Dear Subscribers,

Every day people ask something or other about essential oils. Here are some quick answers to questions.

Why Diffuse?

Urging people to diffuse is not part of my personal insanity but rather well grounded in my own desperate attempt to recover from absolutely massive mold infection. So, here is a short punch list of why I stand by this strategy:

Diffusing oil leaves very slight residues on "everything"; these residues inhibit the growth of fungi and microorganisms, often for as long as two years, perhaps longer depending on climate, ambient air, the type of oil used, etc. Obviously, if we are talking about a kitchen counter or laboratory work space, the residue will not remain as long if the counter is constantly being wiped down with soaps and other disinfectants, but the residue is protective, invisible, and in nearly all cases harmless to furniture and personal belongings. However, test the oil on something disposable to see if it causes colors to bleed. I spilled an ounce of clove oil on my carpet in my bedroom. I was coughing, got up in the night to try to clear my lungs, grabbed an unopened bottle that happened not to have a reducer. Our bottles have reducers so you get a drop but this was lacking the reducer so the entire bottle emptied onto my carpet. No stain was left but the aroma lingered and lingered and lingered. Clove is very strong which is why in the diffuser blend, I have some other oils that are less intense. Nebulizing breaks up the oil so that the molecules can reach to the lower lobes of the lungs and far up the sinuses. This is usually accomplished through use of an ultrasonic vibration but a nebulizing diffuser produces a much finer mist and more subtle aroma than is possible through heat rings, candles, and simpler electric fans that blow air over felt pads. If you are diffusing for aesthetic purposes only, such as wanting your home to smell like pine needles or cinnamon for the holidays, the felt pads work fine. You can even use a piece of paper towel or tissue. I put one drop, yes, one drop, on the filter in the HVAC system. This is often so intense that the paper has to be removed after 5-15 minutes. This type of use freshens the air but it is less therapeutic than sitting six feet away from a nebulizer. Do not run the diffuser more than 3-5 minutes at a time unless the room is unoccupied. Most germs begin their mischief by traveling through the air from an infected individual to an unsuspecting person. By diffusing, there is somewhat less chance of the germs remaining viable during their flights to infect. It also helps those who are congested to clear up the infections underlying the congestion.

Doses

People who are used to inferior oils always question my advice to use just one drop. They are always asking for larger bottles, but hardly anyone needs a larger bottle of the most therapeutic oils. Though like everyone else, I need to pay my bills, I do not want to sell more at the expense of anyone's health. So, regardless of what you think you know about oils, these are full strength, unadulterated, and strong. One drop!

New Oils

First, I need to make a tiny announcement. The oils not only have new labels and violet glass bottles, but they now have the name Bioethika on the label instead of Sacred Medicine Sanctuary. Some of you are very subtle and you are going to read a lot into this change. Go ahead and guess!

The violet glass is exquisite and will extend the shelf life of the oils. Please reuse these bottles because they are fine quality and do not belong in a recycling place. You can use the empty bottles to start making your own blends!

The first two "new" oils are not 100% new but I haven't offered them before under my own label. The first is tulsi, holy basil. To make it clear to everyone, what used to be called Basil is now Sweet Basil and what was Indian Basil is now Tulsi. Both are excellent insecticides and do we ever need these because genetically modified mosquitoes have been released in the Cayman Islands. Please be very careful. I know, it's winter here and very cold, but some subscribers are in Hawaii or south of the Equator where it is summer.

I actually got the labels on the Tulsi over Diwali so there was a sort of ritual to introducing the new line. Tulsi is generally used to clear the mind or prepare a space for religious observances; but it is potentially irritating to the skin so if used externally, it needs to be used sparingly in a carrier. Once significantly diluted, it can be applied directly on the skin to clear infections, including acne. This oil is very inexpensive so you can consider using it for do-it-yourself projects like candles to repel insects.

The other addition to the catalogue is Ravintsara. It requires considerably more introduction because of confusion over two similar sounding oils that are actually different. Ravensara and Ravintsara are both from Madagascar, but Ravintsara is a type of camphor that was not indigenous to the island but rather introduced in the 19th century. It no longer yields camphor but rather cineole and therefore smells more like eucalyptus than Asian camphor. It is a perfect oil for winter diffusing because it relieves upper respiratory congestion and infection. It is absolutely nontoxic and safe for use around children, i.e., think about where you might be able to use it, even if after hours! More remarkably, ravintsara is not irritating to the skin, but it is nevertheless a superb disinfectant.

Ravintsara is a strong antiviral and nervine. If you already have some of this oil and are not sure if it is labeled correctly, sniff it. If it smells more like licorice or anise, it is ravensara; if it smells more like eucalyptus with a hint of camphor, it is ravintsara.

Ravintsara diffuses superbly and blends well with eucalyptus and citrus oils. Many also like to combine it with spices.

Many blessings,

Ingrid
http://www.sacred-medicine.org/aromatherapy/essentialoils_5ml.php

Copyright by Ingrid Naiman 2010

Design by Damien Francoeur