Essential Oils and Mood
We all experience the ups and downs of life and emotions affect how the energy circulates in our bodies. For example;
~Anger causes energy to rise upward in the body
~Fear freezes and prevents movement
~Grief descends, like when people take responsibility for things that aren’t theirs and they feel a weight or a heaviness
~Joy scatters and disperses
Flowers and the oils extracted from them help us change our mood. Since flowers are the part of the plant that change quickly, when we inhale them, we can instantly feel a shift. Examples are neroli (orange blossom), rose, jasmine, and ylang ylang.
Here’s a list of mood issues and the oils that can help;
Mania/delusion~ clary sage, chamomile, neroli
Depression~ grapefruit, bay laurel, neroli, rose
Stress~ frankincense, sandalwood
Anxiety~ rose, chamomile, clary sage, geranium, violet
Phobias~ ylang ylang, mimosa, vanilla
Sleep~ neroli, frankincense, sandalwood, rose, carrot seed
Some of my favorite oils are;
Rosemary~ exhilarating, helps combat gloom and apathy, helps give vitality, individuality and self-confidence. Great as a muscle rub when mixed with olive oil, too.
Frankincense~ helps with depression and deep breathing, increases immunity, releases pent up emotions. Great for the skin and arthritis.
Lavender~ like rescue remedy, calms strong emotions, calms nervous anxiety that results in shyness. Soothing to the skin, scars, bites, and burns.
Grapefruit~ good for tension, frustration, irritability, moodiness, guilt, depression, it creates a lightness of spirit. Eating half a grapefruit helps speed up metabolism while adjusting the mood.
Rose~ helps us be present and enjoy being present, anti-depressant, balance hormones, good for PMS and stress, like when we think the world has nothing left to offer us, rose gives us hope and possibility. Try a rosewater mister or make a jar of smelling salts with rose oil, just put a cotton ball with rose oil in a jar of salt with a tight lid to hold in the scent, open to jar and inhale the scent.
Bergamot~helps with depression, nervousness, releases the suppressed feelings that can cause insomnia, anxiety and mood swings. Be careful not to put too much on parts of the body exposed to the sun, since citrus oils can be photosensitive and it might lightly burn your skin. Or just drink a cup of Earl Grey tea.
Geranium~ nervous tension, when someone has fixed ideas, control issues, micromanaging tendencies, and hypervigilance, used for lethargy, menopause, chronic anxiety, giving a calming strength, security and maternal bonding, place a drop or two of oil on a cotton ball and place in the navel.
Enjoy the scents! Use them like perfume, add to a bath, or add to an oil like olive oil or jojoba oil to rub on your chest, belly, or neck.
Erin Wood, Licensed Acupuncturist 