Category Archives: essential oils

Anxiety and Depression can be very debilitating and can affect us without warning…for different reasons…grief, divorce, stressful work…the list is endless…

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Herbs for Treating Anxiety and Depression

Valerian is used for general anxiety and nervousness with irritation. It also helps in treating the insomnia that occurs as a consequence of anxiety. Valerian is also useful in the case of heart failure accompanied with palpitations and a sense of fear. As a tranquilizer, Valerian is used alone or in combination with other herbs, as a tea or tincture.

 Lemon Balm is the cure for sleepless nights. It shows antidepressant properties and removes bad thoughts, nightmares and rolling over in bed. The main medicinal ingredient of this plant is essential oil which refreshes and calms strained nerves. Lemon Balm can be used alone or in combination with other plants.

Lavender shows soothing properties, and it can be used as a tea or essential oil which should be left to evaporate. Thanks to its pleasant scent lavender essential oil creates a special atmosphere. Lavender potions are recommended for the treatment of the nervous system diseases. This herb eases anxiety, tension, palpitations, hysteria, stress, depression, insomnia and headache.

Chamomile tea is an old and proven tonic for reducing the tension and relaxation.

Thyme is an ingredient of many medications because it has beneficial effects on the nervous system. It relaxes, reduces anxiety and mental tension providing a good sleep. It contains tannins, bitter substances, essential oils and phenolic compounds.

St. John’s Wort  may be applied in the form of tinctures, oils, extracts and teas that positively effect on general mental state – reduce depression, anxiety and insomnia. This herb contains tannins, hypericin, resin, anthocyanins, essential oils and azulene.St. John’s Wort is more recommendable than synthetic drugs because it doesn’t cause addiction and any harmful side effects.

Essential Basil oil is used for treating depression, mental exhaustion, melancholy and increased mental effort. Place a drop on a hanky/tissue and breathe in as and when needed. Or, place 3 drops on a burner in your work or living space.

 

 

Watch the following clip for more information on some of these herbs and some others which have not been mentioned in the above blog.

Tea Tree and Thyme complete the basic care kit…

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Tea Tree: This a strong antiseptic oil which is non-poisonous to humans.It also has strong anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties. It is very useful for a range of conditions from ringworm to athlete’s foot.

 

 

Thyme: This oil has anti-viral, antibiotic and antiseptic properties and must be used with great care. Over-use of this oil can stimulate the thyroid gland and lymphatic system. Even with this strong warning, it is a vital oil in the basic care kit because of its strong anti-viral properties. When flu is doing the rounds it is an excellent oil to burner in the room diffuser. It helps in the elimination of toxic wastes from the body. It is also excellent at discouraging parasites and insects from invading your home.

Lavender, Thyme and Neem…All used in one day and all successfully…

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Today has been a day for using a number of our essential oils.

This morning my husband showed me his back…It was RED! He had been gardening yesterday and had done so shirtless and without any sunscreen. Thank goodness for the healing power of Lavender. This is truly an all round healing herb and essential oil. I applied the oil neat to his back. It immediately relieved the burning and prickling sensation. A couple of hours later, the redness had subsided to a degree. More will be applied before bed tonight.

I was busy baking spiced Christmas biscuits today. The delicious smell attracted the troop of monkeys who regularly use our yard as a walk through. They decided to investigate more closely and one little teenager tried to slip into the kitchen. A few drops of Thyme essential oil on a scrap of cloth and hung at the kitchen door soon had the troop moving on to their usual daily routine. (I think that any strong smelling essential oil will work in the same way. It is too strong and pungent for their delicate noses).

After the biscuits were baked, it was time to clean the container, and pots and pans cupboards. To my horror, I found that wood borer had found a home in the corner of the container cupboard. I immediately went and did some research on the marvelous neem oil, and yes, it can relieve us of our unwanted wood-eating guests. The oil was painted straight on to the wood. The smell was very strong to begin with, but the cupboards were left open for a couple of hours and now they can be re-packed.

Life with herbs and oils is definitely an exciting and challenging adventure.

Love and light to you all.

Sue

Our veggie gardens are planted and with the beautiful rains, they are growing fast… But with the plants comes pests. Here is a recipe using neem oil to deter the pests as well as fungi…

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Neem oil pesticide recipe
1. Purchase organic Neem Oil from Essential Herbal Products
2. Make a Pesticide
You will want to a container big enough to hold 2 litres of warm water to mix it in. Add ½ teaspoon of a mild liquid soap and mix it up and then add 1 tablespoon of Neem Oil slowly into the water while stirring it or slightly shake it up. Now pour some into an old, clean spray bottle of some type or you can buy one.
You can double this recipe but it should be used within 8 hours or it will lose its potency.
3. Label the Solution for Safety
Even though Neem Oil is fairly safe, it could be mistaken for a drink by someone (although it smells like a mixture of garlic and paraffin) so you should always mark homemade solutions in big letters on the container with a permanent marker.
Keep it high up or in a locked cupboard where children can’t reach it.
4. Spray the Plants
Spray all of the leaves (top and bottom) with your homemade pesticide (you can saturate the soil with it, too.) Always spray early in the morning or early evening to avoid scaring off the good bugs and scorching the plant in the hot sun.
Make sure to shake it while spraying to keep it mixed well and repeat spraying them once a week or more if it rains.
It will not instantly kill the insects until they bite into the leaf but it will instantly repel them with its strong smell.
Neem Oil pesticide has been known to kill and control aphids, moth larvae, spider mites, whiteflies, and Japanese beetles. It will not harm insects that do not chew the leaves like butterflies, ladybugs and bees. It also prevents fungi.

Watch this short video on the effectiveness of neem.