As aromatherapy thrives and becomes, at best, a widely used natural, holistic healing modality, and at worst, a soulless cash cow, it is important to remember that behind each bottle of essential oil is a plant, growing somewhere on the planet. It is easy to forget that fact when essential oils moguls focus on…
Essential Oil Allies: Corkbark Fir
Abies lasiocarpa, known as “subalpine fir” is endemic to North America with several naturally occurring varieties1 —this Allies post focuses on “Corkbark Fir” (Abies lasiocarpa variety arizonica), also known as “Alamo de la Sierra.” Latin names give distinctive clues to identifying a plant: “Abies” is simply “fir tree” and the epithet “lasiocarpa” means “woolly seed/fruit,”…
Essential Oil Allies: Saro
Saro essential oil is obtained from the steam distilled leaves of Cinnamosma fragrans. This small, evergreen and aromatic tree is endemic to Madagascar and classified in the Canallaceae family. This relatively small family (nine species in four genus) is distributed around the world between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn—it is most…
Celebrating Imbolc and New Beginnings
In the Celtic and pagan calendar, Imbolc, a Gaelic traditional festival marking the beginning of spring, is taking place on Saturday, February 2nd 2019. It is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals – along with Beltane, Lughnasadh and Samhain – and is also celebrated by pagans and Wiccans as a day of power. Although…
Essential Oils for Dysmenorrhea – Part III
From an aromatherapist’s point of view, the inhalation and dermal application of essential oils is a proven way to provide symptom relief (e.g., pain, nausea) from dysmenorrhea while also assisting mind-states (e.g., irritability, anger, depression) and stabilizing a woman’s terrain (some say “hormone balance”) by affecting the neuro-endocrine network. Following are select essential oils and…
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…