Lemon Oil is a wonderful zingy summery fragrance. Lemon is well known for its ability to cleanse toxins from the body and is used to help clear skin and purify the body. It can also be used as an insect and bug repellent.
Lemon oil is really good to have in the household and it’s not expensive either. It can be used as a teeth whitener, laundry freshener, cellulite cream, a face wash and a household cleaner.
According to the Ayurvedic way of practicing, lemon oil has been used to treat many symptoms for at least 1000 years and it’s health benefits have been established scientifically, which is always good to know.
Some of the uses of lemon oil are:
Oral remedy for bad breath
Digestion
Thirst quencher
Remedy for abdominal colic pain
Cough relief
Calms stomach and relieves nausea
Improves digestion
If you’d like to know more about Aromatherapy at the Centre visit our page here or call 01394 388234.
To find out more about Victoria Lily visit her page here.
This month is the anniversary of our Oil of the Month slot, so this month I would like to write about an extra special oil, Rose Oil.
Rose Oil is quite an expensive oil when you buy the pure version but to make it cost effective it is often bought pre-blended within a base oil. Rose Oil has a beautiful strong, floral and sweet fragrance. It is wonderful for encouraging a return to balance, harmony and for stimulating a feeling of happiness.
Rose Oil can be used when supporting a person with depression or who is unhappy. It is also a very nurturing oil, especially when going through periods of grief or big emotional life-changes.
Rose Oil is often used in skin care and is particularly helpful for more mature skins; it can also be helpful for situations of acne, hormonal skin and rosacea. It is also considered to be quite a sensual oil and may increase the libido.
If you’d like to know more about Aromatherapy at the Centre visit our page here or call 01394 388234.
To find out more about Victoria Lily visit her page here.
Hygge
Spring may be just around the corner, I can almost smell it in the air, but I feel we may have a few more of those cold, cosy days ahead before spring is officially launched for 2017.
Have you heard of the practice of Hygge? It comes from Denmark and in simple terms is the art of cosiness. The Danish are considered to be the happiest nation in the world. We all want to be happy and the art of cosiness is one way to help with this. How about lighting a few natural (not scented) candles, put on a feel-good film, or read a good book and wrap a big cosy blanket around you. If you have a dog or cat or person, snuggle up with them too!
As well as natural candles, you could burn some essential oils in an oil burner. Some lovely oils for this would be Lavender for relaxation, Ginger for warming and Frankincense to help you breathe more deeply. Some of the more spicy oils that I have written about in previous months would be lovely, cosy and uplifting too. Try making the last few weeks of winter a cosy, uplifting, nurturing place to be ready for all those fresh spring energies that will arrive in March.
If you’d like to know more about Aromatherapy at the Centre visit our page here or call 01394 388234.
To find out more about Victoria Lily visit her page here.
Happy 2017. Winter is often the season of more germs and we love to share them with each other.
This month, I am writing about the essential oil of Tea Tree. This oil is known for its powerful antiseptic properties. Tea Tree comes from the Australian plant called Melaleuca alternifolia and has been used in numerous medical studies to kill strains of bacteria, viruses and fungi.
As well as using the oil on our bodies, we can also use it for cleaning in the house, diffusing in the air to kill mold and germs or making cleaning sprays by blending it with cheap vodka.
The anti-inflammatory and antiseptic qualities of tea tree are helpful for many things including the following –
Acne
Bacterial infections
Cold sores
Verrucas
Halitosis
Fungal infections
Psoriasis
Head lice
Having said all the above, please don’t put it neat onto an open wound and ask advice from a professional if you are unsure.
Wishing you a germ free winter season.
If you’d like to know more about Aromatherapy at the Centre visit our page here or call 01394 388234.
To find out more about Victoria Lily visit her page here.
It’s nearly Christmas and this month I’ve chosen two aromas of the month, Frankincense and Myrrh. Both are wonderful oils, especially for this time of year. Merry Christmas xx
Frankincense – Comforter of Sorrow, Spiritual Healing & Support.
Frankincense is excellent for grief, loss, and letting go. It is best known for its enduring emotional and spiritual support. A fortifying essence to the mind and emotions, Frankincense oil slows and deepens cellular respiration and has the characteristic effect of comforting and centering you during times of distress. Frankincense is also helpful for overcoming and dispelling fear and taking action, and is beneficial for releasing negative mental and emotional states such as low self-esteem, lack of confidence, insecurity and anxiety. The quintessential oil for letting go and allowing whatever happens to be okay, use Frankincense essential oil to promote your spiritual awakening and to enhance your meditation practice.
Myrrh – Soothing & Restorative Tonic
Traditionally Myrrh oil has been used for enhancing spiritual and emotional well being. It is an excellent aid to healthy functioning of the limbic (emotional center) of your brain. Myrrh oil wakes up cell tissues and enhances the physical energetic centers of the body. Its vibrant and resonant effect on cell tissues makes Myrrh oil a wonderful tonic for your body, mind and emotions.
Victoria Lily Reflexology
If you’d like to know more about Aromatherapy at the Centre visit our page here or call 01394 388234.
To find out more about Victoria Lily visit her page here.
The oil of the month for November is Nutmeg Oil.
Nutmeg is well known as a cooking ingredient and as a delicious addition to many dishes. However, it isn’t just popular in cooking, it also has therapeutic properties. The ancient Chinese and Indian cultures have used it as medicine and now we also use it in various ways in our western society.
As an essential oil Nutmeg is a natural treatment to aid digestive issues, arthritis, halitosis, exhaustion and anxiety related symptoms. It can also help with concentration and detoxing.
When used as massage oil, Nutmeg may help to relieve muscle pain, swelling, inflammation and help promote good circulation. Oil of Nutmeg is a natural painkiller and very good for menstrual cramps. Nutmeg Oil has a sedative and calming effect; it can therefore help to improve the quality of sleep and apparently makes dreams quite colourful.
During this time of bugs and colds, Nutmeg oil can be helpful with respiratory and breathing conditions including Asthma.
As it is the season of the Pumpkin, I will leave you with this lovely recipe from BBC Good Food website, which of course includes Nutmeg.
Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients
750g/1lb 10oz pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
350g sweet shortcrust pastry
plain flour, for dusting
140g caster sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp fresh nutmeg, grated
1 tsp cinnamon
2 eggs beaten
25gbutter, melted
175ml milk
1 tbsp icing sugar
Method
Place the pumpkin in a large saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Cover with a lid and simmer for 15 mins or until tender. Drain pumpkin; let cool.
Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use it to line a 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Chill for 15 mins.
Line the pastry with baking parchment and baking beans, then bake for 15 mins. Remove the beans and paper, and cook for a further 10 mins until the base is pale golden and biscuity. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.
Increase oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Push the cooled pumpkin through a sieve into a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar, salt, nutmeg and half the cinnamon. Mix in the beaten eggs, melted butter and milk, then add to the pumpkin purée and stir to combine.
Pour into the tart shell and cook for 10 mins, then reduce the temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4.
Continue to bake for 35-40 mins until the filling has just set.
Leave to cool, then remove the pie from the tin. Mix the remaining cinnamon with the icing sugar and dust over the pie. Serve chilled.
Victoria Lily Reflexology
If you’d like to know more about Aromatherapy at the Centre visit our page here or call 01394 388234.
To find out more about Victoria Lily visit her page here.
It is the time of year when then seasons are changing. Back and forth, back and forth, hot, cold, hot cold. The equilibrium in our bodies changes during this time and we can find we our bodies might feel a bit niggly or tired. Personally my left ear always gets poppy during the seasonal change times of year. It is often at these times that we can get colds. For this reason, my oil for October is Ginger.
Ginger has long been used to fight colds and infections. Use fresh ginger chopped into stir-fries or fresh ginger tea can be made with the ginger root. Ginger is also excellent as a digestive aid.
Used in a massage blend, ginger can help with the aches and pains that some of us have during the colder months as it is great for muscular stiffness and rheumatism. A few drops in the bath can also be helpful for aches and grumbly muscles.
Victoria Lily
If you’d like to know more about Aromatherapy at the Centre visit our page here or call 01394 388234.
To find out more about Victoria Lily visit her page here.
I just sat down with a lovely cup of Cardamom Tea to ponder which oil to write about for the September Aroma of the Month piece. As I was pondering and supping on my tea, I thought why not write about Cardamom Oil. It is not commonly used within aromatherapy and is probably better known for use in cooking, but it is wonderful and diverse oil and a personal favourite of mine so here goes.
Cardamom is one of the oldest oils that we know of. It has been used in Eastern herbal medicine for over 3000 years. Even the great man Hippocrates wrote of Cardamom as being useful for massage and the physician Dioscorides made prescriptions of crushed Cardamom seeds for abdominal pains and fluid retention.
Cardamom is warming oil and has similar properties to ginger oil. It is antiseptic, refreshing and invigorating. It is a good digestive aid and can help with wind, nausea, heartburn and other stomach disorders. Chewing a cardamom pod can be helpful for the stomach; it can also be very helpful in instances of bad breath.
Cardamom is richly aromatic oil, with a sweet and spicy aroma. A few drops can be used in a warm bath to help stimulate the system.
Cardamom can be pricey so always buy it from a reputable supplier so that you know it hasn’t been blended with other oils.
Victoria Lily x
If you’d like to know more about Aromatherapy at the Centre visit our page here or call 01394 388234.
To find out more about Victoria Lily visit her page here.
My oil of the month for August is Lavender.
Now lavender is fabulous for many things including insomnia, headache relief and it’s worth keeping a bottle in the kitchen in case you burn yourself. Speaking of burns, this is why I have chosen Lavender for August. Yes, it’s potential sunburn season. If you get sunburned, just put a little apple cider vinegar (another wonderful thing to have in the house) onto a cold, wet flannel and dab the cloth onto your skin, soaking the skin. This should relieve the stinging. Next, add some drops of lavender oil to coconut oil, you could also add a couple of drops of peppermint oil. The lavender helps to heal the burn and the peppermint cools the skin and releases heat.
The best thing is not to get burned, but if you do now you have a wonderful smelling remedy for it.
Happy August.
Victoria Lily x
If you’d like to know more about Aromatherapy at the Centre visit our page here or call 01394 388234.
To find out more about Victoria Lily visit her page here.