~*~ ~*~*~*~*~Essentials for Health~*~*~*~*~ ~*~*~January 30, 1999~*~*~ ~*~Ezine for Essential Oil Enthusiasts~*~ ~*~ "Being with nature returns us to ourselves...In winter when it's cold and nature may seem more inaccessible, we can let our minds take us to a favorite secret place of land, trees and birds and abide there for a while." author unknown ~*~ Issue 1 In this issue: Welcome Oil of the Month "Ask Jackie..." In the news Motivation ~*~ Welcome to the first issue of Essentials for Health. I've had this on the burner for a while and finally decided to just do it! My name is Jackie Dae Daugherty and as the editor and publisher I would like to thank you for subscribing to this free ezine. If your new to aromatherapy, currently using essential oils or just curious about what they are then you will enjoy this ezine. This is a non-commercial ezine so there are no ads just information. Your email address will only be used for this subscription. So relax, enjoy your visit here...consider it a breath of fresh air on the information super highway. To subscribe to this newsletter, send a blank email to: oils@alaskalife.net with 'subscribe' in the subject. If you would like to unsubscribe, send a blank email to: oils@alaskalife.net with 'unsubscribe' in the subject. ~*~ Oil of the Month: Teatree (Melaleuca Alternifolia) Usual cost: $15 to $20.00 per 15ml Description: This is a small tree or shrub with needle like leaves, similar to those of the cypress. There are many varieties of Teatree with alternifolia being the most common and smallest species. The oil is colorless to pale yellow with a strong freshly medicinal smell to it. It is extracted using steam distillation of the leaves and twigs. History: Teatree has been used by the Aborigines of Australia against infection for hundreds of years, taken both internally as a tea and applied as a poultice for wounds. Teatree was supplied to both Australian army and navy units during WW II. Research has been carried out on fungal, bacterial as well as viral infections. Both the Australian Medical Journal and the British Medical Journal report astounding results ranging from healing of septic wounds to killing staph aureus, a serious bacterial infection common in hospitals. Aromatherapy use: Skin care: Abscess, acne, athlete's foot, chicken pox rash, cold sores, herpes, insect bites. Respiratory system: Bronchitis, coughs, sinusitis, tuberculosis, whooping cough. Reproductive system: Vaginal yeast infections, vaginitis, herpes. Immune system: Colds, fever, flu, infectious illnesses. Although it is best to use essential oils diluted, teatree is safe to use undiluted on unbroken skin. In fact, an undiluted drop placed on the area where you feel a prodromal sensation prior to a herpes breakout has been enough to ward off a full blown attack. For wounds, use between a 1% and 5% dilution in water as an irrigation. If you want to use it as a dressing, dilute the essential oil in a carrier oil of choice then soak your dressing in it, apply to wound and cover with a dry dressing. For vaginal yeast, 1 to 2 drops in 1 liter of warm water douche. Repeat twice a day for 3 days. Or you can dilute 2 drops of teatree in 1 teaspoon of carrier oil and roll a tampon in the mixture then insert vaginally. This should be replaced every 8 hours. Usually most yeast infections will be gone in 3 days. **Please note these home remedy's are not intended to replace medical care. The information is supplied strictly as part of the first amendment right to free speech. If you have a concern about your health please seek qualified medical care. ~*~ "Ask Jackie..." I hope this section of the newsletter will be used by many of you. I love to do research, and so if there is something that has been bugging you and you can't find the answer, just ask! Here is a question someone asked me a while back and I thought some of you newer to essential oils might appreciate the info. "How do I know if I am using the best quality oils?" Good question, and here is an outline of what you should expect from a quality company: 1. Essential Oils must be sold in dark glass bottles. If you are offered a product from clear glass or plastic, it is perfume. The dark class protects the oil from light which can change it's chemical properties. 2. If the oils you are being offered are all the same prices, you are being offered perfume. The cost of roses are more than daisy's at the florist, and it only makes sense for that to be true of the oils from these plants. 3. If you see ingredients like SD 40 or propylene glycol on the label, you are buying a product that has been diluted with synthetic chemicals to increase the profit margin of the distributor. It is perfume. 4. It should say 'distilled at low pressure and low temperature' and give you the botanical name on the label as a minimum amount of information. 5. Top quality oils will have a disperser inside. This allows only one drop at a time to come out. These are just a few ways to judge the quality of your oils. The best way is a gas chromatogram which a top quality company will provide to you usually at no charge or at a minimal charge to cover postage. You cannot always tell the quality by just the aroma, so be careful! Also remember that essential oil purity is NOT regulated. Any company can put "Pure Essential Oil" on their label even if it only has one drop of essential oil in it. It's not illegal, just unethical. Be sure you know your supplier, ask questions! ~*~ In the News: Oregano destroys S. pneumoniae in lab ATLANTA (Reuters) -- In several new experiments, researchers have found that some essential oils -- in particular, those derived from oregano, thyme and rosewood -- create a lytic reaction (cell death/disruption) in microorganisms, including Streptococcus pneumoniae. Dr. Diane Horne of Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, told the 98th general assembly of the American Society of Microbiology that the discovery of the impact of the oils on cells such as Streptococcus pneumoniae occurred through a bit of serendipity. A co-researcher was spraying aromatic oils in the laboratory. "When I looked at the S. pneumoniae that I was preparing for another experiment, the cells were just falling apart," Horne reported. Horne and co-worker Sue Chao of the Young Living Essential Oil Company of Payton, Utah, evaluated the lytic properties of 74 different essential oils, eventually testing nine of them in a series of experiments to determine the impact of each oil on disease-causing microbes. Optimal results occurred with oregano, thyme and rosewood; intermediate inhibition of microbe growth was seen with cinnamon oil and clove oil, Horne said at a poster presentation at the general meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. According to Horne, the oils also demonstrated efficacy against E. coli and several species of fungi. But she said that the oils did not seem to adversely affect Staphylococcus aureus. While the oils appeared to work in test tube and Petri dish experiments, Horne said that, "It is too soon to say if the oils will have an impact against S. pneumoniae in people." She commented that the use of aromatherapy with the effective oils would not be harmful to a patient with S. pneumoniae infection, and it might even prove helpful in controlling the infection. ~*~ Now here is a little something to inspire you. Our Deepest Fear By Marianne Williamson Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the World. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel unsure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. As we let our own Light shine; we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear; our presence automatically liberates others. ~*~ That's it for my first issue of Essentials for Health! I hope I have enlightened you in some small way and encouraged you along in your aromatherapy journey. My desire is one of service, so I leave you with a quote dear to my soul: "I slept and dreamt that life was Joy." "I awoke and saw that life was Service." "I acted and behold! Service was Joy." --Tagore Until next month, Jackie ~*~ © 1999 Jackie Dae Daugherty P.O. Box 671146 Chugiak, Alaska 99567 mailto:oils@alaskalife.net http://www.yleo.com/i/d/57248