Tag: Different Cultures

The History of Essential Oils

In modern times, essential oils are used in aromatherapy to aid people with their physical and emotional health. In the past, they have been used by many people all over the world and in different cultures to do just that. The history of essential oils is a long one. Thousands of years ago, the Chinese were using plants with aromatic qualities for healing. Although these plant substances were being used in the medical practices of the day, they had not yet been distilled into essential oils.

The Egyptians, and perhaps also the Persians and the people of India, were the first to make distillation machines. Oil of cedarwood distilled with such machines was used along with myrrh, cinnamon, clove and nutmeg oils to embalm the dead.

The Egyptians were concerned more with the sense of smell than with any of the other senses. They believed that it was the most important and dominant sense. They adopted the essential oils they made to their medicine, cosmetics, and fragrances.

The use of essential oils was taken up by the Greeks next. Hippocrates did an ancient form of aromatherapy. A Greek named Megalleon invented a perfume called megaleion. This substance was used in aromatherapy and as an essential oil as an anti-inflammatory and to heal wounds. A Roman, Discorides, wrote on the uses of 500 different plant substances. Distillations were also made of such substances. However, these distillations didn’t produce essential oils. Instead, they made floral-smelling waters.

Avicenna was a Persian man who refined the process by inventing a distillation machine with a coiled cooling pipe. This allowed for more effective cooling. Eventually, the focus shifted towards more emphasis on true essential oils and their uses.

Paracelcus was a doctor of the fifteenth century who began using the term “essence.” His emphasis was using essential oils for medicine. During this time, many new essential oils were being produced. Among them were juniper, rosemary, rose, and sage. During the sixteenth century, people would go to their apothecary to get essential oils for many different uses. Around this time, the advent of new essential oils flourished. In the next few centuries, essential oils changed little except in their use in perfumes.

The major chemical ingredients of essential oils were identified. Scientists became more interested in the subject of essential oils. In the twentieth century, this became a problem for those interested in the use of true essential oils.

Much of twentieth century science has been consumed with creating synthetic versions of essential oils. However, an early twentieth century Frenchman named Gattefosse became increasingly involved with the study of essential oils and their medicinal values. He was the first to use the term “aromatherapy”. Aromatherapy and the use of essential oils were not well known in English-speaking countries. Robert B. Tisserand changed all that. He wrote the first English book on the subject, and many other books and articles.

As the years go by, people are becoming more and more interested in natural ways of doing things. They want to find ways to soothe their minds and comfort their bodies without synthetic drugs. Essential oils give them a way to do it.

Detox- Cleansing the Body Inside Out

Detoxification has been a lengthy discussion ever since. Whether to detox or not, is up to you.

Even though you are ‘healthy’ this does not mean that you don’t need to detox. Sure our body does this on a continual basis, our kidneys and livers are constantly working by cleaning out all the pollutants (smoke, caffeine, chemical-based products etc) in our body. Detox strengthen our organs back to optimal function.

Basically, this is done through fasting, therefore resting the organs and stimulating the liver by pushing away the toxins from the body. Nourishing the body with healthy nutrients is also done to maintain optimum health. It has been practiced for centuries around the world by different cultures.

Although a lot of people want whole body detoxification, some wants to have a detox on a particular organ only, such as the kidney, liver or colon. During kidney cleansing, herbal supplements and juices are used to dissolve and wash out kidney stones; particular foods are consumed in liver cleansing causing the gall bladder and liver to remove fatty deposits and toxins out of the body. Colon cleansing on the other hand, gently flushes the colon with water providing a pathway for the release of toxins.

There are also techniques used in whole body cleansing such as:

Fasting. Water or juice fasting is applied for a period of time to lessen toxic loads in the body causing the body to heal itself and nourish inside out.

Parasite cleaning. Right amount of pills or tinctures made out of bitter herbs are consumed to build an unreceptive environment for the parasites inside the body.

Contrast Shower. The contrast among hot and cold water enhances circulation, helps in detoxifying thus having a stronger immune system. This also helps by bringing oxygen, nutrients and immune cells towards damaged and stressed tissue and flushes metabolic waste and other toxins.

Sauna, yoga, exercise, raw food dieting and dry skin brushing also enhance the body’s natural cleansing process.

Other Detoxifying aids

There are a number of safe products that helps in the cleansing process such as cleansing supplement packages (with easy-to-follow instructions), detox foot patches, commercially prepared detox teas, Epsom salts, high-class multivitamins for daily intake and antioxidants like Q10 and E that can be found at health food stores.

Before and after side effects:

As the procedures differ, so do the benefits.

During the detox, you’ll most likely feel the side effects that take place during the first few days such as headaches, feeling weak, sore muscles, cranky moods and unable to sleep soundly.

There are also a number of positive side effects days after the cleansing process. You will feel energetic, mental clarity improved, skin is clearer, improved sleep, and have a positive attitude in life for a fresh start.

Detoxification is safe and beneficial for our health. It is suggested that each one should at least have a short detoxification program yearly. However, children, nursing mothers, and patients with cancer, chronic degenerative illness and tuberculosis should consult their physician first for approval and supervision or find someone who is familiar with detox.

If you decide to award your body with holiday, find a nutritional therapist who is familiar with detox.

Here’s how:

You can call your friends who are into health foods and alternative medicines, ask them for a person who they can refer. Another way is to search in the yellow pages under nutrition or by looking for ads in health publication in your locality. Get the name of someone you found whose name appears in more than one place and check for his profile, like from which school he/she attended the training and if it’s an accredited one. Also ask how long he’s been in practice.

Natural Toothache Remedies

Not many people are aware of the fact that several herbs can be used in the relief of toothache pain. Natural herbs such as cloves, calendula, tarragon, and yarrow can be used to help relieve th pain until you can get to the dentist. For many years, different cultures have counted on herbs to help get the pain of a toothache control and get temporary relief.

Native Americans for example, used the inner bark found in the butternut tree to their gums to get relief from toothaches. The butternut tree is found in North America, and is also the cousin of the black walnut tree. Butternut trees are found along rivers in well drained soil, rich woods, and even in back yards. Once the tree matures, it can reach heights of up to 60 feet, with the bark being light grey in color, and the leaves and the fruit resembling the black walnut tree. The bark of the tree can be applied to the gums, helping to alleviate toothache pain.

Yarrow on the other hand, can be found in Asia, Europe, and North America. It normally grows wild in meadows, fields, and in open wood lands. The root of yarrow, is what contains the anaesthetic effect. If you apply the fresh root of yarrow to your tooth or gums, it will help to stop the pain – until you can get an appointment with the dentist and get it taken care of.

The herb known as clove is an evergreen tree, native to tropical areas. These days however, it can be found throughout the world. As many already know, the dried flower bud of clove is what contains the medicine. The oil from clove, when used on a toothache, will help to stop the pain almost immediately. If you compare cloves to other natural toothache remedies, youll find clove to be the best.

For many years, natural herbs have been used to stop toothache pain. Hundreds of years ago, herbs were the only way to stop the pain. Dentists were just starting to come around, although they didnt have near the equipment and sophistication that they have these days. Even though teeth were pulled during these times, it normally happened with alcohol to numb the pain then pliers to remove the tooth.

Throughout the course of time, herbs have proven to be very effective with stopping toothache pain. If you are interested in herbs or have any questions about them, you shouldnt hesitate to ask your dentist his opinion. Dentists know herbs, and should be able to recommend natural remedies to you if you request them. The next time you experience the pain of a toothache – you should always remember that herbs are a great way to relieve the pain.