Did you know that Tamanu (Calophyllum inophyllum) oil (also called Foraha) is a different color dependent upon the season it was sourced? The oil can range in color from a deep, muddy green to a bright, caramel orange. Tamanu is exceptionally supportive of skin healing and balance. It …
Individual essential oils can present with unique chemical compositions dependent upon details like their source location, climate conditions during the source plant’s growth cycle, and so on. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is an excellent example of an essential oil with a variety of potential chemotypes: you’ll …
Evergreen plants are powerful indeed. Cherokee lore tells us that the Great Creator, after creating All Things, had but one thing remaining to be created: The Human Race. In order to procure the necessary energy, Creator asked all creatures and creations to fast for four …
Lavender was used by the ancient Egyptians in the mummification process.Save
Horsetail has survived since the age of dinosaurs and is considered by many to be a living fossil. An incredibly potent source of silica, horsetail has been used for scouring and scrubbing since ancient times. A strong support for filtering toxins and a powerful tonic for the kidneys, …
The vanilla orchid is the only orchid that produces fruit, namely the vanilla bean. Vanilla is considered to be the most labor intensive agricultural product in the world (and the second most expensive next to saffron). Cultivation is challenging as most vanilla orchids must be …
Unlike many trees celebrated for their aromatic oils, demand and pricing for Sandalwood are so high that often the entire tree, including stump and roots, is harvested and steam distilled for its fragrance oil. According to some growers, it takes at least fifteen years for …
If you doubt the power of herbs and oils, consider this inspired example of nature’s fierce grace…. Many of nature’s most powerful blessings aren’t a part of our herbal apothecary because of their threat to life even with minimal ingestion–herbs like foxglove, poison hemlock, and deadly nightshade are …
Whereas many essential oils have a shelf life limited to just a few years under even the best conditions, Patchouli actually improves with age. Many distillers, suppliers, and aromatherapists assert Patchouli has a twenty-year-plus shelf-life. Indeed, I wasn’t much of a fan of Patchouli until I encountered …
The price of essential oils often reflects the relationship between source material and yield. For example, it takes ~150 to 250 pounds of lavender tops to produce ~1 pound of lavender oil; it takes ~1,000 to 1,500 pounds of chamomile heads to produce ~1 pound …
