No Guts, No Glory: The Impact of Essential Oils on the Gut Microbiome The gut microbiome — everybody’s talking about it, everybody’s gulping down yogurt, everybody’s popping probiotics like their lives depend on it. And in a way… they do. Trillions of microorganisms make their homes in our bodies, and they basically run the place….
Painful Periods: Dysmenorrhea and Essential oils – Part II
Modern Treatment Strategies Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the first line of treatment by clinical specialists for Primary dysmenorrhea (PD). The most commonly used NSAIDS for menstrual pain are aspirin, ibuprofen, mefenamic acid and naproxen. They work to reduce pain in dysmenorrhea by inhibiting the action of cycooxygenase (COX), an enzyme responsible for prostaglandin production. There…
Painful Menstruation: Dysmenorrhea and Essential Oils – Part I
Dysmenorrhea Dysmenorrhea, the term for painful periods, is derived from the Greek words dys (difficult, painful, or abnormal), meno (month), and rrhea (flow). Cathleen Morrow and Betsy Naumburg, authors of the excellent chapter “Dysmenorrhea” in Women’s HealthPrimary Care: Clinics in Office Practice, offer a thorough introduction to the topic. Primary dysmenorrhea is a gynecological condition…
Essential Oil Allies: Cedarwood
Cedarwood syn. Atlas Cedar Cedrus atlantica Cedrus atlantica is one of the true cedars and is a native of the Atlas Mountains in Algeria and Morocco. Cedarwood is a member of the Pinaceae family, which includes fir, hemlock, spruce, and pine species. The essential oil of Atlas Cedarwood is distilled from the wood or saw…
Is it safe to use Wintergreen essential oil?
Wintergreen Gaultheria fragrantissima or Gaultheria procumbens Wintergreen essential oil is distilled from the leaves of Gaultheria fragrantissima (native to Asia and N. India) or the North American native species Gaultheria procumbens. These species are commonly cultivated and distilled in Nepal and Sri Lanka for production of essential oil. Wintergreen essential oil often gets a bad…
Learn how to blend with essential oils
Enjoy Jade’s talk on approaches to blending and formulation. This talk was given at NAHA’s Beyond Aromatics Conference in October of 2016. Powerpoint PDF: The Art and Science of Formulation