Aromatherapy for Women: How to use essential oils for health, beauty and your emotions

UNWINDING AFTER A TIRING DAY

Many things can ‘wind us up’. Driving, coping with children, attending to countless customers in shops or banks, commuting on packed trains, or partaking in whatever stressful activity is part of our lifestyle. Cigarettes, alcohol and tranquillizers have become the methods of relaxation employed by people in the Western world. A healthy and safe alternative to these measures is to take an aromatic bath each day. Even if you prefer showering for its speed and economy, think of bathing as a therapy and try to take one or two aromatic baths every week. Just as swimming in a warm sea is mentally and physically therapeutic, so too is lying in a warm bath, doing absolutely nothing except to inhale the vapours as they are released into the air. A few drops of your favourite essential oil (particularly good are neroli, rosewood, myrtle, geranium or lavender) will soothe and gently ease away the mental and physical tensions of the day. The day’s events register as physical tension, which is the reason why we get tight neck muscles, headaches, irritability or insomnia. It may seem easier to reach for an analgesic tablet or tranquillizer, but if we stop to think about the effect that the drug is having on our body on an immediate level, and then think about the possible long-term problems associated with those drugs, we may decide that it is much better to opt for a safe alternative, such as an aromatic bath, even if it takes a little more time and effort. Stress, if allowed to build up over a period of weeks, months or years will eventually lead to a breakdown in health; this could manifest itself in the form of a serious health problem such as cancer, ME, MS or some other disease of our time. Daily letting-go of stress and tension could be and should be as routine as brushing our teeth.

INSOMNIA

Anyone who has a busy lifestyle which sometimes overburdens him or her with worries and responsibilities, may experience the occasional night when sleep is elusive.

While preparing for my exams at school, many years ago, my sleep patterns became very disturbed due to my constant fear of failure. Once the stressful situation was removed – in my case, after I had received the examination results – I was again able to go to bed and fall asleep.

Nowadays, it is a rare occurrence for me to lie awake at night but such is the power of the mind that when a strong thought pattern has been established, and continues to go round in circles, I find that I have to take practical steps to break the circle. If my problem is that I am thinking negative thoughts about someone who has upset me, or I strongly disagree with a decision over which I have no control, then I reach for pen and paper, and write down my thoughts until I have ‘got it off my chest’. I may write a letter to someone who has been causing me to feel very negatively, and in my letter I express myself in a very forthright way, imagining the effect it will have on the recipient as he or she reads it. When I feel satisfied that I have unburdened myself, then I sprinkle some marjoram oil onto my electric burner, and with the aromas of sweet herbs floating through my mind, I fall asleep. I always find on those nights when I have used marjoram, I sleep deeper than normal. Of course, in the morning, I tear up the letter. I don’t need to send it: it is enough that I have written down the destructive thoughts, and rid myself of the unpleasant emotions that were robbing me of my rest.

Many people suffer from chronic insomnia, and find that their body’s natural rhythms have been so disturbed that the only way in which to fall asleep is to take a nightly tranquillizing drug. It is possible to substitute essential oils for tranquillizers, and to enjoy a good night’s sleep without feeling ‘hung over’ the next morning. Lavender is a very strong sedative which, when used in a night-time bath, dissolves away mental and physical tension, and induces a restful night’s sleep. Add five or six drops of lavender to a comfortably hot bath. Don’t wash and scrub – this bath is not for cleanliness but for rest and relaxation – just lie back and wallow; and don’t set a time limit on yourself – stay as long as you feel comfortable, adding more hot water as necessary. Some relatives of mine of retirement age swear by their lavender baths to help them to sleep at night. Because of the deep sleep they enjoy at night, they are full of vitality during the day.

Common sense must play a part in treating insomnia, and eating the main meal of the day at lunchtime, instead of in the evening, may help considerably. Foods which are known stimulants should be avoided, such as coffee and chocolate, as they could aggravate the inability to ‘switch off’. For any insomniac who does not like the aroma of lavender or marjoram, then a completely different type of aroma is neroli (orange blossom). Although very light and floral, neroli is still very sedative, and may be used alone or in combination with either lavender or marjoram. All of these oils can be used in the bath, on the edge of the pillow or in a room fragrancer.

WAKING UP AT NIGHT

Sometimes the day’s events or a particular worry are so strongly entrenched in our minds that even when asleep, the slightest provocation (a cat fight in the garden, or a car door slamming) can awaken us, and it becomes impossible to go back to sleep again. A glance at the clock may tell us that 3 a.m. is far too early to get up, but the mind is chattering away as though it was the middle of the day. This has happened to me on occasions, especially when staying in hotels where everything is unfamiliar (and sometimes uncomfortable). I write down any thoughts that are going through my mind, and then put some lavender or marjoram oil on a tissue, place the tissue across my face and breathe in the aromatic vapours until sleep comes.

REVITALIZE BEFORE A NIGHT OUT

Occasionally our energy levels can be so depleted at the end of a busy day that there seems to be no enthusiasm to go out socially and enjoy oneself. Sometimes it feels as though you are a car with a flat battery, and without some sort of a boost, there is no way that the car will start. At times like these a half-hour aromatic bath could be just the boost you need. One or two drops of oil, in any of these combinations, will help to revitalize you for the evening ahead; rosemary and rosewood; rosemary and geranium; rosewood and bergamot; or whichever essence you find to be beneficial. If exhaustion has depressed your emotions slightly, then add a drop or two of clary sage oil to your bath water. Alternatively, a drop or two of clary sage oil may be taken internally, on a little brown sugar or in honey water.

HANGOVER

Most adults have, at some time or another, experienced a hangover: that unique combination of heavy head, unbelievable pain, nausea, sensitivity to noise and light, and generally feeling like death. This is hardly surprising when you consider that alcohol is actually a poison when taken in excess, disturbing the body chemistry and robbing it of vital fluids. According to one scientist, for every glass of whisky we drink, 1 million brain cells are killed; and if alcohol were invented today, it would never pass the government safety tests on new products.

Nobody ever wants a hangover, but we all overindulge occasionally, and need to recover. Firstly drink a large glass of water, preferably still, bottled water, as alcohol causes dehydration which in turn gives rise to severe headaches. Follow this by a long aromatic bath with rosemary or juniper (see recipe section (#litres_trial_promo)). To combat nausea there is nothing finer than a drop of peppermint in warm honey water. Peppermint can also be taken on a little brown sugar, but I find that hot water increases the speed at which the essential oils reach the bloodstream. If you do not have access to a bath, then you should massage a little lavender oil into the nape of the neck and lie down with a lavender or geranium compress across your forehead. Jojoba oil is virtually indigestible, and will coat the lining of the stomach. A teaspoonful taken before going out drinking, may slow down the rate of absorption of the alcohol, but will also interfere with digestion of food, and is only a temporary measure. I still prefer to ‘mix’ my drinks; one glass of wine or other alcohol, followed by one glass of water.

On occasions I have drunk too much alcohol, as I have a very low tolerance level, and find that the following day I have a dull ache in the middle of my back, as alcohol adversely affects the kidneys. By rubbing sandalwood oil (which is extraordinarily good for helping with kidney problems) into this area, I always find that the ache is soothed away, which means that I can get on with the business of the day without discomfort.

AROMATIC TEAS

Flavoured teas make a welcome alternative to the taste of black tea, and for a while I was a regular user of Earl Grey tea until I became bored with it. As this is just tea flavoured with essential oil of bergamot there is no reason why you cannot make your own aromatic teas with essential oils that you have in your collection. Next to bergamot, the most obvious choice of oil for a tea would be peppermint. You can make your own Earl Grey tea by adding one drop of bergamot oil to tea in a pot and adding 3–4 cups of hot water. Either Japanese green tea or Indian black tea may be used, but some essential oils work better with green tea and others with black tea. Black tea should be used with peppermint and bergamot. Put tea into a pot, add one drop of oil and then add 3–4 cups of hot water. Drink while fresh.

Lemon and orange oil may be added to either type of tea and make a delightfully refreshing tea any time of the day; to a teapot add tea, one drop of oil and 1–2 cups of hot water. Jasmine oil makes such a wonderful tea that I have put it in the chapter on sex and sexuality (Chapter 3 (#u06e775df-f6c7-5eb0-8693-ccee0e1a1291))!

How to make tea with your essential oils

Chapter Two (#ulink_829c18b3-ead6-52c5-a705-46af5537e9a3)

GYNAECOLOGICAL REMEDIES (#ulink_829c18b3-ead6-52c5-a705-46af5537e9a3)

SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE

A close friend of mine was in a distraught state because she had embarked upon a sexual encounter while on holiday, and was now suffering as a result. Her symptoms resembled those of gonorrhoea, but could have been any one of several sexually transmitted diseases. The vaginal discharge was very heavy and offensive; passing water was painful and burning; she had lost her appetite and had a higher than normal temperature. She also had a pain in her lower abdomen.

She was feeling so ill and so ashamed of herself that she stayed in bed, and asked me for my help until she felt like going out to the STD clinic. Not knowing what was wrong with her, but knowing that sandalwood oil is used in India for the treatment of gonorrhoea (and that it is completely harmless when taken orally), I recommended that she take 6 drops of pure sandalwood each day, until she was able to have a diagnosis at the clinic. Time passed and when I next spoke to her, she told me that the sandalwood had cleared up most of the symptoms, leaving her with only an irritating discharge.

A visit to her local clinic, and subsequent tests, had shown that she had a trichomonas infection, and she was given antibiotics. The antibiotics prescribed cleared up the trichomonas but within a few days of finishing the course, my friend recognized the onset of thrush, which she described as ‘a painless secretion of cottage cheese’. Not wishing to accept another course of antibiotics from the clinic, she once again came to seek my advice.

She is an intelligent woman, used to making her own decisions as to the way in which her body is treated, and when I told her that there were two oils which looked extremely likely to clear up the problem, she readily accepted, quite happy to be a human ‘guinea pig’. Niaouli, reputed to be excellent for urinary infections, and which I had recently started using at home, was chosen, as I felt it would be powerful enough to take care of Candida. Organically grown lemon oil, (which had cured a wart in just over a week) was mixed with the niaouli. I chose these two oils because Dr Valnet ascribes to them the properties which I felt were needed to combat thrush: niaouli is recommended internally for urinary infections, and lemon oil, Valnet says, ‘activates the white corpuscles in the defence of the organism’. Also, intuitively, I felt that out of all the antiseptic, anti-fungal oils, these two would work well together.

I asked my friend to take three drops of each, in the morning and at night, knowing that it would either be helpful in clearing up the condition, or that it would have no effect, but that either way, it would cause no harm. Before taking the oils, the colour of her urine was a dark yellowish-orange and had an unpleasantly strong odour. Within days of taking the oils the urine became paler while, at the same time, the odour became less unpleasant. The oils were taken each day for two weeks at the end of which the thrush had gone completely, and the urine was a pale yellow colour with no unpleasant odour. Both my friend and I were overjoyed that the experiment had worked so well, and in such a short space of time.

Almost a year has passed since this treatment took place, my friend has not had a recurrence of thrush, and she feels that genitally she has a ‘clean bill of health’.

I have spoken to many women who have suffered from thrush. Not only is it physically uncomfortable, but also emotionally disturbing. A woman may feel ‘unclean’ and her sex life is probably not enjoyable, or even nonexistent. This will put a strain upon a relationship if the situation continues for a long period of time. Clinical diagnosis of Candida albicans is only the primary concern, since a woman with thrush is also likely to suffer from depression. It is interesting to note that researchers are now saying that depression is one of the contributing factors to a lowering of the immune system. It has also been proven that a weakened immune system is a contributing factor in the onset of Candida albicans. We can see, then, that women are often caught in a vicious circle. In my opinion, essential oils can break that circle; first by fighting the fungal infection on a physical level, and then by lifting depression on an emotional level.

Note:Sandalwood oil has been shown in laboratory ‘challenge tests’ to be as powerful in its anti-bacterial action, as many of the broad spectrum antibiotics. Those French doctors who have also studied aromatherapy have perfected a system of testing which they call the ‘aromatagram’. A culture is made from the patient’s discharge and placed in petri dishes. One drop of essential oil (whichever essence is deemed to be the most appropriate) is added to each petri dish of culture and left for 24 hours. The effectiveness of the essential oil is measured by the size of the ‘zone of inhibition’. This is the area of bacteria which has been killed by the essential oil within the time period.

Essences which have destroyed the largest areas of bacteria are then used to treat the patient. I find this method quite fascinating because there is no necessity to analyse and name the bacteria or fungus, but simply to find the essence or essences which will, quickly and effectively, kill the pathogen. (See ‘Aromatherapy and the immune system (#litres_trial_promo)’ for more details on Candida albicans.)

PERIOD PAINS

Menstruation is not an ailment to be cured, as women are destined to bleed every month for a large part of their lives. However, the accompanying pain and discomfort can be alleviated with aromatherapy.

Sometimes the pain is only discernible on the first day of a period, and at other times it can drag on for several days, interfering with the enjoyment of everyday life. Occasionally the discomfort is so great that sufferers can only crawl off to bed and wait for a day or two until the worst of the pain has gone.

Over the years I have taken the recommended homoeopathic remedies, and although I experienced some relief from pain I still dreaded the ‘monthly curse’. It was not until I became involved with aromatherapy that I truly could say ‘I have found the solution to the monthly period pain.’

Clary sage oil was the essential oil which brought almost instant relief from pain and discomfort. There are two ways of using clary sage – internally or externally. My preferred method is to take two drops of clary sage oil in a teaspoon of honey with a little hot water – sipping the aromatic liquid at the beginning of the period when the pain is at its worst. Sometimes I would take a second dose a few hours later, but usually one dose was all that was required. For those who prefer to use essential oils only externally, clary sage can be used to cure menstrual pain by mixing a teaspoon of fatty oil with two drops of clary sage oil and massaging the lower abdomen, directly above the pubic hair-line. If aches and pains in the lower back are an accompaniment to the abdominal pain, then massage this area also. A third option is to make a hot compress (known as a fomentation) by adding a few drops of clary sage to a bowl of hot water (about 1 litre). Emerse a small towel in the liquid, wring it out, and apply to the lower abdomen. This obviously necessitates baring the skin and lying down for 15 minutes or so until pain relief is obtained.

Clary sage is a hormone regulator, which means that over a period of time the monthly periods may become completely painless, as mine did, so that pain relief is no longer needed. An added bonus is that clary sage, being a euphoric oil, lifts the heavy, depressed feeling which often accompanies ‘the curse’.

As a teenager, I suffered badly from abdominal cramps and backache during every period, and only had recourse to codeine tablets and hot water bottles. If only I had known about clary sage when I was a teenager, I might have been more bearable to live with!

PREMENSTRUAL TENSION

Many women become tense and irritable a few days prior to the monthly ‘curse’. Occasionally, women suffering with premenstrual tension have even committed murder, and because the concept of PMT is now medically accepted, some of these women were given lighter sentences due to ‘diminished responsibility’. I experience a sort of insanity which can make me behave in completely irrational ways, and I can feel extremely vulnerable and cry at the slightest provocation. The oils of clary sage, ylang-ylang and lavender will be beneficial, whether used in the bath, or infused into the atmosphere of your room by placing a few drops on a source of heat. Lemongrass oil is strong and tangy, and I find that a lemongrass bath strengthens my emotions on those days when I am feeling emotionally wobbly. If bathing is not practical, I would put a few drops onto a tissue and carry it with me, keeping it within sniffing distance. Rose oil is calming and emotionally healing and this could be worn as a perfume for a few days, or it may be massaged into the solar plexus. Rose is excellent for soothing fraught emotions, and when used for controlling premenstrual tension, its uplifting aroma and powers of healing can bring immediate relief, making Rose a true ‘woman’s’ remedy.

WATER RETENTION

Our body’s ability to eliminate waste liquids is largely determined by the healthy functioning of our kidneys and lymphatic system. On those days of the month when water retention becomes apparent – when you can’t get your jeans done up, or your skirt button has to be unfastened – a diuretic can be employed to help you feel comfortable again. Many foods (vegetables in particular) have diuretic properties and it is wise to eat healthily at this time. The essence which seems to work best as a diuretic is juniper oil, which may be used in the bath or a drop taken in honey water. Taken in small doses on the odd occasion (once a month) will not cause harm, but essential oils should not be ingested on a regular basis. Someone with chronic water retention has a systematic problem and should seek treatment from a qualified aromatherapist. A serious problem of fluid retention could indicate congestion of the lymphatic system.

CYSTITIS

This annoying and distressing problem is caused by an infection of the bladder or kidneys. Urinating is an unpleasant, often painful experience and the burning sensation when passing water is often accompanied by pain further up inside the abdomen. Juniper oil may be taken in honey water, or sandalwood oil rubbed into the kidney region of the lower back. If the discomfort is very bad, I recommend a sitz bath with lavender oil – after each visit to the toilet if this is practical. If you still have to go to work, then you could make up a bottle of lavender water to take with you (see here (#litres_trial_promo)). A cotton wool pad soaked with lavender water applied after going to the toilet will give temporary relief and help you to maintain your sanity. All strong food and drinks should be avoided (tea, coffee, alcohol, spices), as should sugar and any foods containing sugar.

A friend of mine rang me in tears one Boxing Day, in agony with her cystitis. She had been treating it for some while, and had thought it was under control. However, Christmas temptations had lured her into drinking alcohol, and she was really suffering once again. Sex was out of the question, which was causing problems with her husband, and she was at her wit’s end. I gave her a bottle of juniper oil with instructions to take one or two drops on a tiny amount of sugar, or in honey water, twice a day. After only two days she rang to say that it had worked miraculously, and everything was back to normal in her household.

VAGINAL DOUCHES

Candida albicans is the most common cause of vaginal irritation, and although candida is mentioned in more detail in another chapter, there are many people who prefer to douche rather than take essential oils orally.

Thrush is extremely irritating to the mucous membranes of the vagina, and can seem almost to drive you insane. In my early twenties I suffered recurrent bouts of thrush, and each time I visited my doctor I was given medicated pessaries which brought temporary relief only. I was never cured, and thought that perhaps I was destined to have thrush for the rest of my life. It was not until much later, after incorporating aromatherapy into my life, that I treated and cured myself of thrush. My choice of essences was rose, lavender and bergamot (see recipe chapter (#litres_trial_promo)). I bought an enema pot from a chemist (or you may be able to buy a douche) and to 1 litre of warm water I added the essences, and douched twice a day. To ensure that the essences disperse, place them into a 100ml bottle of water and shake well. Transfer to the douche and top up with warm-hot water – a comfortable temperature for you. The relief from itching was apparent even from the first treatment, and I was pleased to know that the problem was diminishing. After a week of twice-daily douching, I reduced treatment to once a week for a further month. Douching should not be routinely employed as it will destroy the natural acid balance inside the vagina, but when used for periodic treatment of a particular complaint it is very beneficial.

HERPES