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Aromatherapy - Elbow Room For The Spirit

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Services for Real Estate Pros with Four Winds Healthy Home Carpet & Air Duct Cleaning

pressed leaves

Scent transports us. Many of our most profound memories can be triggered, almost involuntarily, by our sense of smell.  While we at Four Winds Healthy Home use plant based solutions exclusively for our green carpet and air duct cleaning, plant based aromatherapy can be quite useful to our well being during these stressful times.

Why are fragrances able to stir us?  Memories, as well as scent are stored in the limbic system - sometimes called the old brain. This region belongs to the most primitive part of our brain. Odor stimuli was an essential component of early survival for humans.  Now, our frantically paced lives have downplayed the importance of our earliest and most vital sense.  Aromatherapy can delightfully revive it.

The practice of naturally distilling botanical material is ancient. The essences are extracted from the petals, barks, resins, rinds, foots, seeds, stalks and stems of certain aromatic plants. Many pounds of plant material are required to produce even a small amount of essential oil  It is staggering - five thousand pounds of rose petals produce only one pound of pure rose oil.   Essential oils can be used in a variety of ways. We at healthyhomeaz employ highly concentrated grapefruit seed extract, orange peel extract, and tea tree oil for their sanitizing properties. Certain essential oils when blended together interact upon each other and render a more powerful outcome than if used individually.

The following are some formulas that can be used individually or blended to create synergy. One word of caution - do not use essential oils very close to cats, it is harmful to them.

To Induce Optimism - Neroli and Grapefruit together

For A Calming Effect - Lavender, Marjoram, Geranium, Frankincense

For An Energizing Effect - Rosemary, Cypress, Basil, Rose, Juniper

For Muscle Relief - Birch, Thyme, Juniper

For Healing - Roman Chamomile

To Heighten Concentration -  Mint, Bergamont, Lemon Verbena, Lime, Lemongrass, Myrtle, Grapefruit

Michelle Viggiano Phoenix & Scottsdale Plant Based Healthy Home Carpet and Air Duct Cleaning http://www.healthyhomeaz.com 

Comments (14)

Pangaea Interior Design Kitchen & Bath Design, Remodeling
Portland Oregon - Portland, OR

I will definitely try the ones to heighten concentration. Nice list. So glad patchouli isn't on it ... patchouli will make me leave the room!

Feb 14, 2009 10:59 AM
Michelle Viggiano
Four Winds Healthy Home Carpet & Air Duct Cleaning - Scottsdale, AZ
healthyhomeaz

Pangaea - Thanks for the comment.  I could not agree with you more about pathchouli, but it appears it is a perenial favorite of perfumers, as so many people love it.  You have a great blog!

Feb 14, 2009 12:19 PM
Heather Chavez
Second Self Virtual Assistance - Caldwell, ID
Real Estate Virtual, Assistant (928) 692-3235

My favorites are Lavendar, Chamomille and Lemon Verbena.

Feb 15, 2009 05:02 AM
Anonymous
Michelle Viggiano/ Four Winds Healthy Home

Hi Heather - I like all those very much as well, yet I find that geranium, grapefruit and mint do the trick for me. It's like anything - you change when you need a change but one's favorites do prevail.

Feb 15, 2009 05:13 AM
#4
ASHEVILLE REALTY REFERRAL RESOURCE 828-776-0779
REAL ESTATE REFERRAL NETWORK - Asheville, NC
CONTACT janeAnne365@gmail.com

Michelle~

I ownder what would happen if a REALTOR combined all of the above... (I'm smiling) =) ..and I am reBlogging this post...with a hint of jasmine....

Feb 15, 2009 07:41 AM
Michelle Viggiano
Four Winds Healthy Home Carpet & Air Duct Cleaning - Scottsdale, AZ
healthyhomeaz

JaneAne - love the playfullness of your comment.  However, one never knows the infinite possibilities when you get your head and heart aligned!!

Feb 15, 2009 09:42 AM
Mary McGraw
GLREA - Rockford, MI
2015: Solar Energy Is Still A Simple Machine!

Great posts and great comments! I love to imagine the possibilites of aligning my head and my heart!!! Oh...don't think so!!!

Feb 16, 2009 04:28 PM
Anonymous
Michelle Viggiano/ Four Winds Healthy Home

Hi Mary, I believe it is self-evident from your blog and postings you most definitely have your head and your heart quite well aligned!! Thank you for the coment and I do very much like your tag line of "09 will be fine"  - see how well aligned that it also.

Feb 17, 2009 08:33 AM
#8
Jim Frimmer
HomeSmart Realty West - San Diego, CA
Realtor & CDPE, Mission Valley specialist

You have a couple there -- neroli and bergamont -- that I'm not familiar with.

Feb 23, 2009 05:42 AM
Jen Bowman
Keller Williams on the Water - Holmes Beach, FL
Realtor - Anna Maria Island & Bradenton FL

Great post! I love growing rosemary and lavender in my yard. It's the greatest thing to relax me when I go outside and rub my hands through it. I put a little lavender spray on my pillow at night too, it's like an instant spa treatment.  Thanks to Russel Ray for sending me this way!

Feb 23, 2009 11:42 AM
Michelle Viggiano
Four Winds Healthy Home Carpet & Air Duct Cleaning - Scottsdale, AZ
healthyhomeaz

Hi Jim,  the two you mention, Neroli and Bergamont are both citrus.  Neroli - citrus aurantium bigardia - is more commonly known as "Bitter Orange". The other bergamont - citurs aurantium var. bergamia - is also known as "Bergamont Orange" 

Neroli or citrus aurantium bigardia is native to south east Asia and then through trade spread west finally ending up in Spain at the end of the 12th century. Neroli is the blossom, in other orange oils  the pulp, skin, or other part of the fruit is mainly used. 

Bergamont or citrus aurantium bergamia is the main taste component of Early Grey Tea.  It is one of the most expensive essential oils as 100 Bergamont Oranges is needed to create 3 oz. of oil or in differnt terms,  a 2900 pounds of petals to create 1 quart of  Bergamont oil. In aromatheapy, the peel is used to induce optimism.  It is also native to South East Asia but has been commercially grown in Italy since the 17th century. It is a favorite of perfumers and is one of the main ingredients, along with neroli, to create the first  eau de toilette in Italy and the first eau de cologne in Germany, and  the formulas have not really changed since the 1700's.

Citrus in the aromatherapy world is primarily valued for the following properties - antibiotic, antidepressant, antiseptic, digestive and antispasmodic.  Due to the last propery pregnant woman should not employ citrus essential oils  or do so very sparingly.

Feb 23, 2009 02:47 PM
Michelle Viggiano
Four Winds Healthy Home Carpet & Air Duct Cleaning - Scottsdale, AZ
healthyhomeaz

Hi Jen, rosemary and lavender are heaven together and look gorgeous together as well. Isn't lavender such a wonderful scent.  Did you know that it is also considered a scorpion repellant? Isn't that strange as in the South of France, they have scorpions and lavender fields?

Feb 23, 2009 02:51 PM
phick steven

Good to read these wonderful notes. Your blogs are really very helpful for everyone. Basically, writing in long form requires an almost special ability and creativity.
http://www.fabmart.com/collections/aromatherapy

Aug 27, 2015 05:14 AM
Inna Ivchenko
Barcode Properties - Encino, CA
Realtor® • GRI • HAFA • PSC Calabasas CA

I love essential oils and use them daily: diffusing, massages, internally. 

It is very important to use the high quality essential oils. They do cost more, but the benefits for your home and health are priceless. 

Aug 24, 2018 12:30 PM