Tag Archives: Roman chamomile

Using Essential Oils To Relieve Stress

Using Essential Oils To Relieve Stress

Essential oils are an easy and pleasant way to help you cope with the symptoms of stress.

What Is Stress?
Stress is a state of mind, usually accompanied by physical and emotional symptoms. We all experience stress at some time in our lives. As we are all unique, what acts as a stressor to one person, may not cause any reaction in another.

work-stress-3

Stress can be caused by work pressures, boredom, family issues, finances, school or university exams, the death of a loved one or something as simple as being caught in a traffic jam. Stress can lower your resistance and increase your susceptibility to illness, especially if it is allowed to continue for long periods of time. Stress can cause muscular pain, especially in the neck, back and shoulders, high blood pressure, chronic headaches, weight loss, anxiety, insomnia, lethargy, shallow breathing, loss of appetite, difficulty concentrating, loss of your sense of humour and mood swings.

symptoms of work stress

To avoid the many health issues associated with stress, it’s important to take appropriate action on a regular basis, to release stress physically and emotionally.

Using Essential Oils To Treat Stress
Essential oils are a safe and effective treatment to help you cope with stress. They help boost your mood, energise you and can help ease muscle tension and pain.

relaxing aroma massageMassaging with essential oils is one of the best ways to calm the mind and release muscular aches and pains. A monthly aromatherapy massage works wonders in keeping your stress under control.

If you suffer from headaches and don’t have time for a professional massage, self-massaging with essential oils, especially to the neck, shoulders and the scalp can be very helpful . Add 1 drop of essential oil to 2 mls of vegetable oil or 5 drops of essential oil to 10mls of vegetable oil.

Woman Lying in a Bathtub6-8 drops of essential oil can be used in a warm bath to help ease tired muscles and calm the mind. Run the bath, add the oils and swish the oils in the water. The oils will sit on top of the water. If you want to disperse the oils through the water, place the drops of essential oils in a cup of full cream milk and add to your bathwater.

Alternatively, after showering place 4-6 drops of essential oil on a face cloth or sponge and rub the cloth briskly over your body.

Allow your feet to soak in a foot spa to which 4-5 drops of essential oil have been added. Following up with a foot massage will help relieve your aching feet, as well as your stress.

diffuserPlacing 4-6 drops of essential oil into a diffuser can help calm or liven up your mood. Using essential oils such as lemon and orange can also help increase your appetite if stress has caused a loss of appetite.

Calm Breeze InhalerYou can place your favourite essential oil on a tissue to smell when needed or place 4 drops of your favourite essential oil on a cotton ball, insert in a small bottle with a tight fitting lid and open the bottle and inhale the fragrance, as and when you need. another option is to use a personal inhaler

Finally, you can wear your essential oil blend as a perfume. To create this blend, just follow the same steps as described above for massage.

Essential Oils to Relieve Stress
Although there are many oils that can be used to help with stress, the following oils are readily available and relatively inexpensive.

Chamomile Roman (Anthemis nobilis)
Chronic tension, insomnia, muscular aches and pains, headaches and nervous indigestion. She is also useful for calming irritable children and colicky infants. (Can be bought in a 3-5% blend in jojoba.)

Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus globulus)
To ease muscular aches and pains, helps to calm the mind and restore a positive outlook and vitality.

Frankincense (Boswellia carteri)
To help with anxiety, slows down breathing, calming and centring the mind.

Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)
For lethargy, chronic anxiety, eases frustration and irritability, nervous exhaustion due overwork and stress.

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia or Lavandula officinalis)
Lavender is one of the most useful oils for stress. She calms and soothes the nerves, relieves tension both muscular and emotional. She helps with stress headaches and insomnia. Lavender is considered an aromatic rescue remedy helping to relax the body and mind and is useful for panic and anxiety attacks.

Orange Sweet (Citrus sinensis)
Poor appetite, nauseous headaches, tension, insomnia, eases frustration, moodiness and irritability.

Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii)
Insomnia, anxiety, nervous exhaustion, calming and uplifting, poor appetite.

Peppermint (Mentha piperita)
Enhances concentration and study, apathy, mental and physical fatigue, uplifts the spirit.

Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Poor concentration, anxiety, muscular stiffness and pain, can help bolster self-confidence and calm an overactive nervous system

Some Blends To Get You Started
Here are some blends to get you started. Enjoy making your own combinations using your favourite essential oils.

Anxiety
Lavender 2 drops, palmarosa 2 drops, geranium 1 drop in 10mls vegetable oil for massage or in a diffuser to vaporise.

Sore, stiff or tight muscles
Eucalyptus 3 drops, lavender 2 drops, rosemary 1 drop in 10mls vegetable oil for massage.

Tension headache
Lavender 2 drops, geranium 2 drops, sweet orange 1 drop in 10mls vegetable oil for massage. Massage neck, shoulders and temples with the blend. You can then massage the scalp without the blend if you wish.

Nausea
Peppermint 2 drops, sweet orange 2 drops in 10mls vegetable oil massaged into the stomach area.

Exhaustion
Peppermint 2 drops, eucalyptus 2 drops, rosemary 2 drops in a diffuser.

I am available to do aromatherapy massages on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays in Padstow. Phone or email for an appointment.

Roman Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis / Chamaemelum nobile)

Roman chamomile

I have written about German Chamomile previously.  Roman Chamomile is considered a safe oil to use on children and excellent for emotional issues.

Family: Asteraceae, Compositae

Synonyms: English chamomile, garden chamomile, true chamomile

Aroma: Sweet, hay-like, herbaceous scent with a hint of apples.

Colour: Pale yellow.

Roman chamomilePlant: Bushy feathery leaves on a 25cm long stem containing a single flower. The flowers are larger than those of German chamomile.

Main Growing Areas: Italy, France, England, USA.

Major Constituents: a-pinene, camphene, sabinene, methallyl angelate.

Interesting snippets: Roman chamomile has a long history as a healing herb. It has been used by the Greeks, Romans and Moors.
In Tudor England it was known as the ‘plant’s physician’ as it was believed to encourage the good health of nearby plants.

Part of Plant used / Extraction: Flower heads / steam distillation. 5kg of fresh flowers yields approximately 1kg of dried flowers. This yields about 1% oil when distilled.
Roman chamomile is an expensive oil because it is very labour intensive. The harvest season lasts about two and a half months with the flowers being harvested every two weeks. The percentage of oil obtained from each distillation is also very low. You can buy good quality Roman chamomile in a 3 to 5% dilution in jojoba. This makes the oil very affordable.

Therapeutic actions: Teething pain and colic in children. Menstrual pain, muscular aches and pains. Indigestion and nausea. Use in a blend to massage the abdomen / stomach.

Emotional and Spiritual: Nervous tension, stress, tension headaches, anxiety and insomnia. Considered a calming and relaxing oil. Helpful to settle children who have nightmares or insomnia. Try combining with lavender or mandarin.
Joni Keim Loughran and Ruah Bull write that Roman chamomile gives us a calm acceptance of our own limitations.

Fragrant Change Healing Card: I treat myself gently and lovingly especially when those around me don’t.

Roman chamomile FCHC

Contemplations for the Soul Card:

Roman chamomile CFTS card

Are you feeling let down by someone or impatient like a child waiting for something to happen?
Are you feeling grumpy, discontented or frustrated about some issue in your life?
Perhaps you have let others walk all over you in an effort to win their love or approval.
It’s time to let go of the worry, tears, pain, hurt, resentment and anxiety that has been plaguing you.
Consider if it is worth keeping those people in your life who do not respect you and if not let them go.
Forgive and be gentle with yourself for being fooled by someone or something.
It’s time to trust again and ask for the help and support you need.

Safety: Non-irritating, non-sensitizing although there have been rare cases of contact dermatitis.

Sources:
Battaglia S, The Complete Guide To Aromatherapy. The Perfect Potion, Australia (1995)
Hodges C. Contemplations for the Soul (2016)
Hodges C, Fragrant Change Healing Cards (2015)
Keim Loughran J, Bull R, Aromatherapy & Subtle energy techniques, Frog Books (2000)
Kerr J, Chamomile Essential Oil Profile. Aromatherapy Today, Vol.6 (1998)

Essential Oils to Help You Relax

Essential oils to help you relax

Taking time out each day to relax and renew is essential to living well.
Judith Hanson Lasater

Sometimes we can find it hard to relax. There can be various reasons for this including being very stressed, studying for exams, tired and aching muscles, being anxious and not sleeping well. Essential oils can help you relax, ease tense muscles and get a good night’s sleep.

Essential Oils for Relaxation include

BERGAMOT (Citrus bergamia) helps you to release feelings of anger, sadness and frustration that may be keeping you feeling tense and unable to relax.

ROMAN CHAMOMILE (Anthemis nobilis) helps you release tension and relax. She is gentle enough to use on children who are finding it difficult to sleep.

Clary sageCLARY SAGE (Salvia sclarea) helps to bring clarity allowing you to relax when you are feeling nervous, burnt out or mentally fatigued.

EUCALYPTUS (Eucalyptus radiata) can help when you are feeling trapped by circumstances. She gives you space to breathe and reassess the situation.

FRANKINCENSE (Boswellia carterii) slows and deepens your breath giving you the space to relax.

GERANIUM (Pelargonium graveolens) helps to balance your emotions, ease frustration and calm the mind.

GRAPEFRUIT (Citrus paradisi) helps when you’re feeling drained, burnt out or frustrated. Like all citrus she uplifts and refreshes the mind.

LAVENDER (Lavendula angustifolia) is a first aid oil to help soothe your emotions and bring a feeling of relaxation.

LEMON (Citrus limonum) clarifies and uplifts your mind allowing you to think more calmly and rationally.
Lime fruit LIME (Citrus aurantifolia) is another oil for releasing stress and helping you to keep calm.

MARJORAM (Marjorama hortensis) helps stop those thoughts that are on a continuous loop in your mind. Eases anxiety allowing you to relax.

PALMAROSA (Cymbopogon martini) is useful when you feel restless, anxious and unable to sleep.

PATCHOULI (Pogostemon cablin) is a very grounding oil that brings a sense of peace.

Scott's PinePINE (Pinus sylvestris) can help you set boundaries if you are saying yes to everyone at the expense of yourself.

AUSTRALIAN SANDALWOOD (Santalum spicatum) very relaxing and meditative oil.

VETIVER (Vetiveria zizanoides) helps to centre and ground you when feeling mentally exhausted.

YLANG YLANG (Cananga odorata) helps bring a sense of peace and tranquillity when you are feeling angry, frustrated or unable to think clearly.

There are many different ways you can use essential oils.

Diffusers/Vaporisers
diffuser Using a diffuser or vaporiser is a good way to create a relaxing atmosphere. Use 6-8 drops of pure essential oils in your diffuser or vaporiser. Do not use oils diluted in vegetable oils here as the essential oils will not diffuse well and can leave a mess in your vaporiser.

Direct Inhalation – This is one of the easiest ways to experience essential oils. Simply open the bottle and sniff. You can also put one or two drops on a handkerchief or tissue. Alternatively put a few cotton balls into a small bottle such as a used essential oil or tablet bottle add 2 or 3 drops of essential oil, close the bottle. When you need to smell the essential oil simply open the bottle and sniff. The aroma will last a long time. This is useful for people with anxiety who may use a particular oil to calm them down.

Adding a drop or two of lavender, marjoram or frankincense to a tissue and placing that in the pillowcase or next to your pillow can help bring a peaceful nights sleep.

Clarity InhalerPersonal Inhaler – Add 15 to 20 drops onto the cotton pad replace the cap. Remove the cap and hold below your nose and inhale deeply. Replace the cap after each use.

Bath
Woman Lying in a BathtubAdd 6 to 8 drops to half a cup of full fat milk and then add that to the bath water and swish the water around before getting in. By adding the milk you help the oils disperse through the water instead of sitting on top.

Perfume
Make your own unique perfume by adding up to 7 drops of essential oil to 10mls of jojoba or a cold pressed vegetable oil.

Massage
relaxing aroma massageMassage is a very enjoyable way to relax. Use 10 to 12 drops in 25 mls of cold pressed vegetable oil. For sensitive skin 5 to 7 drops is enough. Massage is wonderful for relieving muscle aches and pains, stress and nervous tension.

Spray Mist
Misters can be good for creating a relaxing atmosphere as well as relaxing yourself. Add 10-20 drops of essential oil to a 100 or 125ml bottle of distilled water, flower water or hydrosol. If you have some sobuliser mix the oils with that before mixing with the water, as the sobuliser will help the oils disperse throughout the water. If you don’t have any sobuliser make sure you shake the misting bottle well before spraying. Also take care not to get water or the mist on any furniture or furnishings that can be damaged or stained by the water or essential oils.

Essential Oils and Anger

Essential oils and anger header

Anger, disappointment and blame are all natural emotions but if they are not expressed or held onto for too long they can lead to illness and disease.

angerAnger can be the result of fear, worry, anxiety or sadness we don’t want to feel. Sometimes it is easier to blame others rather than examine and express our own fears and insecurities.

Essential oils that can help you or others to process and let go of these emotions include the following oils. They can be used in a vaporiser, bath, massage or perfume. Use singly or in a blend.

Bergamot (Citrus bergamia) is for those who do not express but instead repress their anger. This can lead to depression, mood swings and insomnia. Bergamot can help them explore their pent-up feelings and release them.

Grapefruit (Citrus paradisi) is for the perfectionists who have high standards for both themselves and others. When things don’t go as planned they blame themselves or others and may lash out. Afterwards they feel guilty and comfort themselves with too much food or alcohol. Grapefruit helps them to accept more realistic goals and clears the heavy feelings of self-blame and angry disappointment.

Lavender BeesLavender (Lavendula angustifolia) helps to calm strong emotions like anger that threaten to overwhelm the person. She can help clear pent-up feelings of annoyance and calm the person down after a sudden outburst of anger.

Roman Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis) is ideal for those who harbour resentment because they feel neglected. They are moody and may even deny or not accept help when it is offered.

Rose (Rosa damascena) is for those whose anger stems from feeling betrayed, rejected or hurt emotionally. She’s also for those who lash out in anger and are then filled with regret and remorse. Rose brings a sense of compassion for themselves and others.

yarrowYarrow (Achillea millefolium) is for those who are easily offended and strike out in rage. They feel vulnerable and may have been emotionally wounded in the past. They may on the other hand repress their feelings of anger and always be on the defensive or retort with sharp or sarcastic comments.

Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata) is for those who have a lot of anger because they feel frustrated and fearful and don’t know any other way to express it. Ylang Ylang can bring a sense of peace allowing them to face their fears.