Aromatic Studies Blog
Cooling Summertime Teas
Hot days call for cool herbs. In the heat of the summer there are many plant allies, some that may be growing near you, that can be utilized to cool us down. Let’s discuss a few of them. Mint Mint (Mentha spp.) may be the first that comes to mind for many. Whether...
A Time of Gathering: Mugwort Distillation
It was a picture perfect blue sky afternoon in Woodstock, New York welcoming students for the first in-person event since before the pandemic with Jade Shutes. Women traveled from near and far: Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York City, and Massachusetts. Students and...
Spring and your Skin
The seasonal shift is in its full swing and spring has arrived! Many welcome longer days, warmer temperatures and life waking up from its deep winter sleep. Yet some, especially at the beginning of spring can feel physically and emotionally uncomfortable and their...
Discovering Ylang Ylang Hydrosol for Skin Care
Did you know that Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) is a plant native to the Philippines? Ylang Ylang or "Ilang-Ilang" (pronounced as EE-lung EE-lung) in Tagalog, the Philippine national language, which means "flower of flowers." And though the plant has its origin in the...
Is Formulating in Your Cards?
We often hear from botanical skin care formulators that they decided to formulate because of their personal skin problems and because they couldn’t find products that worked. My story is a little different. My holistic skin care practice began many years ago working...
Candle Gazing Ritual for the Winter Solstice
As we near the end of 2021, it is a natural process to examine and reflect upon duality of life this past year. Love and loss, growth and gain, pain and suffering, birth and death. It is both the light and the shadow, the yin and the yang (in Chinese philosophy) that...
Vegan Lip Balm
The season of cold weather, and windy days is upon us. These weather conditions can lead to dry skin and chapped lips. In this article you will find an easy aromatic recipe created by our director, Jade Shutes. Not only does it smell fabulous but it uses no animal...
Safety and Essential Oils
With so much emphasis these days on safety and essential oils, it seems that the challenge isn’t really about “more safety” but rather how shall we relate to it? How shall we interpret it so that it makes sense in our practice or general use of essential oils? And how...
Article Review: Essential oil therapy & Dementia
My grandmother had dementia. In the decade before she passed away she didn’t know what day it was, where she was in the world, and, after I cut my hair, who I was. She’d circle her way through the same handful of conversational loops, and I’d play a game where I tried...
Aromatic Slippery Elm Lozenges
Recently my son was experiencing a sore throat which was then diagnosed as tonsillitis and, thankfully, negative for strep. I decided, amongst other palliative tools we were using, to make him aromatic slippery elm lozenges. I chose slippery elm specifically for its...
Article Review: Chamomile-Lavender Aromatherapy and Music Therapy Reduces Anxiety in Clinical Nurses
Nurses are no strangers to stress, anxiety, and burnout. Even at the best of times these afflictions can wreak havoc on quality of life and work performance (Jennings, 2008). And the Covid Era is, well, hardly the best of times. Anxiety, defined as “an excessive and...
Raynaud’s Syndrome: The Vagus Nerve Connection – Part II
Raynaud’s Syndrome is a condition where blood vessels in a person’s extremities shut down when exposed to cold. It is caused by peripheral blood vessels overreacting to colder temperatures and can result in painful and discolored extremities. The Vagus Nerve New...
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