Butterfly Miracles with Essential Oils LaRee Westover butterflyexpressions.org [email protected] Hope Renewed Oils cannot be wholly pressed into a rational, scientific box. Categorizing and labeling are foreign to any living thing. This is just as true of plants as it is of people. Every living thing has its own subtle beauty and inherent strengths. While I categorize, label, and dissect essential oils in this book, please remember the following: First: My husband and I (he does this better than I do) look at the plants—every one, and perhaps the rocks and minerals, too—as personal messages from a loving Heavenly Father. Because He understood that we would not always ask for, or even recognize, His help in our lives, He endowed the various plants with His own healing capacities and invited us to partake of them to balance and heal our own lives. Plants affect us, not just on a physical (vitamin and molecular) level, but on a spiritual plane as well. It is impossible to use an essential oil to heal the physical body without partaking of its ability to bring light and wisdom, healing and peace into your life. The peace and wisdom will be multiplied many times over if you use the oils with thanksgiving to the Creator and an acknowledgement of the role of the Atonement in the healing of both physical and emotional (spiritual) pain. Secondly: Plants are living things. To feel the living spirit and intelligence of each plant is the true foundation of herbal medicine. Just as each plant can exemplify the attributes of our loving Father, so can the plants personify some lessons about the operation of the body and the soul. The possibilities for learning are endless. To think “herbally” is to think differently; we must think as nature does—holistically. Nature emphasizes the whole, rather than the precise piece, and nature has an inherent logic and wisdom. Last, and to me most important: I have found that essential oils are many times more effective if used with gratitude, and especially gratitude to a loving Creator who established this world in such a way that the things we need for balance and health in every aspect of our lives are everywhere around us. This need for gratitude has been brought home to me in a myriad of ways over the years. I don’t believe that God requires our gratitude for His glory. The commandment to be grateful is an example of God explaining to us what is best for our own souls. If you don’t do it already, try doing all that you do in this alternative medical world with a large measure of gratitude. Essential oils are sensitive by their very nature. Our sensitivities are the vehicle through which we can touch others emotionally for good. It follows, then, that if essential oils are to heal our hearts, calm our nerves, revive our hope, and ground our fears, they must be sensitive. THEY ARE! There are tears in your eyes and a lump in your throat about now if you have used essential oils with faith and gratitude. I do not know how, but I know that essential oils have sensitive natures. Love your oils, pray for and with your oils, and use them with gratitude. If you do this, they will bless you abundantly. Legalese There is absolutely no substitute for caution and common sense! This oil booklet is written for general information and education only. It is not my intent to diagnose or prescribe for any ailment whatsoever. Your use of the information contained in this booklet is entirely at your own discretion and is, also, entirely your own responsibility. My goal is, simply, to bring to your attention things that, when I became aware of them, seemed to make significant changes in the quality of my life. It is not meant to be training in psychology, psychotherapy, or medicine of any kind. You are advised to apply the techniques and information along with the assistance of competent professionals. You have managed this far in your life without that oil you are considering and you can manage another day or two while you start slowly to determine the correct oils and the correct dosages for your own needs. There are details concerning the safe use of essential oils that cannot be contained in any book. Before using an essential oil the reader is advised to seek the assistance of a competent professional. The statements and products mentioned in this booklet have not been evaluated by the FDA. They reflect traditional and anecdotal usage and data from recent scientific studies. *The essential oil blends referred to in this document are proprietary blends made and distributed by Butterfly Express, llc. I hope you come to enjoy and love essential oils as much as I do! Copyright © 2010, 2012 Butterfly Expressions LLC 978-0-9835228-0-5 Print Versions 978-0-9835228-5-0 .pdf Versions July 2012 Printing Printed in the United States of America Table of Contents INTRODUCTION CHAPTER 1 GENERAL INFORMATION. ........................................ P 1 History ..............................................................p 1 Schools of Thought ...................................................... p 2 CHAPTER 2 BASIC PRINCIPLES ................................................ P 3 Basic Principles and Information .......................................p 3 CHAPTER 3 ESSENTIAL OIL QUALITY ........................................ P 7 Pure Essential Oils .........................................................p 7 Understanding Tests and Standards ..........................................p 8 Recommended Study ......................................................p 10 Shelf Life .................................................................p 12 Essential Oils and Security Scanners ......................................... p 15 Carrier Oils .............................................................. p 16 Another Reminder ........................................................p 17 CHAPTER 4 SAFETY GUIDELINES ............................................. P 19 Internal Use of Essential Oils ................................................p 19 Children ................................................................. p 20 Phototoxicity ..............................................................p 20 Pregnancy ................................................................p 20 Oils That Should Never Be Used ............................................ p 21 When an Oil Causes Discomfort ............................................p 21 CHAPTER 5 METHODS OF USE . ................................................ P 23 Topical Application ........................................................p 23 Emotions and Body Areas ..................................................p 24 Olfactory Administration ...................................................p 25 Water Magic ..............................................................p 26 Miscellaneous Methods ....................................................p 27 Internally ................................................................p 27 Cooking With Essential Oils ................................................p 27 CHAPTER 6 CHARTS AND DEFINITIONS . ..................................... P 29 Actions on Skin ............................................................p 29 Essential Oils and Skin Care ................................................p 30 Therapeutic Properties of Essential Oils ......................................p 31 Carrier or Base Oils ........................................................p 32 Definitions of Basic Essential Oil Terms ......................................p 34 Glossary of Therapeutic Terms ..............................................p 37 CHAPTER 7 SUGGESTIONS AND PRACTICAL USES ......................... P 43 Suggestions and Practical Uses ..............................................p 43 CHAPTER 8 ESSENTIAL OIL CONSTITUENTS . ................................ P 63 Hydrocarbons ............................................................p 63 Oxygenated Compounds ...................................................p 63 CHAPTER 9 ESSENTIAL OILS BY PLANT FAMILIES .......................... P 65 Botanical Families .........................................................p 65 CHAPTER 10 GROWING CYCLES AND ESSENTIAL OILS . ................... P 75 A Brief Overview ..........................................................p 75 The Nine Groupings .......................................................p 76 Roots ....................................................................p 76 Leaves ...................................................................p 77 Florals ...................................................................p 78 Seeds ....................................................................p 78 Fruits ....................................................................p 79 Spices ....................................................................p 80 Medicinal Herbs ..........................................................p 80 Woods ...................................................................p 81 Resins ....................................................................p 82 CHAPTER 11 EASTERN HEALING PHILOSOPHY ............................. P 85 Yin and Yang .............................................................p 85 Meridian System and Suggested Essential Oils .................................p 86 #0, Central and Governing ..................................................p 88 #1, Gallbladder and Liver ...................................................p 90 #2, Kidney and Bladder ....................................................p 92 #3, Large Intestine and Lung ................................................p 94 #4, Stomach and Spleens ...................................................p 96 #5, Triple Warmer and Pericardium ..........................................p 98 #6, Small Intestine and Heart ................................................p 98 Essential Oils for Specific Chakras ...........................................p 102 CHAPTER 12 EMOTIONS ........................................................ P 105 Essential Oils for Various Emotions ..........................................p 105 CHAPTER 13 WOMEN’S HEALTH . .............................................. P 115 Puberty ..................................................................p 115 Menstruation .............................................................p 116 Preconception ............................................................p 117 Fertility, Infertility, and Conception ..........................................p 117 Miscarriage ...............................................................p 118 Pregnancy ................................................................p 118 Labor and Delivery ........................................................p 120 Babies and Children .......................................................p 121 The Golden Years ..........................................................p 122 CHAPTER 14 SINGLE OILS ...................................................... P 123 Descriptions of Single Oils ..................................................p 123 CHAPTER 15 ESSENTIAL OIL BLENDS . ........................................ P 237 Synergy and Blended Oils ..................................................p 237 Making Your Own Blends ..................................................p 238 Descriptions of “Butterfly Blends” ...........................................p 240 APPENDICES....................................................................... P 295 Ingredients of “Butterfly Blends” ............................................p 295 Reference and Latin Names .................................................p 299 Introduction My father took down some bottles from over the fireplace and mixed several liquids in a bowl. He then made a compress by folding a small piece of flannel, soaked it in the liquid and placed it on the man’s side. Within half an hour the pains had gone and his face was no longer screwed up out of all recognition as it had been. Gripping the table in my excitement I couldn’t take my eyes off him. It was a miracle!! “Papa, did you do that?!” “Mon cheri, he who causes the plants to grow is the one who did it.” Of Men and Plants Maurice Messegue This same excitement in the face of a “miracle” is exactly the way I felt when I first became acquainted with essential oils, and a little gratitude is always a good thing. I had been using herbs and homeopathics for many years and was already doing footzone therapy for friends and family, but there were some health concerns in my family with which we had made great progress but seemed to be stuck at that level. The inclusion of essential oils into the programs made such a phenomenal difference that I was immediately hooked on essential oils for life. I should warn you right now that essential oils are addictive. Once you learn to love them, you just can’t have enough of them!! This book is a very personal sort of journal for me. Although I have quoted authoritative articles, books, and journals freely, I have also continually expressed my own opinions, preferences, and experiences. The use of essential oils, much like homeopathic remedies, is very person specific. No one can–or should–tell you exactly how to use an essential oil. Your likes and dislikes, your core personality, your personal body chemistry, and the circumstances of your life at this particular time will influence what works for you, the particular aroma of each individual oil, and what oils you will fall in love with and find useful. These factors will also influence what oils you may, occasionally, react to negatively. Essential oils are made from plants; they are very highly concentrated plant material, in fact. Because they are plant material, you may have or develop what may appear to be an allergy to a particular oil. An oil that you used with no adverse effect one day may cause a negative reaction on another day, even under what appears to be similar circumstances. This is true even of oils that are not on anybody’s list of “oils not to use or to use with caution.” The use of essential oils must be based on common sense and the basic principles of natural therapeutics. The more you know, the more success you will have. The facts are that the use of essential oils, with even a little bit of common sense, is not in the least dangerous, unlike the practice of putting toxic chemicals into the body in an attempt to make it well. Chapter One - General Information History Essential oils have been in use in both religion and medicine for thousands of years. We know this because reference is made to them in many manuscripts of ancient date. In addition, there are, as near as I can tell, nearly 200 references to essential oils in the Bible. Essential oils were used extensively in Renaissance Europe and in ancient India. In fact, India is probably the only place in the world where this tradition and art was never lost. With more than a thousand years of continuous practice, Ayurvedic medicine (which includes the use of aromatic oils) is the oldest continuous form of medical practice in the world. Much of what is known about the medicinal properties of essential oils comes from these traditional and long- standing sources. The arrival of modern science in the 19th century brought about the decline of all forms of herbal and homeopathic medicine. This suppression, if you study history even a little, appears to have been deliberately brought about by people who stood to gain financially. Scientists, quite probably with the best of intentions at first, began the practice of isolating the main active ingredient of plants and then reproducing them in laboratories. In this way, penicillin (derived from mold growing on bread), aspirin (naturally present in birch, wintergreen, and meadowsweet), antibiotics, and so on came into wide-spread usage. Today, the marketing of these medicines is big business and very profitable. There is obvious value in many modern scientific discoveries, but it must also be acknowledged by any open-minded person that these isolated compounds, such as those found in drugs and synthetic therapeutic oils, have many serious side effects and can be easily abused. Every plant, and therefore, every essential oil contains hundreds of chemical compounds, most of them in very small amounts. We know that certain trace elements are fundamental for life, and the human body often requires one in order to assimilate another. Rational thought, and now evidence from scientific studies, shows clearly that when plant material is broken down into individual components in a laboratory, many of these trace elements are lost. In addition, man- made, nearly chemically identical compounds lack them also. In fact, man-made elements tend to develop, physically, left-rotating elements that plug receptor sites and create additional problems of their own. (Information gleaned from The Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple, David Stewart, Ph.D, D.N.M.) The power of living products (herbals and essential oils) lies in the combination of their elements, and the trace components are every bit as important as their main constituents. In fact, it seems to be that the minor constituents have a synergistic (controlling and strengthening) effect on the main constituents. Many of these trace elements enable the herbal or oil to heal more efficiently and without the nasty side effects experienced when using the synthetic reconstructions (drugs or oils) that do not contain the trace elements. With pure essential oils and herbal medicines in their complete state you can heal and nourish without the traditional side effects of drugs! Aromatherapy, in our time, can be said to have began in France in the early 1900’s. England and European countries learned of it quickly and it is a basic part of even mainstream medicine in most countries of Europe and Asia, as is the use of homeopathic medicines. Aromatherapy did not exist in any significant way in the United States until the early 1980’s and can be classed into two separate and distinct movements. The first is pure and genuine essential oils prepared for therapeutic use. The second is a mass-market approach to the creation of oils which will be used for perfumery, etc. There is little if any concern for therapeutic value but a lot of attention is paid to the quality and durability of the aroma. Because of the prevalence of mass-marketing techniques, much of what you hear and see in the media and in promotional material is outright blarney, and what you buy is often synthetic substitutions. As the purchasing public becomes more educated, aware, and insistent on quality this is slowly changing. (I really loved adding that last sentence for this publication edition.) Education and personal experience are your best tools in this market; an oil source that you have come to trust is also invaluable. 1 Schools of Thought As noted on the previous page, essential oils have been used throughout the years and throughout the world, but not always by utilizing the same methods of application and/or use. There are large gulfs of difference between what is considered safe and the best method of application between countries and schools of thought. For the most part, aromatherapists trained in Germany consider inhalation as the best and most effective way to use essential oils. Essential oil molecular structure is such (small molecules with low atomic weights) that they pass directly into the blood stream when breathed into the lungs. At the same time they are also moving directly into the brain through the olfactory nerves which connect to the brain. In Britain and other English speaking countries, the skin is the primary avenue of absorption and utilization of essential oils. The emphasis is on massage with carrier oils containing only 2-5% of essential oil. The early proponents of aromatherapy in England were not therapists nor health-care practitioners, and often the oils used and studied were perfume or food-grade rather than therapeutic-grade essential oils. In addition, the British tend to rely heavily on scientific research. This sounds good in theory, but in practice the research has been almost exclusively done using low quality food-grade oils, synthetic reproductions, adulterated oils, and isolated compounds rather than the whole oil. Their data, and the advise and cautions generated by it, is invalid in relation to unadulterated therapeutic grade essential oils. The British place a great deal of emphasis on the potential problems with essential oils. Their lists of cautions are extensive for nearly every oil and their lists of oils that should never be used is also quite lengthy. Formally trained aromatherapists in the United States tend to lean heavily in the British direction, probably because studying English texts is easier for us than studying French or German ones. I consider myself guilty of this bias to a great extent in my early days using essential oils. It should be noted here that most essential oils contain compounds that are toxic individually. Myrrh oil contains many such compounds, yet it is one of the gentlest, safest, mildest oils in nature. The Bible says that Esther was massaged with oil of myrrh every day for 6 months to prepare for marriage to the king. Some British aromatherapists believe that this cannot be correct since studies of the individual components of myrrh obviously show some of these components to be hazardous, especially when applied day after day. (Interesting how scientists are so prone to believe their own prejudices rather than revealed word.) An interesting fact, noted in The Chemistry of Essential Oils Made Simple by David Stewart, Ph.D., D.N.M., is that myrrh essential oil is used to protect skin from the rays of the sun. This is amazing because myrrh contains more furanoid compounds than any other essential oil. Furanoid compounds are implicated in studies as amplifying ultraviolet light and are said to make an oil phototoxic (meaning that it can potentially cause sunburn and skin damage when exposure to sunlight occurs after application). This is a perfect illustration of the difference between a complete oil and its individual components. The French recommend the use of essential oils in just about any way you can imagine. They particularly emphasize the taking of essential oils orally. Many people, using only pure therapeutic grade essential oils, are doing this with good result and no reported problems. As is emphasized in this book, I do not recommend the oral consumption of essential oils. The fact remains that every incident in which harm from essential oils has been documented has been with internal consumption, either intentionally or accidentally. Oils absorb so rapidly when inhaled or placed on the skin and I have had such great success with those methods that I have rarely felt the need to recommend internal use. My recommendation is to use oils consistently, sensibly, with joy and thanksgiving, and by any method whatsoever that you choose. My thinking certainly follows French thought more closely than English. 2