7/12/2014 0 Comments Seasonal Scents Week 1: PeppermintAutumn is full of pumpkin flavored goodies, but as soon as Halloween and Remembrance Day are over, peppermint moves into the spotlight! For the next few weeks, I thought I’d do a little mini series on the benefits of using various holiday-scented essential oils, starting with peppermint. One of my favorites, Peppermint (Mentha piperita) essential oil is a middle note with a very strong, uplifting scent. It smells exactly how you would assume it would smell, minty. Because it’s quite intense, if you’re blending it with another scent you don’t need to use much as it may overpower the other oils used.
Physically, peppermint is often used in the world of natural health for getting rid of headaches and migraine. It has analgesic properties which means it is an effective painkiller and can be used for muscle aches and pains as well as cramps. It’s also great for digestion issues, especially nausea. For women who are going through menopause, peppermint may be of assistance with hot flashes as it has a cooling effect on the body. Mentally, peppermint is very uplifting as I mentioned earlier. It can be used to effectively aid with mental exhaustion and nervous stress, depression, and concentration. Cautions when using peppermint essential oil: If you are pregnant or nursing, peppermint oil should not be used at all as it’s a) not safe for babies and b) discourages milk flow which may mess with breastfeeding. Having said that, children under the age of 5 should not be using peppermint, nor should anyone who suffers from epilepsy. Finally, if you are taking homeopathic medicines, this oil should also be avoided as it may interact negatively with those meds. Essential oils have many properties to them meaning that they can be effective for use with many physical and mental ailments, however I like to highlight the best and most common uses for oils when I write about them. This being said, there are many other problems that can be addressed with peppermint that I didn’t mention in this post. I also want to stress that I am not a doctor and therefore, when I write about essential oils and their healing abilities, you should always take the advice of a physician first. Remember, it’s never safe to put essential oils directly on your skin. They should always be diluted in a carrier oil (ex. Coconut oil, olive oil, etc.) and they should never be ingested. Aside from that, enjoy the minty-freshness that Peppermint EO provides even if it’s just because you like the smell! Join me next week as I bring you Week 2 of Seasonal Scents. Happy holidays my friends! Love Ash
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
|