Citronella

Latin Name: cymbopogon winterianus
Forms Available: essential oil

Citronella Oil is extracted from a resilient grass native to Sri Lanka and Java. It is a very aromatic perennial that grows approximately 1 meter (3 feet) in height.

With its slightly sweet, powerful and lemony scent, Citronella is often used in combination with Cedarwood to produce pleasant-smelling patio candles and torches.   Its most useful quality seems to be as an insect repellant and may also help pets get rid of fleas.  The University of Maryland Medical Center study on ‘Insect bites and stings’ talks about a study where “citronella candles reduced the number of female mosquitoes caught in traps by 35%; linalool candles reduced female mosquitoes by 65%; and geraniol candles reduced female mosquitoes by 82%”. Citronella essential oil has citronellal, linalool and geraniol content in it, thus making it the most effective insect repellent on earth.

Also known to clear the mind, it may be useful against headaches and migraines.  Its deodorant and stimulating properties always refresh sweaty tired feet, activating the whole body.  Blends well with citrus oils, cedarwood, eucalyptus, and peppermint.

Buy Citronella Oil – 4oz – CLICK HERE
Buy Citronella Oil – 1kg – CLICK HERE

Aromatherapy & Health Uses: Used as an insecticide and antidepressant. Also known to clear the mind so may be useful against headaches and migraines. Its deodorant and stimulating properties always refresh sweaty tired feet, activating the whole body.

Other Uses: Promotes eloquence and prosperity, drawing friends and business.

Thought for the day:

I’m thankful to be breathing, on this side of the grass. Whatever comes, comes. -Ron Perlman

Suggested Reading:

1. Citronella by Eugene Raskin
2. Citronella ; Cymbopogon Nardus – A Literature Survey From Information Services Centre, Industrial Technology Institute
3. Ayurveda & Aromatherapy: The Earth Essential Guide to Ancient Wisdom and Modern Healing by Dr. Light Miller, Dr. Bryan Miller
4. The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils: The Complete Guide to the Use of Aromatic Oils In Aromatherapy, Herbalism, Health, and Well Being by Julia Lawless
5. The Naturally Clean Home: 100 Safe and Easy Herbal Formulas for Non-Toxic Cleansers by Karyn Siegel-Maier

Reference Links:

1. Citronella Oil by Wikipedia
2. Citronella Oil by Steve Ritter published in PUBS
3. Health benefits of Citronella Essential Oil by Organic Facts
4. A handbook on Lemongrass, Neem and Citronella by Janhit Foundation
5. Plant-based insect repellents: a review of their efficacy, development and testing by Marta Ferreira Maia and Sarah J Moore published in PubMed

Cocoa Butter

Latin Name: theobroma cacao
Forms Available: butter

Cocoa butter is the fat which is obtained by hydraulic pressing of cocoa nib or cocoa mass obtained from the cocoa beans. It could be filtered or centrifuged. This is an all natural process and no solvents are used. It is used in balms lotions, creams, and soaps because of cocoa butter’s softening and skin-healing properties. Most lip balms and massage butters require cocoa butter for firmness. It’s the perfect oil for massaging daily into fast-growing pregnant bellies to prevent stretch marks from developing.

Buy Organic Cocoa Butter – CLICK HERE

In soapmaking, cocoa butter should be used along with more easily absorbed unsaturated oils such as olive, jojoba, castor, or avocado. A soap made with too high a percentage of cocoa butter will be hard and prone to cracking. Limit cocoa butter to around 15% of your total fats and oils. Use it to counterbalance the stickiness of certain fats such as shea butter.

Aromatherapy & Health Uses: The perfect oil for massaging daily into fast-growing pregnant bellies to prevent stretch marks from developing.

Thought for the day:

Seeds and nuts are indispensable for cardiovascular health. The protective properties of nuts against coronary heart disease were first recognized in the early 1990s, and a strong body of literature has followed, confirming these original findings.
-Joel Fuhrman.

Suggested Reading:

1. The Miracle of Nuts, Seeds and Grains: The Scientific Facts about Nutritional Properties and Medicinal Values of Nuts, Seeds and Grains by Dr. Bahram Tadayyon
2. Theobroma Cacao, Or Cocoa: Its Botany, Cultivation, Chemistry And Diseases by Herbert Wright
3. Superfoods for Life, Cacao: – Improve Heart Health – Boost Your Brain Power – Decrease Stress Hormones and Chronic Fatigue – 75 Delicious Recipes – by Matthew Ruscigno
4. The World and Africa: An Inquiry into the Part Which Africa Has Played in World by W. E. B Du Bois
5. The Chocolate-Plant (Theobroma Cacao) and Its Products by Walter Baker and Company

Reference Links:

1. Cocoa butter by Wikipedia
2. Cocoa Bioactive Compounds: Significance and Potential for the Maintenance of Skin Health published in Nutrients and PubMed
3. Theobroma Cacao: A Taste of the Fountain of Youth by Keoni Teta and Jillian Sarno Teta published in the online community of All Things Healing
4. Physical and Chemical information on Cocoa beans, butter, mass and powder by the International Cocoa Organization
5. Cocoa and chocolate flavonoids: implications for cardiovascular health by Steinberg FM, Bearden MM, Keen CL, Department of Nutrition, University of California, published in the Journal of American Dietetic Association

   

Coconut Oil

Latin Name: cocos nucifera
Forms Available: oil

Coconut oil is obtained from copra, the dried “meat” of coconut. Distillers separate the copra from the hull of the coconut. It is dried, crushed, and then expressed to remove the oil.

This coconut becomes liquid at 76 degrees.  When cold, it becomes solid or semi-solid.  This oil has a thick texture with no taste and no odor.  A percentage of coconut oil in cosmetics is moisturizing; too much of it can be drying.  Its saturated nature resists rancidity and makes a very hard soap, while at the same time producing a fluffy lather.

Buy Coconut Oil – 1 Quart – CLICK HERE
Buy Coconut Oil – 1 Gallon – CLICK HERE
Buy Coconut Oil – 2 Gallons with Free US Shipping – CLICK HERE
Buy Coconut Oil – 25lb Pail – CLICK HERE
Soapmakers usually combine coconut oil with olive, palm, palm kernel or castor oils for an all-vegetable soap.  Some soapmakers use between 20% and 30% of a soap batch as coconut oil.

Coconut Oil contains beneficial lauric acid, which may be of particular benefit for immune-suppressed individuals.  It is more heat stable than other plant based oils and does not create trans fatty acids when cooked at higher temperatures.  Use for all higher heat applications, including stir frying – Maximum temperature of 375F or 190C.  Excellent for baking, can be substituted for butter in most recipes.  Use in blender drinks to add fuel and energy in the morning.

Latin Name: syzgium aromaticum

Forms Available: essential oil, ground, whole, leaf, flower, bud

Clove Bud Essential Oil is derived from the slender evergreen that grows up to 12 meters in height (approximately 36 feet). At the start of the rainy season, long buds appear that change color over time and are beaten from the trees and dried. These are the cloves sold that are sold commercially. The word ‘clove’ comes from the Latin word clavus, meaning nail, because the shaft and head of the clove bud resembled an ancient nail. Cloves were among the most precious of spices of Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries, and were worth more than their weight in gold. They continue to be used in Ayurvedic medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, western herbalism, and in dentistry.

Cloves have a strong spiciness that flavors foods and prevents nausea. The flowers are used to soothe aching eyes. Clove oil, from the distillation of leaves and flower buds, is an antiseptic numbing agent for toothache and indigestion. It is added to cosmetics, perfumes, and cigarettes.

Aromatherapy & Health Uses: Nausea; Flatulence; Asthma; Bronchitis; Arthritis; Rheumatism; Toothache; Diarrhea; Infections; as an Analgesic and Antiseptic; Insect Repellent. Key Qualities: Tonic; Stimulating; Revitalizing; Aphrodisiac; Warming; Comforting; Purifying; Active.

Other Uses: Use for:  Divination; Love; Lust; Banishing; Releasing; Inspiration; Wisdom. Burn for Wealth; Purification; to ward negative thoughts; or to stop others from gossiping about you.

Thought for the day:

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. – Anais Nin

Suggested Reading:

1. Clove Oil! Discover The Essential Oil Of Cloves Health Benefits For Toothaches, Acne, Hair & Much More: A Book On Clove Oil Secrets (Natural Health Books Series) by Tina Cody
2. Scents Of Life: Use And Effect Of Essential Oils by H. M. Schemske
3. The Modern Ayurveda: Milestones Beyond the Classical Age from CRC Press
4. Ayurveda & Aromatherapy: The Earth Essential Guide to Ancient Wisdom and Modern Healing by Dr. Light Miller, Dr. Bryan Miller
5. The Fragrant Mind: Aromatherapy for Personality, Mind, Mood and Emotion by Valerie Ann Worwood

Reference Links:

1. Clove by Wikipedia
2. Health Benefits of Clove Oil by Organic Facts
3. Cloves and Clove oil by Healing Naturally by Bee
4. The Health Benefits of Cloves by The Global Healing Center
5. Traditional Uses of Clove by Natural Standard, The Authority on Integrative Medicine

Fir Needle

Latin Name: abies alba
Alternative Name: birth tree, silver fir
Forms Available: essential oil, leaf, bark, wood, seed, sap

Fir Needle oil is extracted from the needle like leaves of Silver fir tree, scientifically known as Abies Alba, also known as Birth Tree.  A Druid sacred tree, the Silver Fir grows to a height of 180 feet.  This was the original Christmas tree from central Europe, chosen for its long lasting, aromatic needles.  The bark resin is distilled to make Strassburg turpentine.  The buds and leaves are distilled to make the expectorant and antiseptic Silver Pine needle oil, which is used in cough drops and asthma inhalations, and to give pine scent to toiletries.

Buy Fir Needle Essential Oil – CLICK HERE

Aromatherapy & Health Uses: The buds and leaves are distilled to make the expectorant and antiseptic Silver Pine needle oil, which is used in cough drops and asthma inhalations.

Other Uses:  The needles are burned at childbirth to bless and protect the mother and baby.  Burn for Happiness; Harmony; Peace; Inspiration; and Wisdom.

Thought for the day:

Nature’s music is never over; her silences are pauses, not conclusions.   -Mary Webb

Suggested Reading:

1. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils: The Complete Guide to the Use of Oils in Aromatherapy & Herbalism by Julia Lawless
2. Healing Power Beyond Medicine by Carol A. Wilson
3. The Book of Herbal Wisdom: Using Plants as Medicines by Matthew Wood
4. Aromatherapy for the Soul: Healing the Spirit with Fragrance and Essential Oils by Valerie Ann Worwood
5. Genetics and breeding of the Silver Fir (Abies alba Mill.) =: Genetika i oplemenjivanje obicne jele (Abies alba Mill.) (Anali za sumarstvo) by Stefan Korpel

Reference Links:

1. Abies Alba by Wikipedia
2. Abies Balsamea by The University of Michigan
3. Composition and antibacterial activity of Abies Balsamea essential oil by Pichette A, Larouche PL, Lebrun M, Legault J. Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Canada, published in PubMed
4. Balsam Fir by herbs2000.com