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Across the Fence:  Essential oils  |
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Suzan
True Blue Farmgirl
659 Posts
suzanne
duncannon
pa
USA
659 Posts |
 Posted - Aug 18 2008 : 08:57:17 AM
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| OK, dumb question/request, but please educate me on essential oils, and where do you get them? |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2008 : 09:03:18 AM
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www.auracacia.com
I love the Aura Cacia oils!
An essential oil is a concentrated, hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma compounds from plants. They are also known as volatile or ethereal oils, or simply as the "oil of" the plant material from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. An oil is "essential" in the sense that it carries a distinctive scent, or essence, of the plant. Essential oils do not as a group need to have any specific chemical properties in common, beyond conveying characteristic fragrances. They are not to be confused with essential fatty acids.
Essential oils are generally extracted by distillation. Other processes include expression, or solvent extraction. They are used in perfumes, cosmetics and bath products, for flavoring food and drink, and for scenting incense and household cleaning products.
Various essential oils have been used medicinally at different periods in history. Medical applications proposed by those who sell medicinal oils range from skin treatments to remedies for cancer, and are often based on historical use of these oils for these purposes. Such claims are now subject to regulation in most countries, and have grown correspondingly more vague, to stay within these regulations.
Interest in essential oils has revived in recent decades, with the popularity of aromatherapy, a branch of alternative medicine which claims that the specific aromas carried by essential oils have curative effects. Oils are volatilized or diluted in a carrier oil and used in massage, or burned as incense, for example.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essential_oil
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.awarmheart.com
Please come visit Nora and me on our new blog:
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
Put your pin on the farmgirl map! www.farmgirlmap.blogspot.com |
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Suzan
True Blue Farmgirl
659 Posts
suzanne
duncannon
pa
USA
659 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2008 : 09:18:32 AM
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| Thanks, Alee. I'd like to get some for in my laundry detergent I made. |
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Hideaway Farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1553 Posts
Jo
Virginia
USA
1553 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2008 : 11:23:03 AM
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Thanks for the great explanation, Alee!
Another source I just learned about is "Young Living" -- a friend of mine shared three of hwe essential oils with me, and so I am just learning myself.
Jo
"Wish I had time to work with herbs all day!" |
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ddmashayekhi
True Blue Farmgirl
4740 Posts
Dawn
Naperville
Illinois
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2008 : 1:17:51 PM
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I buy my essential oils at Whole Foods. I think GNC also carries them. If you don't have either store by you, try looking on-line to order some. I use tea tree oil in my laundry detergent & bathroom cleaners for disinfecting purposes. I like lemon oil for scenting them. Good luck finding what you need.
Dawn in IL |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2899 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2899 Posts |
Posted - Aug 18 2008 : 1:53:52 PM
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Just like anything else, you pay for what you get. The Young Living oils are excellent, they are therapeutic grade & you actually can safely ingest many of them. Aura Cacia is good also, although I have found Young Livings lavendar to be the best out there. If you are just using to add some scent to laundry detergent, go for the cheap stuff. But if you plan on putting on your skin, or even ingesting(which I do on a normal basis), I would make sure to get the best you can afford.
My mom actully turned me on to the oils about 15 yrs ago, and she went to Turkey & took several classes with Young Living's founder. She is 78 & does not take a single med, but uses oils religiously in all facets of her life. I am not quite as dedicated & some of them can be quite pricey, but I still have a cabinet full of all types, some blends, some single oils. I use for all sorts of thngs, especially when I feel I am coming down with something, I drink a few drops of certain oils (Thieves by Young Living is great for this, it is a blend & is actually a combo of oils that thieves put on their feet during the Black Plague & could go in where people were sick, steal from them & none got the plague..Hence the oils name "Thieves")
I drink a few drops of peppermint with any indication of tummy upset & also put in my shoe as a great refresher. I could go on & on, but I would highly recommend their usage. |
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therusticcottage
True Blue Farmgirl
4439 Posts
Kay
Vancouver
WA
USA
4439 Posts |
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Across the Fence: Essential oils |
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Essential oils
