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Therapeutic herbs, infused oils, EO: should we bother with them?
Want to know more about therapeutic herbs? Infused oils? Should you use them? Should you consult a licensed herbalist? Well, you just may have found the right spot on the internet! To begin, and also as a heads-up, please note that in North America there is no such thing as a licensed herbalist. There are many programs available that guarantee you will be a licensed, certified herbalist upon completion of their pricey program. Not so. At best, expect to receive a certificate of completion - there you go, that’s your certification! Yet, there are many who call and advertise themselves as licensed herbalists, each proclaiming to be THE expert…. Decades and decades later (I’d better stop typing “decades”, it really makes me feel old!), I would never dream of calling myself a licensed herbalist, THE expert. My main education is in the medical field, though I also have vast experience in psychiatry and holistic medicine - herbalism included, of course. In this part of the world, you could say that herbalism is still in its infancy. Much about it is unclear or unknown, and misinformation - intentional or not - abounds. However, the field (excuse the pun) of therapeutic herbs is truly fascinating. So sit back and get ready to read some interesting , useful stuff about therapeutic herbs, and infused oils. Please remember: I am not your medical practitioner. I will not diagnose what you believe or know is troubling you. All my content is intended for your information only. DO NOT make use of herbal preparations, including but not limited to massage/therapeutic oils without consulting your medical practitioner first.
Essential oils (EO) are sophisticated botanical hydrocarbons; they are plant chemicals. Therapeutic herbs provide us with therapeutic essential oils.
As mentioned somewhere else on this site, the oils are extracted using a variety of methods. The cost of each EO is directly related to the quality of the plant used and the quantity needed (some plants yield considerably less than others.) They are not the same as infused oils, which are formulated by adding plants/herbs to a carrier oil. Ok, so what’s a carrier oil? It is a stable, non-volatile vegetable oil derived from seeds or nuts. Here is the list of the ones I especially like to use in my own preparations: Apricot kernel, avocado, evening primrose, jojoba, calendula, macadamia, and calendula. Ok, getting back to the infused oils…. Let’s say I want to formulate something that will actually improve the skin of a mature client who also suffers from sun damage and eczema. I could start with wheat germ, great for promoting formation of cells and repairing sun-damaged skin. However, wheat germ oil is too heavy, so I know that I should mix it with a lighter carrier oil. I’m now considering calendula oil. In the mixture I’m going to add comfrey and let the whole preparation sit for several weeks. The comfrey releases its healing powers into the oil. Coupled with the inherent properties of the carrier oil, we’ve got something cooking here! Well no, we don’t cook in this case. But you get the point, right? To summarize and simplify: take a carrier oil, add the needed plant, and cover it. Let it sit undisturbed for several weeks, remove the plant (some people prefer to leave it in the oil, but I do not see the point of doing so) and there you have an infused oil.
Should you use therapeutic herbs and their essential oils? Yes, by all means, but remember a few important points:
(1) Familiarize yourself with the particular EO contained in the preparation. For example, lotions or massage oils containing cinnamon should NOT be applied to the skin. Another example: citrus oils, especially lime, bergamot, lemon, and bitter orange are very phototoxic if applied undiluted!
(2) Many EO are not suited for children! The ones considered safe include Roman chamomile, lavender, and tea tree. Also, halve the number of EO drops if the “patient” is a child. Apply to a small area and wait at least 72 hours. Watch for ANY type of reaction!
(3) Do you have any type of disorder/illness? What about blood pressure? If you suffer from hypertension, avoid sage, rosemary, thyme. These will make the condition worse. However, at the opposite point, EO of melissa, clary sage (see picture at left), and marjoram can potentiate the effects of blood pressure medications! A blood pressure that is too low isn't good either, especially if yours has been running high for a long time, and your system has become "accustomed" to it.
(4) What is your age? People over the age of 60 should cut the amount of EO drops used in home-made preparations.
For example, suppose you have a base (cream or lotion) weighing 100grams. A healthy adult can add roughly 40 drops of EO to that base (I say "roughly" because a lot depends on the particular EO used). But if you’re over 60 years of age, you should add approximately 20 drops.
All right, coming to an end here… Do EO, infused oils/herbs work? Should we "bother" with them? YOU BET THEY DO and YOU BET WE SHOULD! So why aren’t therapeutic herbs and EO accepted and used by most of our western medicine practitioners? Well, I hope you will understand and forgive me if I choose to evade the question. Though I may be considered the “black sheep”, I’m still in the medical arena. So let’s just say that ideology (considered to be authoritative and indisputable), ignorance and the mighty dollar all play a part.
One more thing: I thought of creating pages about every ingredient I use in my preparations, but doing so would GREATLY increase the number of pages. So what I’ll do is this: introduce the product, tell you what’s in it, and then provide you with essential information about its active ingredients. Fair enough?
Thank you.
(Anonymous)
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