Cats will completely destroy even a mature plant, so younger plants especially should be protected from cats until they have become well established. Supposedly, the scent of catnip is similar to certain cat hormones. When a cat encounters catnip, it usually sniffs it, rubs against it, licks it and finally eats it. It is actually the inhalation of the scent that makes the cat “high.” It is thought that cats do not eat catnip for nutritional purposes but merely to bruise the herb and thus release more of the nepetalactone. While transplanted starts are always destroyed by cats unless protected, they do not trouble plants raised from seed unless the plant has been bruised. When a plant is damaged or transplanted, the volatile oils which usually stay inside the plant are released.

So I’m not sure whether the Catnap is going to make it to the end of the season but I’ve got my fingers crossed.  If it does it could help keep my courtyard free of mosquitoes.  It should also repel rats, but I don’t usually have a problem with rats, although last year I had a couple of visits from a field mouse until I put down some peppermint essential oil until I could plant some peppermint plants.  Haven’t seen a mouse since!

In August 2001, researchers from the Iowa State University reporting at the 222nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society, shared their findings that the nepetalactone, found in the essential oil of catnip was ten times more effective in repelling mosquitoes than DEET, the compound used in most commercial insect repellents [American Chemical Society. "Catnip Repels Mosquitoes More Effectively Than DEET." ScienceDaily, 28 Aug. 2001. Web. 15 May 2012.]

Entomologist Chris Peterson, Ph.D., with Joel Coats, Ph.D., chair of the university’s entomology department, led the effort to test catnip’s ability to repel mosquitoes. Peterson, a former post-doctoral research associate at the school, is now with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, Wood Products Insects Research Unit, in Starkville, Miss.

 While they used so-called yellow fever mosquitoes (Aedes aegypti) — one of several species of mosquitoes found in the United States — Peterson says catnip should work against all types of mosquitoes.

 Peterson put groups of 20 mosquitoes in a two-foot glass tube, half of which was treated with nepetalactone. After 10 minutes, only an average of 20 percent — about four mosquitoes — remained on the side of the tube treated with a high dose (1.0 percent) of the oil. In the low-dose test (0.1 percent) with nepetalactone, an average of 25 percent — five mosquitoes — stayed on the treated side. The same tests with DEET (diethyl-m-toluamide) resulted in approximately 40 percent to 45 percent — eight-nine mosquitoes — remaining on the treated side.

 Peterson says nepetalactone is about 10 times more effective than DEET because it takes about one-tenth as much nepetalactone as DEET to have the same effect. Most commercial insect repellents contain about 5 percent to 25 percent DEET. Presumably, much less catnip oil would be
needed in a formulation to have the same level of repellency as a DEET-based repellent.

 Why catnip repels mosquitoes is still a mystery, says Peterson. “It might simply be acting as an irritant or they don’t like the smell. But nobody really knows why insect repellents work.”

 No animal or human tests are yet scheduled for nepetalactone, although Peterson is hopeful that will take place in the future.

Here’s to a wonderful, pest free summer!

Body Scrubs can leave the skin feeling really smooth and silky and might make a great gift for Mother’s Day.  They are also easy and not too expensive to make.  Making these yourself also means that they can be customized for the individual and therefore a unique gift!

Ingredients

• 1 cup salt (this can be a combination or just one of the following: fine sea salt, dead sea salts, epsom salts, table salt)
• Just enough carrier oil of your choice to make this a nice moist mixture. (jojoba, refractionated coconut oil, sweet almond, coconut, grapeseed, olive oil will all work well)
• 15 – 20 drops essential oil / essential oil synergy
• Wide mouthed glass container

Method

1. Start with your cup of salt.
2. Now gradually add your carrier oil to the salt, stirring as you add the oil until you have a nice moist mixture to work with.
3. Now stir in your 15 – 20 drops essential oil/essential oil synergy.
4. Package in a nice widemouthed glass container. 

Use

1. Take a little of the mixture at a time and gently massage over the whole body.
2. Avoid any cuts or abrasions.
3. Rinse off well.
4. Enjoy the wonderfully soft and silky feeling.

Variation

Sugar can be substituted for the salt.  Brown sugar is a better choice than regular white sugar however both will work.

Tips:

• The salt tends to sink to the bottom and the oil rises to the top stir before use if necessary.
• Try not to get water into the salt scrub as it won’t last as long if it does.
• You can add a couple of drops of food coloring to the salt if you’d like it to be a special color.  You can also add a small amount of crushed flower petals or herbs
  for a nice texture.

April is the second Spring month – a time to open your heart to the joy of being alive. It is the time to embrace optimism and hope for the present and the future. The essential oils for this month are Orange for joy; Mandarin for optimism, Petitgrain for harmonious relationships and Bergamot for hope.

As always there are many different oils one could consider but I love the aroma of all of these oils and I think that I can make a delightful blend with them.  Nice and light, fresh and spring like, certainly they can embody the qualities of joy, hope and optimism.  You will find mini profiles in the Article Archives of the website on Bergamot and Mandarin.

I have lots to be joyful, hopeful and optimistic about at this time of year, as the middle of April always marks West Coast Aromatherapy’s Anniversary.  13 years since I created the first version of the Aromatherapy 101 course and started offering the courses through the internet!  I don’t know where the time has gone but it certainly has been filled with wonderful students, graduates, colleagues and friends.  So much joy and so many blessings.  Thank you to all of you for your support and for being in my life.

According to Joni Keim and Ruah Bull in their book Daily Aromatherapy, Transforming the Seasons of Your Life with Essential Oils:

Pimenta racemosa promotes mental clarity and improves concentration.  Uplifts. Relieves Stress and anxiety.  It clears and cleanses away unwanted thought patterns and emotional blocks, especially fear.  Associated with the hawk in the animal kingdom.

West Indian Bay (Pimenta racemosa) trees, belong to the Myrtaceae family and are native to the West Indies and cultivated in Venezuela, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands. They can grow up to 8 meters tall.  A dark yellow essential oil is steam distilled from their leaves with a yield of up to 3.9%. Although sometimes referred to as bay leaf in the literature, the commonly used spice is sweet bay (Laurus nobilis), not West Indian Bay.  (Leung and Foster, Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients).

The main chemical components of this oil are phenols (eugenol up to 56%; chavicol up to 22%; methyl chavicol and methyl eugenol in small amounts) and monoterpenes (myrcene up to 21%, limonene in small amounts).  Other components are also present however in much smaller amounts including oxides (1,8 cineole), alcohols (linalool, a-terpineol).  This oil has antiseptic and astringent properties.

Julia Lawless in her book The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Essential Oils says:

With its fresh-spicy top note and sweet-balsamic undertone, this oil blends well with lavender, lavandin, rosemary, geranium, ylang ylang, citrus and spice oils. The famous old hair tonic, Bay Rum, is made by distilling the leaves of this tree in rum, creating ‘A hair application with both fragrant and tonic virtues…useful for those who suffer from greasy hair and need a spirit-based, scalp-stimulation to help them to control their locks.’  She recommends this oil for Skin Care as a scalp stimulant, hair rinse for dandruff, greasy, lifeless hair and to promote hair growth.
She also recommends this oils for Circulation, Muscles and Joints: muscular and articular aches and pains, neuralgia, poor circulation, rheumatism, sprains and strains; and for the Immune System: colds, flu, infectious diseases.
Warning:  Use in moderation only.  Moderately toxic due to high eugenol content, but generally non-irritant, non-sensitizing.

Robert Tisserand and Tony Balacs, in their book Essential Oil Safety list this oil as:

Oral Toxicity – B Mildly toxic
Skin Irritation – D Very mildly irritant
Sensitisation – No
Phototoxicity -NT
Mucous membrane irritant, some cautions.
In their profile of this oil they also list under hazards, hepatotoxic and inhibits blood clotting which like the mucous membrane irritant caution are assumed because of the high eugenol content.  In fact they list the eugenol content as being between 38% and 75%.  They caution oral use of this oil for alcoholism, anticoagulants, haemophilia, kidney disease, liver disease, paracetamol, prostatic cancer.  They also caution that this oil should not be used at more than a 3% concentration on mucous membranes.  West Indian bay oil was not irritating to human skin when tested at 10% [Opdyke DLJ 1973 Monographs on fragrance new materials. Food and Cosmetics Toxicology 11]

I found this research study in PubMed showing the potential usefulness of this oil as a microbiostatic, antiseptic or disinfectant agent:

Fitoterapia. 2004 Sep;75(6):599-602.
Antibacterial activity of essential oils of Pimenta racemosa var. terebinthina and Pimenta racemosa var. grisea.
Saenz MT, Tornos MP, Alvarez A, Fernandez MA, García MD.
Source Laboratory of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, C/Profesor García González s/n, University of Sevilla, 41012-Sevilla, Spain. mtsaenz@us.es
Abstract
The antibacterial activity of essential oils of Pimenta racemosa var. terebinthina and P. racemosa var. grisea was determined against Gram (+) and Gram (-) bacteria. P. racemosa var. grisea demonstrated a more pronounced activity. These data would indicate the potential usefulness of the variety grisea as a microbiostatic, antiseptic or disinfectant agent.PMID:15351118 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Based on the chemical profiles of the two varieties, the variety of West Indian Bay that is generally available for aromatherapy use is Pimenta racemosa var. grisea. If you are interested in looking at a comparison of the two oils in this study here is a link to a paper published on the GC/MS of the two oils.

So lots of food for thought as I consider how I might incorporate this oil into my tool kit.

There is a recipe from my e-book, Aromatic Gifts for All Ages and All Seasons, for Bay Rum Tonic. In the past I used Laurel as my Bay but I would certainly try it with West Indian Bay now.  As I sit comparing the aroma of Laurel and West Indian Bay I know that the aroma will certainly be spicier.  I’m also thinking about substituting Lime for the Orange and I might increase the ratio on the lime 10:5.  Not sure if I’ll keep the clove in this blend.  Lots to play with – it is so much fun!

Bay Rum Tonic

Ingredients:

10 drops Bay essential oil

1 drop Orange essential oil

1 drop Clove essential oil

30 ml (1oz) Vodka or grain alcohol

Dark Bottle

Method: 

1. Add alcohol/vodka to the dark bottle.

2. Add the essential oils and mix well.
Allow the aroma to develop over the next week to 10 days.

A couple of years ago I wrote about these two very special religious holidays comparing what they have in common, and making some suggestions for creating a synergy especially for this time. You can read this at Easter and Passover.  I have created my own special synergy this year based on ideas that are covered in this post.

Last post I shared the link for the Chocolate Mint Truffles but this year I am going to make some aromatic chocolates as described in the post Holiday Stresses and Aromatic Chocolates.

For I remember it is Easter morn,
And life and love and peace are all new born.  
Alice Freeman Palmer

March is the first Spring month. Its theme is to clear away, cleanse, and release, so that you can move forward, unburdened, toward your aspirations, dreams, hopes, desires, goals, and Highest Self.
Lemongrass. Best oil to clear and cleanse
Bay St. Thomas. Best oil for releasing fear
Grapefruit. Best oil to release negative emotions
Juniper Berry. Best oil for protecting against negativity and negative influence

While I personally believe that there are many oils that can be used for these purposes, I thought it might be fun to create a blend of the oils that they are recommending.  Certainly I found it an interesting exercise to reflect on their themes of clearing away, cleansing and releasing for the month of March.  This is a time of the year when things are stirring and waking up, bringing much to the surface both in nature and in our souls.

Over the years I have posted on a number of these oils  Lemongrass, Grapefruit, two different posts on Juniper Berry, and Juniper.  Information on clearing, cleansing, releasing fear and negative emotions, as well as protecting against negativity and negative influences has been woven into different essential oil profiles and themes over the years.  Bay St. Thomas (Pimenta racemosa) is however one of the very few oils that I don’t have, nor have I, as far as I can remember, ever even smelled this oil.  I’ve put it on my list to purchase so I can experience it myself!

Easter is just a little over a week away and you might like to incorporate your essential oils into your celebrations this year.  Aromatic Chocolates might be fun this year, and there is always the recipe I’ve shared before from the e-book Aromatic Gifts for All Ages and All Seasons for Chocolate Mint Truffles.  You could also create a special Easter Blend to diffuse or add to potpourri or your table decorations.

When the skin is stretched over long periods of time it looses some of its elasticity.  It causes the fibers in the dermis to tear resulting red or purple wavy lines, which turn to silver and white as they age.  Genetics definitely plays a role as to whether someone’s skin will be susceptible to getting stretch marks or not.  Stretch marks are often the result of the rapid stretching of the skin associated with rapid growth, however, they may be influenced by hormonal changes associated with puberty, pregnancy and muscle building. Rapid weight gain or loss, or obesity can also put pressure on the skin to overstretch.

According to Leslie Baumann, MD, director of the University of Miami Cosmetic Group and author of The Skin Type Solution – if your mother had them, you’re probably going to have
them. She also says that tretch marks affect as many as 90% of all women and, as many of us know, they are not easy to get rid of.  While they are easier to treat in the initial stages once they have become white or silver, it becomes very difficult if not almost impossible to do so. As always, prevention is far better than cure.

Using a moisturizing cream, lotion, butter or oil during those times that we know the skin is under more risk for developing stretch marks, is a good way to help keep the skin elastic. If they have already formed these can help fade the darker marks.  Once stretch marks have turned white or silver it may not be possible to fade them further, on the other hand applying a special synergy regularly to the skin can certainly help improve the skin’s condition and prevent further damage.  I love my morning body oil, a synergy of essential oils diluted at 2% in 100% rose hip seed oil, which leaves my skin feeling smoother and silkier.

Essential oils that have traditionally be used for stretch marks include: lavender, German and/or Roman chamomile, mandarin, geranium, frankincense, carrot seed and neroli.

Carriers that have been found particularly useful for stretch marks include: rose hip seed oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, jojoba, avocado with the addition of Vit. E.

May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light, may good luck pursue you each morning and night.

In 2010 I wrote a blog on creating a soul synergy for this day and it can be read at Happy St. Patrick’s Day, Creating a Soul Synergy.

If you are celebrating this day, or thinking of gifting yourself, or someone else, with something special to mark this day and bring luck and blessings here are a couple of ideas using essential oils that you could try.

Here is an idea from the Aromatic Gifts for All Ages and for All Seasons E-Book, a Perfume Roll On. This works with any essential oil synergy but you can add a special St. Patrick’s Luck and Blessing synergy for this weekend.

10 ml jojoba
5 – 10 drops essential oil synergy
10ml Glass Bottle with a roller ball top
5ml dark glass bottle
Method:
1. Create your essential oil synergy in a dark glass bottle and allow it to combine for a week or 10 days. If you want to use this on Saturday you won’t have time to let it sit for that long and although the oils do change over time, you can always use the synergy right away if you need to.
2. Add 10ml (2 teaspoons) jojoba to the 10ml glass bottle with roller top
3. Add 10 drops of your synergy and pop in the roller ball top.
4. Label.
Use: Apply to pulse points.

You could also just use your special synergy in a diffuser and enjoy the wonderful ambiance that it brings.

Essential oils to consider adding to your St. Patrick’s Luck and Blessings synergy include

Nutmeg – helps to bring dreams, hopes and prayers to their rightful place
Orange - used to attract good fortune and luck.
Rose – brings in positive energy.
Vetiver – considered to be a money scent.
Add any other oil that resonates with the particular attributes you wish to bless yourself or others with.

If you enjoy using crystals here are some examples of green crystals that can bring luck and Irish Blessings.  Information from Mary Lambert’s book Crystal Energy and Philip Permutt’s book The Crystal Healer:

Aventurine:  Enhances prosperity and creativity.
Jade: brings good luck, protects and cleanses, balances emotions.
Seraphinite: It’s name is derived from the Seraphim (Angels of the highest order). Restores balance and connects one to the angelic realm.
Moss Agate: Very protective, encourages a long life, reduces sensitivity to any environmental pollutants, soothes emotions.
Tree Agate: Helps you to see the beauty in everything.  Good for cultivating plants, useful for gardeners.

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant.”  

As February draws to a close we are coming closer to what could be considered the ‘end of Winter’.  Of course we all know that nature might not agree with us and choose to blanket the world with snow in March or even April, but lately we have been having enough sunnier days to make one think about the end of Winter and the promise of Spring.

In their book Daily Aromatherapy, Transforming the Seasons of Your Life with Essential Oils, Joni Kein and Ruah Bull say that Frankincense embodies the spirit of Winter and is the best essential oil for spiritual wisdom. They say that Frankincense:

Calms the mind.  Relieves stress, anxiety and nervous tension.  It also promotes and supports spiritual wisdom.

What does “spiritual wisdom” mean to me? What are the gifts of spiritual wisdom?  What are the challenges of spiritual wisdom?  What promotes spiritual wisdom for me?  What hinders spiritual wisdom for me?  How do I benefit from spiritual wisdom.

Inhale the aroma of Frankincense again and intend that you are breathing in spiritual wisdom. Review your answers to the questions, reflect and add any additional notes.

Frankincense helps you to experience and strengthen spiritual wisdom and to understand its dynamics in your life.

Other oils that can be helpful with spiritual wisdom include:

• Aniseed - Helps to release ‘old spiritual beliefs’.
• Basil - When at a crossroads or faced with spiritual death.
• Cedarwood – enhances spirituality.
• Monarda – can act as a spiritual gatekeeper and allow one to perceive, receive or understand information for which we are ready.

In Spiritual PhytoEssencing, Frankincense is associated with breath on all levels, physical and spiritual. Dr. Berkowsky says in his Materia Medica that:

Frankincense reduces the tendency toward separation from one’s true Self as well as from others. Instead, it encourages the discovery of one’s true inner being and free expression of it on the spiritual, emotional, and physical planes. This allows one to let go of the past, connect with the present and plan for the future.

In her book, The Fragrant Heavens, Valerie Ann Worwood says that:

This sweet protector of the heavens operates far beyond the auric field, in the light realms.  It is adaptogenic – it will adapt to a person’s spiritual state of being, like an ever-watchful older friend capable of offering support in a wide range of circumstance.  But, like a vigilant parent, it will not let us go where we are not ready to go.

Robbi Zeck, in her book The Blossoming Heart says:

Our lives are patterned as one continuous voyage moving through many horizons.  Frankincense will sustain you on your journey and cultivate positive inner guidance so that your true self can be seen.

From a Traditional Chinese Medicine viewpoint, Gabriel Mojay in his book Aromatherapy, for Healing the Spirit says:

In terms of the Five Elements, the effect of Frankincense may be linked on a fundamental level to that of Earth, where its ability to calm and centre the mind reflects its gently tranquillizing, yet deeply clarifying, effect on the Intellect.

While I have a mini profile on Rose in the Articles Archives of the website, and also blogged about Rose in February 2009, I haven’t ever addressed this comparison specifically.

1. The first difference is of course the way that the oil is extracted.  Rose Otto is obtained through steam distillation of Rose (Rosa damascena), while Rose Absolute is obtained through solvent extraction, a Rose Absolute is obtained via a multi-step process.
1. Firstly the aromatic oils are ‘washed out’ of the flowers with a non-polar solvent such as hexane.
2. Once the hexane has evaporated a waxy, semisolid substance ‘the concrete‘ is left.
3. The concrete is then subjected to a number a series of “washings” with a polar solvent such as ethanol. The polarity of the ethanol will allow extraction of the volatile aromatics from the concrete while leaving behind the non-polar plant waxes which do not dissolved in the ethanol.
4. Finally, the ethanol is evaporated to leave behind the Absolute which will typically have 1-5% ethanol remaining in it and sometimes a trace of hexane.
5. A rose blossom contains only about 0.02% essential oil. On average Rosa damascena will yield 2.2 pounds of oil per 8,818 pounds of flowers. Solvent extraction gives a greater yield than distillation which is why Rose Absolute is less expensive than Rose essential oil. About 10 pounds of the concrete can be extracted from 10,000 pounds of rose petals. The concrete is further refined to produce rose absolute, the yield of which is about 67% from the concrete.
2. The second difference is in the colour and aroma of the oils.
1. Rose Otto is lighter in color and has a softer more refined aroma.
2. Rose Absolute is a thick, reddish colored highly aromatic liquid.
3. Absolutes often smell more like the original plant than an essential oil because the plant material has not been exposed to heat as well as solvent extraction process removes a wider range of aromatic molecules than does the distillation process.
4. The key flavor compounds that contribute to the distinctive scent of rose oil are: beta-damascenone, beta-damascone, beta-ionone, and rose oxide. Beta-damascenone presence and quantity is considered as the marker for the quality of rose oil. Even though these compounds exist in less than 1% quantity of rose oil, they make up for slightly more than 90% of the odor content due to their low odor detection thresholds.

Solvent extraction of Rose (Concrete and Absolute) are used to isolate more efficiently and completely the odorous components of the flower. In countries where the rose crop is small and would only deliver a small amount of oil via hydrodistillation, a larger amount of the absolute can be recovered using solvents. He also says that the volatile oil present in the concrete and absolute of rose probably contains the same constituents as the distilled oil of rose, but in different proportions.

Rose Absolute is the preferred choice for Perfumers.  If you are using the rose as a fragrance component, in distillation, sprays, diffusing or wash off products like soap, shampoo etc the Rose Absolute will give you more of the typical rose aroma the plant is so well known for.  On the other hand if you are using the oil topically on the body, especially in a leave on product, most aromatherapists choose to go with the option that has no possibility of solvent residue.