, Frederic says "most hotels are not scented," although "some casinos" in Las Vegas are. It’s also possible to purchase a spray bottle of Jurassic Flower at his boutique for $150.

Should you visit Frederic’s boutique to get a whiff of wealth, you’ll be directed to a "smelling column … a transparent cylinder about 7 feet high … which circulates the fragrance." You access it through an opening in the cylinder. Frederic says he has "an educated nose," explaining that he approaches his craft like "an art historian." His "education, experience" and powers of deduction enable him to "recognize the component parts and know what to add or subtract to make something special."

 

Can Vitamin D Or Tumeric Spice Help Fight Alzheimers?

Sometimes the solution to our health ills can be found in the use of everyday products. Our ancestors knew this. Now it is time for us to revisit these useful applications.

 

It is now thought that vitamin D can help remove the protein Amyloid Beta from the Brain. This protein is one of the causes of alzheimers. 

A team of academic researchers has identified the intracellular mechanisms regulated by vitamin D3 that may help the body clear the brain of amyloid beta, the main component of plaques associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Published in the March 6 issue of the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, the early findings show that vitamin D3 may activate key genes and cellular signaling networks to help stimulate the immune system to clear the amyloid-beta protein.

Previous laboratory work by the team demonstrated that specific types of immune cells in Alzheimer's patients may respond to therapy with vitamin D3 and curcumin, a chemical found in turmeric spice, by stimulating the innate immune system to clear amyloid beta. But the researchers didn't know how it worked.

"This new study helped clarify the key mechanisms involved, which will help us better understand the usefulness of vitamin D3 and curcumin as possible therapies for Alzheimer's disease," said study author Dr. Milan Fiala, a researcher at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System.

If you need a technical reason to take vitamin D here it is:

Researchers found that in both Type I and Type II macrophages, the added 1a,25–dihydroxyvitamin D3 played a key role in opening a specific chloride channel called "chloride channel 3 (CLC3)," which is important in supporting the uptake of amyloid beta through the process known as phagocytosis. Curcuminoids activated this chloride channel only in Type I macrophages.

The scientists also found that 1a,25–dihydroxyvitamin D3 strongly helped trigger the genetic transcription of the chloride channel and the receptor for 1a,25–dihydroxyvitamin D3 in Type II macrophages. Transcription is the first step leading to gene expression.

Immune system rejuvenation could cut death from flu and pneumonia in the aged. Also, the potential to cut the incidence of cancer with better immune systems is very real. Rare people have exceptional immune systems for fighting cancer and aged immune systems with shorter telomeres are associated with higher cancer risk.

 

Related articles

Boosting Immunity with Vitamin D3 and Omega-3 To Fight Alzheimer' s

Cause of Alzheimer's amyloid damage found: Scripps study

Vitamin D May Help Prevent Alzheimer's