I Do Care

by Vixen12089

This is a one shot about what Inuyasha thinks and feels about Kagome.

3. Neccessary AN:

Wise Weeds Botanical Studies, Basic Aromatherapy Course enables students to develop their knowledge about and appreciation for the healing qualities of essential oils. Students also learn about the safety issues involving these products.

Our 15-Lesson Course, Practical Aromatherapy: Using Essential Oils for Healing, expands on the concepts covered in this course and presents more historical, safety and research information as well.

We highly recommend that students purchase the kit of sample bottles of essential oils at the course's beginning, as they will use them from the very first lesson. The experiential part of this course is an integral part of the student's growing knowledge and comfort level with using essential oils.

In this course you will find the following information and more:

An Introduction to Concepts of Learning

The Term "Aromatherapy"

Some of the Processes of Extraction from Plants

What Plant Parts Contribute Essential Oils

How Essential Oils Work

Some Ways to Use Essential Oils

Basic Safety Tips

A Quick Reference of the Healing Properties of Essential Oils

Also, this course will discuss some of the properties and uses of the following essential oils:

Lavender

Sweet Orange

Eucalyptus

Patchouli

As I've worked with people to create balance in their bodies through the use of herbs and other healing options, I've incorporated the use of essential oils into my healing practice more and more.

The very scent of essential oils soothes, calms, awakens or otherwise affects individuals in very positive ways, regardless of whether or not they are even aware of aromatherapy as a practice.

Essential oils lend themselves to subtle types of non-threatening healing. Not all people are open to "alternative" therapies, but most enjoy pleasant smells.

Here in this course, you will learn a little bit about aromatherapy--the use of essential oils for healing, and why it works.
Remember, this class will merely put you on the road to learning about the therapeutic uses of essential oils. It is how you mark out your personal route on this map that will determine the true value of your journey in your life. Have confidence in yourself and the learning process. The most important suggestion I have for you right now is: keep your own journal of impressions. If all you do is plan to skim through these materials, you will miss the best and most fun part of this course--learning how much you already know about the effects of essential oils.

Learning is a process. Most of us, if we went to public or private school, were taught to value grades and "doing it right" more than actual knowledge and understanding. Oftentimes, independent thought or questions were discouraged, not rewarded. Well, I hope you can leave those types of educational concepts behind. Avoid being intimidated if this course is your first experience with dealing with an alternative healing topic. If some of the material seems vague, or does not give you enough information, please let me know.

By the same token, if you are very experienced with alternative therapies, please don't be put off by any extended explanations of terms or concepts. Read the material thoroughly. I may mean something slightly differently by a term than your prior experience may lead you to believe.

I'm a strong believer in repeating concepts and information more than once and in slightly different manners. That way our brains can process the information (and access it in the future) in a more comprehensive manner. This is kind of like filing folders in more than one file cabinet drawer. Or keeping a written record, as well as data on a disk.

For a long time I hesitated to produce an online or correspondence course because people learn in so many ways, not just through written communication. In fact, most people are not aware of how they best learn something. Consider the following:

If your learning pattern indicates you learn better by hearing the spoken word, for example, you may want to purchase or borrow a tape recorder. You could then read each section onto a tape and then play it back for better comprehension.

If you're working in a group, individuals could take time and read the sections aloud to one another.

If you're one of these people who learns best by hands-on work, you'll benefit greatly from the essential oils.

One of the more important communications concepts I've learned from someone who struggles with dyslexia, and being a mother to a child who was just learning about the world, is, don't take anything for granted. Question. Question. Question. If something is not clear, make sure you understand it.

It's smart to ask questions when you don't know something. That's not something that many of us were encouraged to be aware of when we were in school. Quite the opposite, by my recollection. Most kids (and then adults in the corporate world) tried to look like they knew everything. Otherwise, people would think they were "dumb" or "stupid."

It took me years to learn how foolish that approach to learning and knowledge is.
Remember, the only stupid questions are the ones you don't ask. But also remember, I don't know everything, and I may tell you just that!

Just as herbalists learn to keep a record of how various herbs affect them, their friends, families and clients, so, too, should you keep your own materia medica of essential oils and their applications and effects.
While I will give you my impressions of certain essential oils, you will want to build on that knowledge, using it as a foundation, not as the sum total of your learning
Although you may get the impression from this course, and modern books on aromatherapy, that aromatherapy has been scientifically validated and proven to work, that is really an incomplete impression.
Aromatherapy remains an extremely young art form. There are so many variables that come into play as to the effectiveness, efficacy and safety of essential oils used for healing. While it is important to draw upon the experiences and experiments of those who have gone before us, it is equally valid, in my opinion, to note what results that we, as individuals exploring alternative healing, obtain.
Am I suggesting that you ignore all of the work of those who have gone before you? Certainly not. But I am suggesting that you open yourself to noting how you, and others around you, respond to essential oils. Hopefully, this course will enable you to do just that.
When you sample an essential oil, you must keep notes. Do not rely on your memory. First impressions of an essential oil can be fleeting.

Materials Needed for this Course:

kit of essential oils

notebook

two pens (for when one runs out of ink at the wrong time!)

The kit of essential oils is NOT included with this course and can be purchased separately through our store.

Please note: all materials are presented merely for educational purposes.

The information presented here is NOT intended for diagnosis or prescription.

Origins of Aromatherapy

The use of fragrance goes back thousands of years. Originally, people used herbs, and the oils derived from them, directly as a part of their spiritual or religious practice, and often, more indirectly as medicines.

Aromatherapy and More
It is relatively simple to burn the actual herbs themselves, when using the herbs as incense. Or to release the scent of the herbs, by pouring boiling water over them, to produce a tea, infusion, tisane or steam inhalation. If a plant grows in your locality, you can probably prepare it for these types of use.

However, the use of essential oils is more complicated because one doesn't just use the raw herb itself.
In most instances, the ancient world's use of botanicals did not include the use of actual essential oils. Rather, instead, many of the ancients used fats and oils infused with plant materials.

The Term "Aromatherapy"
In the 1900s, a French chemist, Professor Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, is credited with coining the term "Aromatherapy." His family owned a perfumery business. As he defined it, aromatherapy carries a somewhat narrow definition in the respect that it only includes essential oils, not other botanical products, which may or may not be considered a formal part of aromatherapy.

War Time Uses of Essential Oils

Gattefosse experimented with essential oils on wounded soldiers during World War I. His work showed that essential oils, rather than chemical antiseptics, detoxified wounds and sped up healing.

His own personal experience with the healing properties of lavender made him a fan of that oil. He accidentally burned his hand in his laboratory when an experiment caused a small explosion. After he applied lavender oil, the pain ceased and (according to aromatherapy legend) the skin soon healed, perfectly cured.

This seems the perfect place to discuss one of Gattefosse's favorite oils and a few of the ways you can best use it. Of course, we are talking about Lavender essential oil.

Take out your notebook and bottle of lavender essential oil. Put one drop on a tissue paper and inhale its scent. (Inhaling directly out of the bottle may be too intense.) Before you read further, consider the following questions and note your responses in your notebook. Be sure to list the full name of the essential oil as well as the day and date of your notations.

Now, consider the following: How were you feeling before you sniffed the oil? How are you feeling now that you have sniffed the oil? Do you like the scent? Why? Why not? Once you have written down each questions and your responses, continue reading.

Lavender, Lavendula angusifolia

An antiseptic essential oil, lavender has found its niche in the treatment of burns, whether as a result of a kitchen or camping accident, or spending too much time at the seaside or hiking in the mountains.

Just a couple of drops of lavender essential oil mixed into a teaspoon of aloe vera gel makes a soothing, antiseptic and pain relieving lotion which not only relieves the pain of a burn, but also speeds up the healing process.

A few drops in a tealight diffuser at night before bedtime can help an insomniac relax and have sweet dreams.

Lavender essential oil also has a reputation for helping stressed out individuals calm down and take life a little slower. In essence, it helps them to stop and smell the flowers.

Can I Make Essential Oils at Home?

Now, you may have wondered how essential oils are produced and whether or not you can make them at home.

The production of essential oils is a rather complicated process which usually requires specialized equipment and LOTS of plant materials. In the case of the production of rose otto, or rose essential oil, it takes about 2,000 pounds of roses to produce one pound of essential oil.

Although home distillation kits are now available, and you probably can find a few sources through the internet, they are fairly expensive and, for most people, making their own essential oils takes too much time, money and effort to make it worthwhile.

Processes of Extraction from Plants

There are many complex processes for extracting the oils from plants, depending on the herb. For this course, we will only discuss the primary processes of extraction. The two main methods used for extracting essential oils from plants are:

steam, water or dry distillation or

simple expression or pressure, (that is, the squeezing of the skin of an orange, for example)

Steam Distillation

The majority of oils such as lavender, myrrh, sandalwood and cinnamon are produced by steam distillation. This process isolates only the volatile and water-insoluble parts of a plant.

Essential oils are usually liquid, but can also be solid (orris root) or semi-solid according to temperature (rose or oakmoss). They dissolve in pure alcohol, fats and oils but not in water.

Unlike plant oils, such as olive oil, essential oils evaporate when exposed to air, leaving no oily residue behind.

I have seen where someone spilled German Chamomile, also known as Blue Chamomile, on a white shirt and within an hour or so, the stain was gone because the oil had evaporated. Other oils, such as patchouli or sandalwood may leave some slight discoloration.
Steam distillation does not leave chemical solvent residues

Cold Pressing

Simple expression or pressure is used to extract essential oils with this method. Basically, this involves squeezing of the skin of an orange, lemon, lime or grapefruit, for example.

Pick up a lemon, an orange and a grapefruit at your local grocery store. Slice the skin off of each of these fruits. Squeeze the skin
between your fingers, folding it over itself. You will see a small spurt of oil and the scent of the fruit will be magnified.

Here in essence, is the essential oil of these citrus fruits. And speaking of citrus fruits, this is a good time to consider the healing qualities of one of the freshest, and relatively inexpensive, essential oils you will find.

Take out your notebook and bottle of sweet orange essential oil. Put one drop on a tissue paper and inhale its scent. (Inhaling directly out of the bottle may be too intense.) Before you read further, consider the following questions and note your responses in your notebook. Be sure to list the full name of the essential oil as well as the day and date of your notations.

Now, consider the following: How were you feeling before you sniffed the oil? How are you feeling now that you have sniffed the oil? Do you like the scent? Why? Why not?

Once you have written down each questions and your responses, continue reading.

Sweet Orange, Citrus sinensis

It's not surprising that sweet orange essential oil is known as an antidepressant. Its fresh, bright scent is uplifting and cheering for most people. It is also helpful in relieving nervous tension and stress.

Diffused into the air, it can not only alleviate mild depression, it can help in dealing with colds and flu, bronchitis and chills
Whatever the plant and however its essential oils are extracted, aromatherapy probably has found some use for the concentrated energies of its oil.

Found in Various Plant Parts

Unlike fixed oils, essential oils are volatile. This means they evaporate rapidly at room temperature, whereas fixed oils, such as vegetable or motor oils, are more stable. Chemically, essential oils consist of a complex mixture of 30 to 100 or more compounds.
The oils themselves are found in various plant parts. Peppermint, patchouli, basil and geranium oils are derived from their leaves and stems. Clove oil comes from flower buds. Jasmine, rose and tuberose oils are derived from the open flowers. Essential oils are also derived from the seeds, wood, bark, roots, needles and skins of various plants.

The following essential oil is derived from the fresh or partially dried leaves and young twigs of a tree.

Take out your notebook and bottle of eucalyptus essential oil. Put one drop on a tissue paper and inhale its scent. (Inhaling directly out of the bottle may be too intense.) Before you read further, consider the following questions and note your responses in your notebook. Be sure to list the full name of the essential oil as well as the day and date of your notations.

Now, consider the following: How were you feeling before you sniffed the oil? How are you feeling now that you have sniffed the oil? Do you like the scent? Why? Why not?

Once you have written down each questions and your responses, continue reading.

Eucalyptus globulus, Eucalyptus spp

The essential oil is produced by steam distillation from the fresh or partially dried leaves and young twigs. The Eucalyptus tree is tall, at times growing more than 300 feet high. Young trees have round bluish-green leaves whereas the mature trees develop long, narrow yellowish leaves, creamy-white flowers and a smooth, pale grey bark often covered with a white powder.

Generally speaking, I've used Eucalyptus globulus in cool mist humidifiers (the manufacturers will NOT recommend doing this, by the way) by putting 10 to 15 drops in the water catch. I've also put 5 to 10 drops in a candlelight diffuser or potpourri pot...where you add water, add the essential oil. and then light the tea light.

Eucalyptus is an excellent expectorant. Which means that, if you are congested, you may find yourself "coughing up a lung" along with a lot of phlegm!

Known for its use as a nasal and lung decongestant for colds and flu, Eucalyptus also inhibits proliferation of the cold virus, Patricia Davis in Aromatherapy: An A-Z says, "Eucalyptus used in air sprays or any form of vaporisation during epidemics, will give a good measure of protection from flu and the infectious illnesses of childhood."

How Do Essential Oils Work?

Essential oils work in many ways. Scientists have been especially interested in how fragrances can trigger memories and in how pheromones--fragrant, hormone-like substances, influence physical attraction.

The nose connects to the olfactory bulb, the only place in the human body where the central nervous system is exposed directly to the environment. The cells of the olfactory membrane are literally brain cells.

Fragrant substances, like most essential oils, pass on to the limbic system without being registered by the cerebral cortex. Even before we become aware of an aroma, our subconscious reacts to it.

How Can We Use Essential Oils?

Massage

Massage is one of the more popular ways to use essential oils. Because they are so concentrated, it's usually best to dilute (almost always) essential oils with a neutral carrier oil, such as sweet almond, jojoba, coconut or olive, to avoid irritating the skin.

Even such oils as lavender, tea tree, sandalwood and rose should be diluted before use on the skin because undiluted use may lead to sensitization and the inability to get the healing benefits of those oils when they are most needed.

When working with essential oils, keep them away from the eyes and mucous membranes.

Because people's associations with oils and scents vary, always allow someone to smell an oil first before using it in a massage. If someone has a negative reaction to an oil's scent, you are better off finding an oil with similar properties that is more to their taste.

Because skin types and chemistries vary, you must watch carefully for adverse reactions.
There are many benefits to massage, including relaxation of the muscles and movement of the lymph fluids.

Inhalation:

Inhalation of essential oils can be both a simple and fairly complex process. Special (and expensive) electronic aromatherapy diffusers will spread a scent throughout a room. A few drops of oil placed on a clay light-bulb diffuser will also do the job.

Using candles scented with essential oils can release the aromas into a room as the flame warms the wax, which in turn moves the fragrances into the air. Scenting the water in potpourri pots with essential oils is a another way to gently lighten up a room.

By using a sprayer you can disinfect or perfume a room very quickly. Fill a spray bottle with water and a dozen, or so, drops of your chosen oil(s). Shake the bottle and then spray. As essential oils do not actually mix with water, make sure you shake the bottle to blend it (temporarily) before spraying.

Even putting a few drops of essential oil in a humidifier can do the job.

Bathing:

A few drops of an essential oil in bath water, just before you step into the tub, can do wonders for your mood. Bathing with essential oils gives you a double benefit--contact with your skin and inhalation of the scent as it rises from the water.

Because essential oils are not soluble in water, that is, they do not mix with water, it's best to add your essential oil to milk or a carrier oil before adding it to bath water. The last thing you want to do is put sensitive body parts on top of undiluted essential oils floating on top of your bath water.

Hand or Foot Baths

If you're going to perform reflexology on someone, soaking his or her feet or hands in a bowl of warm water scented with the appropriate oils can be very relaxing as well as antiseptic.

Again, use only one or two drops of essential oil dispersed into warm water. Check the water yourself to make sure that it is not too hot before allowing your subject to put his or her hands or feet in the soak.

Dispel Headaches

Both the inhaled scent and physical application of lavender essential oil (three drops of the essential oil to a 1/2 teaspoon of sweet almond or olive oil) to the outside of the sinuses and forehead can also help dispel headaches. Use only a finger's dab of this blend to apply to your sinuses and forehead. Repeat, if necessary, in a half hour or so.

Others find inhaling peppermint oil to be indispensable to ridding themselves of such pain.

Sweet Dreams

I also know many people who burn lavender stick incense at night to help them sleep peacefully.
The herb itself has been burned in rooms where a woman is going to give birth. More than one midwife wears lavender oil to set up soothing and calming energies.

BASIC SAFETY TIPS
• Store essential oils in a cool, dark place
• Always keep out of the reach of children and away from any pets.
• Avoid using directly or near the eyes or mucous membranes. Use whole milk or vegetable oil to help flush out any essential oil that might have splashed into the eye. Remember, essential oils are NOT soluble in water, so water is not the best medium for removing them. If problems persist, seek medical assistance as soon as possible.

• Do not use the same essential oil every time, whether for skin application or inhalation. Rotate your essential oils to avoid becoming sensitized and to avoid overexposure to any one essential oil.
• Remember, just because an essential oil is derived from a plant, it cannot be used in the same way as the plant. (Herbalists will note similarities with the use of many essential oil as to traditional uses of herbs, but essential oils and the herbs themselves are NOT interchangeable.)
• If you develop a skin rash, stop using it right away.
• When working with essential oils, make sure you have adequate ventilation. Open up windows, put on the exhaust fan. This is especially important for practitioners, who will tend to be exposed to essential oil fumes more than the average individual.
• Do not use essential oils internally UNLESS you get much more training!
• Always dilute essential oils before using them on the body.

If making a one-ounce massage oil blend,
remember the following:

• 1 oz. equals approximately 30 ml
• 1 teaspoon equals about 5 ml
• 1 tablespoon equals about 15 ml or 1/2 ounce

One percent essential oil in a one-ounce blend would be about 10 drops.
Two percent essential oilin a one-ounce blend would be about 20 drops.
Three percent would be about 30 drops.

Because essential oils are so concentrated, it's usually best to dilute (almost always) them with a neutral carrier or base oil, such as apricot kernal, jojoba, coconut, emu or olive, to avoid irritating the skin.

Even such oils as lavender, tea tree, sandalwood and rose should be diluted before use on the skin because undiluted use may lead to sensitization and the inability to get the healing benefits of those oils when they are most needed.

Carrier oils are referred to as such because they carry the essential oil onto the skin or in the product that they are used in. Different
carrier oils offer different properties and the choice of carrier oil can depend on the therapeutic benefit being sought.

Carrier oils are generally cold-pressed vegetable oils from the fatty portions of the plant. Cold pressing means that no external heat has been used while the seed is being pressed.

The following essential oil is often used in "sensual" massages because it has a reputation as an "aphrodisiac."

Take out your notebook and bottle of patchouli essential oil. Put one drop on a tissue paper and inhale its scent. (Inhaling directly out of the bottle may be too intense.) Before you read further, consider the following questions and note your responses in your notebook. Be sure to list the full name of the essential oil as well as the day and date of your notations.

Now, consider the following: How were you feeling before you sniffed the oil? How are you feeling now that you have sniffed the oil? Do you like the scent? Why? Why not?

Once you have written down each questions and your responses, continue reading.

Patchouli, Pogostemon cablin

Many people think of patchouli as a "hippy's herb" from the 1960s. During that time of "love fests" and heavy use of marijuana, patchouli incense was often burned to cover up the scent of the burning drug. Then a lot of people who weren't using drugs found they liked the scent..

But most people don't know that patchouli was rather popular in the 1860s as well. In the 1860s, Britain imported cashmere shawls from India. The shawls were packed with patchouli leaves to discourage moth infestation.

British merchants found that if they had cashmere shawls that were not packed with patchouli leaves, that they could not sell them. However, once they scented the shawls with patchouli, they did sell.

In addition to being known as an aphrodisiac which heightens sensuality, this relaxing scent is also known for its antidepressant and antiseptic properties.

Patchouli essential oil can help prevent viral infections and aid in the healing of wounds. The oil used to treat yeast infections both in the mouth and the vagina. As pointed out above, it is used in Asia as a moth repellant.

Quick Reference of the Healing Properties
of Essential Oils

Anxiety: Clary Sage, geranium, juniper berry, lavender, lemon balm (Melissa), neroli, Roman chamomile, rose otto, sandalwood, sweet marjoram, ylang ylang
Mental Fatigue: Clary Sage, juniper berry, rosemary
Relaxing: Chamomile, lavender, lemon balm (Melissa), geranium, neroli
Uplifting: Clary sage, eucalyptus, juniper berry,
Euphoric: Jasmine, sandalwood, ylang ylang
Muscle aches: Birch, eucalyptus, juniper, rosemary
Respiratory problems: Eucalyptus, lavender, peppermint, pine, spruce
Depression: Basil, clary sage, geranium, lavender, melissa, rose, ylang ylang.
Headaches: Eucalyptus, lavender, lemon balm, peppermint, Roman chamomile, rosemary
Insomnia: Roman Chamomile, lavender, neroli

If you have enjoyed this class and would like to learn more about aromatherapy and the healing properties of essential oils, consider taking our 15-Lesson Course, Practical Aromatherapy: Using Essential Oils for Healing. This course expands on the concepts covered in this class and presents more historical, safety and research information as well.