Essential Oil Properties

Bay Essential Oil

Bay rum essential oil, Pimenta racemosa, has a sweet, spicy, balsamic aroma. It is a warming oil that helps calm the mind and relieve aches and pains from rheumatism. Bay essential oil can be used in hair care preparations to relieve scalp conditions and to act as a hair tonic. Combine with rose and juniper [...]

Essential Oil Properties

  Basil Oils Bergamot Plants Camomile Benefits Cinnamon Benefits Clary Sage Clove Seeds Euculyptus Oil Frankincense Benefits Geranium Oils Grapefruit Benefits Helichrysum Essential Oil Jasmine the Plant Lavendar Oils Lemon Benefits Mandarin Benefits Marjoram Uses Myrrh Oils Neroli Essential Oils Recipes Oregano Benefits Patchouli Oils Peppermint Benefits Pine Benefits Rose Benefits Rosemary Benefits Sandalwood Essential [...]

Basil Oils

Basil essential oil, Ocimum basilicum, acts as a nerve tonic and helps with fatigue, depression, increases alertness, aids in concentration, relieves headaches, head congestion, migraines and muscular aches and pains. Basil essential oil helps regulate the menstrual cycle, reduces menstrual cramps, and can help with engorged breasts. Basil is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and anti-spasmodic and is [...]

Ylang Ylang Benefits ~ Essential Oils Guide

The Ylang Ylang tree originated in the Philippines but now grows throughout tropical Asia. The trees bear fragrant drooping yellow flowers, which are cultivated for the perfume trade. Ylang ylang may be purchased in several commercial grades, including extra, first, second, third and complete. Beware of the less expensive canaga oil, which has an inferior [...]

Thyme Oils ~ Essential Oil Properties

Thyme may have been used as long ago as 3500 B.C. by the Samarians. The Romans believed that thyme imbued bravery and soldiers would be sent bath waters with thyme before marching to battle. Hildegarde of Bingen suggested using thyme for body lice, plague, leprosy and paralysis. The species Thymus vulgaris produces eight different chemotypes. [...]

Tea Tree Oil Benefits

The tea tree is a small Australian tree related to the eucalyptus tree. The essential oil is distilled form the tree’s leaves, which are small and needle-like. When the British explorer James Cook first arrived in Australia in 1777, he found the native aborigines treating skin infections with the crushed leaves of the tea tree. [...]

Sandalwood Essential Oils Guide

Sandalwood oil benefits is one of the oldest know sources of perfume and incense. It has been used in India since ancient times for religious rituals and temples have been built of sandalwood. As a powerful meditation and prayer aid, it helps the mind set aside mental chatter and crate the right mood for worship. [...]

Rosemary Benefits

Rosemary is energizing, it stimulates the central nervous system, aids the lymphatic system by eliminating wastes from the body and is a good choice for edema and cellulite. In the bath or as a massage, rosemary helps to improve circulation. It also improves circulation in the scalp and can be used in cases of dandruff [...]

Pine Benefits ~ Essential Oil Properties

Native to northern Europe and Russia, Pinus sylvestris is believed to be the only European pine to have survived the ice age. In Switzerland, pine needles are sometimes used to stuff mattresses as a way of treating rheumatic complaint. Pine is often recommended for lung and respiratory infection, for colds and for disinfecting and deodorizing. [...]

Rose Benefits ~ Essential Oil Properties

Perhaps no other flower has more romantic symbolism than the rose. Its fragrance has inspired poets and lovers since ancient times. Rose essential oil has been used in Persia for hundreds of years. In fact, the Persians were the first to distill the essential oil of rose. The Gallica rose—often referred to as the Damask [...]

Peppermint Benefits ~ Essential Oil Properties

Peppermint is one of the most commonly used herbs. The essential oil is used as an ingredient in toothpaste, confectionery, indigestion tablets and the liqueur creme de menthe. A peppermint tisane is said to aid the digestion. It is one of the few varieties of mint which can be grown from seed and will quickly [...]

Patchouli Oils

The fragrance of patchouli is deep, warm and distinct. Patchouli leaves are aged before the distillation process, which helps to impart richness into the smell of this essential oil. As patchouli essential oil ages, its smell continues to improve and deepen. Patchouli helps to rejuvenate skin, so it is a good choice for aging skin [...]

Oregano Benefits

Oregano is a strong antimicrobial oil and is generally a good choice for fighting colds. It also eases the pain of arthritis. However, oregano is a skin irritant and should be used with caution. Do not confuse Origanum vulgare ssp compactum with the more gentle essential oil of marjorum, Origanum majorana. Botanical Name: Origanum vulgare [...]

Neroli Essential Oils Recipes

The essential oil of Neroli is distilled from the fresh-picked flowers of the orange tree, making it a citrus family member. Neroli is one of the most expensive and precious of the essential oils. One ton of hand-picked blossoms produces only one quart of essential oil. The best quality neroli oil comes from the bitter [...]

Myrrh Oils

Myrrh has a long history of use in religious ceremonies as incense. Ancient Egyptians also used it as an embalming agent. Myrrh was one of the three gifs of the Magi, along with frankincense and gold. Jesus was anointed with myrrh after his death. Ancient texts refer to the power of myrrh to hasten labor [...]

Marjoram Uses

In ancient times, marjoram was believed to increase lifespan. Ancient Greek physicians used marjoram to treat rheumatism and muscle spasms. During the renaissance, this marvelous herb was used for jaundice and chest infections. Marjoram herb is helpful with all diseases of the chest which hinder the breathing. It is “comforting in cold diseases of the [...]

Mandarin Benefits

Like other quality citrus essential oils, mandarin is obtained by cold expression of the peel of the fruit. The result is an essential oil that has a sweet citrus aroma. Green mandarin tends to have a softer more floral aroma, while red mandarin’ aroma is more pungent. French aromatherapists consider mandarin to be one of [...]

Lemon Benefits

The lemon tree originated in Southeast Asia but is now grown extensively in hot climates around the world, particularly in California and the Mediterranean. The Greeks and Romans used lemon peel as an insect repellant. By the late 17th century, Europeans were using lemon as a blood purifier and digestive. Lemon is effective in treating [...]

Lavendar Oils

Lavender is one of the most useful of all essential oils. It is perhaps most famous for its ability to accelerate the healing of wounds and burns. Lavender is also useful for coughs, colds and sore throats. It is an effective relaxant and sedative and may be useful in cases of insomnia and nightmares. Lavender [...]

Jasmine the Plant

Jasmine essential oil has a rich, exotic smell and it has been used as a perfume material for centuries. Louis XIV reportedly slept in jasmine-scented sheets. Jasmine is also a powerful aphrodisiac, and is reputed to help with both impotence and frigidity. It may be that jasmine has pheromone-like qualities, as it is in some [...]

Helichrysum Essential Oil

Helichrysum, also known as everlasting or immortelle, is native to the Mediterranean region. Like lavender, Helichrysum stimulates the growth of new cells and is recommended for bruises, burns and scars. Many claim that Helichrysum can help with hearing loss and nerve damage, but these claims are as of yet scientifically unsubstantiated. Helichrysum essential oil acts [...]

Grapefruit Benefits

Grapefruit is valuable for conditions in which the body is not effectively eliminating toxins, including cellulite, fluid retention, and lymphatic congestion. Grapefruit stimulates the liver and gallbladder and helps regulate eating disorders. It is balancing for people who use overeating to calm nervous anxiety. Botanical Name: Citrus paradise Note: Top Odor Intensity: Medium Key Uses: [...]

Geranium Oils

The essential oil of geranium has a flowery, rose-like fragrance. In fact, it is often used to adulterate rose oil. The essential oil of geranium comes from the pelargonium plant and should not be confused with the European genus of geranium, which includes crane’s bill. Beware of falsified oils or oils from the wrong plant [...]

Frankincense Benefits

Frankincense, also known as olibanum, is an aromatic gum resin obtained from African and Middle Eastern trees. When the bark of the frankincense tree is damaged or deliberately cut, the tree exudes its resin, or “tears”. The essential oil is steam distilled from the gum resin. Frankincense, one of the three gifts of the Magi [...]

Euculyptus Oil

Eucalyptus trees are native to Australia and are commonly known as gum trees. Since the late 1800’s, eucalyptus oil has been used in remedies to treat coughts and other concerns of the respiratory system. Eucalyptus is a powerful decongestant and expectorant and is therefore useful in inhalations in cases of colds, catarrh, and respiratory infections. [...]

Clove Seeds

Clove is an evergreen tree native to the Moluccas in Indonesia. Their pink flower buds are picked just before opening and laid out to dry in the sun until they turn brown.  Many old texts list clove as a stomachic, carminative, and digestive.  It reduces flatulence, restores appetite, stimulates digestion and fights intestinal parasites and [...]

Cinnamon Benefits

Cinnamon is one of the oldest spices known to man. It was a valuable commodity in the spice trade. The Egyptians used cinnamon as perfume, incense and medicine.  The Arabs considered cinnamon a symbol of wealth, and it is said that Alexander the Great knew he was near the cost of Arabia when he could [...]

Camomile Benefits

The Roman Chamomile herb has been used in European medicine for over 2,000 years. In herbal medicine, chamomile is used for nervous tension, upset stomach, and children’s ailments. Roman chamomile essential oil is one of the best calming, anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic essential oils. It is a good disinfectant for the urinary tract, and it soothes [...]

Clary Sage

Clary sage was highly esteemed for its healing properties in the Middle Ages. Medieval authors referred to it as “clear eyes,” because the mucilage from its seeds was used t o clear the eyes of foreign particles. Clary sage may be helpful in reducing high blood pressure, and because of its antispasmodic properties, it is [...]

Bergamot Plants

Bergamot is perhaps one of the most useful oils for helping with emotional balance. its gentle smell is uplifting and opening without being too aggressive. Botanical Name: Citrus bergamia Note: Top Odor Intensity: Low Key Uses: Addiction Anxiety Appetite loss Bladder infection Depression Dyspepsia, painful digestion, colic Eczema and psoriasis Gastroenteritis Insomnia Intestinal infection/parasites Mouth [...]