~ Lavender ‘N Chocolate ~

Hmmm… I was sitting here thinking what it is that I am missing in this moment. Ding! A bell went off in my newly energized brain (20 mins of Qigong tends to open up our minds as well as our bodies), and I realized I have been stuck indoors for too long! Time to go outside and absorb two of the most important elements our body and spirits need… fresh air and sunshine!

Did you know that it is vitally essential for our good health (and sane minds) to get a healthy dose of fresh air and sunshine at least once a day if possible? Sunshine is loaded full of goodness (as long as we do not overdo it), which actually feeds our bodies energy. The same goes for fresh air. If we are caring for our bodies properly, then we are gathering this vital energy to fill our bodies with that which can fight dis-ease and all the free radicals which bombard us on a daily basis. Of course fresh water is up there right next to sunshine as far as vital energy goes, so we must be sure to get plenty of natures purest form of energy which flows forth most generously.

I must say, I am feeling as healthy at 46, as I have ever felt in my entire life. Feeling young, vibrant, and alive is such a natural high, and I am ever so grateful for the teachings I have absorbed throughout my life to be in the healthy state of being I am in at this moment. So please… take my example to heart and get out there and enjoy plenty of fresh air and sunshine!

Ah, the many praises for honey! Personally, I am an avid lover of honey in it’s raw form. There is so much more to this delightful sweetener, than just a must have for my sweet cup of tea. Although ingested honey brings great value from a nutritional standpoint (as long as one is not allergic to it), it has many more uses. Beeswax candles are much healthier for our home environment, and we can even apply it to our skin to counteract acne and bring about a healthy glow. Add a dollop to our hair care products to enance moisture and beauty.

The antibacterial agents present in raw honey carries amazing healing properties. Yet again I am full of wonder at how Nature provides so much value to our lives, and everything a human can possibly need is right outside our doors. This is why I am such an advocate to keep the earth green, clean and beautiful, so nature can do her thing and we can wise up (like our grandmothers used to be), and learn more about what lies beneath our very noses.

Today I would like to share a bit of honey facts, and an article on the benefits of honey. So I do hope you have a moment to learn a thing or two about the wonderful and delicious gem of nature we fondly refer to as honey.

Raw Honey – An Anti-Bacterial, Anti-Viral, Anti-Fungal Substance

The health benefits of honey – like all foods – depend on the quality of the honey. But in this case, the situation is even more extreme, because the pollen that collects on the bees’ legs as they move from plant to plant is only as healthful and as diverse as those plants. In addition, the processing of honey often removes many of the phytonutrients found in raw honey as it exists in the hive. Raw honey, for example, contains small amounts of the same resins found in propolis. Propolis, sometimes called “bee glue,” is actually a complex mixture of resins and other substances that honeybees use to seal the hive and make it safe from bacteria and other micro-organisms. Honeybees make propolis by combining plant resins with their own secretions. However, substances like road tar have also been found in propolis. Bee keepers sometimes use special screens around the inside of the hive boxes to trap propolis, since bees will spread this substance around the honeycomb and seal cracks with the anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal resins.

The resins found in propolis only represent a small part of the phytonutrients found in propolis and honey, however. Other phytonutrients found both in honey and propolis have been shown to posssess cancer-preventing and anti-tumor properties. These substances include caffeic acid methyl caffeate, phenylethyl caffeate, and phenylethyl dimethylcaffeate. Researchers have discovered that these substances prevent colon cancer in animals by shutting down activity of two enzymes, phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C and lipoxygenase. When raw honey is extensively processed and heated, the benefits of these phytonutrients are largely eliminated.

An International Symposium Discusses Likely Benefits of Honey

Speakers at the First International Symposium on Honey and Human Health, held in Sacramento, CA, January 8, 2008, presented a number of research papers. (Fessenden R. Report to the Committee for the Promotion of Honey and Health) Findings include:

~ Different varietals of honey possess a large amount of friendly bacteria (6 species of lactobacilli and 4 species of bifidobacteria), which may explain many of the “mysterious therapeutic properties of honey.”

~ Lactobacilli, which deliver protective and beneficial benefits to bees as well as humans, were not found in the bees’ honey stomach during the winter months when the bees under investigation were fed sucrose, indicating that certain bee-feeding practices may have dangerous and unwanted effects on bees.

~ Honey may promote better blood sugar control. Proper fueling of the liver is central to optimal glucose metabolism during sleep and exercise. Honey is the ideal liver fuel because it contains a nearly 1:1 ratio of fructose to glucose. Fructose “unlocks” the enzyme from the liver cell’s nucleus that is necessary for the incorporation of glucose into glycogen (the form in which sugar is stored in the liver and muscle cells). An adequate glycogen store in the liver is essential to supply the brain with fuel when we are sleeping and during prolonged exercise. When glycogen stores are insufficient, the brain triggers the release of stress hormones – adrenalin and cortisol – in order to convert muscle protein into glucose. Repeated metabolic stress from cortisol produced when less than optimal liver glycogen stores are available during sleep, leads over time, to impaired glucose metabolism, insulin resistance, diabetes, and increased risk for cardiovascular disease and obesity.

~ Experimental evidence indicates that consumption of honey may improve blood sugar control and insulin sensitivity compared to other sweeteners. The body’s tolerance to honey is significantly better than to sucrose or glucose alone. Individuals with greater glucose intolerance (e.g., those with mild diabetes and Type 1 diabetes) showed significantly better tolerance to honey than sucrose. In addition, the antioxidants in honey, which have been shown to reduce oxidative stress, frequently by a larger factor than can be explained by their actual amount, may be beneficial for diabetics and help to improve endothelial function (the function of the cells that make up the lining of our blood vessels) and vascular health.

~ In a year-long animal study comparing the effects of sucrose, honey and a low glycemic index (GI) sugar-free diet, rats on the honey-based diet showed: reduced weight gain and percentage of body fat, decreased anxiety, better spatial recognition memory, improved HDL cholesterol (15-20% higher than rats fed sugar or sucrose diets), improved blood sugar levels (HA1c), and reduced oxidative damage.

~ Honey has been shown to be a more effective cough suppressant for children ages 2-18 than dextromethorphan.

~ Honey boosts immunity. Research conducted in several hospitals in Israel found honey effective in decreasing the incidence of acute febrile neutropenia (when high fever reduces white blood cell count) in 64% of patients. Honey also reduced the need for Colony Stimulating Factor (a compound produced in the cells lining the blood vessels that stimulate bone marrow to produce more white blood cells) in 60% of patients with acute febrile neutropenia; increased neutrophil count (another type of white blood cell), decreased thrombocytopenia (low platelet count), and stabilized hemoglobin levels at >11 gm/dl (a bit low but way better than full blown anemic).

~ 32% of the cancer patients involved in the above immunity research reported improved quality of life.

History of Honey

Honey is as old as written history, dating back to 2100 B.C. where it was mentioned in Sumerian and Babylonian cuneiform writings, the Hittite code, and the sacred writings of India and Egypt. It is presumably even older than that.

Its name comes from the English hunig, and it was the first and most widespread sweetener used by man. Legend has it that Cupid dipped his love arrows in honey before aiming at unsuspecting lovers.

In the Old Testament of the Bible, Israel was often referred to as “the land of milk and honey.” Mead, an alcoholic drink made from honey was called “nectar of the gods,” high praise indeed.

Honey was valued highly and often used as a form of currency, tribute, or offering. In the 11th century A.D., German peasants paid their feudal lords in honey and beeswax.

Although experts argue whether the honeybee is native to the Americas, conquering Spaniards in 1600 A.D. found native Mexicans and Central Americans had already developed beekeeping methods to produce honey.

In days of old, honey has been used not only in food and beverages, but also to make cement, in furniture polishes and varnishes, and for medicinal purposes.

And, of course, bees perform the vital service of pollinating fruits, legumes, vegetables and other types of food-producing plants in the course of their business of honey production.

A bit of Honey Trivia

• Honeybees must tap over two million flowers to make one pound of honey, flying a distance equal to more than three times around the world.
• The average worker bee will make only one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey during its lifetime.
• The famous Scottish liqueur Drambuie is made with honey.

Although I love to focus on the positive aspects of natural health, I am well aware of the dangers which surround us in many forms. One such hazard which causes a great amount of devastation to our health and that of our loved ones is the use of toxic substances, and the potentially deadly results.

Today I am going to feature an article by Roni Caryn Rabin on the toxic hazards of third hand smoke…

Parents who smoke often open a window or turn on a fan to clear the air for their children, but experts now have identified a related threat to children’s health that isn’t as easy to get rid of: third-hand smoke.

That’s the term being used to describe the invisible yet toxic brew of gases and particles clinging to smokers’ hair and clothing, not to mention cushions and carpeting, that lingers long after second-hand smoke has cleared from a room. The residue includes heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials that young children can get on their hands and ingest, especially if they’re crawling or playing on the floor.

Doctors from MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston coined the term “third-hand smoke” to describe these chemicals in a new study that focused on the risks they pose to infants and children. The study was published in this month’s issue of the journal Pediatrics.

“Everyone knows that second-hand smoke is bad, but they don’t know about this,” said Dr. Jonathan P. Winickoff, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School.

“When their kids are out of the house, they might smoke. Or they smoke in the car. Or they strap the kid in the car seat in the back and crack the window and smoke, and they think it’s okay because the second-hand smoke isn’t getting to their kids,” Dr. Winickoff continued. “We needed a term to describe these tobacco toxins that aren’t visible.”

Third-hand smoke is what one smells when a smoker gets in an elevator after going outside for a cigarette, he said, or in a hotel room where people were smoking. “Your nose isn’t lying,” he said. “The stuff is so toxic that your brain is telling you: ’Get away.’”

The study reported on attitudes toward smoking in 1,500 households across the United States. It found that the vast majority of both smokers and nonsmokers were aware that second-hand smoke is harmful to children. Some 95 percent of nonsmokers and 84 percent of smokers agreed with the statement that “inhaling smoke from a parent’s cigarette can harm the health of infants and children.”

But far fewer of those surveyed were aware of the risks of third-hand smoke. Since the term is so new, the researchers asked people if they agreed with the statement that “breathing air in a room today where people smoked yesterday can harm the health of infants and children.” Only 65 percent of nonsmokers and 43 percent of smokers agreed with that statement, which researchers interpreted as acknowledgement of the risks of third-hand smoke.

The belief that second-hand smoke harms children’s health was not independently associated with strict smoking bans in homes and cars, the researchers found. On the other hand, the belief that third-hand smoke was harmful greatly increased the likelihood the respondent also would enforce a strict smoking ban at home, Dr. Winickoff said.

“That tells us we’re onto an important new health message here,” he said. “What we heard in focus group after focus group was, ‘I turn on the fan and the smoke disappears.’ It made us realize how many people think about second-hand smoke — they’re telling us they know it’s bad but they’ve figured out a way to do it.”

The data was collected in a national random-digit-dial telephone survey done between September and November 2005. The sample was weighted by race and gender, based on census information.

Dr. Philip Landrigan, a pediatrician who heads the Children’s Environmental Health Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, said the phrase third-hand smoke is a brand-new term that has implications for behavior.

“The central message here is that simply closing the kitchen door to take a smoke is not protecting the kids from the effects of that smoke,” he said. “There are carcinogens in this third-hand smoke, and they are a cancer risk for anybody of any age who comes into contact with them.”

Among the substances in third-hand smoke are hydrogen cyanide, used in chemical weapons; butane, which is used in lighter fluid; toluene, found in paint thinners; arsenic; lead; carbon monoxide; and even polonium-210, the highly radioactive carcinogen that was used to murder former Russian spy Alexander V. Litvinenko in 2006. Eleven of the compounds are highly carcinogenic.

Pills and potions are promoted and taken with too little thought of the end result. I firmly believe that regular exercise, a healthy lifestyle, and natural products are the best long-term strategy for staying healthy. High cholesterol and stress are two factors that can lead to heart and circulation problems.

Let’s take a look at a few natural strategies and options for creating a healthy atmosphere within our bodies, and giving us a priceless sense of well being.

Aromatic Foot Bath to Support Healthy Circulation

4 drops Wild Rosemary
2 drops Geranium
2 drops Eucalyptus
1 Tbs Mixing Oil

Bowl with cold water…

Add the mixture into the bowl, put feet in, and soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Colder water may increase circulation by causing local stimulation.

Feeling Pressure?

4 drops Lavender
2 drops Ylang Ylang
2 drops Clary Sage

Put the drops on the tissue and inhale a few times. You can also add the mixture to 2 Tbs of Massage Lotion and gently massage the chest and back.

Tonic to Support Healthy Veins

6 drops Cypress
1 drop Lemon
1 drop Bergamot
2 cups cold water

In a small bowl, add the oils to the water. Swish a soft fabric in the bowl. Gently apply fabric to legs.

For relaxation, you may wish to try a sedating massage using Neroli, Lavender, or Ylang Ylang.

Enjoy!

**Special Note – As always, use good sense and be very certain of your allergies. Always consult your health care provider or naturapathic before using any new herbal treatment.

Yummm! I woke up this morning with a delightful craving for home made chocolate mousse! Chocolate is what gives me immeasurable pleasure from the tip of my tongue all the way to my toes… and I am so going to pass along a lovely recipe to my fellow chocolate lovers!

Chocolate Mousse

4-6 servings)
4-6 ounces organic dark baking chocolate
3 organic egg yolks
3/4 cup organic heavy whipping cream (see **note below)
1/3 cup pure 100% pure cane sugar
1 healthy pinch of sea salt
1 1/2 cups organic heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons 100% pure cane sugar
*Extra Organic Whipped Cream (recipe below)
*Cacao Nib Pecan Cookies (recipe below)

In small glass bowl, microwave chocolate on high for one minute and stir. Continue to heat for 10 seconds at a time, stirring until chocolate is smooth. Do not heat above 120° F. Set aside.

In a small bowl whisk egg yolks until light and frothy. Set aside.

In medium saucepan, bring cream, sugar and salt to a soft boil. Reduce heat. Pour 1/3 of hot cream into bowl of egg yolks and whisk generously. Slowly pour egg mixture into remaining hot cream. Over medium heat, stir egg and cream mixture until well blended.

When mixture nicely coats the back of a spoon, remove from heat and pour into large mixing bowl. Slowly add chocolate to bowl and blend well to make mousse base. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat cold heavy whipping cream with sugar until peaks form. Fold whipped cream into mousse base a little bit at a time. When color is uniform, pour mousse into 4-6 parfait or custard dishes. Cool in refrigerator for 3 hours. Serve chilled with Extra Whipped Cream and garnish with a Cacao Nib Pecan Cookie.

Extra Whipped Cream

1 pint Organic Valley heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons 100% pure cane sugar

Beat ingredients until soft standing peaks appear.

**Note- You can use Soyatoo Organic Topping Cream (Heavy Cream Substitute) if you are not into dairy and wish to go totally natural with this recipe.

Cacao Nib Pecan Cookies

1/2 cup whole pecans
1/3 cup organic graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons pure cane brown sugar
2-3 tablespoons organic dark chocolate chips
3 tablespoons nut butter or cultured unsalted butter (melted)

Preheat oven to 350° F. Cover cookie sheet with foil.

Chop pecans, graham cracker crumbs, and brown sugar in food processor to a medium texture. Place mixture in medium bowl and add cacao nibs and butter. Toss until all dry ingredients are damp with butter.

Pour mixture onto cookie sheet and use fingers to press, spread and form one thin 8” x 11” rectangle. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool slightly. Score lengthwise and then diagonally to create diamond shaped cookies. Let cookies cool in place completely.

Enjoy!

As a new year begins, we tend to look at our lives to see where we have been, and where we wish to go. It is always my goal to encourage natural health amongst my family and friends, and personally I am always learning new and exciting ways to accomplish my own goals. In creating a healthy balance I truly enjoy sharing that which I feel brings good feelings of inner peace and tranquility. That which gives us a sense of wellbeing and courage as we move forth through difficult times is a blessing to treasure.

Combating the Winter Blues through Scent

Winter is a time when we enjoy the safe and warm comfort of staying inside our homes. It is the time of year when we may start to feel lethargic, depressed, or irritable. Even though winter brings special holidays that make us want to feel festive and optimistic and you can feel spring coming, we become affected by the lack of sunshine in our lives. To combat the winter blues, we love to surround ourselves with pleasant scents. Essential oils may bring balance to our hearts and peace to our minds. They may help to cleanse, release, and balance our thoughts. Let the aromatherapy shine.

Scent has a great effect on our emotions. Scientists are increasingly interested in the connection between fragrance and memory triggers in the limbic brain. They are also researching pheromones – fragrant substances that may influence physical attraction. Personal attraction or aversion is influenced by odor. Without the ability to smell, there would be very little attraction. Our body has special glands that produce a very personal perfume that changes according to our mood or state of health. Fragrance may create well-being or discomfort. If you have difficulty adapting to a new situation, or letting go of the past, a new fragrance may help create a fresh mood. It may help you change your attitude or find a new positive reaction. A pure essential oil will not create an aggressive feeling; rather it will have a positive, balancing effect.

We each have our own personal reaction to every scent. Smells, moods, and short and long-term memories are all stored in the limbic part of our brain. Dangerous or negative odors set our subconscious in the awareness stage. Positive smells like our babies’ skin or our mothers’ fragrance will bring a pleasant reminder of a positive experience for decades.

Our Ancestors knew the Power of Aromatherapy

Helping our body and psyche with scent has a history stretching back for many centuries. The very beginning of the practice of medicine has been connected with mythical rituals, magic, or religion. We may say that the history of scent began with incense burners and has continued through experience with aromas and essential oils up to the present day. The methods of treatment were based on philosophical ideas that looked at a direct connection between man and nature. In ancient civilizations, medicinal herbs were evaluated by their taste and smell.

An interesting example from the history of essential oils is thyme. The name “Thyme” is derived from the Greek word Thymiama (incense) and means courage, health, or sacrifice. It was a sign of high respect in ancient Greece to say to someone that he “smells of thyme”. Roman soldiers often added thyme to their baths to give themselves strength, health, and courage.

Rosemary played an important part in the Roman tradition of eliminating evil spirits. In the Middle Ages, it was a part of Hungarian water, a distillate of rosemary, lavender, and turpentine. According to alchemistic understanding, this was the first water of life. Many preserving properties were attributed to Carmelite water, a distillate of lemon balm, clove, nutmeg, and cinnamon.

The seductive power of scent has always been known. The sense of smell may help create love and desire. Smell influences us much more than we think. The natural scent of flowers, essential oils, and compositions in the form of perfume, are more than just a pleasant smell. They can promote relaxation, sensuality, or spiritual depth. According to research on flowers by P. Jellinek, “esters of phenylacetic acids, fatty aldehydes, and alcohols are responsible for the aphrodisiac effect of various flower scents (jasmine, neroli).”

Essential Oils to Balance out our busy Lifestyles

Extensive studies by occupational psychologists have shown that lemon or rosemary scent may help with concentration, nutmeg may reduce stress, and lavender, interestingly, promotes a desire to buy things. Large Japanese companies are using scent throughout their employees’ workstations to help improve their performance – lemon in the morning for pick-me-up feelings, rose at lunch time for relaxation, and wood scents in the evening for stimulation and refreshment.

Another interesting discussion would focus on stress levels in our civilization. More and more studies are being done to prove that essential oils interact well with the receptors of the psychosomatic network and they may, in a soft and gentle way, restore harmony in our systems. This is especially essential to help people balance out the fast pace in the modern world of technology.

Aromatherapy is using the knowledge of the effect of scents on the body and mind. With the help of the purest essential oils we may influence our stage of mood or form of somatic anomalies. Compared with synthetic products, aromatherapy has a much higher risk-free profile. Nature provides all that we need, and the amazing and near magical powers of these scents are gifs that we should be aware of so we can utilize them to our greatest advantage. Caring for the Earth and her treasures should be high on our list of priorities as we step forth on our Paths with care and love for all which surrounds us.

Note – Information and statements regarding Aromatherapy have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health condition or disease. Contact your Health Care provider or Naturapathic immediately if you suspect that you have a medical problem, or may be prone to an allergic reaction.

This has been an incredible year for me. I have had my fair share of ups and downs, but I can honestly say there has been many good teachings and my Life is in Balance. I have learned much and taken my earthly experience to a whole new level.

Having begun a new journey into great health and energy, something I have always paid particular interest to throughout my life, I feel so alive! My thanks in this go to my daughter and her good thoughts which brought me Qigong. The Universe just seems to open up a path to what we need, and most times we just need to learn how to ask. My energy level is so high that I am able to keep up with a clan full of children and grandchildren, as well as the furry four legged friends who dwell in our home. Most days I am the one still moving, when everyone else is taking a break. I am never exhausted, and I sleep better than I have in YEARS! What a wonderful feeling it is to be alive!!

Although everything cannot be totally perfect, I feel as if my life is entering a gentle, peaceful, and happy stage. The world around us is in turmoil, yet I am ready to face what each moment brings with courage, fortitude, and the grace my spirit brings forth. We have much to be thankful for, and while I am warm and dry (my family sheltered during the cold season), and we are provided that which keeps our bodies strong and healthy, well then everything is as it should be.

I wish to send out much Love and good thoughts for all the spirits dwelling on this planet as the New Year opens up a new Journey. May you all be filled with the wonder of Life, the good health of a natural lifestyle, and may you enjoy the warmth and comraderie of true friends to help Light your Path as you move forward into the year of 2009.

Enjoy!

Teri
~

We love to play in the snow! Funny thing is we were wondering when we would get a chance to head on up to the mountain to play… well we didn’t have to go anyplace at all to get our wish. The snow came to us, and our area in Oregon is a white and magical place. What started out as a small snowstorm turned into a huge snowstorm (at least by our local standards), and we now have two feet of the white and wonderful stuff surrounding our home. This is indeed a delightful Dream come True for my little S and myself!!

It truly is beautiful, and what a special treat to walk outside and see the world transformed into a beautiful Winter Wonderland! I am in awe of how quickly nature transformed our early winter landscape from brown and grey to a sparkling white, oh so lovely place to play. Everywhere I look I am amazed at the beauty and keep finding images I wish to capture with my digital camera, and my daughter and I are having a great time just traveling through the neighborhood, totally fascinated everywhere we go. People laugh at our childlike wonder, and this change in climate seems to bring the neighborhood alive, and folks are friendly and full of high spirits.

We have had such fun playing, although I was only able to make one little snowgirl at the beginning of the storm, as the snow is just too light to form. Our little Chihuahua liked the snow at first, yet when it rose to above her head she would have no more to do with it. It was funny to see her jumping like a deer, but she absolutely refused to go far once she discovered the hazard of disappearing beneath the white stuff filling her world. She dug and dug to find the grass, as she was very particular of where to do her business…

Of course it took us HOURS to get to the store and back today, and it seems the whole city had the same idea of shopping before the storm worsens, and to catch up on last minute holiday ideas. But it was pretty exciting to journey through a white landscape, as the world looks so clean and pure! Now we have plenty of supplies, and as long as the power stays on we will enjoy a truly white holiday season, as we have everything we need to stay cozy, warm, entertained and well fed. What a great and wonderful feeling… everything is as it should be, and I am most happy in this moment.

To all those living and traveling through natures storms, I wish you safe travels and much joy in the time you spend with your loved ones. I also wish to send out my heartfelt prayers to those around the world who are not so lucky as I in this moment. I do know what it is to suffer, and feel very blessed and thankful to be safe in my home with my family surrounding me.

Happy Holidays and much Joy of the Season!

Teri
~

A gentle and tender touch is essential in passing along our feelings of love to those who are dear to us. Adults are fond of massage, so you may be certain that babies respond with pleasure to the soothing touch through gentle massage. This will help create a foundation which is secure, loving and giving as well. Let us consider the tremendous value and everlasting benefits in caring for our babies in this way. I have always loved touching and kissing my babies, and they have never gone without feeling my love and care.

Baby massage – helps circulation and enhances body function, however the most important factor is providing you and your baby with very enjoyable moments and memories. It is natural for a mother to give a massage and natural for a baby to receive it. The most suitable oils for babies are Lavender and Roman chamomile. Both oils will help with most aspects of your baby’s problems. Massage may help calm an over-active child and can help promote healthy sleep, ease stomach problems, prevent diaper rash, and soften skin. Use 2 to 3 drops of essential oils in a small cup of warm mixing oil.

Studies are showing that massaged babies are more alert, sleep better, gain weight faster, and look happier. Use this knowledge to spend more memorable and quality time with your precious one.

Hmmm… have you ever considered what makes oranges so special besides their vitamin C content, and delightfully delicious taste? We always have a fairly large supply of fresh oranges on hand in our house, being a favourite. I have always known these luscious, lovely little fruits bring more to us humble beings than meets the eye. What I didn’t know, was what a treasure we have in such a simple fruit. Now I have a bit of history, traditions, and scientific studies to back up my inner sense of this jewel of a fruit. Let’s explore the lovely scents and taste of the orange.

Nature’s Jewel

Orange (Citrus sinensis) – Orange is a small tree with shiny oval leaves, fragrant white flowers, and sweet, very nutritious fruits. It yields orange essential oil from its fruit, neroli oil (one of the main constituents of Eau-de-Cologne) from its flower, and petitgrain oil from its leaves. The orange is native to China and India, however it is cultivated today in many warm climates in the USA, Europe, Mexico, or Brazil.

The orange’s main chemical components are 90% Limonene, while the remaining 10% is made up of odorous constituents such as citral, citronellal, auraptenol and acids. The essential oil is located within the small sacks in the outer part of the skin. If you pinch the skin close to the candle flame, the released oil will burn producing tiny stars. The flash point for orange essential oil is 75 degrees Fahrenheit (23C).

Oranges symbolize innocence and fertility. In Chinese medicine, it was used to help with colds, coughs, and appetite problems. Traditionally it has been used as a tonic and as a support for the digestion system. It may influence one’s mood, create positive and happy feelings, and awaken activity. Orange oil will help you brighten gloomy feelings, dark thoughts and stressful situations. The oil is very beneficial and soothing for dry, irritated, and non-cystic acne prone skin. It has great regenerating properties and is valuable for mature skin. It may stimulate the lymphatic fluid, and it is a very good choice in massage procedure for helping swollen tissue.

Orange oil is a good source of vitamin C. It’s a good idea to add essential oil into a diffuser at times of flu or colds. It may help relieve tiredness, promote energy, and support the immune system.

Orange was also traditionally used to help the digestion system, alleviate occasional bloating or pressure, and prevent nausea associated with motion.

Use essential oil in combination with your daily skin care products and as an essential part of inhalation to help regulate your psyche and mood. If you use it as a necessary part of your massage procedure, you can aid digestion and help the muscular systems.