SMELL POTION- Health & Beauty Botanicals & Potions

A Practical Guide to Herbology

Lesson Two: Healing with Aromatherapy

Among our senses, one of the most-looked over and powerful is our sense of smell. Aromas can help us recall happy memories - baking cookies with loved ones during the holiday season, the perfume or cologne of a loved one - as well as unpleasant memories. Through psychology, we’ve proven that, when recreating a scene, scents can be our most powerful allies in recalling past events in our lives.

Aromatherapy is the art of using scents to heal the body, mind and soul. We use scents in healing rituals, magic and spirituality frequently - it even manifests in religious practices such as Christianity when a pastor cleanses a space with incense.

Scents and Sensibility

Working with essential oils is really quite easy, but here are some precautions to take.

Dilute

It’s important to dilute your essential oils in a carrier oil before using them therapeutically. You should rarely apply an undiluted essential oil to your skin.

By diluting your essential oils in a carrier oil, you get a lot more use out of them and you also prevent skin irritations. Some common types of carrier oils are grapeseed, olive, flaxseed, almond and sesame oil. Use 30mL (2 tbsp) of carrier oil per 5-10 drops of essential oil.

Storage

Essential oils need to be kept away from light and air. It’s best to store them in dark-tinted bottles to prevent light penetration. With proper storage, most essential oils can last 1-2 years. However, citrus oils should not be used after 6-9 months.

Allergies

Before working with essential oils, be sure to do a skin allergy test. Many people have sensitive skin and it’s important to take precautions and avoid allergic reactions to both essential oils and carrier oils.

To test for allergies, simply place a drop of your chosen carrier oil on your skin. Check and see if there is a reaction over the course of 12 hours. Place one drop of essential oil in 15 drops of carrier oil and apply to your chest. Check and see if there is a reaction over the course of 12 hours. If there is no reaction, then you likely have no allergy to the plant or the oil.

Precautions

Please avoid essential oils if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Specifically, avoid: cardamom, coriander, geranium, ginger, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, lemon balm, lemongrass, lime, mandarin, neroli, palmarosa, petitgrain, spearmint and ylang-ylang.

If you have sensitive or dry skin, it is best to avoid the following essential oils: black pepper, cinnamon, clove, grapefruit, lemon, lemon balm, lemongrass, lime, mandarin, orange, peppermint and spearmint. 

Healing with Essential Oils

When starting out with using essential oils for health purposes, it’s important to address one symptom or issue at a time. Limit your selection to a few different oils until you become more familiar with your tools. Once you get comfortable, start experimenting with making your own blends. As time goes by, you’ll see what works best for your body and you!

Stress

Stress often has the side effects of anxiety, upset stomach, heart palpitations and rapid breathing. One of the most common essential oils used to alleviate stress is peppermint - it relaxes the mind and body. Lavender is another good choice as it relaxes muscles and the vapors help regulate breathing.

Pain and Muscle Tension

Muscle tension and pain are something most of us are familiar with. When using essential oils to address this particular issue, it’s best to create a massage oil to rub the affected area. If you’re trying to relax muscles and ease pain, allspice and geranium are great choices.

Chest Congestion

Flus, colds, respiratory illnesses - we’re no stranger to those during the winter months. To use essential oils to treat this, apply a few drops of diluted oil across the chest and massage into the skin. I tend to use eucalyptus, but thyme is another great choice!

Concentration and Focus

Everyone experiences difficulties with focus and concentration; stress, lack of sleep, anxiety and depression are just a few possible culprits. To use essential oils for this, apply a few drops to the temples, middle of the forehead and the base of the neck. Rosemary and spearmint are great choices for this as they help you relax while improving mental clarity.

Fatigue

At the end of the day, many of us feel exhausted from school, work and just life in general. To help with this, place a few drops of essential oil on your wrists and rub them in. Citrus oils like lemon and lime work really well since they uplift mood, relieve fatigue and provide mental clarity and focus.

Insomnia

Sometimes we just can’t fall asleep. Place a few drops of essential oil on your forehead and at the base of your neck. Lemon balm and ylang-ylang are good choices for this as they promote restful sleep and reduce stress and anxiety.

Anxiety

This issue typically involves both the physical and mental parts of the body. To help alleviate anxiety, place a drop of essential oil on the forehead, base of the neck, wrists and along the collarbone or upper chest. Chamomile, lavender and lemon balm are excellent choices.

Recipes

Anxiety Relief 5 drops chamomile oil 5 drops lemongrass oil 2 tbsp carrier oil

Stress Relief 5 drops peppermint oil 5 drops lavender oil 2 tbsp carrier oil

Muscle-Tension Relief ½ tbsp ground allspice ½ tbsp ground nutmeg 5 drops geranium oil ½ cup carrier oil

Muscle Pain Relief ½ tsp cayenne pepper ½ tsp ground turmeric 5 drops rose oil 5 drops tea tree oil ½ cup carrier oil

Chest Congestion Relief 5 drops eucalyptus oil 5 drops pine oil 2 tbsp carrier oil

Mucus Killer 2 tbsp nettle leaves 5 drops frankincense oil 2 cups carrier oil

Focus and Concentration ½ tbsp ground myrrh 5 drops rosemary oil 2 cups carrier oil

Mental Strength and Clarity 1 tbsp dried rosemary 5 drops peppermint oil 5 drops spearmint oil 2 cups carrier oil

Energizer ½ tbsp dried juniper berries 5 drops thyme oil 2 cups carrier oil

Citrus Energy 5 drops lemon oil 5 drops lime oil 2 tbsp carrier oil

Sleep Easy 5 drops lemon balm oil 5 drops ylang-ylang oil 2 tbsp carrier oil

Digestion Relief ½ tbsp dried catnip 5 drops ginger oil 5 drops spearmint oil 2 cups carrier oil

Common Essential Oils for Health and Wellness

Allspice: Reduces stress, calms, relaxes tight muscles, uplifts mood, improves digestion, natural disinfectant

Basil: Calms, relieves pain, relieves fatigue, improves mental clarity, purifies the body

Cardamom: Relieves pain, uplifts mood, improves digestion, improves mental clarity and memory

Catnip: Anti-diarrheal, relieves indigestion, relieves anxiety, uplifts mood

Chamomile: Reduces anxiety, promotes restful sleep and relaxation, relieves pain

Cinnamon: Relieves pain, uplifts mood, relieves fatigue, natural disinfectant, improves digestion, increases appetite

Clove: Relieves pain, uplifts mood, improves mental clarity, improves digestion, natural disinfectant

Coriander: Relieves pain, relieves fatigue, improves digestion, improves mental clarity and memory

Eucalyptus: Breaks up congestion, relieves pain, natural disinfectant, vapors help with breathing (asthma)

Frankincense: Anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, diuretic, improves digestion, expectorant, sedative

Geranium: Relieves stress and tension, uplifts mood, anti-inflammatory, soothes itchy skin

Ginger: Relieves pain, uplifts mood, relieves fatigue, improves digestion, increases appetite

Juniper berries: Relieves pain, energizes, improves mental clarity and memory, anti-inflammatory, repels insects, soothes insect bites

Lavender: Relieves stress and anxiety, promotes restful sleep, uplifts mood, balances mood swings, vapors help with breathing, improves digestion, natural disinfectant, breaks up congestion

Lemon: Balances the nervous system, uplifts mood, relieves fatigue, improves mental clarity and memory, natural disinfectant

Lemon balm: Relieves anxiety and stress, promotes restful sleep

Lemongrass: Calms, balances nervous system, uplifts mood, anti-inflammatory, vapors help with breathing, improves digestion, natural disinfectant, repels insects

Lime: Relieves fatigue, uplifts mood, natural disinfectant, improves mental clarity and memory

Mandarin: Reduces stress and tension, calms, uplifts mood

Myrrh: Helpful in meditation, uplifts mood, anti-inflammatory, aids in healing skin

Neroli and Orange blossom: Removes nervous tension, promotes restful sleep

Nutmeg: Relaxes tight muscles, relieves pain, improves digestion

Palmarosa: Relaxes tight muscles, relieves pain, uplifts mood, helps regenerate skin, anti-inflammatory

Peppermint: Relieves pain, uplifts mood, relieves fatigue, breaks up congestion, anti-inflammatory, vapors help with breathing, improves digestion, increases appetite, soothes itchy skin, improves mental clarity and memory

Petitgrain: Reduces anxiety and stress, promotes restful sleep, uplifts mood, improves mental clarity and memory

Pine: Lessens pain, uplifts mood, relieves fatigue, breaks up congestion, natural disinfectant, improves mental clarity and memory

Rose: Relieves pain, uplifts mood, anti-inflammatory, aids in healing skin

Rosemary: Relieves pain, stimulates nerves, relieves fatigue, vapors help with breathing, improves digestion, improves mental clarity and memory, natural disinfectant, repels insects

Spearmint: Relieves pain, uplifts mood, relieves fatigue, breaks up congestion, anti-inflammatory, vapors help with breathing, improves digestion, improves appetite, improves mental clarity and memory, soothes itchy skin

Tea Tree: Relieves pain, natural disinfectant, aids in healing skin, vapors help with breathing

Thyme: Relaxes tight muscles, relieves pain, uplifts mood, breaks up congestion, anti-inflammatory, improves digestion, increases appetite, improves mental clarity and memory, natural disinfectant

Ylang-Ylang: Relaxes tight muscles, relieves pain, promotes restful sleep, uplifts mood, natural disinfectant —————————————– Images are under the Creative Commons License. Information is from a variety of books, websites and my personal experience working with essential oils.

Updated 7 March 2018 to include more warnings and to be consistent with other posts in this series of lessons.

Warnings:  

Do not apply undiluted essential oils directly to your skin. They are incredibly potent and are likely to cause irritation, burns and permanent scars. You must utilize an appropriate carrier oil for dilution - water is not acceptable.

Essential oils are not edible - DO NOT INGEST THEM. They are not used in tinctures, extracts or anything meant to be taken internally.

Diffusing essential oils can be toxic to your pets. Please do extensive research on which types of oils are not harmful to your pets.

Do your own research regarding medicinal plants and usage, especially if you are sensitive or have allergies of any kind. If you are on medication(s), consult a doctor before use.

just a sweet herbal witch at work🌿♡🌸

tea is an excellent way to incorporate green witchcraft and herbal magick into your daily life. here is a list of the magickal properties of different teas.

☾ black teas: the teas of winter. known to bring excitement, courage, and financial fortune.

    ♱ english breakfast: warmth, happiness, and courage

    ♱ irish breakfast tea: energy, strength, and willpower

    ♱ earl grey: the best tea for attracting money and fortune

    ♱ chai: love, prosperity, happiness, and healing

☾ white teas: the teas of spring, and the sun. known to heal and cleanse the drinker, as well as enhance spiritual communication and psychic energy.

    ♱ silver needle: purification, cleansing and healing

    ♱ white peony: protection against mischief and ill will

☾ green teas: the teas of summer. known for its powers of health, longevity, love and passion.

    ♱ sencha: prosperity, physical healing, mental strength

    ♱ matcha: love, passion and lust

    ♱ hojicha: banishing negativity, self-love, and health

    ♱ jasmine: spiritual love, energy charging

☾ oolong teas: the teas of autumn. known to inspire love, serenity, reflection, and balance.

    ♱ iron goddess: clarity of mind and heart

    ♱ osmanthus: transformation, harmony and serenity

☾ herbal teas: mixtures of herbs across all the seasons, with varying magickal properties.

    ♱ chamomile tea: love, healing, reducing stress

    ♱ peppermint: sleep, prophetic dreams, clearing negative energy

    ♱ lemon ginger tea: openness, cleansing, adventure

    ♱ dandelion root: divination, wishes, calling spirits

    ♱ fennel: vitality, banishing, energy

    ♱ ginseng: love, beauty, protection

    ♱ hibiscus: love lust, dreams

@crafting-witch’s love bath!

Soak in this bath of magical goodness to attract some more love 💖

1. Run hot water 2. Place lemon, chamomile, jasmine, rose buds, dandelion, cinnamon, charged water and lavender oil into the tub. 3. Feel free to add Epsom salts or any other herbs you associate with attraction. 4. Place candles and crystals on floor, edge of bath, or on a nearby surface. Light the candles. 5. Get in! 6. You can sip on some chamomile tea while bathing 7. Visualise your body soaking up all the magical goodness in the bath 8. Enjoy!!

Since this is a love and attraction bath, it’s a good time for some self love, you may wash your hair, brush your teeth, shave, exfoliate etc.

Happy witching!

a ravenclaw potion! This particular potion is made out of: Mint for Wisdom Brahmi for Mental Function Ginseng for Creative Skills Angelica for Inspiration and an eagle’s feather for the obvious reason.