Home Holistics visiting therapists are experts in a wide range of complementary treatments. Here we share some of our knowledge about plant remedies. We hope you find it inspiring!

Aromatherapy - Plant Remedies: Page 1

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Nature's medicine

We often think of aromatherapy as a nice, scented luxury.
It certainly can be, but there is far more to it than that.

From the earliest times, people have noticed that certain plants have healing properties – many modern medicines are made with plant extracts and, as we mentioned before, French doctors prescribe aromatic essences for internal use.

Did you know that aromatherapy ‘oils’ are pure, concentrated plant extracts?

We never use an essence neat as they’re very strong (the only possible exceptions to that rule are lavender and tea tree).

Ancient remedies

One of the oldest documented plant remedies is myrrh: the resin of a tree that grows in North Africa. Ancient Greek and Roman soldiers used to carry it with them into battle as a treatment for cuts.

Frankincense, another tree extract of the same family, has a warm, spicy smell and treats ulcers and nosebleeds.

Tradition has it that the 3 kings brought Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh because Jesus would be poor, he would be wounded and would bleed. Frankincense and myrrh were popular remedies at the time - and the gold was only a small amount - so their gifts were symbolic tokens of help.

Sometimes a plant’s Latin name tells us about its medicinal properties – none more so than sage, whose Latin name is “salvia” meaning health: another time-honoured remedy.

Using the oils:

For applying to the skin, we dilute the essence with a pure vegetable oil such as almond, or with aloe vera gel or a vegetable based cream.

When adding essences to your bath, a very good mixer is milk – it disperses the essence through the water, while oil tends to float on top and stick to the sides of the bath!

Choosing your products:

Good quality aromatherapy oils have the Latin name on the label alongside the English one.

Buy pure essential oil if you can afford it. They vary in price, according to how rare they are or how difficult to extract: from about £3 to £40 for 10ml.

If you're on a budget - beware! Oils called ‘fragrance’ or ‘perfume’ are not the real thing. A good way to test before you invest is to buy pure essences diluted in oil: just remember you’ll need to use a lot more to get the benefits!

Read the label - diluted oils are usually 10% strength, so you'll need about 10 times the number of recommended drops in your mixture.

Mixing the essence :

Because the essences are so strong, we dilute them in a suitable mixer.

The mixer is called a carrier.

For a whole-body or large area treatment

As a general rule, you want 10 drops of pure essence in 20ml of carrier.

For a localised treatment

10 drops in 10ml of carrier (for a cut, say).

Children & pregnant* women

Halve the amount of essence.

Choose your carrier according to its use:

Vegetable oil for a massage and a gel or cream for skin treatment.

Aloe vera gel makes a lovely skin remedy, and it costs very little.
If you have an aloe vera cactus, try squeezing fresh gel out of the leaves!

Making Antiseptics :

Make an antiseptic gel with 5ml of aloe vera plus 3 drops of tea tree and 2 drops of myrrh. Hospitals have found that tea tree is more effective against MRSA than chemical antiseptics.

For a sore throat, try 5ml of milk or glycerine with 2 drops of Dalmatian sage to gargle (don’t swallow).
The antiseptic sage is Dalmatian, not clary sage.
If you don't mind the horrible taste, add a drop of myrrh for extra efficiency.

Fatigue; Insomnia; Depression:

The number one remedy for depression is bergamot, a refreshing oil that comes from the Italian bitter orange.

Clary sage also has some anti-depressant properties.

Basil and orange in a diffuser or oil burner in your study/office helps to relieve mental fatigue & improve concentration.

Insomniacs should try 2 drops of melissa (lemon balm) with 3 drops neroli and 5 of lavender in 20ml of base oil as a chest and forehead massage.

More knowledge :

Just like a perfumier, an aromatherapist blends high notes with mid-notes and base notes. High notes are the ones that give the first ‘hit’, while the base note is the element that lingers, capturing some of the lighter essences before they evaporate. It’s an art and a science all in one.

We are building an extensive knowledgebase here on homeholistics.com, so please check back often - or, if you use newsfeeds, subscribe:

Recommended book

Sarah recommends Ann Percival’s “Aromatherapy - a nurse's guide ” book, £2.99 from Amazon.

* In pregnancy:

Some essences are considered unsafe during pregnancy so please consult a qualified aromatherapist.

Stretch marks

A weak solution (see previous guidelines) of mandarin in a wheatgerm oil base is effective for stretch marks if used regularly.