The name Helichrysum is derived from the Greek words helios meaning sun and chrysos meaning gold, which refer to its numerous clusters of tiny yellow flowers. These dried flowers were presented as an offering to the Gods in Ancient Greece, used in Medieval Europe as potpourri, and have flavored sauces in various cultures around the…
Category: The Complete Book of Essential Oils & Aromatherapy by Valerie Worwood
A2Z 2020 — essential oils — H — hemp seed oil (carrier oil)
The cultivation of hemp began more than 10,000 years ago in the region that is modern day Taiwan. Perhaps the first agricultural crop, hemp served as the foundation of sustainable civilization. Ancient farmers found that hemp was an ideal crop for conditioning their soil. The leaves would fall to the ground and create fertilizer…
A2Z 2020 — essential oils — G — Ginger
As early as the time of Confucius, the Chinese have grown and used ginger as both a medicine and a food. In ancient Asia, as today, it was valued for its ability to build fire, both as a digestive and as an aphrodisiac. The Mahabharata, a Hindu text written around 4 BCE, recorded the use…
A2Z 2020 — essential oils — E — eucalyptus
The eucalyptus is a holy tree for Australian Aboriginals. For them it represents the division of underworld, Earth and heaven. At a spiritual level the eucalyptus has a purifying effect. Negative energy disappears in the place where you burn a eucalyptus leaf. — from The Joy of Plants The essential oil today starting with letter…
A2Z 2020 — essential oils — D — using essential oils for depression
Nowadays, use of alternative and complementary therapies with mainstream medicine has gained momentum. Aromatherapy is one of the complementary therapies which use essential oils as the major therapeutic agents to treat several diseases. The essential or volatile oils are extracted from the flowers, barks, stem, leaves, roots, fruits and other parts of the plant by…
A2Z 2020 — essential oils — C — chamomile
The word Chamomile comes from the Greek meaning “ground apple”, probably because of its apple-like fragrance. The Romans used Chamomile for incense. Roman Chamomile gained its name, not from ancient Rome, but because a 19th century plant collector found some growing on the ruins of the coliseum in Rome. Chamomile was used in ancient Egypt…
A2Z 2020 — essential oils — B — Bergamot
Bergamot oil was a key remedy in Italian folk medicine and from the 16th century appeared in a number of European herbals as a febrifuge and antiseptic. It became popular as a perfume in Napoleonic times and was a key ingredient of the classical toilet water Eau-de-Cologne. It is still used in perfumery today as…
Tao Talk 