Essential Oil of the Week: Sage

The Essential Oil of the Week is one that isn't common.  In fact some essential oils companies don't carry it at all.  Friends I would like you to meet Sage.

Latin name: Salvia officinalis

Sage Essential Oil can often be labeled as Salvia.  Sage Essential Oil is different from Clary Sage.  They come from different plants and have very different purposes.  The Latin name for Sage means "save" or "to heal".  The Lakota Indians and the Romans considered sage as the "master healer".

Sage has a very high spiritual vibration.  It help increase longevity and brings strength to our body.  It is a good oil for alleviating the effects of prolonged stress on the body and mind.  Sage is amazing in the aspect that it can clear our energy and strengthen it's ability to protect us from negative things.  Sage can bring clarity and vision to us if we will just allow ourselves the time to find it.  

Sage gives strength to the vital centers of the body and strengthens the pelvic chakras and the organs in it.  Sage is helpful for any distrubances related to nerve deterioration or prolonged nervous stress.  Sage is great for lymph congestion as well.  It can clear away cellular debris and strengthens cell wall integrity.  Sage is very useful for arthiritis, dandruff, hair loss, skin conditions, gingivitis, sprains, and firming tissues.  

It is also good for addictions, anemia, bitterness, bladder infections, circulation, decongestant, coughing, cramps, frost bite, gingivitis, hormone balance, temptations, tired tonsils, tooth infection, uterus deficiency, and varicose veins.

When I first entered the world of essential oils I started using Sage for my depression and anxiety (most of which come from stress).  It was amazing.  I could feel myself going down.  I would put 2 drops of sage on my hands, rub it on my chest and back of my neck and be functioning and fine in a few minutes.  It is also helpful for stress, negative thoughts, over sensitivity, being over worked, ego, pride and jealousy and helps you to focus.  I've since started adding a drop of benzoin and a drop of frankincense when I'm feeling super stressed.  The combination seems to help even more.

Sage is oils a good oil to use with congestion and stagnation in the lungs.  You can mix it with warm wheat germ oil and massage it into the upper back and chest.  

Another thing that is pretty amazing about Sage is that it can stop bleeding.  I have a friend who hadn't purchased Yarrow (the best oil to use to stop bleeding in my opinion) yet but had sage.  Her son was running to catch the bus and tripped on the curb and smacked his head on the bus steps.  He split his lip open right under his nose.  She actually had sage in her pocket and dumped it on his lip.  It sealed the wound shut and stopped the bleeding.  She went to the doctor and he didn't even have to have 1 stitch.  The doctors couldn't figure it out because the cut went all the way through his lip.  She applied oils 4 times a day to it to help it heal and he has only a minor scar.

Properties:  anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antidepressant, stimulant, tonic, calative, anti-infectious, antiseptic, nervine, antibacterial, anticancerous, immune stimlant, has estrogen-like properties

Sage is a Top Note

DO NOT USE DURING PREGNANCY (dries up breast milk)

It is suggested that Sage essential oil should be avoided when you are feeling angry.  The reason for this is because it gives you energy during bouts of anger it can give energy to the anger (making it worse) and cause your blood pressure to rise.  All things we don't want.

As always, any questions or concerns that you have don't hesitate to leave a comment or shoot me an email. Innersoles01{at}gmail{dot}com

Essential Oil of the Week: Lavender

I'm going to start highlighting single Essential Oils once a week.  Seeing as there are over 200 single oils to choose from I think one a week will be good to start with.  This week I'm going to talk about Lavender.

Lavender is my go to oil.  I carry it with me everywhere I go.  If I'm in a crunch and can't think of what Essential Oil to use I grab my lavender.  It is safe to use on kids, pregnant women, and the elderly (all groups of people where Essential Oils should be used with caution).  First some background information about Lavender.  A chemist named Gattefossé discovered after severly burning his hand in his lab that lavender essential oil was a wonderful healer of burns.  He couldn't find water anywhere after he burned his arm and just dunked his arm in Lavender essential oil.  His arm healed and he was left with no scars.  A few weeks ago my mom burnt her finger (right by the nail bed) on a hot glue gun.  She had kept ice on it for a few hours and it was still just as painful as before.  I headed over to her house and found her attempting to open a bottle with one hand.  I told her to go put some lavender on the burn.  A few minutes later the burning sensation was gone and within a day the burn itself was completely gone and didn't blister at all.  Lavender has the ability to speed up cell growth and therefore reduces scaring and helps cuts, scrapes and all types of wounds.  Lavender help bring balance between masculine and feminine energies and also balances our body during physical and emotional stresses.   Lavender can be helpful for dermatitis, eczema and sunburns.

A few weeks ago the weather was warm for utah so I sent the kids out to play.  J was in short sleeves and his forearms got a little red.  I mixed some witch hazel water with some lavender and sprayed on his arms and within a few hours the redness was gone and he was perfectly happy.  I've done it a couple times on myself and works great.  I've also used it for bug bites.  When the weather was warm the misquitos came out in full force.  Literally in 1 day I got bit 14 times!  I lathered myself in lavender and the itching stopped.

Some other things Lavender can help with is Allergies, chapped lips, bruises, dandruff, depression, digestion problems, eczema, edema, flu, headaches, insomnia, motion sickness, muscle strains, nose bleeds, pain, panic, parasites, psoriasis, anxiety, sinusitis thrush and stress.

I add a few drops of Lavender to my wash to help freshen my laundry as well.  Lavender is also an immune stimulant as well as a nervous system relaxant.

Always remember that Lavender in small doses can be relaxing and in large doses can be stimulating.  We put lavender on our boys feet and chest before they go to bed.  One night J didn't want to sleep so every time he got out of bed the hubs put Lavender on him.  He got so frustrated and called me and said "I have no idea what I'm doing wrong!?  I've put 2 drops of lavender on him like 5 times!"  I just about died laughing.  J ended up staying up until 3 am.  Needless to say we learned a lesson there.

Lavender Essential Oil is a mild oil and can often be applied Neat (without a carrier oil) to the skin however everyone reacts differently to every oil.  My children can handle Lavender neat but I have a client (in her 30's) who can't.  The best area of application for Lavender is either directly on the place you are hoping to help or your feet.  However if you are wanting the effects to help with emotional or mental disturbances I would put it on my chest and spine.  Inhaling the Essential Oil will help quicker than simply applying them to the feet.

Lavender is a Middle Note Essential Oil

Properties:  antiseptic, diuretic, expectorant, emmenagogue, anti parasitic, sedative, anti-inflammatory

As always, any questions or concerns that you have don't hesitate to leave a comment or shoot me an email. Innersoles01{at}gmail{dot}com