Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils - a Healthy and Effective Alternative to Medications (Part I)

I have learnt and done many holistic therapies over the years.  However, I have never found anything more effective and quick in achieving results and so easy to use as the .  I use them now on my hair, in soap, skin, for any health condition, pain, emotions, exercise and cleaning, for my family, friends and my dog.  

 Essential oils have been used by doctors and health-conscious people around the world for centuries by generations upon generations.  Essential oils’ anti-bacterial, antiviral, expectorant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, cleansing, antifungal, antispasmodic, regenerative and many other properties were well known and studied, and have been used for healing, skin and hair, emotions, meditation and spirituality in Europe, India, Egypt, Greece, Iran, China, Morocco, Canada and many other countries.  Doctors, nurses, hospitals and health-conscious people in the United States are using therapeutic grade essential oils as well.  Read source.

 Therapeutic grade essential oils are very effective and long-lasting.  For example, when archaeologists opened the famed King Tutankhamen tomb, the smell of Myrrh and Spikenard essential oils permeated the air!  Other oils, like Cedarwood, Myrrh and Casia were used for mummification.  “Cedarwood would also kill all infection, even fungus.  In addition, the living used it as a tonic for any chronic complaints or pain.  It was especially helpful for coughs and bronchitis.  The use of cedarwood in a bath could bring relief from arthritis and a feeling of comfortable composure.  It also strengthened the individual's connection with God and brought a sense of balance and control.”

 I love to tap into the wisdom and knowledge accumulated over the centuries.  So when I use Rosemary, Lavender or Myrrh I feel royal, thinking of Cleopatra, who “used Rosemary, Lavender, Spikenard, Myrrh, and Jasmine in milk to create a tranquil aromatic moment designed to strengthen her mind, refresh her body, and empower her personality for courageous acts.” (from Awaken to Healing Fragrance by Elizabeth Anne Jones).

 Ever since I first smelled erogenous Ylang Ylang, it has become my favorite perfume.  Some days I feel like exquisite Geranium, especially when I seek protection from the strong sun rays.  Using essential oils as perfumes is nothing new.  In fact, pure undiluted and unadulterated essential oils were used as perfumes for the longest time, by both rich and poor around the world, unlike today’s commercial perfumes that are 95 percent petrochemicals. 

 Catherine de Medici, Queen of France, found the first laboratory of perfume in Grasse.  “Everyone was amazed at Catherine’s patience and endurance.  By the age of sixty-seven she was no longer able to ride a horse, but she took long walks.  Her mental energy was still acute, perhaps from the Basil essential oil she used for bathing.  The oil of Basil (Ocimum basilicum) of the Lamiaceae family was held in high esteem in Greece.  Basil remains “king” in the Greek language.   India also considered the oil sacred and used it in ayurvedic medicine.  Catherine no doubt loved its stimulating and go-getting effect.  She must have appreciated how it sharpens the senses and the concentration, clarifying the intellect while strengthening the nervous system.  In her bath it helped to relieve tired, tight, overworked muscles.  It is first rate for headaches, especially the migraines she must have endured at some of the difficult impasses in her life.  It also has a refreshing, tonic action on congested, sluggish skin, which Catherine had from sometimes overeating.  Basil also minimizes uric acid to relieve gout, a condition that plagued Catherine.  Catherine kept her mind keen and confident by bathing in the sharp, spicy fragrant oil, even near the end of her life.” (from Awaken to Healing Fragrance by Elizabeth Anne Jones).

 Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen of England, established the perfume industry during the fifteenth year of her reign.  “Elizabeth’s love of Marjoram oil of the Lamiaceae family, with its effect of warming comfort along with encouraging a tendency toward celibacy, perhaps helped her stay true to her political values.  Marjoram promoted her good health in many ways.  It would ease any muscle pain during the winter she spent in cold, drafty castles by dilating the arteries and capillaries, giving a feeling of warmth.  It was a good tonic for her heart and lowered her blood pressure.  It would relieve any headaches, menstrual cramps, or stuffy head colds due to its warming analgesic action.  For Elizabeth, it would steady her nerves and relieve stress at some crisis points.  It would strengthen her mind, allowing her to confront issues and make weighty decisions of state.  It has been used to numb the sexual drive, yet its warmth offered feelings of comfort in loneliness.  Of all the scents she used, Lemon (Citrus x limon) of the Rutaceae family was her preference due to its strong antibacterial quality as well as its uplifting fragrance.  This was the time when plagues ravaged cities with disease and death.  There was a horrible plague in London in 1603, the year of Elizabeth’s death, when people intuitively used essential oils and fumigating herbs for protection.  The perfumers who constantly used essential oils usually survived.  In the 19th century research at the Pasteur Institute in Paris revealed that the microorganisms of yellow nad typhoid fever were killed by essential oils of Cinnamon, Thyme, and Lemon within half an hour.  This was the beginning of future European research on the anti-infectious nature of essential oils.  No doubt this intelligent queen sensed that Lemon stimulated her white blood cells against infection.  Lemon also offered her a heart tonic to keep her blood pressure low.  If she did contract a cold, Lemon would relieve a sore throat and a cough.  It made her whole digestive system more alkaline, allowing the kidneys and liver to function better.  She liked Lemon since it brightened her pale complexion by cleansing away dead skin cells.  She felt more alert and queenly after using lemon because it was elevating and produced clarity of thought.  She chose oils that calmed her passionate nature and gave her the balance to rule with wisdom.”   (from Awaken to Healing Fragrance by Elizabeth Anne Jones).

 I bow to Hildegard of Bingen, Prophetess of the Rhine, who wrote Phisica (The Book of Simple Medicine), which summarized the natural science of her times; the work was broken into four parts on animals, two parts on herbs and trees, and three parts on gems and metals.  In this book she lists about three hundred herbs, relating the best time to pick them and their medicinal uses.  A companion book, The Book of Composite Medicine Causes and Cures, analyzes two hundred diseases and their cures, including actual proportions for ingredients used in the formulas.  “She proposed sound principals for a balanced diet as a keystone of her healing system.  There are three foods she highly recommends: chestnuts, spelt grain, and fennel.  She called fennel God’s greatest gift in the plant world.  Fennel (Foeniculum vulgure) of the Apiaceae family remains an important essential oil in aromatherapy today.  Hildegard urged using it daily to promote good digestion.  She said it assisted the body in throwing off accumulated toxins and waste products, furnishing good blood circulation.  It gives us a healthy skin, a happy disposition, clear eyes, a pleasant body order, and good digestion.  As a tonic for the digestive system, Fennel relieves hiccups, nausea, colic, constipation, and vomiting.  Rubbing the oil on the stomach or drinking fennel tea can neutralize stomach acid, with the fennel acting as antiacid.  The phytoestrogen in Fennel stimulates the hormonal system, which helps prevent PMS in women, slows the aging process, and glides a woman through menopause.  Hildegard especially loved lavender.  She is credited with making the first lavender water in her still in the convent garden.  She advised using lavender to relieve liver and lung pain and congestion, which she knew too often manifested simultaneously.  Hildegard was explicit in describing the relationship between the mind and the body.  She saw a direct connection between spiritual protective factors like hope, joy, and affection, and a strong immune system…  Worrying, rushing, stress, sadness, and anger can increase black bile, a blood poison.” (from Awaken to Healing Fragrance by Elizabeth Anne Jones).

 When I use a therapeutic diffuser to get a gentle whiff of Frankincense to uplift my husband’s mood, I think of its inventor Avicenna (980-1037), a talented Arab physician from Persia and a devoted student of Galen (Galen was a Greek physician who left Asia Minor to practice medicine in Rome) Avicenna wrote the famous Canon of Medicine, five volumes summarizing all the known medical knowledge of the civilized world – Greeks, Europeans, Arabs, Indians, and Chinese-with mathematical accuracy.  He did much to promote the benefits of aromatic oils and wrote a whole book about Rose oil, his favorite.   I also learn from the Egyptian priests, who sought  to uplift the citizens, emotionally and spiritually, through the transformational fragrance at large gatherings.  They knew the importance of the biochemical response the human body and mind achieved by inhaling a scent such as Frankincense. 

 Fast forward into the modern times.

 “Marguerite Maury has been very important in the modern development of essential oil therapy by giving it a connection to the ancient healing philosophies of India, China, and Tibet while reemphasizing a personal, holistic approach through massage.  Together with her husband, Dr.E.A.Maury, she explored homeopathy, naturopahy, acupuncture, osteopathy, meditation, Zen, yoga, macrobiology, and radiesthesia.  In 1940’s she began research on the effects of essential oils on the nervous system and how they created rejuvenation.  Marguerite developed a special massage technique of applying essential oils along the nerve centers of the spine as well as to the face.  Her wealthy women clients reported dramatic improvements in their complexions.  Christine Wildwood writes, “To their amazement, there were also some interesting “side-effect”; many experienced relief from rheumatic pain, deeper sleep, and a generally improved mental state.”  The development of holistic aromatherapy massage as it is practiced in the UK today is deeply indebted to Marguerite.  The Royal College of Nursing insurance policy has helped to make essential oils used by thousands of British nurses for improved patient care.  Marguerite’s favorite oil was the lively Ginger.  She loved the warm woody-spicy scent that brought balance to the digestive system for problems like indigestion, cramps, and nausea.  She also found it useful for     colds and coughs and great in steams.  She enjoyed how it warmed her emotions and gave her mental energy for her many projects.  She appreciated how it sharpened her senses and stimulated her memory.  Marguerite wrote Le Capital Jeanesse in 1961, which was translated and republished in 1987 by C.W.Daniel Co. under the English subtitle The Secret of Life and Youth.  Her work eventually led to the establishment of more than 80 aromatherapy colleges in the UK with thousands of practicing aromatherapists abiding by the decisions of a standards council for the quality of the oils and educational certification.  Patricia Davis, who established the first school, London School of Aromatherapy, was inspired by Marguerite’s fine work.  Patricia wrote the world’s bestselling aromatherapy book, Aromatherapy, An A-Z.

 My highest praise goes to Gary Young, for creating a high standard of Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils and products infused with therapeutic grade essential oils, and for  bringing therapeutic grade essential oils to the United States!

 ·         “The standards for quality, safety, reliability, and performance by which the oils can be validated, set by American and     international agencies, AFNOR and ISO are minimal and not certified.  “These standards do not address the hundreds of minor and trace components of natural oil that are necessary to its therapeutic properties.”   They have standards for only a fraction of the vast number of essential oils.   In the absence of these standards, Young Living has created its own standards based on the true medicinal effects of the essential oil in actual therapeutic applications.

• ·        For the past 12 years, Young Living has compiled an essential oil reference library that has over 280,000 compound references.  YL developed its own standards to guarantee the highest possible therapeutic value for oils.
• ·         Young’s labs are the only ones in the world that are matched and calibrated to the instruments used at the National Center for Scientific Research in France.
• ·         As a rule, if two or more marker compounds in an essential oil fall outside the prescribed percentages, the oil does not meet YL standards.”  (from Essential Oils Desk Reference compiled by Life Science Publishing, 5th edition) 

 The United States National Library of Medicine (PubMed) website (with more than 14 million medical abstracts from peer-reviewed journals) featured 3,780 abstracts about essential oils as of May 2004. Scientists and researchers are investigating essential oils on topics such as "Terpinen-4-ol, the main component of Melaleuca Alternifolia (tea tree) oil inhibits the in vitro growth of human melanoma cells" (Feb. 2004).Tea Tree Oil-Induced Transcriptional Alterations in Staphylococcus aureus (2012) "Comparison of volatile constituents, and antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the essential oils of Thymus caucasicus, T. kotschyanus and T. vulgaris. (2011), Susceptibility of methicillin-resistant staphylococci to oregano essential oil, carvacrol and thymol (2004), etc.
The source 

 When I use a drop of Thieves blend (Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus radiata and Rosemary on my throat, chest and my feet to get well from a cold painlessly in just 1 day, I feel lucky, and wish more people used therapeutic grade essential oils as a cure for many ailments.

 When I think of the time my mother suffered inhumanely from pain and humiliating conventional treatment she has endured, and compare it with comfortable, painless and totally humane care I was able to give my mother-in-law by using Young Living therapeutic grade essential oils, I have mixed emotions.  I am thankful to my mother-in-law for giving me this opportunity to have this experience, and yet I am sad I could not do even iota of this for my own mom.  On top of this, I am at peace with myself after the recent passing away of my mother-in-law, who I bonded with for the last month of her life.  On the contrary, it took me years to heal my open wounds and get over the memories of my mother’s suffering.  I still carry a lot of pain in me.

 I wish everyone to be well, and hope you will use my knowledge and life experience to better your life.

 Now is my favorite time of the year – summer, the time when I can swim in the ocean or a lake, walk and run on the beach, and simply watch stunning sunsets over the water.  Is there anything healthier?  Unfortunately, I have not moved to a beach house yet, so my family and I still need a healing drop in a bottle.

 If you like more information about the history of essential oils and how the therapeutic essential oils can be used, please explore my web site:  sites.google.com/site/younglivingeu

 With love,

Eugeniya Hilzinger