Most culinary herbs, in general, have a medicinal quality that helps with digestion. Many of them are calming to system. They help ease process. Herbs such as Caraway, Cardamom. Cayenne, Ginger, Peppermint and Thyme can help relax stomach muscles, supporting movement of food through system. This helps to reduce bloating and gas. Using these herbs in cooking can help decreases occurrence of indigestion problems. Making a teas from one (or a combination) of these herbs can help relieve these symptoms. Also many of them are digestive stimulants, helping g to improve process.

Sage has been traditionally associated with longevity and is a great medicine. properties of Sage make it ideal for mouth problems. For ulcers a tea can be made up, using a teaspoon of dried herb to a cup of boiling water. The tea, when cooled, can then be used as a mouth wash. This is ideal for any mouth inflammation, including gum, throat and tonsils infections. The antiseptic qualities of Sage also make it suitable as a skin wash and for healing of wounds. Sage can also be used to dry up breast milk, so should not be taken internally if pregnant or breast-feeding. Hot flushes of menopause can be eased greatly by drinking of sage tea, up to five times a day, or when needed.

Thyme and Sage are really good together, not just for taste, but also medicinally. Thyme has anti-microbial properties, so mixed with Sage or on it's own, is ideal for mouth and throat infections. It can ease sore throats and can also help sooth irritable coughs. Thyme has a use as an external wash for infected wounds, or to prevent an infection from forming.

Rosemary is well known for its use as an anti-depressant. It may also be helpful in calming headaches, especially where nervous tension is cause. The herb can relieve indigestion caused by nervous tension. Rosemary is a memory herb, so it is great around exam time, or any time memory needs a boost. a mouthwash can also be made out of Rosemary, being particular good to freshen breath. Rinsing hair with Rosemary can be beneficial for those suffering from scalp irritations such as dandruff or psoriasis.

Parsley is a great breathe freshener, known for being able to even kill smell of garlic. If you have fresh parsley, take a couple of sprigs and dip them in vinegar, then chew them thoroughly before swallowing. Parsley can be used to ease fluid retention and urinary problems. Make a strong tea out of leaves and allow to steep for 40 minutes. Drink this 4 times a day.

Did you know that sodas and flavored bottled waters you drink contain essential oils? That common vanilla flavor you find in ice cream is made from dark brown vanilla pods? Perfumes and colognes contain numerous blends of essential oils. High quality soaps, shampoos, bath oils, body powders and lotions all include varied essences of flowers, plants and fruits.

I had many successful experiences using pure essential oils, and I have read and heard of so many others enjoying relief from pain, healing of skin problems, awakening of positive spirits, etc. For example, a few years ago, before I had my own bath & body products business, I had to find a full time job. That prospect didn’t make me enthusiastic, yet after applying a small dab of lemon essential oil, diluted in a jojoba oil carrier base, I was feeling cheerful and positive. This in turn came through in interview and I was hired that afternoon.

What is Aromatherapy? Aromatherapy is a therapeutic natural practice that can be used to advance health, beauty and a sense of ease. It involves using pure essential oils with various methods, including bathing, inhalation and massage. Aromatherapy is derived from two words: Aroma means scent and Therapy means treatment. This scent/treatment has evolved over centuries and across continents.

In his book “The Art of Aromatherapy” Robert B. Tisserand examines what happened to mankind during twentieth century: “Our minds have run away with us, and as we have become more obsessive, so we have become steadily more neurotic. As doctors increase their knowledge of disease so disease becomes more tenacious and widespread. As new drugs are formulated and marketed, harm done by those drugs increases proportionally.”

Aromatherapy works in harmony with your body. Side effects from properly administered dosages are absent. Your body becomes stronger as it’s fed complex nutrients of purity from essential oils, not something synthesized in a lab and deprived of all its components. There are no new essential oils—only same, reliable plant life that has been used successfully for thousands of years. Combining rich and fragrant oils of rose, jasmine and neroli, for example, may appear to be a new twist to you, but guaranteed this expensive blend of floral oils have been utilized for an individual with an overactive mind [stress!] some other time and place.

A Brief History Of Aromatherapy

Before 1993 you wouldn’t have been able to find word ‘aromatherapy’ listed in a dictionary even though this art/science has been effectively used for thousands of years. In fact, word was invented in 1920’s by a French chemist by name of René-Maurice Gattefossé who studied cosmetic properties of plants. He soon learned that plants contained organic antiseptic elements that worked better than inorganic antiseptics. His interest was further ignited when he there was an explosion in his laboratory; badly burning has hands. Immediately he poured lavender essential oil [one of few essential oils that can be applied directly on skin] on them and made not so astonishing discovery that his hands healed quickly and with no scarring.

However, usage of aromatic plants has been going on for thousands of years. From civilizations of ancient Egypt, India, China, Greece, and Rome, floral and herbal oils have been used in all manner of ways from flavoring food and beverages to being poured into baths and massaged into body.

The Romans weren’t shy about employing scents. They inundated their baths and banquets with floral concoctions from scattering rose petals on floors to anointing their bodies with floral perfumes. After bathing their bodies were massaged with aromatic oils. Their beds and clothing, bodies and hair were scented with perfumes. Even men scented themselves with balsam and cinnamon oils.

The natural healing system of ayurveda, meaning “science of life” was established approximately 4000 years ago in Himalayan region. Plants and all their properties are a relevant part of ayurvedic medicine that continues to be practiced where it started and has now spread around world.

Hippocrates is known as “father of medicine”, and this Greek doctor was a noted advocate for usage of essential oils, especially in form of daily baths and massages. Resins of myrrh and oils of cinnamon were often applied to a patient to soothe inner and outer complaints.

Essential Oils vs. Fragrance Oils:

Pure, unadulterated essential oils derived from leaves, roots, seeds, flowers or bark of a plant or tree are source extracted directly from nature via a form of steam distillation. When you first begin working with essential oils, take care in handling them. Lavender essential oil is quite safe for skin, as is tea tree, but some people can have allergic reactions to them. When handling essential oils, it’s wise to do a skin test. Simply apply a tiny amount on your wrist, and if there’s no reaction within 24 hours you are safe. As these oils can be costly, you must take care that they’re always kept in a cobalt or amber colored glass bottle and stored in a cupboard [out of direct sunlight] and kept in a cool, dry place. When you buy an oil, write date on vial. Most essential oils can last from one to three years. Citrus oils have a shelf life ranging from six months to less than two years. Essential oils can last for several years, but freshness disappears. There are some exceptions with darker colored, “heavier” oils or resins. Patchouli is known to improve with age.