Flower Power

There are so many different, amazing and beautiful flowers in the world. Roses, are my favorite, how about you? Many of the potent parts of the very things you think just smell good may ultimately hold some very real help for what ails you.

Geranium flowers, when turned into essential oils, promote great skin, nails and hair and have been used in the perfume industry for centuries.

Ylang Ylang flowers have also been used for centuries in perfumes, religious ceremonies, aromatherapy and wedding events. Ylang Ylang supports a healthy circulatory system and according to the Mercola website, has been known to help to fight infections in the gut and urinary tract, has been used as an antidepressant, will speed up wound healing, can support hair growth, can help the body with supporting healthy blood pressure levels, and may even be helpful to some for fighting insomnia and restless sleeping. http://articles.mercola.com/herbal-oils/ylang-ylang-oil.aspx

Roses are some of my favorite flowers, as I mentioned before. They just smell so amazing and take me back to my grandmother’s garden. Roses over the years have been heavily farmed for perfumes as well as for helping promote beautiful skin. In a recent PubMed study, Rose essential oil reportedly showed a significant impact on people in regards to less anxiety, less depression, more calm feelings and lower rates of blood pressure, breathing and pulse rates.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19370942

The clove bud flower could possibly be one of the most special flowers of all. This potently packed little bud when distilled has been seen in the science communities as one of the highest in antioxidant and also antimicrobial properties. Antioxidant compounds are important for treating memory deficits due to oxidative stress, and have been shown to help to revert memory and learning deficits. This study shows both short term and long term memory issue improvements utilizing clove essential oil. It also includes cloves’ amazing antimicrobial properties and how they work on things like eColi and other microbes in our midst.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3819475/

Some interesting factoids: It takes approximately 220 pounds of lavender flowers to make one pound of essential oil. Rose, jasmine, helichrysum, ylang ylang and clove essential oils are all extracted from the flower/petal part of the plant. The rediscovery of essential oils involved an accident in which chemically burned hands were plunged into a bucket of lavender essential oil. Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, a French chemist who worked in his family’s perfume business, is considered the “Father of Aromatherapy” and had sustained severe burns in a chemical fire. He decided to test out the reputed pain-relieving properties of lavender oil on his burns. To his surprise, he found that the lavender oil not only relieved his pain, but also helped heal his wounds without scars or infection. If you don’t believe the father of aromatherapy, believe me, I have used lavender oil many, many times when I am in the kitchen – love how it loves my skin back to natural health!

Please feel free to send me an email at ahealthyresidual@yahoo.com. I look forward to hearing from you and welcome your questions and comments.

For consultations or more information about how to use or purchase essential oils, please contact Shelly Berkowitz, Reflexologist & Holisitic Health Coach at (714) 514-3737. Shelly can also be reached via email at ahealthyresidual@yahoo.com and her website can be viewed at www.mydoterra.com/shellyberkowitz. You can also find her on Facebook at A Healthy Residual

FDA Disclaimer:  The information, advice, statements, and testimonials made about the essential oils, blends, and products mentioned on this web site have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  The information on this site and the products listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease, nor are they intended to replace proper medical help. It is always recommended to consult with a healthcare professional before starting any regimen with essential oils.  User submitted testimonials are based on individual results and do not constitute a guarantee that you will achieve the same results – what works for one may not work for another.