Essential Oils and the Five Elements

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the five elements are phases or movements of yin and yang energy. Yin represents condensing energy, the material and substantial, while yang represents expanding energy, the immaterial and non-substantial.

Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons



When the five elements are flowing in balance, you are healthy. Imbalances lead to various problems. Here's a little information about the five elements, potential imbalances, and essential oils for five-element imbalances.

Water is condensed energy in a static yin phase. It's a dormant state filled with latent power. Imbalances in water can lead to:

• Edema (swelling). Juniper or fennel essential oils may help.
• A feeling of apprehension and overwhelm. Try juniper.
• Hyperactivity and feeling unsettled. Try geranium essential oil.

Wood is rising energy in an accelerating yang phase. Wood is about motivation, growth, and harmony in the flow of life. If energy isn't flowing, essential oils with relaxing properties, such as lavender, may help.

Fire is expansive, radiant energy of yang at its peak. Imbalances may lead to:

• Nervous exhausion and insomnia. Use cooling, calming essential oils, such as lavender, neroli, and melissa.
• Apathy. Try jasmine and oils with similar properties.
• Poor self-image and low self-esteem. Use rose essential oil.

Earth is energy in its descending yin stage. Imbalances may lead to:

• Sluggish digestion. The essential oils of cardamom, fennel, and thyme may help.
• Continually worrying about your children and neglecting yourself. Try lemon essential oil.
• Excessive need for sympathy and support. Use marjoram or vetiver essential oil.
• Overthinking and mentally going over and over things. Frankincense or lemon essential oil may help.

Metal is energy in a gathering and synthesizing yin phase of transformation. Imbalance in metal can lead to frequent colds. Use eucalyptus or tea tree oil.

For more information on essential oils and the five elements, see Aromatherapy for Healing the Spirit: Restoring Emotional and Mental Balance with Essential Oils.

Chamomile Essential Oil - Roman and German

The two types of chamomile essential oil used in aromatherapy - Roman and German - have different chemical compositions and different properties. (You might hear of a Moroccan chamomile, but it's not true chamomile, according to Kurt Schnaubelt, Ph.D.)


German Chamomile
By H. Zell (Own work)
[CC-BY-SA-3.0] The common method of extraction for both essential oils is steam distillation of the plant's flowers. German chamomile oil is deep blue, while Roman chamomile oil is pale yellow occasionally tinged with blue.

Roman Chamomile Oil

Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) is a small perennial herb, with daisy-like flowers, that grows only 4 to 12 inches tall and has an apple-like scent. Roman chamomile essential oil contains about 80 percent esters, making it a gentle, calming oil, appropriate even for young children.

The Fragrant Heavens states that Roman chamomile encourages relaxation, stillness, calmness, softness, gentleness, serenity, spiritual awareness, emotional stability, inner peace, understanding, and cooperation.

Other possible uses for Roman chamomile essential oil include menstrual pain, menopause, PMS, stress, tension, and anxiety. Use it to make a relaxing bath or footbath or to make a massage oil blend.

Roman chamomile also soothes all types of skin, and may help skin conditions such as acne, dermatitis, and eczema.

German Chamomile Oil

German chamomile (Matricaria recutita) has smaller daisy-like flowers than Roman chamomile but is a larger plant, growing to 20 inches. The main chemical component is sesquiterpenes, which makes German chamomile an excellent essential oil for skin care. It may help most skin conditions.

Here's a skin care toner for normal skin:

6 drops lavender
1 drop clary sage
1 drop German chamomile
4 drops lemon
2 fluid ounces distilled water

Add essential oils to distilled water in a spray bottle. Essential oils and water will separate, so shake the bottle vigorously before spraying this blend onto clean skin. Source: Aromatherapy for Common Ailments.

German chamomile also helps fight inflammation. Possible uses include abscesses, boils, colic, cuts, cystitis, dermatitis, insect bites, sprains, strains, and wounds.

The Fragrant Heavens says that German chamomile encourages communication, relaxation, understanding, organizaation, empathy, patience, and calm.

You can get both German chamomile and Roman chamomile from Young Living. (To order, please use Sponsoring Distributor Member Number 1030500 or contact me for more information.)

Essential Oil Facial Masks for Oily Skin

Clay facial masks are good for oily skin because they draw out some of the excess oil. Here's a clay essential oil facial mask for oily or blemished skin from Healing with Aromatherapy:


By Sérgio (Savaman) Savarese (Flickr) [CC-BY-2.0] 1-1/2 teaspoons green clay
1/2 teaspoon grapeseed oil
3 drops tea tree oil (Melaleuca Alternifolia)

Blend together all ingredients and add enough water or hydrosol to make a creamy paste. Apply to face. Leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

Yogurt Facial Mask

Here's a mask recipe for normal to oily skin from Aromatherapy for Common Ailments by Shirley Price.

2 drops lemon essential oil
1 drop geranium essential oil
1 drop ylang ylang essential oil
2 teaspoons live, natural, plain yogurt

Blend the ingredients and apply mixture evenly over your face. Leave on until mixture no longer feels cool, and then rinse off and apply a moisturizer.

Sour Cream Facial Mask

Here's another essential oil facial mask for oily skin:

1 egg white
1 drop grapefruit essential oil
1 teaspoon sour cream

Beat egg white until fluffy. Blend in sour cream and grapefruit essential oil. Apply to face, and leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water. Source: Tips and Recipes to Create Your Own Home Spa Experience!

See more aromatherapy facial masks on this blog.

Essential Oil Facial Masks for Dry Skin

Facial masks can improve the appearance of your skin by removing dead, surface skin cells and increasing circulation to the skin.


Free Photo/PhotoXpress Although clay is a common ingredient in face masks, generally avoid it if you have dry skin.

Here's a simple essential oil facial mask for dry skin:
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon hazelnut oil
3 drops geranium essential oil

Slightly beat the egg yolk and then stir in the oils. Apply to your face and neck. Leave on for 20 to 30 minutes, and then wash off with warm water.

Source: Healing with Aromatherapy

Honey Facial Mask for Dry Skin

Here's another aromatherapy face mask for dry skin from Aromatherapy for Common Ailments by Shirley Price.

2 drops sandalwood essential oil
1 drop lavender essential oil
1 drop Roman chamomile essential oil
2 teaspoons honey

Blend the ingredients and spread the mixture evenly over your face. Leave the mask on until it no longer feels cool. Then rinse off and apply a moisturizer. Use once a week.

Essential Oil Mask for Dry Skin

Here's a bit more involved recipe from Aromatherapy: A Complete Guide to the Healing Art:

First, you need to blend a facial scrub:
1 cup oatmeal
1/3 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup dried lavender and peppermint (dried herbs, not oils!)

Use a grinder to grind the ingredients into a fine powder. Store in a closed container.

To use as a scrub, blend 1 teaspoon powder and enough water or hydrosol to make a paste. Apply to damp face, gently scrub, and rinse with warm water.

Now, the facial mask for dry skin:

1 tablespoon facial scrub
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon rosewater or aloe juice
1 drop rose or neroli essential oil
1 egg yolk (optional)

Blend the ingredients. Apply to your face. Leave on for 5 to 10 minutes, and then rinse off with warm water.

More on this blog: aromatherapy facial masks.

Sacred Frankincense: Creating a Deeper Spiritual Connection

Frankincense essential oil is known for its uplifting and meditative properites. Most frankincense oil is Boswellia carteri; however, another species is Boswellia sacra, which Young Living offers under the name sacred frankincense.

Although some sources indicate that the two species are the same, research conducted by Young Living has shown that carteri and sacra are different. Researchers successfully used gas chromatography (GC) to separate the chiral molecules found in the two varieties of oil. The GC tests showed the two had different optical rotations (a measure of the way light deflects off of molecules).

Producing Sacred Frankincense

Boswellia sacra grows only in Oman. It's also known as Omani frankincense, and some sources believe it's the variety of frankincense that the Three Wisemen presented to the Christ child.

In modern times, Oman didn't export the frankincense, except to the Saudi royal family, until Gary Young negotiated with the Omani government and received permission to build a Young Living frankincense distillery in the country and to take the essential oil out of Oman.

Uses

Frankincense promotes healthy skin and has calming and balancing properties. Although you can use sacred frankincense for any of the reasons you would use Boswellia carteri frankincense, the primary recommended use of sacred frankincense is to create a heightened sense of spiritual awareness and connection. You can:

• Put a drop of oil in journals, books, or sacred texts to increase the sense of spirituality.
• Diffuse the oil using an aromatherapy diffuser for up to one hour, as often as three times a day. Diffusing during prayer, meditation, or yoga can deepen your experience and spiritual connection.
• Take as a dietary supplement: Put two drops in a capsule. Take three times daily or as needed.
• Apply 2 to 4 drops directly to your skin. Unless you have sensitive skin, dilution is not required (spot test if you are unsure). Use as needed.

Note: Sacred frankincense is recommended for adults 18 years or older. Consult a professonial if you are pregnant or have a serious medical condition.

Boswellia sacra has a lighter, sweeter scent than Boswellia carteri.

Buy sacred frankincense from Young Living. (To order, please use Sponsoring Distributor Member Number 1030500 or contact me for more information.)

Short video showing frankincense trees and the Young Living distillery:



More Information

Sacred Oman Frankincense - Frankincense research and more from the Sultanate of Oman

The Journey to Sacred Frankincense from Gary Young's blog

Frankincense: Could it be a cure for cancer? from BBC News



Young Living Essential Oils. (To order, please use Sponsoring Distributor Member Number 1030500 or contact me for more information.)