Summer Oils Arriving

Greetings Buyers club members!

The oils are arriving now, and I have begun to pour them.  If you have anything to add on to your order, now is the time to do it, if you want to save on freight.  We anticipate the orders will mail out on Tuesday of next week.

The Saffron--OMG, this beautiful CO2 extract blends perfectly with both filtered coconut and jojoba. I am also adding one drop to 30 ml of olive oil and eating it on rice and steamed grains.  It is very potent, and will take lots of dilution.  I would start with a single drop in a 30ml (or 1 oz) bottle and increase it by one drop until you have the potency that you desire.  I am already finding that it relieves physical pain that comes from an emotional or spiritual cause, instantly when applied to the body.  (I do have a couple of extra 5 ml bottles available, if anyone wishes to add it to their order).

May Chang-- The quality of this oil is superb!  I am greatly enjoying adding it to my diffusion blends;  it gives a whole new dimension to eucalyptuses and other medicinal smelling oils.  And it blends beautifully with citruses and with florals!  A particular favorite is petitgrain sur fleurs with may chang.

Cannabis--This oil will be labeled as "Hemp" oil to avoid confusing it with the hemp that contains substantial amounts of THC.  Wow, again it is so potent that I would dilute it into a homeopathic form by adding one drop to an ounce of water, live vinegar, brandy water, or saturated salt water; then shaking it very well, and adding up to 10 drops of this preparation to another ounce of the chosen carrier.  At this dose, I expect it would work best for most people who are taking it orally for pain or other purposes.  People using it to curb a marijuana addiction could take this homeopathic every time they they feel a desire to use marijuana.  It would also be especially helpful to apply a diluted oil blend onto the solar plexus at the same time (I would start with one to 4 drops in a 1 ounce bottle of carrier oil).

The Khus masala--has become one of my favorite companions!  It is just like wearing a perfume fit for royalty--this ancient traditional attar needs no addition, it is complete in itself.  That said, it is one of the most persistent aromas I have witnessed in the natural oils department;  it would truly lend itself as a base note or fixative to many other oil blends.  I know that you perfumers will have a lot of joy with this one!

Beautiful gifts--there are 2 offerings going out with the orders;  they will be chosen through dowsing as to who gets which one.  Both are lovely intentional natural oil blends that are so beautiful, they can be worn as perfumes.  They both come from India, and are made with attars, essential oils, and may contain some absolutes--so don't use them internally.  One is called Love's Mystery, the other is Global Treasure.  They are very different, yet both have the ability to lift our consciousness into a higher frequency.  Global Treasure seems to connect me to a higher vision of life on Earth when I wear it;  Love's Mystery seems to amplify the frequency of love in the mental body.  Both are spectacular and I am excited to share them with you!

Cleaning Diffusers

A member asked:

What is the best way to clean the diffuser glass?

The best way to clean the diffuser glass is to soak it in ethanol (grain alcohol like Everclear) or in rubbing alcohol.  I like to put it in an airtight tupperware container and let it soak for several hours--overnight if it is really bad.  The alcohol will clean it really well.  Then I rinse with water, and set it on a paper towel to dry.  Wait until it is fully dry before using it again.

This has removed even gummed up myrrh and other oils that can thicken with time.  It also does a pretty good job of removing any aromas that you wish to neutralize.

Tea Tree Reaction?

A member wrote recently:

Hi Kathryn,

I’ve been wanting to ask you about something.  I recently had a fall and scraped my arm.  I applied some tea tree to the scrape.  I’ve been using tea tree for years without any issues.  I’m careful with what I put on my skin as I’m ultra sensitive.  

I noticed after I applied the tea tree that I had some little bumps around the scratched area.  I did wonder for a moment if I was reacting to the tea tree but I’ve been using it for so many years without issue that I let the thought pass.  I applied it a second time and then the injured area began to get red and raw and started oozing.

This sparked a memory of a similar reaction on my hand some time ago (same side by the way).  I remember I also applied tea tree to the area just before the reaction.  I’m wondering now if it actually was a reaction to the tea tree. I wanted to get your thoughts on this - do you think it’s possible that a reaction to tea tree could have caused this?

I do believe that this does sound like a true reaction, AND it is so rare for anyone to have a reaction with pure oils of this quality.  I can count on one hand the number of people that I have witnessed to have a true reaction to the oils, in my 22 years of healing practice!

It is possible that you have developed a temporary sensitivity to the oils; perhaps relying on one oil for too many things; or maybe some extra stress in your life could have contributed to this sort of thing.  I have seen this before in myself.  About 14 years ago, I developed  a temporary sensitivity to cinnamon, after using it on my skin for several weeks, coinciding with eating cinnamon Altoids, the stress of traveling, and overexposure to the sun in a desert climate that I was not used to.  

I had to stop using cinnamon essential oil for about 3 months before I could use it again without getting a rash on my arms, legs, and abdomen.  It is my belief that I simply over did it with cinnamon exposure, and I have never had another reaction to it like that again, despite using it freely ever since. 

A possibility to check in with, since I know you are working co-creatively with the spirits of the plant oils, is to ask if you have developed a sensitivity in order to help you "branch out" into using other oils for these purposes.  Sometimes we get so comfortable with one oil that we fail to realize there are a great number of other oils that could do the same thing for us, and maybe with a different frequency that could be even more healing.  This just might be your body's way to get you to try some others for wound treatment...

Please do keep us informed as you uncover the rest of the story!

Kathryn

Cannabis the Healing Herb

A member wrote:  

I was returning home, driving from the Southwest to the West coast, after attending a tonic-making workshop. I stopped midway on the trip to visit a friend of mine. What followed was far outside anything I’d previously experienced in the plant world before or since. I am a dowser and usually receive most of my information through the dowsing system. I found this direct contact powerfully intimate.

As I entered my friend’s yard through the side gate a plant in the far end of the garden lit up like a Christmas tree. I received a download of information from the plant asking to be made into a tonic to be used for medicinal purposes. The level of excitement from this beautiful being was palpable. 

As I came further into the garden the glow became brighter, the joy contagious, and the message clearer. What also became clear to me was this was a cannabis plant. It’s been thirty years since I’ve had any experience with this plant and it definitely wasn’t in the form of a medicinal tonic! I had mixed feelings but also felt the imperative and the permission were undeniable.  

I used the entire plant root and all for the tonic. I filled pint size mason jars and shipped them to several people suffering from arthritis happy to use the tonic and provide feedback on the experience. I realized I also needed to try it myself to begin to understand the gifts being offered. Dowsing determined the dosage of two tablespoons for each of us. 

That evening I had my tonic and a few hours later went to bed. I didn’t notice any difference – no heady-ness or anything really. When I woke in the morning I realized I had slept the entire night without waking up even one time. I moved out of bed with an ease I hadn’t experienced for a very long time. I didn’t realize I usually had pain in my body until that morning when I experienced the lack of pain. I felt so refreshed and at ease, and stunned at the result.

The feedback from others was similar. One friend has been dealing with arthritis pain for a long while and does pretty well managing it, except for difficulty sleeping.  Using the tonic she did wake to use the restroom but was able to get right back to a pain-free sleep. 

Normally she can’t get back to sleep because she’s hurting and uncomfortable. She had no side effects and was able to wake easily and clearheaded in the morning. When she ran out of the tonic she experimented with cannabis in capsules and had a difficult time getting the dosage right – it was way too strong, causing her to not sleep all night and miss work the following day because she was still feeling the heady effects. She currently has the correct dosage and is able to sleep comfortably, although she doesn’t experience the fresh feeling she had with the tonic.

It seems the time to heal the miasm surrounding this plant may be here. I’m grateful to the plant world for the co-creative experience that was offered to me, for the opportunity to heal some of my own ideas regarding this plant, and to open to the many gift that are being offered at this time.

Thank you for sharing this story!  I too feel it is time to heal this miasm and the karmic relationship that we humans have developed with cannabis.  This story does much to help that healing process.  

Kathryn

Healing Acne

A member wrote recently:

Hi Kathryn,

Do you have any recommendations for acne … a customer is asking me:

Would you recommend a treatment for teenage acne?  My 13 year old daughter's skin has been breaking out more recently (quite badly).  She has not had her period yet.  She has tried a few different products (Deacnel by Avene, Pro Active and the prescription drug Clindoxyl).  Nothing seems to be working right now and I would prefer her only use a natural product anyways.

I do have some suggestions for her to try.  Many teenagers (and adults!) have had great success with clearing up acne by using some or all of these practices.

• First and most important;  stop drinking milk, eating butter, cheese, ice cream, and virtually all milk products for 4 weeks.  Milk products, especially those processed for sale in the store, are mucus causing foods.  I have seen numerous teenagers greatly minimize acne just by eliminating dairy products.  Stop eating all dairy foods for 4 weeks.  In that time frame, she should begin to see an obvious difference in her skin, if this is one of the causes.  She can try nut milks, soy milk, and coconut milk and their products as a replacement; all are available in grocery stores and health food stores.  (If you are concerned about getting enough calcium, add more lightly cooked greens to the diet!  Spinach, collards, chard, cress, dandelion, parsley, cilantro, and other greens contain a much more absorbable form of calcium than homogenized milk. Some people may be able to eat fermented dairy foods--also higher in calcium--after the first month or two of abstaining.  If so, the best forms are plain unsweetened yogurts such as Horizon brand, Nancy's, or Mountain High; or Kefir with live cultures.  If the acne gets worse again after adding these back into the diet, you will have to avoid them for a longer period.).

• Replace all soap and skin cleansers with pure Aloe vera gel, available in health food stores.  Aloe vera is very mild and can be used in place of commercial skin cleansers, which contain irritating chemicals that may make the acne worse.

• Certain essential oils can be very helpful in drying up and clearing up the break outs.  Lavender, Geranium, Lemon myrtle, and my favorite--Tea tree--are all greatly effective when applied with a Q-tip to the affected area just before sleeping at night.  

• I also suggest a weekly facial mask using Kaolin mixed with a little water.  It draws toxicity out of the skin and helps clear it up.  (Here is a set that we offer online that may give you ideas of how to make your own recipe to treat acne).  The facial mask should be followed by:

• Argan oil applied to the whole face.  (Neem oil can also be effective).  You may think that applying an oil to already oily skin is counterintuitive; yet these oils do wonders to heal the skin, clear infection, and balance the production of sebum.  It disappears quickly and does not leave an oil slick over time.  If you are attempting to heal old scarring from acne, add a few drops of Everlasting essential oil to this, and apply it nightly for 3 months.

• Add Flax oil and one of these three oils: borage oil, evening primrose oil, or black currant seed oil; to your diet.  They can be added to a smoothie, or poured over vegetable dishes and rice dishes after cooking.  These oils contain nutrients that inhibit inflammation and help the Liver process fats and toxins more efficiently.

• There is also an herbal tea that I would recommend for young people over 12 who are experiencing acne.  Hormones are often greatly out of balance during this time, inhibiting the Liver's ability to break them down, which leads to toxicity accumulating in the blood.  When that happens, the body must find a way to release these toxins, and it often reverts to sending them out through the skin (break outs and pimples). This tea recipe is great for supporting the Liver, purifying the blood, and stimulating the release of toxins through the bladder and colon instead.

ACNE TEA

Have these dried herbs ready in a small bowl:

Stinging Nettles leaf  1 Tablespoon

Dandelion leaf   1 Tablespoon

Milk Thistle seed 1 teaspoon

Raspberry leaf 1 teaspoon

Marshmallow root powder  1 teaspoon

Dried Kelp or Seaweed  1/4 teaspoon

Cleavers 1/4 teaspoon

Clover leaf/flower  1/4 teaspoon

Put one quart of water in a pan and bring to a boil.  Turn off the heat and add the herbs; cover the pan.  Let it steep for 10 minutes.

Strain the herbs out, and put the tea into a quart jar and let it cool.  Drink at least 1 cup, 2 times daily until the acne has cleared up (no less than 3 months).  If needed, keep taking the tea at a maintenance dose after that, maybe a half cup to one cup daily.  

Making it taste better:  You can improve the flavor by adding raw honey, molasses, or maple syrup; or add a bit of cranberry juice (unsweetened); or nut milk, coconut milk, or soy milk.

Visit our Sources page for online herb sources.

I know that many of our readers have their own experiences with healing acne.  Please drop a line here and let us know what has worked for you!

In Gratitude,

Kathryn

Davana and Cilantro Essential Oils

A member wrote:

There was one oil I neglected to mention, which I feel is very important and that’s the Davana.  I recently went on a cruise and I tend to have anxiety around travelling.  I took a selection of oils with me to support me in my travels, including a wonderful mixture that my supplier recommended for seasickness.  I put the oils in inhaler blanks which are perfect for travel.  I allowed the oils to guide my selection and one that was calling to me was Davana.  I didn’t know why I needed it and I didn’t look up its properties - I just trusted.  

As soon as I made up the inhaler of the Davana a sense of peacefulness came over me that stayed with me from that moment and right through the entire time I was travelling.  I was amazed.  I’ve come a long way with the help of meditation and other gentle practices to move easily into peacefulness.  However, there are still times where anxiety creeps in … and travel is a biggie for me.  

The Davana was a great source of support in that.  I mean not only did it help ease the anxiety but I felt so peaceful about everything … it was quite something.  It was a true gift.  I wanted to make sure to mention that because there are many of us experiencing anxiety at this time and how wonderful to be able to ease that in a moment with such a simple thing as inhaling the fragrance of this wondrous gift from the earth.

And another member wrote:

I am receiving wonderful reports with cilantro.  Gout symptoms are relieved, arthritic symptoms in joints are relieved.  It really cleanses the liver and releases heavy metals from the body.  I have been suggesting that people take it with lower bowel and blood purifying herbs to help the metals leave the body; and thus avoid taxing other organs.

Bed Bug Spray

I have not had first hand experience with bedbugs at this point.  That said, I know they are a growing challenge worldwide, and many are seeking a natural way to eliminate them.

Here is a recipe for bed bug spray that was given to me by a friend and fellow essential oils connoisseur. She insists that it works like a charm.  I would also love to hear back form anyone who does use it, to find out how it worked for you!

Bed Bug Spray

This kills all phases of bed bugs.  

Spray once a week for 3 weeks if you have a major infestation.

24 oz. purified water

2 Tablespoons vegetable glycerin or lecithin granules (available in health food stores)

100 drops Peppermint essential oil

25 drops Citronella essential oil

10 drops Clove essential oil

Shake very well.  

Allow the mixture to set for at least 2 hours, so lecithin granules can dissolve completely.  

Shake again, then spray all furniture, mattresses, bedding, etc. that may be harboring bed bugs.  If other furniture is in the room, spray that as well, so bed bugs have no where else to go.  Spray rugs. 

Repeat this treatment after one week.

For serious infestation, repeat again after another week. 

How to Remove Essential Oils

Sometimes it can be necessary to remove essential oils quickly; examples are when children put them on their skin unknowingly, when a person has a sensitivity or reaction to an oil, or when we mistakenly apply the wrong oil--such as cayenne--to our skin.

Attempting to wash oil off with water is futile, and often makes it worse because water forces oil deeper into the skin, increasing the absorption rate.

I have always promoted the removal of oils using corn starch.  Corn starch is available in most health food stores, and in grocery stores in the baking section.  It absorbs multiple times its weight in oil, and does so quickly.

I like to keep a medium sized tupperware container of corn starch in the area where my oils are stored.  Then it is immediately available if I should need it.  For those who are doing treatments for others with essential oils, such as spinal compresses, having corn starch available is a necessity.

Recently one of our members sent me this link to another blog.

http://sonshineinthewildwood.blogspot.ca/2013/10/warningdont-wash-off-essential.html

In this post, the young mother writes about how her child dowsed himself with oil, and how she removed it.  She used vegetable oil to dilute it, which seems like a good idea and appears to have worked very nicely.  Check it out.

By the way, I found it interesting that the writer of this blog was concerned about the peppermint oil burning the skin of her 2 year old son.  In my experience, real and genuine hand distilled oils do not burn the skin, even when applied neat.  They often do create a burning sensation, and redness, but never an actual burn.  If the oils you are using will do this, it is extremely likely that they contain added phenols, and are not pure (no matter what the label says!).

Getting essential oil out of the eyes is a different matter.  I have not personally had this experience, but have heard that milk is one of the best choices for removing the oil.  Put a cotton ball or pad into milk, then wipe the closed eye from center to outer edge.  Keep repeating it until the oil is no longer burning.  With some of the stronger oils, it may be necessary to see a medical professional to make certain there is no damage to the eye.

There are ways to test essential oils for a reaction, before applying them liberally on the skin.  One great way is to place a drop or two of oil on the inside of the elbow.  Let it sit for 30 minutes--if it is going to cause a reaction, it will have begun already in most cases.  (Redness is normal; blistering or rashes are not, and indicate that this oil is not right for the person, and should be removed).

After 30 minutes, if there is no reaction, you may wish to place a bandaid over the area and leave it over night.  This will give a complete picture of how the person handles the oils.  If there is no reaction by morning, the oil is safe for that person.

We tend to get so comfortable with our essential oils, that it is easy to leave them where children could access them.  Please be wise and keep them out of the reach of small children!  An ounce of prevention in this case really is worth a pound of cure.