Curious about essential oils and what all the hype is about? Essential oils are oils that come out of the seeds, flowers, bark, rind, and leaves of plants that are extracted and distilled. This oil is the lifeblood of the plant and carries all the good stuff that the plant has to offer. In fact, up until about 150 years ago all medicine came from natural sources. Our first "medical book" dates back to 1500 BC www.localhistories.org/medicine.html and it followed Hippocrates' famous quote: "Let food be thy medicine and medicine by thy food".
So what makes essential oils special? The oil is pressed out of the plant and is super concentrated. For example, one drop of peppermint oil is equivalent to 28 cups of peppermint tea, and it's widely known that peppermint tea has great health benefits.
So why did we ever get away from using natural things for our health that can be so strong and useful in the first place? Most people don't realize it but we first started manufacturing medications during times of war as we were seeking easier ways to transport, distribute, and preserve them. That's a great thing for soldiers in war time but the long term effects have not been so great. For example, did you know the active ingredient in aspirin is salicylic acid? This comes from white willow bark, which was used for pain relief for centuries. But people are now discovering the harmful effects of those fillers and chemicals used in manufactured medications today. Have you ever heard a commercial with the list of side effects of medications? Weird to think that they're trying to convince you to put that into your body!
Now, you need to understand that all oils are not the same. For instance, the oils you find in typical local drug stores and big chain stores will not be as effective. Why? They often contain fillers, the oil itself is diluted, and the plants are mass produced using pesticides. This is why they can sell it so cheap. Also, there are different varieties of the same kind of oil used for different purposes. Some are meant for aromatic use and others are meant for medicinal use. To discover more about these differences and how to use them correctly check out this book: https://www.aromatools.com/books-media/books-brochures/modern-essentials/modern-essentials-9th-edition.html. It's a wonderful book that meets the needs of beginner users as well those at an expert level.
There's tons of ways to use these oils in your everday life and reap the health benefits. I have several blends that I'm super excited about and I'll share how to make my favorite in an upcoming blog. Subscribe for updates on my website to get it, and other healthy gems. https://www.shekinahwellness.com. Here's to good health!
Confused about where to start? Have you thought about using a health coach? Sometimes getting started can be the hardest part. A great local resource for health coaching is https://www.tiffanyklenken.com/