The Wonders of Herbs and Essential Oils: Introduction
We at The Cows End are not in the business of curing anything, just making great smelling and natural products. However, the use of essential oils have become so popular that we felt providing addition information on the oils we use in our products would be beneficial. There are a lot of sites with short summaries of herbs and / or essential oils, but we want to go more in-depth; provide specifics and studies so that you can see why essential oils are gaining popularity. While we chose them because of there wonderful aromas, they are so much more than something that makes you home smell great!
Safety first!
Every essential oil is different but here are some general warnings that should keep you from harm. The most important is that you should NEVER ingest essential oils, as many are toxic. This is why you should always secure your essential oils out of the reach of children and pets (especially cats as they are very sensitive to many oils). If you are pregnant or nursing, check with your healthcare provider before you use ANY essential oils. Remember that essential oils are highly concentrated, so even if you use a specific herb all the time – that doesn't mean the essential oil is safe. As a general rule, you should also not put essential oil directly on your skin as many can cause irritations or burns. You want to make sure that you dilute them in some type of carrier, shake well, and test on a small area. Finally, your body can become desensitized to an essential oil with consistent, prolonged use. There are typically a number of essential oils that will help with a given condition, so switching among them might be a good idea!
Methods
There are various ways of using essential oils safely. Using a diffuser is probably the most popular method, it may help your condition and make the room smell wonderful. Another great use is in homemade cleaning, bath and beauty products. The easiest is homemade cleaners. I personally do not like the smell of most home cleaners as they are just too strong for me (and they make me wheeze and sneeze). I have found a number of cleaner recipes online that are made with essential oils and I encourage you to experiment and find you favorite! You can also do very simple things like place a few drops on a cotton ball and place it in a hidden spot (if you are not sure if it will harm the surface you can put a small piece of aluminum foil underneath it). Just remember that no matter how you use them, keep them away from pets and children!
Benefits
The therapeutic properties of herbs and essential oils have been touted for several thousand years. However, scientific studies have only taken place in the last 50 or so years. We will provide scientific studies where applicable, and notate when information is from personal use or anecdotal. That being said, as with every product you buy, do your own research and come to your own conclusions. There are contradictory studies on almost everything available today, so researching and critical thinking has never been more important.
See ya soon!