Posts

Aromatherapy Safety and Pregnancy

-
Image
Aromatherapy is a beautiful and healing tool. It is also powerful and at certain stages in our lives there are precautions that must be taken. Remember! Essential oils are extremely potent extracts of those respective plants and resins. Many times stronger than herbs. For this reason it is best to stay away from aromatherapy in the first trimester, with the exception of diffused oils for morning sickness (see my nausea relief inhaler). With this being said, once you are past that first trimester aromatherapy can be very healing and benefit you in many ways during pregnancy.  Most essential oils listed to avoid during pregnancy are there because they can cause uterine contractions.  Never use essential oils internally unless instructed by a trained aromatherapist. This is not because of the quality of the essential oils, this is because of how potent they are! There are fads spreading with recommendations for internal use and this can be very dangerous. If you are interested
Post a Comment
Read more

Detox Me!

-
Image
This is not a new topic to say the least. People are doing cleanses and looking for ways to "detox" their bodies all the time. This is something our body is designed to do...to an extent. We are always getting rid of pollutants through our bodies, including our skin which excretes 1lb of waste a day! However, these days we are exposed to a plethora of contaminants, toxins and pollutants. Natural remedies have been used for this for ages. Aromatherapy is a great way to assist the body in ridding of these many exposures. Remember, essential oils are not just scents. They are very potent and made up of many chemical constituents that affect our bodies. They are very effective in detoxification.  ​ ​ Our detox aromatherapy salt soak  Detox Soak  is comprised of the following essential oils: Lemon (Citrus limonum)- stimulates white blood cells to defend the body against infection and detoxifies the body through the blood and liver. Grapefruit (Citrus racemosa)- i
Post a Comment
Read more

Mom & Baby

-
Image
Hi Everyone! It's time to announce a new line from Holistica Botanicals. I have added a line of teas and products to support the perinatal period and baby. For those of you who are not familiar with that term, perinatal means the period surrounding pregnancy (before, during and after). There is much to know when considering this realm and a lot of research had to happen to open this line. I referred to friends of mine who are midwives, herbalist resources and aromatherapy resources to give you all great products that you can count on! This line includes organic and wildcrafted loose leaf teas starting with a Fertility boosting tea to the Pregnancy tea, Stomach ease, Postpartum and More milk teas.  These are blended for their purpose as well as flavor. Wildcrafted Red Raspberry Leaf is used instead of Organic for good reason. Its properties for pregnancy and postpartum are most beneficial from the wild picked leaves rather than organically farm grown. Wildcrafted means: wild so
Post a Comment
Read more

Let's Start at the Very Beginning

-
Image
Where did Aromatherapy even begin? The use of plants for human benefit goes way way back. “…… "There is virtually no people known to anthropology – however remote, isolated, or primitive – in which some form of doctoring with plants was not practiced.” Barbara Griggs, The Green Pharmacy Hmm interesting. In our country we seem to downplay nature's abilities. But why? There are written records dating back to the Sumerians at least 5000 years ago, Mesopotamian civilizations dating to the second millennium B.C., and  Egyptians dating to around 3000 B.C. Ancient India was particularly active in medicinal plant recording 290 species. Not to mention the Chinese who we can date back to using plants for medicine to 3000 B.C. (they were already using 350 herbal remedies). I could go on and on. Cool though, right? Then Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans became well known for their aromatic plant and extract use. Egyptians used them for medicine, food preservation, religiou
Post a Comment
Read more

Feet?

-
Image
Posted by Katie Carter RN, Certified Aromatherapist January 19, 2017 So what's the deal with the soaks? Where did the soaking trend start? It actually was a hit in the Roman times. So way back when. You heard of the famous Roman baths! They would soak for emotional and health benefits in communal tubs....of men! So not just for the ladies. See this painting below: Men would have meetings, massages and more in these communal baths. So the reason these are still great today is for those emotional and health benefits. Our body absorbs these oils through the salts and give us great benefits. Salt soaks don't have to be used in a full bath either. Make yourself a nice foot bath in a large bowl instead! The feet are very porous and effective in absorbing too!
Post a Comment
Read more

The Power of Lavender

-
Image
Posted by Katie Carter RN, Certified Aromatherapist on Nov 29th 2017 It seems that Lavender Lavandula angustifolia is one of the most well known essential oils. Why not show it some love and tell you all what makes it so amazing!!! The healing powers of Lavender essential oil started in July of 1910 when the Gattefosse family, active in the perfume business in France, had a laboratory explosion. Rene-Maurice sustained burns to his hands and scalp. He treated the burns with Lavender Essential oil and noticed that his skin healed quickly and that the pain was eased from this oil. Lavender was also used to protect against the plague in the Middle Ages as well as scenting laundry. In latin 'Lavo' or 'Lavare' means to wash or bathe, appropriately named after it's use for scenting laundry. Mmmmmmm. In Iranian folk medicine it is used for various inflammatory diseases. Lavender is rich in Monoterpenes and Esters which give it t
Post a Comment
Read more

They Sell it, So it's Safe

-
Image
March 7, 2017 I feel that as humans we are mostly all trusting. I don't know about you, but I remember when I realized that just because they sell it doesn't mean it's safe. This realization happened to me during my years of being a free spirited traveler. You meet people from all over the world, and they talk! Hmmmm interesting. I met people from Canada that mentioned that many of the products sold in the US are not allowed to be sold in Canada for various reasons, including chemicals. My friends in Norway were baffled in Australia that foods and other products had such a long shelf life. This made me curious. Once you start reading labels you see that there are many ingredients you do not recognize. Try searching what they are! I have found fermaldehyde in shampoo, carcinogens in facial products, and the all famous parabens and other ingredients that mimic estrogen and can cause fertility problems! This is so shocking to me. The cool thing is that I meet more peop
Post a Comment
Read more