Monthly Archives: July 2013

Fir Needle Oil and Its Benefits for Respiratory Congestion and Coughs

The common silver fir (Abies alba) is a large coniferous evergreen tree native to Europe, and is also called the European Fir or White Fir. Its clear to pale yellow essential oil is obtained by steam-distillation of the needle-shaped leaves and posesses a rich, sweet-balsamic odor reminiscent of the primeval evergreen forests where it originated. Like other balsamic and pine oils, fir needle essential oil is used in aromatherapy to treat upper respiratory infections, congestion, and related respiratory issues [1], and as a circulatory stimulant [2].

The silver fir grows between 40 and 50 meters (130 to 165 feet) tall and has glossy dark green leaves and elongated cones. Ranging as far west as the Pyrenees in Spain, east to the Carpathian mountains and down into southern Italy, the fir tree is commonly harvested for its soft wood, which is used to make packing crates, paper, and other wood-based materials. In centuries past, native Americans burned the branches and cones of a related fir species as a ritual incense to center the mind and increase awareness. Silver fir trees also used to be the preferred species for making into Christmas trees, but other species with denser foliage such as the balsam fir and blue spruce have now replaced it [3].

The leaves of Abies alba are the preferred source of fir needle essential oil, which is frequently used in making soaps, perfumes, bath products, and aromatherapy diffusion blends [3]. Extremely popular for its clear, elevating scent, fir needle oil is often diffused into the air to lift the mood, increase energy and act as an antiseptic, especially during the winter months. Fir needle oil is used in targeted aromatherapy treatments as a decongestant and expectorant for respiratory congestion [4], and as a topical rub for sore muscles, sprains, and painful joints [5]. One easy way to use fir needle essential oil to treat congestion is to dilute a few drops of the oil in a salve or lotion and massage it into the chest, back and soles of the feet: the oil’s mucolytic effects will instantly start to relieve congestion as the oil is absorbed through the skin as well as inhaled.

Fir boughs were once burned in saunas to create purifying vapors that cleansed the body of toxins. So while fir needle essential oil acts as a circulatory stimulant and detoxifier on its own [2], one way to increase its therapeutic effects is to add a few drops of the oil to a warm bath. The warm water encourages the oil’s absorption, leaving the whole body feeling toned, energized, and rejuvenated!

REFERENCES

1. Group, Edward F. “The Health Benefits of Pine Oil”. Global Healing Center. Last modified September 10th, 2013. http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/pine-oil/.

2. “Fir Needle Essential Oil”. Ayurvedic Oils. Accessed June 18th, 2014. http://ayurvedicoils.com/tag/fir-needle-essential-oil.

3. “Abies alba”. Wikipedia. Last modified June 18th, 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abies_alba.

4. “Treat Cough With Fir Needle Oil”. Fir Needle Oil. Accessed June 16th, 2014. http://firneedleoil.com/cures-treatments_ahem-ahem-treat-cough-with-fir-needle-oil_37.html.

5. “Fir Needle Essential Oil”. AromaWeb. Accessed June 19th, 2014. http://www.aromaweb.com/essential-oils/fir-needle-oil.asp.

How to Use Lavender Essential Oil

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Lavender essential oil is quite possibly the most popular oil in the world, so we think it only makes sense to go a little more in depth about how to use lavender essential oil. The therapeutic properties of lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) have been known for centuries if not millennia: hailing from the Mediterranean regions of Turkey and the Middle East, lavender oil has been used as a fragrant perfume, insecticide, skin tonic and wound salve since ancient times [1]. Lavender appears in the Bible under the name “spikenard”, and is endowed with protective powers in the Old Testament. The Romans also infused their communal baths with lavender oil and used the flowers to flavor candy and foods.

These days, obtaining true lavender essential oil can be more challenging than you would think: many unscrupulous vendors dilute their lavender oil with spike lavender (Lavandula latifolia), or even synthetic lavender oil to increase their yields. Lavender oil that contains these admixtures is not considered therapeutic grade and is not suitable for aromatherapy. While spike lavender does have its own uses in aromatherapy, it posesses different properties than true lavender. Even worse are lavender oils containing synthetic components, as these do not have any therapeutic effect. As it turns out, simply combining all the compounds of lavender essential oil in a lab does not a true lavender oil make! The first, most basic step in learning how to use lavender essential oil in aromatherapy is to start with a real, unadulterated organic lavender oil that is therapeutic grade.

There are a few different ways to use lavender essential oil in aromatherapy. Many people simply inhale lavender oil straight from the bottle to achieve a calm state of mind and reduce nervousness and stress; a couple sniffs from the bottle, or a dab of diluted lavender oil applied to the insides of the wrists, is commonly used to calm the nerves before potentially stressful situations such as job interviews and exams. Diffusion aromatherapy with lavender oil is also used to treat coughs and congestion by loosening mucus [2], and may have insect repellent properties [2]. Lavender oil is used topically to treat insect bites and minor wounds, especially burns [3]. A mild analgesic, lavender essential oil may be applied in small amounts to the temples to ease tension headaches [2].

As with any essential oil, we recommend that you be conservative the first few times you work with lavender oil. Though lavender oil is one of the few essential oils commonly used at full strength, unless you have a lot of experience with this oil we recommend diluting it in a carrier oil. The standard ratio is 12 drops of essential oil per 1 fluid ounce of carrier oil or lotion. Always conduct a patch test on a non-sensitive area of skin (the inner arm or wrist works well) with an oil you’ve never used before applying it to your skin. Furthermore, lavender oil should not be used on prepubescent boys because it contains phytoestrogens that might interfere with normal male puberty [4]. In large amounts, lavender oil can also cause drowsiness due to its calming effects, so it’s a good idea to use this essential oil sparingly.

With so many versatile uses and a gentle profile of action, it’s easy to see why lavender oil has retained its popularity among aromatherapy practitioners. We hope this short guide to how to use lavender essential oil has helped you discover your perfect use for this wonderful oil!

REFERENCES

1. McCoy, Joe-Ann, and Jeanine Davis. “Lavender: History, Taxonomy and Production”. NC Herb: North Carolina State University. Last modified October 22nd, 2007. http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/fletcher/programs/herbs/crops/culinary/lavender_mccoy.html.

2. “Health Benefits of Lavender Essential Oil”. Organic Facts. Accessed June 26th, 2014. http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/natural-essential-oils/health-benefits-of-lavender-essential-oil.html.

3. Turner Ashley. February 21st, 2013. “13 Uses for Lavender Oil: The Only Essential Oil You’ll Need”. MindBodyGreen. http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-7769/13-uses-for-lavender-oil-the-only-essential-oil-youll-need.html.

4. “Lavender Essential Oil | Contraindications”. Wikipedia. Last modified June 8th 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lavender_oil#Contraindications.

Types of Essential Oil

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With so many different plant oil-based natural products to choose from in today’s digital marketplace, finding quality essential oils can be a daunting task. Knowing the different types of essential oil becomes even more important if you want to use plant-based oils in aromatherapy applications. Some essential oils that work great as fragrances or in cleansing products may not be suitable for aromatherapy work. A lot depends on how the essential oil is made, which is why we decided to compile this short, handy list of the types of essential oil by method of production.

Steam-distilled oils: Steam distillation is unquestionably the most popular method worldwide for obtaining plant essential oils. It may also be one of the most ancient methods of essential oil production. In steam distillation, raw plant materials such as flowers, leaves, roots or seeds are placed in cooking chambers above a boiler. Steam from the boiler is allowed to flow over the plant material in the chamber to extract the plant’s volatile constituents. As the steam condenses into liquid, it yields the herbal material’s essential oil. Sometimes a hydrosol, or aromatic water, is also obtained in steam distillation. The essential oil and hydrosol are separated by further fractionation.

Steam distillation is the preferred method of extracting essential oils because it’s relatively cheap and easy, and yields a pure essential oil with no chemical residue. Furthermore, steam distillation is effective for almost all kinds of plant material except very delicate flowers such as jasmine, whose volatile oils are destroyed by being steamed at high temperatures.

Expressed Oils: It’s also possible to extract essential oils by physically pressing or squeezing plant material. This process is analogous to squeezing an orange or apple to extract the juice. Because no heat has been used in the extraction process, essential oils made by physical extraction are sometimes called cold-pressed oils. Cold pressing is a good method for extracting essential oils from robust yet pliable plant material, such as the rinds of citrus fruit; as you might expect, citrus oils such as lemon, sweet orange, and lime oil are sometimes made using cold expression.

Absolute/Concrete Oils: Some types of essential oil are produced by solvent extraction and may or may not be suitable for aromatherapy depending on the extraction method. Take absolute oils: these are created from the residue left over when plant material has been extracted using a chemical solvent such as ethanol or hexane. Some plants may yield both an essential oil and an absolute oil. Absolute oils are usually very thick and viscous, and darker in color than their essential oil counterparts.

Fragile flowers such as jasmine cannot be steam distilled and are only available as an absolute oil. Prior to the modern era, jasmine flowers had to be extracted by a process called cold enfleurage, which uses lard as the solvent. Thankfully, these days you can get therapeutic jasmine oil that has been made using cold CO2 extraction, a clean process that doesn’t leave any chemical residues in the finished oil.

Solvent-Extracted Oils: With that, we come to our last category, solvent-extracted essential oils. Hexane is often the solvent of choice in this method. Solvent extraction is a very efficient method of making essential oils, with only 0.5% of every batch lost as waste. However, solvent extraction is also an expensive method and usually limited to large-scale commercial operations. Finally, this method may leave chemical residues in the finished oil, so we don’t recommend using solvent-extracted essential oils in aromatherapy.

In general, steam-distilled essential oils and hydrosols are the gold standard for aromatherapy applications. More recently, essential oils made using cold CO2 extraction are also catching on in aromatherapy. Whether you want to use essential oils as a perfume, cleanser, or in aromatherapy, we hope this guide to the different types of essential oil has helped you discover the essential oil that will work best for you!