Essential oils and flower remedies are just some of the beautiful gifts we have from plants which support healing
The health of our body and spirit is influenced by both our inner and outer world.
Over the years of being in practice as a health professional, from being a nurse, to a health and safety officer, to a Kinesiologist and KaHuna massage therapist, I have been an avid researcher into the things that influence our body, heart and soul. This blog gives you some of my highlights.
Research has found that essential oils can be a helpful influence on health. They can be used to make a shift emotionally and cognitively and be able to reach a space where the mind can be clear to reach greater understanding. They can help us to make a shift in perception which is more positive or supportive. They can directly influence the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and the limbic system. These systems are responsible for controlling homeostasis, (balanced states of being) managing conscious thought processes, and creating emotional feelings. A number of components in essential oils have been found to contain antidepressant and sedative properties which can therefore support us to feel more uplifted when we are down or more calm when we are stressed.
Flower remedies are also a medicine for mental and emotional health which has a knock on effect to the physical health of the body and how we feel in our spirit. In the words of Ian White, developer of Australian Bush flower essences:
‘A flower essence is an extremely diluted liquid that contains the essence and vibrations of a flower. It is used to bring clarity to the conscious mind and resolved negative beliefs. Flower essences also directly affect us at the subconscious level where we make decisions about our emotions, health, energy, abilities, life directions and relationships. As a result, real physical change and emotional healing occurs.’
These are 3 things to consider when managing health:
Mental states: Each day I start with attuning to my Soul’s intentions and my soul’s wisdom. This morning I was very grateful for the guidance that arose, because it is associated with a fundamental influence on how we feel - and that is judgement. This was what came through for me to consider today:
‘Don’t put a judgement on the day or the people you will see or the activities you need to do. Approach everything with an open mind and an open heart and be attuned to what feels right. Some tasks that seemed important may lose their importance and pull. The conversation about going to Turkey was just this. Flexibility reduces feelings of hurt.’
When we resist or judge something or make it seem wrong or right, we can become less flexible in the way we work with situations and opportunities that arise, and then stress can arise. Much like an inflexible body is more prone to injury and hurt, so is an inflexible mind. We are more prone to hurt when we are unable to be flexible with perception, prioritising and being able to ‘roll with the punches’ as they say. The Australian bush flower essence Yellow cowslip orchid is a very good one for releasing judgemental mindset which can cause us to resist what is true or what is simply present for us. When we are fixated on our preferences it can cause us to feel stress, because as we all well know, things don’t always go to plan or work out the way we thought or wanted.
There are also combinations of flower remedies that are wonderful for supporting positive mental states. Confid essence, cognis essence, calm and clear essence and abound essence are some which I use regularly in my practice to support people to overcome mental challenges.
2. Emotional states:
By nature emotions are energy in motion. When they become stuck in the body or if we hold on to them mentally, they become toxins which can compromise cellular function. Symptoms of emotional toxicity include:
Anxiety
Overwhelm
Depression
Irritability
Overreacting in Anger
Nausea
Headaches
Insomnia or other Sleep Issues
Fatigue
Lethargy or low motivation
Little to no interest in things you used to enjoy.
Tearing Up or Crying easily
Feeling spaced out
Muscle cramps, aches and pains
Feeling jumpy, restless, fidgety
Feeling fascial tension
Emotions can be detoxified from the body by moving the body or applying massage for releasing emotional energy that gets stuck in the muscles, lymph and fascia of the body. Supporting the heart to enhance compassion and transformation of emotional energy is also a powerful way of freeing ourself from emotional stress. The heart integrates and balances the physical, emotional, and mental body and gives us the power to heal and transform emotional pain.
Essential oils that support the resonance of the heart and therefore coherence of our physical, mental and emotional state of being are:
Neroli
Spruce
Roman Chamomile
Blue Tansy
Jasmine
Rose
3. Environmental toxins
Environmental toxins not only accumulate in the body throughout our life, they can also be passed on from mother to child. The accumulation of heavy metals and other environmental toxins is having devastating affects on adults and children. I see it with virtually every one of my clients. Other environmental toxins that particularly affect the delicate balance of the hormonal and neurological systems are plastics, fragrances, perfumes, pesticides, and synthetic materials such as apolstery, cleaning products and paints. For example, the smell of a new car or new carpet etc. is the smell of xeno-oestrogens, which are chemical substances that mimic oestrogen in the body and can cause uncomfortable symptoms of oestrogen excess. This can include the notorious baby brain (or brain fog) menstrual pain, headaches, irritability and painful breasts. With the body burden of toxins that is accumulating in our food chain, we need to make sure that we are supporting our detoxification organs.
Here are some detoxifying oils:
Lemon
Rosemary
Ginger
Peppermint
Mint
Spearmint
Lemon myrtle
Lemongrass
May chang
Lemon tea-tree
And this is an immunity blend which can support the immune system to be resilient for toxins such as viral or bacterial burden:
cinnamon
clove
eucalyptus
lemon
orange
rosemary
For more information on how to use essential oils and flower remedies here are some great resources listed below.
An online or face to face kinesiology appointment is also an option for you to find out exactly what your body needs in relation to essential oils and flower remedies. Targeting specific conditions, one at a time, can be a very powerful way of healing and often the body has its own unique order of proceedings. Honouring the body’s timing and wisdom on this makes the meaning process more effective and easeful.
Resources:
Cohen. J, Vibrant Blue oils, Emotional detox support, https://vibrantblueoils.com/emotional-detox-support/?utm_source=infusionsoft&utm_medium=email&utm_term=emotional-detox-support&utm_content=newsletter&utm_campaign=blog&inf_contact_key=faceaf3ba30f0882fba1d281d2c111037e470d92b8b75168d98a0b8cac0e9c09
White, I. (1999) Australian Bush Flower Healing, Bantam Books, Australia
Zielinski, E. Natural Living Family, 10 Essential oils for detox: all you need to know, July 2022, https://naturallivingfamily.com/essential-oils-for-detox/?inf_contact_key=ca898623fdb945f2a9dfea58433bd7f46bf72b7be6507ffa57af3236798ca349