Seasonal Allergies Got You Down? Evoke Aromatherapy Has Natural Effective Solutions

Whether you call it allergies, hay fever or allergic rhinitis the experience of living with these conditions eventually affects our overall feelings of daily wellness and joy.

Typical symptoms for these conditions are: itchy, puffy or red eyes.  Nasal congestion, sneezing, runny nose or postnasal drip.  Wheezing while breathing, pain in the ears, throat irritation, headaches and fatigue.  The range of symptoms is broad with each symptom translating into discomfort for the allergy sufferer.

Essential oils such as Lavender, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Roman Chamomile, Peppermint, Juniper, Frankincense, Basil or Tea Tree can each greatly help to soothe, calm or boost the immune system during this time with allergies.

Did you know that 40-60% of American people are affected by Allergic Rhinitis yearly?  Also the number of children showing signs of allergies is dramatically increasing.

Allergies are most commonly a reaction to pollen, dust, mold and animal dander.  It’s not known why more people are being affected by these commonly occurring allergens.  One theory points to the body being overworked and run down with stress which causes an increase of inflammation within the body and results in a lower immune system.  So when the body experiences an allergen it will now react to this allergen with symptoms like sneezing, runny nose and fatigue.

To alleviate our strong reaction to allergens we can use essential oils that are specific to reducing inflammation, essential oils that detoxify the body and essential oils that boost the immune system.

With the help of these allergy soothing essential oils we can reduce our allergic reactions to these common molds, pollens and dander and increase our overall wellness and joy.

5 Essential Oils that Naturally Help Reduce Allergies and Boost Our Everyday Wellness And Joy

1.   Lavender- helps to reduce inflammation.  Lavender can bring calm to the mind, which helps the whole body to relax and unwind.

Can be used for:  Topical skin applications (in body oil)

Baths (mixed with Epsom salts)

Vaporization

2.   Roman Chamomile- a very effective anti-inflammatory essential oil, Roman Chamomile calms the body’s response to irritating allergens.

Can be used for:  Topical skin applications (in body oil)

Baths (mixed with Epsom salts)

Vaporization

3.   Juniper- an excellent essential oil to encourage gentle detoxification and elimination.  Especially suited to encourage elimination of waste by increasing urination.

Can be used for:  Topical skin applications (in body oil)

Baths (mixed with Epsom salts)

Vaporization

4.   Lemon- a refreshing and cleansing essential oil, Lemon helps to encourage the body to break down fat and release toxic build up while supporting drainage of the lymphatic system.  Lemon also boosts the immune system and inhibits bacteria growth.  These properties make Lemon a good choice for use as a household disinfectant.
   

 Can be used for:  Topical skin applications (in body oil)

Baths (mixed with Epsom salts)

Vaporization

5.   Frankincense- a wonderfully mild sweet smelling resinous essential oil that has an affinity with the respiratory system.  Frankincense helps us to be calm which allows for deeper breathing and greater relaxation.

Can be used for:  Topical skin applications (in body oil)

Baths (mixed with Epsom salts)

Vaporization

Evoke Aromatherapy uses these above mentioned essential oils in effective, easy to use and great smelling products that aim to improve our lifestyle Wellness and Joy.

Tame the Pain- a product for arthritis, painful joints, past ligament tears or strains and allergy relief.  Helps ease inflammation, which helps to ease pain and discomfort.
Contains Lavender, Frankincense, Juniper and Lemon
Use topically on the skin
http://evokearomatherapy.com/adult/tame-the-pain/

Spring Fling Body Oil Blend- a refreshing body oil to help you get moving while feeling nourished and loved.  Contains Juniper, Cypress, Lemon and Pink grapefruit.  This oil blend helps "clear out" winter stagnation.  It can also help soothe allergies.
http://evokearomatherapy.com/adult/spring-fling-body-oil/

Allergy Inhalation Stick- an easy to use stick of cotton encased in a plastic tube for ease of use, easy to carry in a pocket or purse for on the go inhalation.  The essential oils in this stick help to soothe the respiratory tract so that breathing is calmed, and sinuses open up.  A gentle yet effective way to combat allergies that affect the sinuses and Respiratory System.

Contains Roman Chamomile, Mandarin, Rosalina, Lemon 
http://evokearomatherapy.com/adult/allergy-inhalation-stick/

These products and more can be found at www.evokearomatherapy.com

Shipping is FREE for orders over $100 or if you are local to the Sooke B.C. area, shipping is FREE! 

Don’t see a product for you?  Contact me at info@evokearomatherapy.com to talk about getting a custom Aromatherapy product made just for you!

May Wellness and Joy be yours this Allergy Season!

With Love, Wendy <3

Please be advised that the information I share with you is based on my experiences and client experiences.  This information is being shared for educational purposes only.  Information is not intended to replace medical advice or care.

Contact your doctor if you have medical concerns.

Aromatherapy to make your Valentine's Day Memorable

With Valentine's day right around the corner you may be thinking of doing something special for your loved one.  You can make an aromatherapy bath salt blend or an aromatherapy massage oil blend to create a romantic and lasting impression on your lover.

Essential Oils commonly associated with sensuality are: clary sage, jasmine, neroli, rose, patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla, vetiver and yang-ylang.

Throughout the ages scent has been used to woo partners and for personal expression.  Scents that we put on our skin mingle with the natural odor of our body to create a scent that is truly our own.  Our individual scent is so unique that babies have been able to identify their mothers through smell.  Scent is a primal sensation for us and as such evokes some of our more primal responses and emotions.  Using Aromatherapy to tap into your lovers unique scent connection can take your intimate experiences from wow to OH WOW.

To do this determine which smells from the above list you both find attractive and make you feel happy.  Look for those scent combo's in products you buy or you can use the individual essential oils to make a massage oil or bath salt (DIY recipe's to follow).

A few things to consider when using a massage oil for sensual purposes are to avoid getting the product on or near mucous membranes and sensitive body areas.  Have a towel nearby to dry your hands after using the massage oil.

Now that you have an understanding of the safety around using a massage oil and some suggestions for which essential oils to use to create a romantic setting its time to get to work making the product.  Or you can email info@evokearomatherapy.com for a custom created product made specifically for you and your lover based on your chosen scents.


DIY Sensual Massage Oil

30 ml (2 TBSP) Sweet Almond Oil
2 drops Rose Essential Oil
2 drops Sandalwood Essential Oil
1 drop 10% Vanilla Absolute in Jojoba Oil
3 drops Sweet Orange Essential Oil

Mix all the ingredients into a bottle with a flip top lid for easy pouring.

DIY Sensual Bath Salts

1/2 cup Epsom Salts
4 drops Ylang-Ylang Essential Oil
2 drops Clary Sage Essential Oil
1 drop Lemon Essential Oil
1 drop Sandalwood Essential Oil

Add the essential oils to the Epsom Salts.  Mix thoroughly.  Pour the bath.  While sitting in the bath mix in the bath salts containing the essential oils.

Light candles, play soft music, send the kids to grandma's for the night!  Do what you need to create uninterrupted time for you and your lover to connect and lose yourselves in the moment.  Trust that the memory you create will be lasting, carried on the sweet memory of scent.

"The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you, not knowing how blind I was.  Lovers don't finally meet somewhere.  They're in each other all along."
Rumi

Happy Valentine's Day!

www.evokearomatherapy.com

Understanding Vanilla as an aromatherapy perfume

With the onset of the fall season and return to school I get drawn into my kitchen to bake wholesome school snacks for the kids.  While my selection of baking varies from almond butter chocolate chip cookies (from the Oh She Glows cookbook, its excellent you have to try them!), to zucchini muffins (we grew lots of zucchini this year) and even to a pumpkin/kale smoothie there is one main ingredient that flows through all these things and that is vanilla.  I love this smell and the magic it brings to baking! 

Vanilla has been appearing in more places than my kitchen since at one of the last summer night markets I meet a woman who was asking about vanilla in an aromatherapy perfume.  Her request intrigued me and I took this curiosity into my lab and began playing with vanilla absolute oil in various carriers and with other oils.  Playing with vanilla in this setting was extremely fun and satisfying as I got to know Vanilla as more than a flavoring for baking but also as a scent for perfumes.  Wow!  The possibilities are endless.  At the time of writing this article there is not yet a completed product but I can say that I do anticipate a vanilla inspired aromatherapy perfume to grace the markets and website in the near future.  For now both my home and lab will be wafting wonderful vanilla smells as I enjoy Vanilla in all its heavenly forms!

To better understand Vanilla I gathered some information on growing, harvesting and how Vanilla is named that helped me to further appreciate this well used spice and perfume fragrance.  

Vanilla beans are actually the seeds from the orchid species Vanilla plantifolia.  This orchid is the only species of orchids out of 35,000 orchid species to have edible seedpods.  The Vanilla plantifolia orchid was originally only grown in the tropical rainforest of South Eastern Mexico and Central America.  Now however it is being grown in Indonesia, Tahiti, Reunion Islands and Madagascar.  I have also seen the vanilla orchid growing on a tree at a farm on Kauai, Hawaii.  The Vanilla orchid grows like a vine twining itself up trees reaching lengths of up to 30 feet.  In the regions where Vanilla is a native plant (South Eastern Mexico and Central America) it is pollinated by the Melipone bee that is only found in those regions.  All other Vanilla Orchids are hand pollinated.  The resulting bean pod takes up to 9 months to reach maturity. The Vanilla bean is odorless when harvested.  Then when cured in a 3-6 month long fermentation process the pods turn dark brown to black with reddish drops of crystal Vanillin lining the pod.  The crystal drops of Vanillin give the bean pod the familiar smell of Vanilla.

Vanilla is the most popular food flavor in the world.  It is the second most expensive spice flavoring (with saffron being the first) due to its labor intensive harvesting and curing process.

Vanilla can’t be steam distilled to extract its oil content like most other essential oils because of the delicate structure of the bean pods.  Instead there are 3 other extraction methods that are used:

1.  Vanilla CO2- uses carbon dioxide to pull the vanilla smell from the pod.

2. Vanilla absolute- uses solvents to extract the vanilla.  This method is preferred by perfumers.

3. Vanilla oleoresin- is another type of solvent extraction that uses the macerated beans.

Each of these methods produce slightly different smelling vanilla oil all of which are not considered to be a true essential oil.  When Vanilla in used in an aromatherapy blend it is usually considered a “fragrance” addition.

Vanilla is sold under many different names such as Mexican Vanilla (Mexico), Bourbon Vanilla (Madagascar), Tahitian Vanilla (French Polynesia) or West Indian Vanilla (Caribbean and Central/South America) all of which are named based on the geographical regions they are grown.

I hope that you enjoyed this article about Vanilla.  Please visit our website to view our product line.
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AROMATIC HERBS FOR FOOD AND WELLNESS

Lately my children and I have been busy in our vegetable, flower and herb garden tilling, digging, adding compost, germinating seeds, and planting.  We are ready for the growing season and I am eagerly waiting for the plants to be ready for harvest.  In the meantime I will lovingly tend to the plants, watering and weeding so they have the best opportunity to flourish.  I am also hungrily devouring recipe books to find inspiring recipes to make with our produce and fresh herbs.

Following is my top 5 list of aromatic herbs to grow to nourish and promote wellness in your family this summer.

Basil

Ocimum basilicum                        

How to grow:  a tender annual herb that will need to be planted every year when the weather and soil is warm.  It is easy to grow, simply needing a sunny spot with compost rich well draining soil.  Try growing some in a planter in a sunny spot close to your kitchen so you can easily grab some when needed.  There are many varieties of basil, “Sweet Basil” being the most popular with large green “sweet” leaves.  “Dark opal” is very pretty to grow with purple leaves and it has a spicy flavor that is nice in Thai food. 

How to harvest:  pinch off small to medium sized leaves at the stem.  Make sure to pinch off any flowers to encourage the basil plant to keep growing leaves. 

How to use:

The fresh herb:  add fresh basil leaves to a garden salad or salad dressing.  Add basil to any tomato-based dish.  Add fresh basil at the end of cooking to maintain the fresh taste in the dish.

As an essential oil:  Basil has a fresh and slightly spicy smell.  Some physical benefits include headache relief, help with coughs and asthma, and soothing muscle pain.  Emotionally basil is helpful with calming the nervous system, easing anxiety and encouraging concentration. 

Safety Precaution: Basil essential oil is to be avoided in pregnancy and with estrogen dependant cancer.  It can be a possible skin irritant.  For use on adults (not children).

Diffuse Basil essential oil in a candle lit diffuser along with some cinnamon and lemon for an uplifting, concentration enhancing scent.

Dill

 Anethum graveolens

How to grow: an easy to grow annual herb that often self sows.  Produces fern like foliage then large bright yellow umbel flower heads.  It is best to plant into the garden in full sun (can tolerate some shade) from seed.  Water well then watch this herb grow as it grows very quick! 

How to use:

The fresh herb:  use the fern like leaves in EVERYTHING!  I love dill and use it in most dishes I make.  The fresh herb is terrific in potato salad, salad dressings, with green beans and with lentils.  The flower heads are best known for their use in making dill pickles.  The seeds can also be saved for planting next season.  

As an essential oil:  Dill is a wonderful essential oil to use on children.  It is soothing to the stomach and provides colic relief for infants.  Dill settles the nervous system so that any fears and anxieties can be calmed.  Dill is respected as a symbol of vitality.

Evoke Aromatherapy makes an essential oil blend with dill and mandarin essential oil for babies and children to help with digestive upset, nervousness that upsets the stomach and colic.  Stomach Support is an all-natural way to calm your baby and ease sore stomachs.

Safety Precaution: Dill is generally non-toxic, non-irritating and non-sensitizing.

Lemon Balm also known as Melissa

Melissa officinalis

How to grow:  if you have one plant of Melisa growing in your garden you will have many, as this herb is so prolific!  Mine has sprung up everywhere and I credit the birds for spreading this plant throughout my yard and garden. 

How to use:

The fresh herb:  Melissa is a real gift to the gardener because of its willingness to grow anywhere.  This means you will always have plenty of leaves to harvest for use in tea, infused water and fruit salads. 

As an Essential oil:  Melissa oil is representative of the heart chakra bringing peace, unconditional love, and acceptance.  Melissa is calming to both the digestive system and cardiovascular system by its ability to regulate and relieve over stimulation in these areas.  Studies have shown that Melissa oil provides antiviral actions against Herpes simplex and Herpes zoster.

Safety Precautions:  Not to be used on children under 10 years old.  Melissa oil is non-toxic, but can be a skin sensitizer and skin irritant.  Melissa oil is an expensive oil which makes it susceptible to being adulterated, so care needs to be taken where you purchase this essential oil.

Evoke Aromatherapy MeditativeTrance is a heart centering Room Mist created with Melissa essential oil that is useful for meditation, yoga and bringing peace, calm and love into any atmosphere.

Peppermint

Mentha x piperita (Mentha spp.)

How to grow:  peppermint is a vigorous hardy perennial that happily spreads through the garden by its roots.  It is best grown in an area that is contained otherwise this herb will take over your garden.  Very easy to grow, simply plant a small cutting of mint in the ground, water, then you will have lots of mint!  I like mint because it tolerates drought but if you want a lush mint plant watering will ensure a harvest of lots of green leaves.

How to use:

The fresh herb:  Pick the leaves or harvest a stem a few inches from the ground.  Use the leaves to make tea, aromatic water, as a unique flavoring to fruit salad and tabouli.

As an essential oil:  I love the crisp mint smell of Peppermint essential oil.  It is an essential oil I use often especially when I get a headache.   

Evoke Aromatherapy has a wonderful headache blend called Tranquil Temple that helps relieve neck and shoulder pain that can bring on tension headaches. 

Peppermint is well known for its pain relieving properties for muscle aches and digestive upset.  Peppermint helps bring clear focus to the mind and a cooling sensation to the body thus lending itself well to clearing out stagnation in the body and bringing about a strengthened immune.

Safety Precautions:  Always dilute before applying to the skin.  Do not use on children.  May be skin sensitizing.  Select peppermint essential oil that is low in menthone and pulegone both chemical constituents that can be harmful in large doses to the liver and other body systems.

Thyme

Thymus vulgaris

How to Grow:  Thyme is best grown from a small plant in full sun, in sandy well-drained soil.  Once Thyme is growing it is an easy to grow perennial that needs frequent light watering.  After the plant flowers cut off the flower tops to encourage continued plant growth.   English Thyme is the most common Thyme grown.  I also love to grow Lemon Thyme (Thymus citrodorus) for its refreshing citrus scent and flavor.

How to Use: 

The fresh herb:  pick a stem of thyme to use in everything from pasta and pizza sauce, to baked breads, herbed butters, soups and lentils.  I love the versatility of Thyme and use this herb in most everything I make.  Lemon Thyme is my all “Thyme” favorite!  I use this in making lemon cake, tea, aromatic water and soup.

As an essential oil:

Thyme essential oil is excellent as a disinfectant and to boost the immune system.  Add thyme essential oil to a vaporizer to clear the air of germs.  Thyme blends well with citrus smells to make an uplifting essential oil blend.

You can find Thyme essential oil in Evoke Aromatherapy’s Nail Support Essential Oil Blend.  This oil blend is formulated to stop athletes’ foot and clear up nail fungus.  Click here to read testimonials about Nail Support.

I hope this guide helps you choose plants for your herb garden and that you and your family enjoy the benefits of using these aromatic herbs in your food and for Aromatherapy. 

Have fun planting your aromatic garden!   

Now I would LOVE to hear from you!  Please comment below on what your favorite aromatic herbs are to grow?  What are your favorite essential oils?

NOTE:  Always dilute essential oils before using on the skin.  Do not use essential oils internally.  Use extra care when choosing essential oils for children.  Not all essential oils are considered safe for children.

Information on this blog is for educational purposes only.  Consult a medical practitioner for health problems.

Be sure to properly identify plants before consuming.