History of Aromatherapy

Just found this really interesting page about the history of aromatherapy. Although the term ArolmaTherapy was only coined in the 20th century, the practice of using fragrances goes back at least to ancient Egypt, and perhaps as far back as ancient China.

Hope you enjoy it: http://www.aromaweb.com/articles/history.asp

How to use up old essential oils

There are times when we all get a bit over-enthusiastic about something new. I remember many years ago when I subscribed to an aromatherapy publication that offered a free bottle of (low quality, diluted) essential oil with every issue. I ended up with dozens of bottles of the stuff, many with fragrances I didn't like and purposes I had no need for.

Many of them, of course, ended up being binned (though now I look back, it would probably have been better to have at least recycled the bottles, which were good quality brown glass).

I've also bought individual bottles of essential oil - this time the real 100% pure essential oil that you need if you're serious about aromaTherapy - not used them up before they were past their best, and then not really known what to do with them.

Now I know.

The more pleasant smelling ones can just be used as an ambient fragrance in an oil diffuser (this much I worked out for myself). Though they may not have much in the way of therapeutic value, they can raise your mood just by making the place smell nice. But some oils don't smell nice enough to be used in this way, unless you LIKE your home to smell like a hospital or a church.

When I was researching some detail for my article on the uses of tea tree oil recently, I came across a mention of a treatment to remove that musty smell you sometimes get on fabrics that have been stored in a damp place: Add 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil (old oil is fine) to 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Use to spray the smelly item, and leave it to air for 2-3 days. When you come back, you should find the smell is gone for good - at least unless you put it back in the same damp cupboard.

You can use a similar mixture as a general disinfectant, only this time use 25 ml of tea tree oil to each 2 cups of water. This is approximately a 5% dilution, and is strong enough to tackle even MRSA! Lavender aromatherapy oil can also be used in a similar way, though I've seen no research on its effectiveness with this particular bug.

If you're interested in other home made cleaners, you might find this article interesting: Avoid Toxic Household Cleaners by Making Your Own for Pennies

Aromatherapy Product Recall

In case this hasn't reached you yet, there is an active product recall for the following item, which is apparently sold as a toy: JAKKS Pacific(r) Spa Factory(tm) Spa Fantasy Aromatherapy Fountain & Bath Benefits Kits which were sold at Sam’s Club, Walmart, Target and other stores nationwide from August 2008 for between $13 and $50 and still available in some stores.

The kits have jars that may explode due to buildup of pressure. Full details here: http://brusimm.com/2010/10/16/consumer-alert-product-recall-of-childrens-toy-...

Personally, I think that selling a kit targeted at children is a bad idea in any case, but if this is done, it should at least be safe. This just underlines my opinion that aromatherapy should be used with care.

Look after your health and Say No to GMO

This is just such a great rap about the dangers of genetically modified food that I had to share it with you:

What to do now:

1. Pass this video on to your friends on Twitter, Facebook, Buzz, whatever and ask them to pass it on to their friends, and their friends...
2. Read labels whenever you buy food to check it's safe for you and your family

Watercress - the amazing new anti-cancer "drug"

I have to admit that watercress has never been a favorite of mine. I blame it on my childhood. My dad was a chef, and watercress only ever appeared as a garnish on the side of the plate. You weren't supposed to eat it, and the only time I tried, I wasn't at all impressed.

But it turns out I should have left the creamy sauces on the plate and munched on the garnish instead - according to an article published today. Apparently watercress has the amazing ability to "turn off" breast cancer - most likely it will work for other cancers as well, but the study was only focused on cancer of the breast.

Coincidentally, I recently did a post on my herb site about watercress, including some useful information you need to know before using it medicinally. For example, did you know that there are 3 types of watercress, and only one of them is worth eating from a health point of view? Shops might sell another kind, a hybrid plant (grows fast, which makes it cheap, but doesn't have the same constituents that make it do the job). To be sure of getting the type that will help fight cancer, you really need to grow your own - which isn't hard. See my article Watercress health benefits.

Natural anti-aging

I know lots of us are interested in fighting aging - who wants to get old, right? And today I've been reading a couple of articles about natural ways to achieve this - one from China and one from chiropractic care.

The first one is Chinese mushroom found to have powerful anti-aging benefits and the chiropractic article is Reverse Aging with Chiropractic Care

Juniper and Rose essential oils are often used to treat mature skin, and Neroli essential oil for broken veins, but the information in these articles seems to be on a whole other level.

Use aromatherapy from head to toe

Most people are familiar with the use of aromatherapy oils for hair treatments. But it's true to say that aromatherapy can be used from head to toe - and an article I came across about aromatherapy for the feet illustrates that perfectly.

Please bear in mind that although it's one of the safer treatments you should also take into account the points in my guide to aromatherapy safety

Having said that, here's the link to the article: caring for your feet is essential

Aromatherapy books

I'm always on the lookout for new aromatherapy books - well, not necessarily new, but new to me at least.

Having said that, it's easy enough for some clown to pull together a load of uninformed nonsense, add a few images and release it as a new guide to aromatherapy. I don't want to waste my hard-earned cash on trash.

So I was pleased to find a page on Healthy Pages where members have contributed their suggestions for the best aromatherapy books on the market. You can't get much better in this area than a recommendation by an aromatherapist, after all.

If you'd like to check it out, you'll find it here.

If you're in New York in November...

Take the opportunity to book The Art of Aromatherapy, more details: