We’re often not aware of the power of a flower to affect us, or even how its components combine with scents of other flowers to promote physical and emotional healing. In Aromatherapeutic Blending: Essential Oils in Synergy, author Jennifer Peace Rhind observes the qualities of over 160 familiar and unusual plants which yield essential oils.
Aromatherapeutic Blending: Essential Oils in Synergy. / Jennifer Peace Rhind, 2014. Singing Dragon Press. 336 p. Appendices, Index, Bibliography, etc.
Aromatherapeutic Blending is a useful reference for the practice of combining oils for bodily and psychological complaints. For each of seven types of malady, Rhind recommends a selection of oils from which to choose for custom blends. The right combinations of oils establishes an interaction between their chemical properties and the person being treated.
To make sense of all the information about essential oils, author Rhind presents the data in Aromatherapeutic Blending in a variety of ways—including articles, tables and a dictionary of the oils. She first considers the effect that blending strives for—that of synergy between constituents—and why that could be an important advantage.
Blending, like combining scents for perfume, is both an art and a science. The known components or chemical properties of essential oils are one aspect of the science of blending scent. Individual taste and sensory or physical reaction to an oil or constituent inspires the art of blending. To blend effectively, a far-reaching awareness of the nature of the oils is necessary.
Consider that rose essential oil or absolute, for example, has between 6 and 8 constituents recognized as therapeutic for specific ailments. Actually, roses have hundreds of components that contribute to its healing properties. In the table accompanying an analysis of essential oils for The Skin and Soft Tissues, Rhind expands on the skin-healing properties of 60 known oils. A specific rose, Rosa damascena, is reputed to have anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, keratinocyte differentiation enhancing effects, and inhibits the acne virus.
What teenager wouldn’t love to know that rose is therapeutic to acne vulgaris!
Rose essential oil is remedial for skin conditions such as scars at any age and for ageing skin.
Rosa damascena, the specific rose mentioned, is identified as useful in healing. Studies have been done utilizing it, but not other species of roses. That may be because this rose is so well known as perfume. Rosa damascena is featured for a number of maladies. For asthma, rose is reputed to have anti-histaminic action, and is calming to the lungs.
The use of a single aromatic by itself is not the preferred way to access healing properties. It should be noted, then, how well roses combine with other botanicals—other flowers, leaves, barks, resins, roots, and seeds. It’s the interaction between two or more essential oils—their synergy, much like the cumulative elements of an herbal formula—that more often, indicates Rhind, encourages healing.
The secret lies in our body’s affinity for the substances in a flower, such as rose, or the leaf, twig, bark and seed or berry of over 163 different plants examined in Rhind’s Aromatherapeutic Blending.
Suppose, for example, you’re looking for other remedies, perhaps one for bruising, a common skin complaint. You’ll find the oil of Immortelle (Helichrysum angustifolium) is anti-haematomal . Turn then to Rhind’s section called Aromatics, her dictionary of the main and well-known oils. You’ll find Immortelle has a cluster of actions: it relieves pain and inflammation, is wound-healing and anti-bacterial as well as bruise-relieving.
“Immortelle has a powerful, sweet, honey-like… odour and can be combined with lavender for soft-tissue damage; also sweet marjoram, bergamot, Lebanese cedar, inula, rose, orange blossom absolute, patchouli or pink pepper.” p. 219Interestingly, it could matter which species of a plant you choose for a given condition. Two kinds of Sage listed—Dalmatian Sage and Greek Sage—have different healing properties. While the former is anti-inflammatory and antifungal, Greek Sage is shown as wound-healing, period.
Compare this with true Lavender which purportedly has all three properties in a single species. Why would you, then, choose Sage over Lavender? Lavender, besides being anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and wound-healing, is also soothing to the Psyche. But you might want Sage for its scent. To gain more insight you could reference the Aromatics section of Aromatherapeutic Blending. There you’ll find detailed descriptions of each plant, such as its main actions, indications and chemical constituents. You’ll also find that for skin, Sages blend well with aromatic herbs (no surprise!), juniperberry and pink pepper; for emotional well-being, you can blend it with lemon or rosemary.
The long history of oils for spiritual enhancement and for medicinal care offers compelling reason for their use by us, now. What we think of as synergy is actually an age-old practice of combining scents and herbs. Ancient ideas, re-explained in our words and endorsed by studies, reveal the beneficial nature of botanicals which share similar qualities.
Rhind examines the likelihood of plant synergy as supportive of the psycho-therapeutic method used to alleviate conditions of emotional stress. She also takes into account the energetics of the plants; their essential oils are classified as warming or cooling, drying or moisturizing in effect.
Other considerations include herbal medicines in Chinese and Ayurvedic systems and vitalism approaches to aromatherapy. Even if you are not a chemist or biologist this handbook is advantageous for aromatherapy in practice.
Besides presenting blended oils for use in aromatherapy, the book proposes solutions for seven bodily afflictions and those that affect the psyche. Using the tables under a particular bodily complaint, you could compare oils for the ones best-suited to your condition at hand. Rhind pairs plant with action and evidence—a brief description of studies, including authors and dates. Look up your condition and find the appropriate oil. Then refer to the Aromatics for details and suggested combinations.
I love the breadth of information in this book. The possibilities for application are open to the reader’s interpretation, and you don’t feel constricted to learn from just one set of data, or the opinion of one author. A biologist by profession, Rhind speaks to her readers as colleagues in the quest to know more about scent and its application to aromatherapy. I find myself referring to this book often and believe Aromatherapeutic Blending inspires the creative edge and the exploration of health and wellbeing with essential oils.
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