Aromatherapy & Essential oils

[futuredaze]

Hi there fellow bums,

 

Lately, I've been experimenting with essential oils and a diffuser I recently purchased.  I have been having really good results so far.

 

The oils I've tried:

 

- Peppermint

- Lemongrass

- Tea Tree

- Eucalyptus

- Lavender

- Orange

- Pine

- Cedarwood

- Ylang Ylang

 

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I've heard of aromatherapy for a while now, but I never realized how powerful these "smell baths" could be.  Of course it works though, because fragrances have a powerful effect on our mood and consciousness.  Who doesn't love wandering in the woods and experiencing all the wonderful scents of cedar, pine, etc., the smell of flowers, the smell of the atmosphere during the rain?

 

Just like herbal medicine can have a powerful effect on our health and well-being, I think aromatherapy does it too.  I would say it is a bit more subtle though, since eating/drinking plants and herbs obviously gives us all the nutrients and plant-based chemistry, but inhaling the fragrances inevitably triggers a similar, but less extreme, more subtle, process.  Highly recommended though!  If you have a lot of energy or anxiety, try something like peppermint or lavender, as they can be relaxing.  If you need something more stimulating try tea tree, pine, or even ylang ylang.

 

Any other bums have experiences with smell-based medicine?

[Seatle185]

I like experimenting with them too. I like tea tree, peppermint, lavender too. My favorites have to be sage, sandalwood, frankincense, and myhrr. 

[Aetherous]

I've had great results with clearing away poison ivy rash (after it has fully broken out) with essential oils - it vanished entirely within 24 hours. It was a formula of multiple different EOs, but the highest dosage was peppermint, and it was applied direct to the rash area without a carrier oil.

Another time after that, when I couldn't afford the formula, I tried it with only peppermint EO, and it still worked fairly well.

Doesn't work when you first get the rash...and the poison ivy oil needs to be cleaned away first, otherwise it just spreads.

 

As a side note - if you know that you've touched poison ivy, within 1 hour of contact, gently scrub the area with dish detergent and a wash cloth multiple times (using multiple clean washcloths). Only works if done shortly after contact...wait too long and it will have gotten into the deeper layers of the skin, and cleaning it will cause the rash to spread.

[thelerner]

I've really been digging a couple sprays of eucalyptus oil into the shower before I get in.  It makes for a nice wake up in the morning.  When it runs low, maybe I'll refill the small spray bottle with eucalyptus and lavender oil.  

[Fa Xin]

If you can find it, “thieves oil” is my favorite. Reminds me of Christmas.