Pink Pepper: It's not just for fajitas

Pink Pepper (Shinus molle):

As we enter the season of grilling here in the U.S., it seems appropriate that I introduce you to an essential oil that might be more associated with seasoning BBQ. This is an oil that I’ve just recently been introduced to, and I wasn’t sure if I was a fan of it at first. After spending a little bit of time with it, it’s started to grow on me.

My initial impression of Pink Pepper was of melons that have been sprinkled with spices and pepper. The first notes I pick up are fruity, floral, and somewhat green, and then they’re followed up with a kick of whole, fresh, peppercorns. Light and relaxed at first, Pink Pepper reminds you she has a strong backbone and isn’t to be taken for granted. I think this oil would work well in a blend as either a top or middle note.

Pink Pepper essential oil comes from the pink peppercorn tree. The oil is steam distilled from the fruit of the tree. Historically Pink Pepper was used by the Incas for medicinal purposes.

                         


When used internally, Pink Pepper could be helpful for the digestive, respiratory, and immune systems.* Energetically and emotionally, it is both relaxing and uplifting. Two of it’s main chemical components, Limonene and a-Phellandrene, could be calming for the nervous system.

Of course when most of us think of pepper, we think of cooking, and Pink Pepper is an oil that can be very handy in the kitchen or on the grill. It’s especially good on grilled veggies. Here’s a recipe I shared a little while back on Instagram.

                          

Some other ways to use Pink Pepper are to add a few drops to a diffuser, or add one to two drops to a lotion or massage oil.**

I think Pink Pepper would blend well with Lavender, Rosemary, and Cedarwood.

*Use caution when taking essential oils internally. Always consult with a certified aromatherapist before using essential oils internally.

**May cause skin sensitivity. Test a small amount on a small area of skin before using. Do not use topically on children under the age of five, and if you are pregnant or nursing.

Sources: doTerra.com

Frankincense - When in doubt, get your frankincense out.

Frankincense (Boswellia carterii): When in doubt, get your frankincense out.



Frankincense is one of those oils that, if you’re going to have any oil on hand, it’s the one you want (and probably Lavender, but we’ll leave that for another discussion.) doTerra’s Dr. Hill has a saying, “When in doubt, get your Frankincense out.” It’s definitely one I often reach for. Frankincense has a wonderful grounding and calming effect on our emotions. It’s great to use for meditation or yoga, or anytime you want to soothe an overactive mind. It’s scent is woodsy, earthy, a bit spicy, with a touch of citrus and herb.


Frankincense is often known as the “king of oils”, both for its wide range of uses and it’s association as a gift for the baby Jesus. Emotions & Essential Oils, 2017 Sixth Edition, refers to Frankincense as “The Oil of Truth”. It helps the individual let go of lower vibrations and deceptions, as well as feelings of abandonment, spiritual darkness, and feeling unprotected or disconnected. It can help with focus, and to shut out distractions.



                           




                                      


Historically Frankincense has been used in religious ceremonies. The Egyptians used it in perfume and skin healing salves. Besides being excellent at soothing the nervous system, Frankincense is a wonderful skin healer. It helps to protect the skin and reduce inflammation and is a great anti-ageing helper. I add it to my facial oil and use it daily!


Frankincense essential oil is steam distilled from the resin or gum. The tree is from the Burseraceae family. These trees/shrubs grow in the middle east, mostly Somalia, and Frankincense can be difficult and costly to make. A bottle of therapeutic grade Frankincense essential oil may be pricey, but it is worth every bit.


Sources:
Emotions & Essential Oils: 2017 Sixth Edition
Modern Essentials: Sixth Edition
doTerra.com
Aromahead Institute

Banish Brain Fog and Get Focused in the New Year

Brain Fog. Is this a familiar term to you? When you read those words, do they resonate with you? Maybe you’re more familiar with Brain Fog’s brother, Mental Fatigue. Yeah that’s one that I can relate to!

There are many things that can contribute to us having a feeling of brain fog, mental fatigue, lack of concentration, poor memory, etc. Stress, being physically tired, having a lot on our mind, sickness, grief, and more. If this feeling persists for a long period of time, we definitely want to consult our healthcare practitioner. For support with treatment and for more temporary situations, aromatherapy can help.

Here are some essential oils that can help with brain fog, and support better mental focus:

Ravintsara: Brings circulation to the head and can clear up “stagnant energy”, helping you to better focus. Ravintsara has a fresh, clean, eucalyptus-like scent.

Rosemary: Stimulates the memory and opens consciousness. Has an herbal, woodsy, and camphorous aroma.

Peppermint: Fresh, sweet, and minty, peppermint is purifying and stimulating to the mind. It can aid with memory and mental performance.

Frankincense: Can help minimize distractions and improve concentration. It can help ease impatience, irritability, hyperactivity, and restlessness. Overall it is a very grounding, calming oil. I find it’s very helpful for meditation. It’s scent is very rich and deep, and incense-like.

Lavender: The one oil everyone should always have on hand. Lavender helps our mental capacity by promoting consciousness and creativity. It’s scent is herbaceous, woody, and floral.

Sandalwood: This oil can help us mentally by calming and harmonizing our emotions, and balancing our “monkey mind”. It is also a good oil to use for meditation. It has a soft, earthy, balsamic, woodsy aroma.

Laurel Leaf: Uplifts the mind and increases concentration. Removes stuck emotional energy and boosts confidence. It’s scent is fresh, sweet, and spicy-herbal.

So, now that you have a great list of oils to help you dispel brain fatigue and increase focus, how can you best use them? A quick whiff from the bottle could do the trick, but here is a blend recipe from the Aromahead Institute, which you could use in a diffuser or an inhaler. An inhaler is a great option if you are at work or another public place and can’t use a diffuser.*


                                    


Brain Fog Relief Blend
2 drops Ravintsara (Cinnamomum camphora 1,8 cineole)
2 drops Black Spruce (Picea mariana)
1 drop Peppermint (Mentha × piperita)

You can also ask for a brain fog banishing blend during your Essential Wellness Aromatherapy Massage, or, in an Aromatherapy Consultation I can custom make a blend for you that meets your unique needs.

*When purchasing oils, make sure to always buy Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils. Non-CPTG oils may be synthetic or diluted with “filler oils”. These oils don’t have the same wellness benefits and may even be harmful to your health.

A Magic Elixir that can help reduce stress and calm an upset stomach.

A Magic Elixir that can help reduce stress and calm an upset stomach

Do I have your attention with that headline? Wondering what this amazing concoction could be? Well, I have recently become enamored with chamomile tea. If you don't already know about the wonderful benefits of chamomile, then here are some examples:
1. Reduces stress: chamomile tea increases serotonin and melatonin in the body, two hormones that work to alleviate feelings of stress. 
2. Can help with better sleep: Makes sense that if chamomile tea helps reduce stress, it's going to help with more restful sleep as well. 
3. Helps you have more beautiful, healthy skin: Now that really is a magic elixir! Chamomile has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that can benefit your skin. You can actually use it in a bath to help relieve itchiness and dryness or apply directly to skin.
4. Can help with digestive issues: this is most likely related to its anti-inflammatory properties. Chamomile can help soothe diarrhea, gas, bloating, irritable bowel syndrome, and abdominal cramps.
5. Helps immune system: anti-bacterial chamomile can help you fight colds and its soothing properties are good for sore throats.
Here are two types of chamomile tea I really like:


You could add a drop of ginger*, lavender*, or lemon* essential oil to this tea. Ginger will give you even more digestive assistance, lavender is calming for the mind, and lemon is a great help if you're fighting a sore throat. Or, I'm also a fan of this one: 



A few safety precautions - if you're allergic to plants in the daisy family, you'll want to pass chamomile up as you'll be allergic to it too. Also, chamomile can sometimes be a blood thinner, so consult your doctor if it's safe for you to use, especially before a surgery. 

*Make sure when using essential oils, especially internally, that you always use Certified Therapeutic Grade essential oils (CTPG). Non-CTPG oils may not be safe to take internally. 

A warm and cozy home for the holidays.

My Favorite Holiday Diffuser Recipes



                                


Create a warm and inviting atmosphere in your home this holiday season. It’s easy to do with aromatherapy. Essential oil diffusers are safer than candles, plus, therapeutic grade essential oils are non-toxic and have health and mood boosting qualities as well!

Here are some of my favorite holiday diffuser recipes that I wanted to share with you.

Sweater Weather 

                                        

2 drops Cinnamon 

2 drops Wild Orange 

2 drops Frankincense 

Merry and Bright 

                                    

2 drops Lavender 

3 drops Rosemary 

2 drops Eucalyptus 

3 drops Peppermint 

Fallen Snow 

3 drops Siberian Fir 

2 drops Cardamom 

2 drops Clove 

                                                  

Cinnamon Buns (calorie free!) 

                                     

4 drops Wild Orange 

3 drops Cinnamon 

3 drops Cardamom 

In addition, you can purchase pre-made blends. Two of my favorites are Holiday Peace and Holiday Joy by doTerra. These blends, diffusers, and any individual oils you want to make the recipes above can be found in my shop.

Massage Can Help You Look Your Best

So, I don’t know about you, but whenever I get a massage I always end up with that crease from the face cradle cover etched into my face for the rest of the day. Usually one or both of my eyelashes are stuck together, too. I’m sure it looks weird, I’ve caught people staring. I don’t care though. I like to think of it as my “look of bliss”. LOL. Now, when I say that massage can make you better looking, I’m not talking about THAT. I’m talking about the glow of your skin, the sparkle in your eye, the bounce in your step that you get when you are feeling no more STRESS. And regular massage therapy can help relieve your STRESS. 

Michelle Ebbin, massage therapy expert and author of The Touch Remedy, believes that holistic practices like massage therapy can play a greater role in helping people keep their mental health in check, like dealing with stress and anxiety. 

“Massage has been scientifically proven to lower the stress hormone cortisol while increasing the release of feel-good hormones (endorphins) in the body,” says Ebbin, a former massage therapist who frequently appears on national TV to discuss the wellness benefits of massage. I definitely want more of those feel-good endorphins in my life! 

Stress is something we definitely feel in our minds, our bodies, and our spirits. We can FEEL strain on our ability to focus, we FEEL the tension build up in our necks and shoulders, and if we experience consistent levels of stress over time, it even takes a toll on the way we might LOOK. 

Ugh. 

As if you don’t have enough to be worried about, now you’re not even looking your best, and that can become stressful too! 

My friend and health coach Brooke Carter, at Life Inspired Health, shared with me these many ways that stress negatively impacts our bodies:

• Weight gain (especially in the belly area). This is caused by increased levels of cortisol, a hormone our body pumps out when we’re stressed. Cortisol also contributes to our inability to lose weight (ability to burn calories is diminished), gain muscle, and premature ageing. Ugh. 
• Decreased digestive enzyme production causes us to have decreased nutrient absorption, as well as decreased blood flow to our digestive system, causing problems with proper digestion. Stress also increases nutrient excretion, so not only are we not absorbing all the nutrients we need, we’re also eliminating a lot of them from our body. Stress can also decrease our gastric emptying time, which can lead to constipation and can be a risk factor in diseases of the colon. 
• More digestive issues caused by stress: we get a decrease in healthy gut flora populations. Stress destroys healthy intestinal bacteria, which can cause immune issues, skin disorders, and digestive stress. 
• Increase in sodium and fluid retention, making us “puffy”. Ugh. Also this can cause high blood pressure. 
• Decrease in thyroid hormone, which decreases our body’s metabolic activity and lead to other thyroid issues like fatigue. 
• Stress raises LDL cholesterol levels which is bad for our heart.
• Stress raises blood platelet aggregation, which is a major risk factor in heart disease. 
• Stress decreases our sex hormones which can lower our sex drive, energy, and decreases our muscle mass. More fatigue! 
• Stress increases inflammation. This is huge, as excess inflammation in the body can lead to many health issues like auto-immune disease, brain issues, and heart disease. 

Ugh! I’m reading through these and I can relate to more than one. So THAT’S why I can’t get rid of my stubborn belly fat! I need more massages!

If you need help with stress management in your life, massage is an excellent tool. Not only will massage help decrease your levels of stress, but even just a relaxing Swedish style massage will help to regulate and balance your body’s systems. Your body is craving balance. 

During a massage you’ll notice your breathing become slower, deeper, and more regular. This supports a healthy respiratory system, and giving your body the oxygen it needs promotes a healthy brain, blood flow (circulatory system), and digestive system. The digestive system is usually stimulated and nourished. Many of my clients experience their stomach’s “talking” during a massage! This is totally normal, and a sign that the digestive system is balancing itself. Massage helps to stimulate the lymphatic system which controls the flow of lymph through the body. This is very helpful if you suffer from allergies, are fighting a cold, or you’re retaining fluids. A lymphatic massage is more specific for issues with the lymphatic system, but even a regular relaxing Swedish massage can help a lot as well. Add in some supportive aromatherapy to a massage and you’ve got a winning combination. 

These are just some of the ways that massage can help to combat the negative effects of stress on our bodies, minds, and lives. If you’re suffering from a health issue that you think stress may have contributed to, or stress is adding a challenge to your ability to heal from something, then you may want to consider massage as part of your healing arsenal. When you start feeling amazing, you start LOOKING amazing! We all want to look and feel our best. If you can relate to the information I’ve shared here, feel free to reach out with questions about how massage can help you. I’d love to assist you on your healing journey! 

A Conversation with Dill. Wait, what? There's a dill essential oil?

                           



If you’re like me, when you think of dill, you think of pickles. And dill pickle juice. And maybe cocktails. Huh? Okay so I know of at least one bar here in Austin that uses dill pickle juice in a cocktail. (Isenhauer’s on Rainey Street uses it in a drink called The Jenna, which coincidentally is close to my name, and I love dill pickle juice. Such harmony!) Using dill pickle juice in cocktails might be a southern thing. I never encountered it until I moved to Texas but I’m all for it.

But I digress, I was going to talk about Dill essential oil. Wait, what? Yes, there is a dill essential oil! Sounds like an odd thing. Aren’t essential oils supposed to be heavenly, relaxing, spa-like scents? Well, not exactly. You can make essential oil from a lot of different plants, and they don’t all smell like a spa. Spikenard for example is a hugely beneficial essential oil, but it smells kind of like dirt. Dill essential oil? Well, it smells like dill.


                                   


So why would you want to use Dill essential oil, and how would you use it? I’m so glad you asked.

Dill essential oil is actually very supportive for your digestive and cardiovascular systems and can help calm the autonomic nervous system. Energetically, Dill is the “oil of Learning”. That’s right, teachers take note, Dill can actually help us learn better by helping us focus, increase alertness, and engage in a classroom setting. Dill essential oil supports the left and right brain in working together harmoniously. *


Here is a diffuser recipe using Dill that you can use in a classroom or near you while studying.


I drop Lemon

2 drops Roman Chamomile

2 drops Dill

2 drops Rosemary

1 drop Frankincense


Rosemary is also a good brain boosting essential oil, and Lemon is uplifting and energizing. Roman Chamomile and Frankincense are calming and grounding. Dill blends well with most citrus oils.

Of course, dill is usually thought of as a culinary seasoning. You can add dill essential oil to any dish that you want to give a dill flavor to. Use very sparingly as the oil is going to be much stronger than the herb. I would add just one drop then taste it to see how you like it before going any further. Also, always make sure you use a dill essential oil that is certified therapeutic grade and food grade. Not all brands of oils are safe to ingest.

  
                                       




*ENLIGHTEN ALTERNATIVE HEALING, LLC, 2017, Emotions & Essential Oils A Reference Guide for Emotional Healing Sixth Edition, Salt Lake City, UT, Enlighten Alternative Healing, LLC