I got into essential oils when I read about Frankecense essential oil being the best oil for the brain.
Frankecense oil hasn't exactly cured my injury, far from that but it has helped with my fatigue. I used to get tired a lot/heavy eyed.
I'm an artist and whenever I would do some drawing, my head would feel really thick afterwards as if someone replaced my brain with a house brick or like my skull was full of cement.
After weeks or months of inhaling Frankincense straight from the bottle, I don't have a massive problem with fatigue as much as I used to.
One of the main important things about Essential oils is the quality of them. Better quality, better results from them.
RecoveringH gets her Essential oils from Denise Brown. Do you think Denise Brown's Essential oils are good quality ones H?
I have used a few brands in the past and I think that what I have used, and still use, is probably mid range. Apparently the more expensive essential oils are the best quality ones. Doterra is a brand name that sell best quality essential oils but they can pretty expensive indeed.
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I've read a few times that smelling Rosemary helps the memory. One thing said to inhale the essential oil or the plant each day and it can restore memory by 75% and another thing was saying you must inhale the Rosemary for 5 mins per day.
Anyhow, it helps.
I don't usually smell Rosemary cos I think she stinks to high heaven... Joking.
I don't usually inhale Rosemary because my memory can be pretty good a lot of the time. It is mostly if I were panicing/worried or had to make a quick decision is when my memory would likely fail me.
Rosemary is on my list! Today I got Bergamot which I love and can mix that with Lavender in my diffuser for relaxing, but it's also uplifting on it's own. I haven't used that for years- it smells lovely! And I got Eucalyptus as that's a good one Forgot how good they are!!!
I'll have to use Bergamot and Eucalyptus myself actually. Although I have used Essential Oils for a few years now, I still can be quite new to them.
I've heard of Bergamot but never tried it before and Eucalyptus, I am somewhat familiar with the scent, probably because I chew chewing gum quite a bit and I usually have a Eucalyptus flavour gum.
I shall add that I don't chew any old gum you might find in the newsagents. Most chewing gum contains Aspartame and Aspartame is a very bad sweetener added to many of our food and drinks.
Diet coke is where I first heard about Aspartame. Aspartame is in a lot of sodas.
I can't remember how I came into using Bergamot years ago, something to do with it being used in Earl Grey tea! Caffeine is my one vice that is always there!!! I thought Eucalyptus would be a good one after I read the article you posted. Ok, just had to have a re-read to remind myself why that one was on the top of my list- it helps boost immunity. I know it's good for colds so I thought mega-useful ha.
This looks good and I have all 3 now!
Anti-Stress Blend
Lavender Lavandula angustifolia oil: 5 drops
Ylang ylang Cananga odorata var. genuina oil: 3 drops
Bergamot Citrus aurantium var. bergamia oil: 2 drops
That was one of the things I liked about Essential oils too, how they can be good for the immune system. I think that is why I have more faith in nature now rather than pharmaceutical medicine.
Peppermint essential oil is also good for colds/coughs. I had that horrible cough going around last month and I inhaled a lot of peppermint as well as drinking a lot of herbal teas. I got rid of the cough within a week and I know some people who have had there cough for at least a month!
I also have menthol crystals which is basically crystalised essential oil. Each bag has a number of shards/crystals. Put one or two in a cup and boiled water and ingale the fumes. Great for clearing the synuses... Just remember to take your glasses off first haha.
Ha! Will steam your glasses right up! I think nature is the way to go, I don't trust man-made chemicals- surely nature gets it right. Yes peppermint is a good one, love a peppermint tea. Also try Echinacea when you feel yourself becoming ill. Comes in different forms and will build your immune system. I swear by it!!!
I put a few drops of lavendar in the bath and I put it in my diffuser too, it helps me sleep.
My mum rubs lavendar on her back, she has a dodgy back so whenever it flares up she puts that on and it ease the pain.
Yes, you can either eat Rosemary or stew it while cooking. I had a lamb shank once that was stewed with Rosemary. It was lush, the meat fell off the bone. You didn't really have to cut the meat, you just prodded it :).
Thanks Matt, that's really interesting info on Frankincense. I knew there was a reason I always use Neal's Yard Frankincense on my skin. It's my favourite scent. Now I shall make sure I lather it on my upper lip so as to smell it all day long!! This whole topic is very interesting.
Glad you are enjoying Frankincense and it has brought me to my senses too! I love the calming smell which makes me take a deep breath and relax. Great for ageing skin as it rejuvenates. It is the oil of 'letting go', perfect for BI recovery. One drop can be used in a base oil or in a dollop of Vit E face cream.
Suppliers of Essential Oils:
Denise Brown - used this supplier for 10+ years - good quality, sourced organically, ethically selected suppliers caring about sustainable supplies long term. Wide range of oils, some more expensive oils are used in the perfume industry.
Quinessence - good quality oils, and good ethical company.
NHR organic oils - High quality food grade oils - I have lime, lemon and orange to add to my smoothies, desserts and drinks. Pint of water with drop of lemon great for dehydrated headaches. Also pint of water with drop of either spearmint or peppermint great for nerve type headaches.
Most important thing when buying oils, is to look out for the words 100% pure essential oil. Some people mix more expensive oils of Jasmine, patchouli and sandalwood with a base sweet almond oil to make the oil go further and make more money. Another key word to look out for is 'organic'. Absorbing the oil through the nostrils or skin means its worth caring about the quality of the stuff going into the body.
If you struggle with smell, as I did during recovery, eucalyptus as Aqua suggests is a good strong smell to have around. It is also anti-bacterial and anti-microbial so can be a good one to have cleaning the house air during the winter!
Another very strong smelling oil for those who like the smell of burnt juniper wood, Denise sells an oil called Cade. Not for everyone but it reminds me of the smell of the bonfire on fireworks night.
And finally my favourite pine is a great one to have for the diffuser. Strong, clean smell uplifts and brings positivity and energy.
To facilitate concentration Matt, rosemary is a good one as is basil. (Pesto sauce is full of basil so for those struggling with focusing on a task, eat more pasta al pesto!) Cedarwood helps to clear the mind in a holistic way and Juniper cleans the room air instantly.
"Essential oils from the tea tree, thyme, juniper, peppermint, and lavender were tested for their bacteriostatic and bactericidal activities against 15 strains of MRSA and five strains of VRE. Minimum inhibitory and bactericidal concentrations ranged from 0.25% to 2% oil for the oils, except for juniper, which failed to show an effect at 2%. Tea tree oil was twice as potent as the others. " - ahcmedia.com/articles/35705...
Note: Because each type of plant contains unique chemical antibacterial profiles, different oils will have different kill rates against Staph and MRSA (and other bacteria).
Essential oils used in the right way, just a few drops, and stored in dark bottles in cool dark areas, can last a long time. Different oils have different shelf lives.
Panic attacks can be eased by using Petitgrain essential oil as an inhalant only, so the oil will last a long time and can be purchased in 2.5 or 5mls size which makes it cheaper. Previous clients have dosed a cotton hanky with 6-8 drops in a freezer bag with the oil and taken it on the plane to sniff when feeling panicky.
Ginger essential oil on a hanky can be used for car sickness. Ginger is great to settle a sick feeling, except for when its food poisoning, sometimes things just need to come back out quickly!
Used in the right way, essentials oils become just that, essential to a happy life.
Lastly, for those with depression, there is no one smell. Each person's brain chemistry may require a different smell to break the cycle of habitual repetitive depressed thoughts. This is tricky as few shops allow you to break the seal and try to smell all the essential oils in the shop. Suggest you phone an aromatherapist and ask them to visit you with their 30-60 essential oils so you can test each smell to discover if there is one that you like more than the others. This is often the oil to break depressive thoughts.
Hope this info has been helpful. As a qualified aromatherapist of 15 years, I have treated many ailments with success. Sometimes, all that is needed is an oil, to help us transition to a new place, a new outlook, a new approach to life.
Since I started eating more naturally, I hardly get headaches now and if I do ever get any sort of pain in my head I have a few whiffs of Frankincense.
I just thought though, does it matter how long you smell the oils? Do you take one quick smell or long, deep breaths or does it not make any difference?
I like to think that if you take in deep breaths of the oil then it may be more effective? I have no idea if it does or not though.
What I usually do each night is I take a deep breath of Frankincense, hold my breath for a few seconds then exhale.
Reason why I do that is cos I heard once that people with glaucoma they have been known to smoke marijuana and sometimes when inhaled they hold their breath, then release. I don't know if this makes any difference or not.
The food oils might be good to add to my smoothies or other drinks. I usually cut a whole lemon in half and squeeze the juice into my coconut water.
I have read that before about looking out for "100% pure" or "100% therapeutic grade" essential oil.
I like the sound of Cade essential oil. I like the smell of bonfires.
My Nan used to have car sick at times and she would sometimes eat ginger to settle her stomach.
For depression I have read that you should eat a hadful of cashew nuts or even to go outside, maybe to the park. Be at one with nature I suppose.
I spent six years of my life, before Headway, stuck at home with little to do and this is where I lost a lot of confidence. I think I may have been a little depressed at that time because there was a point where I drunk quite a bit of alcohol. I was easily talked out of it by my parents though. But sometimes I did go out of the house just for a walk around the block, this may have actually helped my depression but I did not actually know it at the time.
You have been very helpful, thank you :). I have more knowledge now of essential oils and anytime I need to know more I can re-read this comment or even ask you for more help.
The length of inhalation at any one time is usually just for the length of an in breath. It is probably not a good idea to have more oil than oxygen! Holding the smell on the in breath is an effective way to target the brain chemistry quickly. Holding for a few seconds is fine! Its nice that you have a little routine going! Good habits that reinforce self love and self care are wonderful. Having a relaxing smell before sleep is a perfect bed preparation ceremony for the body to get ready to do a deep healing sleep.
I had one client who arrived having a panic attack. I gave them the 10mls bottle of Petitgrain and they sat and inhaled quickly and repeatedly for about 3-4 minutes, the size of their pupils getting smaller, their shoulders dropping, their facial muscles relaxed and after quick and repeated inhalations, I opened the window and they lay down on the bed. I left them for 10 minutes to have a snooze, then re-entered the room, took their socks off and gave them a 50 min foot massage. Needless to say, I gave them some 100% pure Petitgrain to take home to use for future panic attacks.
Inhalation is the quickest way to alter brain chemistry. Be gentle and the rule I go by for Petitgrain panic attacks is, one sniff of oil, exhale, one deep sniff of fresh air (ideally outdoors), one rest of 10 seconds or so, followed by one sniff of oil, one sniff of air, one 10sec rest etc. By giving yourself a rest break, you can access if you feel dizzy and perhaps have inhaled too much of a good thing! The rest gives you the space to choose whether to continue to inhale or assess whether you have got what you need.
Take care Matt
I picked up a book from the library yesterday called natural remedies and then I saw your post and thought essential oils is something I want to get back into. Especially all the house and garden stuff as it's all environmentally friendly products. I am anti-chemicals.
I'll try to keep it a bit shorter this time around but I basically used to eat garbage, junk food when I was a kid. A lot of sugar leading to an acidic body and the next thing I know I am diagnosed with two brain tumours, one in 1996, the next in 1998 and have had a fair few operations.
Growing up I have slowly come away from sugary foods and started eating more naturally. I remember what my mum said when I stopped drinking coca cola and all those other sodas, she said I didn't look so pale and all the colour had come back to my face.
Picture what natural, fruit yogurts used to look like years ago. They used to be quite vivid in colour. Now look at these types of yogurts now, they are quite pale cos they have sugar in it. Take away the sugar and the colour will come back, just like what it did with me really.
Anyhow getting rid of some of that sugar was a start but I started eating even more naturally a few years ago and I try not to eat much sugar at all now. Bit difficult at this time of year though, I still try to eat healthy though as well as all the sugar. Once all the christmas food has gone, I'm gonna give myself a detox.
I've read a number of things about nutrition from various sources and I believe that our diets are the reason for many health problems.
I don't get much problems with fatigue now and I don't get headaches like I used to. I've got nerve damage because of my BI and I reckon I can find a way to help with it or even strengthen it.
I don't believe that a cure for most things has to be man-made.
The other thing I forgot to add was, think of these tribes out their in the world. The native Americans, the Indian hopi tribe, African tribes, Asian tribes and so on. The Amish folk in America. None of them have access to pharmacies, they all use REAL foods to cure any ailment.
This bit you added is of fundamental importance I think! The world should be taking more knowledge from these ancient tribes instead of destroying their way of life. All for greed and money instead of therapeutic reasons- which is probably why I despise chemical medication. We should be looking inside not outside!!!
Don't forget Aboriginal use of Eucalyptus and Tea tree oil is ancient
Yes, aboriginies too. There is probably a lot of other tribes or groups or whatever out there who live only on REAL food. I stress REAL food or CLEAN food because I think all or most of the processed food in the supermarkets and so on are FAKE, DIRTY foods.
Again, another man-made source of 'living'.
A portion of a supermarket sells 'healthy' foods, so what does that tell you about the rest of the store?
And if there are doctors out there, how come there are holistic doctors as well?
Humans are the destructive species on this planet. There is so many man-made things/machines out there that destroy life and the planet.
Palm oil is an ingredient used in a lot of items people buy from the supermarkets, mostly in foods. Palm oil is harvested from rainforests. Acres of rainforests are torn down each day just so they can make money basically.
That is what the world is all about today, money, money and more money.
It's stupidly amusing really because money has no real value to it, it is material at the end of the day.
"The love for money is the root of all evil" is a quote that I like and agree with.
To these rainforest wreckers I say, how would these people like it if it were the other way around and animals tore down human homes just so these animals can get what they want?
I am more into conspiracy theories now and although I take a lot of them with a pinch of salt I do strongly believe in the Big Pharma conspiracy. In basic terms, pharmacies are there to make money and that's about it.
My nan was on a number of pills each day. Her doctor changed the dosage or the pills itself (can't remember now), she started to get breathing problems. Next thing we know she is in hospital where she passed away.
Me and my mum completely blame it on the pills and the doctors are'nt much better because they sit there and dish them out!
I don't know what happened to your comment either.
It appeared in my mail and when I clicked on the 'reply' button Health Unlocked opened up and my post appeared but your comment was not there.
That's strange. This has happened before with other peoples' comments and on Facebook as well.
I always assumed that I go to reply, find out the comment is not there so it leaves me thinking "Did they delete that comment before I got to reply or something?"
I think you was saying something about food. I was saying that most processed food, I call, "fake food". Not all processed food I think is fake but "foods" that have 20+ ingredients in them and a lot of them seem to be chemicals with hard to pronounce names usually are fake foods.
Also I know that sugar is natural and not all things in nature is good for you but refined sugar, the white crystalised powder, is not good for you in large amounts and yet sugar is in almost all our fake food, even savoury dishes!
I was eating a yogurt one time and was reading the ingredients, it contained pork gelatine. Now I am guessing that is the equivalent to the jelly you find in pork pies but still I do not want to be eating any kind of jelly in a yogurt.
As I was saying before about the conspiracy theories, I take a lot of them with a pinch of salt because there can be a number of theories about one given thing but I do find a lot of them convincing whether they are proven or not.
I said that I strongly believe in the Big Pharma conspiracy and I 100% believe in the chemtrail conspiracy too as you can actually see chemtrails happen.
What about the stuff that's put into products for cleaning- body and house?!!!
Shocking.
Yeah the message thing is strange- probably a mistake I made though! I can't get my head around facebook. I was on there a while but found it quite emotionally draining... Again, probably just a problem with me but hey ho- I am used to that now!
I haven't really looked into what is in cleaning products for the house but have heard that most cleaning products are/can be toxic.
I have signed up to Natural News free newsletters. It is an American website but gives out true information and it doesn't just speak about US but everywhere really, it just happens to be that the US is heavily corrupt.
I know and have seen for myself about some of the cleaning products for the body and some of the chemicals in them. Most, if not all, toothpastes and mouthwashes contain fluoride in them. I get some of my shopping at Holland & Barrett. Most spray-on deodorant has the metal Aluminium in it. According to some sources, the first thing scientists find in the brains of Alzheimer's patients is Aluminium. I use roll-on deodorant now.
It is crazy and shocking and appalling at what is going on in the world these days.
That's right. I need to try some other scents and see how they affect me.
Frankincense was what I first read about and how it is great support for the brain and I agree, it is great support.
It has helped me with my fatigue. I am an artist and have had sessions in the past, before Franki, and my head would feel rwally thick after as if somebody filled my skull up with cement.
I got a little bottle of Franki so I could inhale amounts of it right from the bottle and it has cleared up fatigue or most of it.
Plus I find that Frankincense is also handy to use if you have headaches. A few deep inhalations sort it out.
It is rare that I get headaches now because I have a more cleaner diet but I have been a little under the weather and was using Franki for my headache not long ago :).
I've bought some rosemary, sage and frankincense essential oils as I'm planning on sniffing them to see what/if they have an effect on me. I have some dried rosemary herb and sniffed it for a few minutes at a time, I find it quite stimulating and uplifting. The oil smells nothing like the dried herb, but it's still quite stimulating. As it was cheap, I'm wondering if it's 100% pure rosemary oil and whether it's ok to sniff? It says "pure essential oil" and to dilute before use. I don't have a bath and won't be getting a massage, so is there any other way of inhaling these oils?
Peppermint is one that I quite like as well. I love the scent of it, very cooling and it's great for respiratory trouble. I don't usually have problems with breathing but I have just had a cough/cold and the oil helps. I put a few drops in my diffuser before I go to bed so I am breathing it in throughout the night.
You say the oil was cheap and smells nothing like the herb, I'm wondering if that is 100% also. The label says "pure" which is a good sign. It should be ok to sniff, it might mean that it is not really 100% and could be a concoction of other oils put together?
RecoveringH would have a better idea than I would as she is an aromatherapist.
If the bottle is telling you to dilute before use, it is talking about using it topically. Some oils need to be blended with a carrier oil before it is put onto the skin. I have fractionated coconut oil which I use as a carrier oil.
You can inhale the oil via a diffuser. Fill the tank with water and add a few drops of an oil and turn it on and it creates a mist that you can breathe in. I don't find the scent is as strong this way but you are breathing in the oils which is the good thing :).
I think the diffuser and sniffing right from the bottle are the only real ways of inhalation.
Sniffing right from the bottle is probably the best way to use essential oils.
I like peppermint too it's my favourite flavour of chewing gum, might consider getting some other flavours. I was most interested in rosemary and sage because they're suppose to improve memory and mood. Lavender is supposed to help in a similar way and help sleep, it's also a a good antibiotic like tea-tree oil. Just sniffing the all of the essential oils I've got opened up the airways immediately, so I can see it would be good idea to sniff if I had a cold. In a way that's not surprising as I've used tea-tree oil in the past, I've never made the connection that they could be used for more than treating a stuffy nose though.
It makes perfect sense, the nose is an extension of the brain and leads right to the middle of it where all the basic functions like memory, hormones and emotions can be found. Smells to the nose are probably like music is to the ears or certain foods to the taste buds of the tongue, certain types can arose us more than others. But out of all the senses, smelling is probably the least valued, but lots of animals use smell to find their way around and we probably did use it more in our ancestral past just like monkeys so even though our brains are bigger it's the higher functions/abilities that have evolved mostly and the basic functions like smelling are like a legacy just like the tail bone is as a result of when apes losing their tails when they began to walk.
Smelling stimulating oils could be considered a brain hack because you can trigger memory formation without making any effort, so you if you're doing something important that needs to be remembered sniff during it and then before you need to remember it. Music probably does something similar.
I might have to consider buying a diffuser like you said, but agree it's probably not as strong as sniffing straight from the bottle. I suppose some diffusers are better made than others, there are some quite cheap ones and others much more expensive, do you or anyone else have a recommendation? I guess all it needs to do is produce steam? Do you get condensation problems because of the extra moisture? I wouldn't want to encourage fungus to grow on the walls. I'm not so bothered if the whole room doesn't smell, I'd much prefer to be able to inhale directly from the diffuser when I'd like, a bit like vaping but for the nose, but I guess such devices don't exist.
One thing I forgot all about with inhaling the oils, you can put a drop or two in your hand, rub hands together and sniff/breathe in. I do this all the time, can't believe I forgot to add it really :). I find the scent can be a little stronger than inhaling right from the bottle. And since many of the bottles have the plastic tops on them so that the oil drips out, those tops can block out some of the scent, for me.
I've read a few things about rosemary and memoty. Some say to sniff rosemary and it boosts the memory by 75%. Another says a similar thing but to inhale the rosemary for 5 minutes. Another thing I read did say that you can also inhale directly from the plant itself and the effect will be similar.
Lavender is a good one. My mum goes on about lavendar a lot. She has used it for years, not really the essential oil but I think she bought a spray once that had the Lavendar scent in it because she used to spray her pillow at night and that would knock her out :). I do put Lavender in the diffuser and it helps with my sleep. I sometimes put drops on my pillow as well. I sometimes rub lavender onto my skin and you don't need to dilute it first either, it can go straight onto the skin. I usually rub some onto my feet. Like with the onion post I made about putting onions on the feet. When I read about the onions on the feet, it said how the bottoms of your feet are the meridians to your body? Basically the goodness of the onion or oil can get straight into the bloodstream and works much quicker. If you have any aches and pains/bruises, lavender is good to rub on. I had tendonitis a few weeks ago and kept rubbing lavender on, that helped and also I think the fact that I put Epsom salts in my bath helps too.
With the diffuser, I think you might want to be cautious about what one you buy. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to buy a cheaply made one, I have heard that some house fires are started because of diffusers. Whether that is true or not I can't say cos I have never witnessed it with mine or anyone else. I got my diffuser from Amazon.co.uk, I looked down the list of diffusers and got the 'best seller' which is around £10-£20. I haven't had any problems with my diffuser as of yet and I have had mine for nearly a year now, I think. Yes, the diffuser basically mixes the water and oil together and it creates a mist. The base does get a little warm but not warm enough to burn.
I've tried that, good idea and much more potent than just sniffing the bottle. I have to say rosemary makes my eyes tingle it's that powerful, but I don't get that effect with sage or frankincense although both are nice smelling. Frankincense is more flowery and you say you swear by it, rosemary is more mint-like I find and hits the right spot.
I've gone and bought a diffuser for about £15, it was the one with the best reviews and a lot of people seem to have bought it. I was hesitant about buying it because I didn't want the room to become like a sauna/steam room, but now I realise it produces a fine mist that isn't very watery.
I forgot to add that part as well about the condensation and you're right, the room does not get steamy like a sauna, no condensation is to be had. It is just like vaping really.
I did try out rosemary once and I thought it smelt a bit different to the plant itself. I think the reason is because essential oils are highly concentrated. I think it is something like one or two drops equals one whole plant, the flower, the leaves and stem, the roots and/or the fruit, which is why with some oils you shouldn't put onto the skin neat.
As I was saying before that Peppermint is a good one to have and breathing that in cools you inside as well. I like to think that when I feel the coolness in my body, it is helping sooth my nerves. I have nerve damage as a result of BI and Peppermint, I have read, is good for supporting nerve damage among other things.
Yes, I do swear by Frankincense. Frankincense essential oil is the very first oil I bought as I had read great things about Frankincense aiding the brain. Oxygen is what the brain needs in order to heal and Frankincense sends oxygen straight to the brain. I used to get fatigued wuite a bit but I feel Frankincense has dedinitely helped.
I'm glad to hear you have done a little research before you bought a diffuser. It wouldn't be such a good idea in going onto one website and buying the cheapest you could find.
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