This post is contributed by Kaye Ng.
Probably one of the most common questions that many oil uses will have is – WHAT OILS SUPPORTS MY RESPIRATORY SYSTEM? When the tap won’t stop running, or even when it freezes over … what oil can you use?
Here are 5 oils that I have picked out that can support you.
R.C. is a respiratory blend of oils containing three types of Eucalyptus, Myrtle, Pine, Marjoram, Lavender, Cypress, and Peppermint. Diffusing R.C or applying it topically on your chest and throat, ears, or on the bottoms of feet can help you with your system.
Raven has a blend of five essential oils – Ravensara, Lemon, Wintergreen, Peppermint, and Eucalyptus Radiata) that can help the respiratory system. When paired with R.C., these two can powerfully support healthy lung function. Once again, you can apply it on the throat, neck, chest, or feet. You can also diffuse or inhale it directly.
Thieves is the most useful and versatile of oils. It was tested at Weber State University (1997) for its potent antimicrobial properties, and found to have a 99.96 percent kill rate against airborne bacteria, viruses, mold, and fungi. Thieves contains Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus radiata, and Rosemary. It was created based on research about four thieves in France who covered themselves with aromatics while robbing plague victims. It’s been university tested for its cleansing abilities and is highly effective in supporting the immune system and good health. Diffuse Thieves day or night to help purify and humidify the air. You can also apply to the bottom of the feet to help boost the immune system.
Eucalyptus Blue is another of my favorite oils. It is great to stimulate immunity, provide antioxidant protection and improve respiratory circulation. Originally referred to as “eucalyptol” by the scientific community, Eucalyptus blue has a high amount of cineole — an organic compound shown to hold astounding, widespread medicinal effects. There is tons of research to show how effective cineole is. Go do a quick google and be amazed and how this oil can help you. I love to apply this on the chest and at the bottom of the feet to support normal breathing function.
Dorado Azul is a lesser known respiratory support oil. It comes from Ecuador and it is in the mint family. It has a fresh and herbaceous aroma and again contains 1,8 cineol or eucalyptol which is known to support the respiratory system. Here is Gary’s blog where he talks a little more about the oil. Again this is an oil that I would apply to the chest or even on the nose bridge.
Enjoy and remember that the key to a successful oiling journey is consistency and frequency! 🙂
This post is contributed by One Drop Founder – Kai Tan.
Yup.
You heard right. Your commercial laundry detergent, hand wash, household cleaners ARE affecting your health.
Just really quietly. Stealthily. And that is what is disturbing.
Have you last studied the ingredient list on the packaging? Have you wondered what the long complex compound names really are? Or entertain the thoughts if the Zesty Lemon or Natural Cherry Blossom “scents” are really from those nature sources?
After all, when you do smell a freshly picked real flower or the real zest from the lemon peel, the fragrance did not punch you fiercely in the face (like that from the cleaners) and leave a heavy cloud moulding over your brain. So what did they put in there really?
One of my favourite information site is http://www.EWG.org.
I’ll leave you to venture through this amazing site and learn more about who they are and what they do. But here are just some of the information that you and I can pull off from this site to begin to empower ourselves as users to understand what marketers of commercial brands may not reveal to us. You may want to click on the image below to enlarge it and surprise yourself with just some of the results collated from studying cleaning agents under the brands of TIDE, DYNAMO, PALMOLIVE, AJAX, CLOROX, LYSOL (these are the ones shown here).
Skin is our largest organ—adults carry some 8 pounds (3.6 kilograms) and 22 square feet (2 square meters) of it. (source: national geographic.com). The dermis layer which is hidden under your top layer of epidermis – contains nerve endings, blood vessels, oil glands, and sweat glands. Your skin is one of the means by which your body is constantly helping you to detox and rid materials inadequate for your body, OUT of the body (through the sweat glands).
Yet at the same time, while our skin is also known to protect ; it also is NOT impenetrable . “Your skin is enough of a barrier to keep fluids within your body,” writes Samuel Epstein, MD, and author of Toxic Beauty (BenBella Books, 2009), “but it also readily absorbs many things with which it comes in contact.” Did you realise that clothes washed with chemical-laden laundry detergents often still carry traces of the chemicals on your clothes. So as you wear them, inevitably an opportunity is created for a contact point for the infiltration through the skin.
And beyond the fact that skin can absorb chemicals, is the danger what these chemicals can pose within the body. Many experts agree that absorption through the skin is more dangerous than through the mouth. Substances absorbed into the digestive system go through the kidneys and the liver where enzymes break them down and often detoxify them. Substances absorbed through the skin do not enter into such process. And these chemicals have direct access to the nerves and blood systems.
That was pretty depressing.
Given the toxic-crazy world we live in, it possibly is true that we may never be without exposure. The next best thing we can do is to actively make informed choices around what we decide to use at home that will directly impact ourselves and our loved ones (and we are talking about children, elders and fur-kids!)
Many would already be familiar with the Thieves Essential oil – a blend of Clove, Lemon , Cinnamon, Eucalyptus radiata and Rosemary. The legend was that a group of 15-century thieves were robbing the dead or the sick during a European deadly plague outbreak. When they were caught, they offered to exchange their secret recipe, which had allowed them to commit the robberies without catching the disease, in exchange for leniency. The secret recipe included these very same spice and herbs.
Studies conducted at the Weber State University (Ogden, UT) during 1997 demonstrated the killing power of these amazing oils against airborne micro-organism. The Thieves blend has established its credibility for being highly anti-microbial, anti-viral, anti-bacterial, anti-infectious and antiseptic. And because of these natural properties, Thieves blend was used to formulate a line of safe, green home-use /cleansing products ranging from toothpaste, mouthwash to all-purpose household cleaner.
I’ve cleaned EVERYTHING in my home with the Household cleaner – wash the floor, wash the laundry, wash the dishes, clean out stubborn oven stains etc etc.
Common ratios to use:
- All-purpose cleaner in spray bottle: 1 capful in empty bottle
- Light degreasing: 1 capful to 3 cups (720ml )
- Medium Degreasing: 1 capful to 2 cups water (480ml)
- Heavy degreasing: 1 capful to 1 cup water (240ml)
- Window, glass, floor cleaning: 1 capful to 2-3 litre water
(add half-cup of white vinegar may enhance the cleansing)
You will have to get over the less than luscious foaming cleaning scene, the cleaning power is brilliant and I personally choose safety and peace of mind over squeakiness! Try it.
WHO AND WHAT IS THIEVES?
This post is contributed by One Drop founder – Kai Tan
It is perhaps one of the most baffling names used on any essential oils. If you don’t know the story, it simply does not make sense at all.
History has a true tale that in the 1800s, some thieves took to stealing from the dead and dying who suffered from the deadly black plague. How they survived being near these unfortunate dead was nothing short of a miracle – they used nature’s best gifts for protection. In this case, they had rubbed the spices of Clove, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus Radiata, Rosemary plus the fruit Lemon – all over themselves; having heard of the natural protective elements in them. When they were eventually captured and their secret spilled, the “thieves blend” ironically became heroic. And today, this powerful mix has become an essential oil blend that allows the very essences of these ingredients to be richly distilled and used to support the immune system.
Thieves, naturally became the most popular essential oil blend in Young Living. It was very quickly transformed into an extensive range of home care products that families are desperately looking for, that provides strong cleaning yet remains completely safe when our families get in contact with it.
Toxic free. Plant-based. Essential oil-infused.
Chuck out the chemicals [Click here to read how they are silently eating into our homes]. And for holy moly sake – switch over to be safe.
Let’s not bore you with all the technicalities here. I’ve compiled here some tips and astonishing learning facts instead of the Thieves range that will make your head turn!
1. Thieves Household Cleaner
- Soak heavily greased pots and pans with 1-2caps of the solution plus hot water. Add some baking soda in and grease scrubs off easy
- It’s so green and clean you can use 1 cap of this with a tub of warm water for a smelly foot soak. Think dettol but sans the harshness.
- Oh quarantining your little bubs from school germs? Creative mums have actually found this useful for a quick little soak and scrub too.
2. Thieves Laundry Soap
- Laundry soaps typically do not completely wash off after several rinse. Normal chemical based laundry soap therefore leaves traces of harsh cleaning chemical in the fibers of our clothing that are irritating the skin as you wear them.
- If you are dealing with sensitive skin issues, replacing harsh commercial cleaners with Thieves Laundry Soap will support your skin health.
3. Thieves Spray
- Keep this handy in your handbag. Public toilet seats, baby changing tops can do with some sanitising
- Travel with the Thieves Spray. You never know when you need a purifying spray down – motion sickness mess, travelling on a plane or train with a sneezing few; or stuck in a seat with a funky smelling passenger.
- Have a cat like mine that throws up fur-balls on carpets, table tops or bed? Thieves spray works like magic.
4. Thieves Hand Sanitiser
- The active ingredient in most antibacterial products including commercial hand sanitisers is triclosan – an antibacterial agent that kills bacteria and inhibits bacterial growth. But not only does triclosan kill bacteria, it also has been shown to kill human cells.
- Stick to the plant-based Thieves Hand Sanitiser for a natural on-the-go clean-up.
5. Thieves Fruit and Vegetable Spray (or Soak)
- A healthy diet begins with lots of fruits and vegetables, but some of your family’s favorites may contain startling amounts of harmful pesticides. In developing children, pesticide exposure contributes to neurological problems, which impair learning, memory and attention.
- Thieves Fruit and Veggie Soak contains Young Living’s three exclusive essential oil blends—DiGize, Thieves, and Purification; that effectively washes and cleanse fruits and vegetables.
- Thieves Fruit and Veggie Spray contains Thieves and Lime Essential oils; offering ease to clean your fruits on-the-go!
6. Thieves Aromabright Toothpaste
- Fluoride has been in the spotlight as a chemical that our current lifestyle is allowing a higher than usual amount in. Many are beginning to source for alternatively oral care that does not include fluoride. Thieves Aromabright Toothpaste offers a fluoride-free alternative.
- Many have found the this toothpaste have helped them effectively upkeep gum health and some have reported bleeding gums to have stopped.
7. Thieves Mouthwash
- This fluoride-free mouthwash offers excellent support for the gums and teeth
- Gargling the Thieves mouthwash has kept scratchy throats or ulcers at bay
- Small amounts of the mouthwash has also been used to disinfect cuts and scratches
8. Thieves Dental Floss
- Formulated with the power of Thieves essential oil blend, Thieves Dental Floss efficiently and effectively keeps bacteria at bay.
- The floss is saturated twice, locking in double protection to freshen your breath and providing longer-lasting results to promote healthy gums.
9. Thieves Foaming Handsoap.
- Another triclosan-free home care product that provides the protection and cleanliness without the harmful chemicals
- SLS and Paraben in typical commercial handsoaps contain ingredients that have been extensively researched to be hormone-disrupting. The Thieves Handwash offers none of these tough ingredients to safe-keep our health.
Should you like to purchase the Young Living oils, please drop me a message at kai@onedrop.sg. I would love to support you in using the oils for yourself and your loved ones.
