When you think of summer, it brings memories of lazy days, hot nights and vibrant colors everywhere.  Take those wonderful smells and memories with you wherever you go.  These essential oils are fresh, energizing and vibrant.  Best part?  They’re healing.

• Chamomile – floral; inflamed skin, insect bites, relaxing
• Grapefruit – crisp; fresh, energizing
• Lavender – floral; insect bites, insect repellant, skin irritations, sunburn
• Lemon Eucalyptus – eye opening; allergies, coughs
• Lemongrass – sweet lemons; insect repellent, stress reliever
• Lime – citrus; colds
• Mandarin Orange – sweet citrus; helps with insomnia, children allergies
• Sweet Orange – citrus; colds, dull skin

Using these oils

Using citrus essential oils in the summer is safe in most applications.  However, you do want to take care not to apply citrus essential oils to your skin and then run out into the sun.  Most citrus essential oils are phototoxic and become hazardous.  As always, you never want to apply any essential oil directly to the skin.  It should first be diluted in a seed oil, bath or spritz.

WAYS TO USE THESE OILS

Diffusers – use a few drops alone or in combination with your diffuser or aromalamp.  It will create a wonderful and fragrant atmosphere.

Baths – add 10 drops of essential oil to your bath water for a relaxing or rejuvenating way to unwind.

Tissue – add 2 drops of essential oil to a tissue to inhale throughout the day.

Body oil – add 10 drops of essential oil to 4 oz. of jojoba or grape seed oil for a light body oil.  This is also a great way to make an insect repellent body oil.

Photo by D Sharon Pruitt

Related posts:

1. Lavender Essential Oil
2. Cinnamon Essential Oil
3. Ginger Essential Oil

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Spicy and warm, cinnamon has been known to bring peace into your life.  Cultivated in Brazil, Jamaica, and Martinique, the tree that house the cinnamon plant can grow as high as 50 feet.  Oil is distilled from the bark and leaves of the tree and plant.

This oil has been used in ancient time in the mummification process and is found through the Old Testament.  Cinnamon is often used as a flavoring component in candies, toothpaste, cough syrup and other products you may use on a daily bases.

Medicinal Uses:

Cinnamon should not be used during pregnancy or if your have a stomach ulcer.

Cinnamon oil can be used during childbirth to stimulate contractions, for toothache and gum relief, and coughs.

Uses in the home:

It is said that if you sprinkle fresh cinnamon in all the corners of your home, it will spread peace throughout.  Another way is to diffuse cinnamon essential oil in your home or add cinnamon essential oil or cinnamon sticks to a pot of boiled water.  At this time of year, it will warm the heart and home.

Related posts:

1. Lavender Essential Oil
2. Summertime Essential Oils
3. Ginger Essential Oil

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Ginger Zingiber officinale is a large tuberous perennial plant native to southern Asia, now cultivated extensively in almost all tropical and subtropical countries, especially China, India, Nigeria, Australia, Jamaica, and Haiti (Bruneton, 1995; Budavari, 1996; Grieve, 1979; Leung and Foster, 1996; Reineccius, 1994). China and India are the world’s leading producers of ginger. The material of commerce is supplied in “completely scraped” (peeled), “partially scraped,” or “unpeeled” rhizomes. Peeled rhizomes (“white” ginger) are produced in Jamaica, while unpeeled rhizomes (“black” ginger) are mainly from China and Sierra Leone. Partially scraped rhizomes come from India, Bengal, Nigeria, Australia, and Japan (BHP, 1996; Felter and Lloyd, 1983; Reineccius, 1994; Wichtl and Bisset, 1994). Ginger became naturalized in the Caribbean and Central America early in the sixteenth century when Spaniards brought it from the East Indies and began to cultivate it on a large scale for export to Europe (Grieve, 1979).

Ginger has been used as a medicine since ancient times, recorded in early Sanskrit and Chinese texts and ancient Greek, Roman, and Arabic medical literature (Bone, 1997). In Asian medical practices, dried ginger has been used as a drug to treat stomachache, diarrhea, and nausea for thousands of years. It is traditionally prepared in aqueous decoctions and infusions (Bruneton, 1995; But et al., 1997; Kapoor, 1990; Leung and Foster, 1996). In Africa, dried ginger is used much as it is in Asia (GHP, 1992; Iwu, 1990). Today, ginger is official in the national pharmacopeias of Austria, China, Egypt, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, and Switzerland (BP, 1988; Bradley, 1992; DAB, 1997; JP XII, 1993; Newall et al., 1996; ÖAB, 1981; Ph.Helv.VII, 1987; Tu, 1992). The Chinese pharmacopeia lists ginger for epigastric pain with cold feeling, vomiting and diarrhea accompanied by cold extremities and faint pulse, dyspnea, and cough with copious frothy expectoration (Tu, 1992). The Ayurvedic Pharmacopoeia specifically recommends ginger for flatulent intestinal colic (Karnick, 1994).

Medicinal Properties:

· Anti-inflammatory

· Antibacterial

· Antiseptic

· Aphrodisiac

Personal Uses: (external use only!)

· Improve memory

· Helps with nervous exhaustion

· Great for swelling, muscular aches & sprains

· Soothes sore throat

Uses in the home:

· Use a piece of ginger root (the actually root of the plant) in a cup of hot water with honey help soothe your sore throat.

· To add a hint of spice to your bath, add a few drops of ginger essential oil to your bath.

Related posts:

1. Cinnamon Essential Oil

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Lavender Essential Oil, affectionately known as the “swiss army knife of essential oils”, has many different uses and characterizes.  Scientist are still discovering different medicinal uses and properties of this great soothing oil.  Lavender Oil has a sweet, floral aroma.  It is naturally anti bacterial, antiseptic, antidepressant, sedative and insectide.  Promotes healing process by stimulating the cells of a wound to regenerate more quickly and prevents scaring.

Personal Uses:

• Acne
• Burns
• headache
• Sinus congestion
• Stress
• wounds

Uses in the home:

• Deodorizer
• Air freshener & disinfectant
• Insect repellent

Kills 4.5% typhoid & 5% diphtheria bacteria

Related posts:

1. Summertime Essential Oils
2. Cinnamon Essential Oil

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