What are essential oils?  Essential oils are extractions from aromatic herbs, flowers and trees.  These extractions contain the pure,  concentrated  essence of these natural products and are used to treat your physical body such as skin or hair while providing a powerful nurturing effect to your mind and spirit.

How do you know if you are purchasing quality essential oils: As pure essential oils are a product of plant materials: flowers, roots, berries, leaves, seeds and fruits, many things affect the composition and quality of the oils. 

Some examples might be the soil quality in which the plants are grown, any atmospheric pollution in the area they are grown and the care and time taken to distill them properly. 

This combination of factors and many other will determine the quality of your essential oil.

To ensure the quality of the essential oils you purchase only buy essential oils from a registered aromatherapist or trusted vendor.

Click on each essential oil for more specific information on that particular essential oil:  Bergamot FCF,  Camphor,   Clary Sage.  Clove Bud,  Geranium,  Grapefruit,  Jasmine,   Lavender,  Lemon,  Orange ,  Peppermint,  Pine,  Rosemary,  Sage, Tea Tree and Ylang Ylang.    

Also, here are some general purpose ideas for the use of essential oils:

•  Diluted in a carrier oil such as sweet almond or grapeseed for massage. Useful oils: Clary Sage, Geranium, Jasmine, Lavender, Tea Tree, Eucalyptus
• Used as a perfume. Useful oils: Jasmine, Ylang Ylang, Geranium, Bergamot combined in jojoba or coconut oil.
• Diluted in water for a foot bath.  Useful oils: Tea Tree, Peppermint
• Used as a facial steam for oily skin. Useful oils: Tea Tree, Lavender, Bergamot, Lemon
• Mixed with water and gargled (not swallowed) as a mouthwash). Useful oils: Peppermint, Lemon, Clary Sage, Lavender and Tea Tree.
• To reduce the pain and swelling of insect bites - applied locally. Useful oils: Eucalyptus, Lavender, Tea Tree
• For relieve from cold symptoms diluted in a warm bath.  Useful oils: Eucalyptus, Peppermint, Rosemary, Tea Tree, Camphor
• To lighten mental fatigue diluted in a warm bath. Useful oils: Lemon, Orange, Grapefruit, Rosemary, Pine

"Plants feed in a most harmonious way upon heavenly vibrations, and radiate these into the world.  Their essential oils used in aromatheraphy are concentrated energy carriers and messengers that nourish all life from an unseen reservoir or light, full forever"

- Dr. Malte Hozzel

 

Reference sources for the information contained on this page:

The Essential Oil Book by Colleen K. Dodt

Herbal Well Being by Joyce A Wardwell

Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine by Douglas Dupler

Cupepper's Color Herbal edited by David Potterton

Clinician's Guide to Holistic Medicine by Robert A. Anderson

"NAHA Aromatherapy Journal"  - Winter 2003 - 2004