Essential Oils in the Garden: Summary of My First Year

SO EXCITED!!!!!!  I was looking for a natural solution for my garden problems when I found essential oils!  And they greatly reduced my garden problems!!  I promised to post my discoveries, so here they are:

PEPPERMINT: General spray for pests in the garden at 18 drops of peppermint to 8 oz. water in a spray bottle (see last year's post), but I never did incorporate the two drops white fir like in my video write up.  I plan to include it in my spray this year.  But it did reduce pests, and at one point I had a lot of spiders in my garden, and it decreased them, too.  It chased ants away from anywhere I didn't want them, and...

MOST EXCITING!!!

I didn't have even one vole in my garden last year!!  (For those not familiar, voles are like gophers)  The year before, voles ate my best tomatoes and peas.  They would burrow up under my plants and feast on my best produce...the food I planted for my family...rodents eating MY food!!  GROSS!!  They also killed my young apple tree in the course of several years by burrowing up beside the trunk and eating the trunk by the ground.  But not this year!!!! =)  So my approach with peppermint to treat voles in the garden (becuase I still have them in my yard, they just don't go into my garden) is to water with furrows, and about once a week add a drop or two of peppermint from my doTERRA bottle in the pooling water in each furrow.  If I saw a vole hole near my garden (which I did) I would run water straight down the hole and put six drops of peppermint in the running water.  LIKE VOLE DISAPPEARING MAGIC!!

I had concerns that maybe spraying peppermint might deter bees from pollinating.  So I did an experiment where I found a group of flowers that bees of all kinds just loved!  I sprayed it on the flowers (not on the bees because that's just mean, and possibly dangerous!!) ;)  Within 15 minutes, bees returned joyfully to the flowers.

I did also spray my peach tree with peppermint.  The video I watched said that it would reduce but not entirely kill off pests on fruit, but that it was better to cut around a few worms than put poison on your trees.  My peaches did indeed have fewer worms last year!  So I did further experimenting.  I found a worm, and put a big juicy peach by it that I had sprayed the with the peppermint spray and observed for several hours.  The worm never once crawled on the peach.  SUCCESS!!

I don't know what oils might help deter birds from eating peaches, but if you do, please leave a comment!!  But I tried this approach last year.  Netting I bought from the fabric section secured by clothes pins.  It think it worked pretty well.  Which has nothing to do with oils, but I thought I'd share. =)

ON GUARD:  My referenced video said that if peppermint didn't work, to use other oils in other sprays, including On Guard.  So I did several times, with some success.

LAVENDER:  Worked great for aphids on my apple trees!

Well that's all I remember; maybe I should have taken notes as I went, but I was too busy gardening!! (My happy place.)

Here are some things I have yet to find a natural solution for: 

earwigs

snails (although I think peppermint helped a bit)  If you have ideas for these, please leave a comment!!

DOTERRA INTERNATIONAL ON FACEBOOK POSTED THIS

this year: Keep your garden pest-free with essential oils! Try mixing 8 ounces of water in a spray bottle with ½ teaspoon natural soap and 12 drops of dōTERRA essential oil. Remember to shake the bottle frequently to keep the oil mixed with the water. 

AND A CHART WITH THIS INFO: 

ants: peppermint

beetles: peppermint, thyme

chiggers: geranium, lemongrass, thyme

cutworm: thyme

flies: clove, geranium, peppermint, rosemary

mosquitoes: geranium, lemongrass

moths: peppermint, geranium

slugs: cedarwood

spiders: peppermint

ticks: geranium, thyme, lemongrass

weevil: cedarwood 

Until next time, I wish you successful gardens!!

Glass vs. Aluminum

     I always use glass bottles when mixing essential oils with water because (even when adding edible oils to my drinking water) because I have been told that oils adhere to and break down plastic.  (And they cling to Styrofoam and dissolve it because, I've been informed, oils cling to and try to eliminate synthetics--which is handy if you happen to have any synthetic substances in your body.)  

     So I make this great spray that I use for everything!  

General Cleaner: An 8 ounce glass spray bottle filled with water and 8 drops of On Guard.  

That's it, and I used it for tables, counter tops, cleaning hands (like sanitizer) and fruit and veggies (rub around and rinse), because it supposedly kills everything: bacteria, viruses, molds... and I believe it because I'm convinced that On Guard oil blend has stopped or reduced every cold that I've had for over a year.  

     I also heard that aluminum is good to use when adding essential oils.  So I bought some metal (I assumed aluminum but it didn't say anywhere on it what it was) and made some of the above spray to do some bathroom cleaning.  I doubled the strength, adding 16 drops of On Guard, and within one day, it didn't smell quite like On Guard anymore.  It still had some On Guard qualities to it, but it lacked, as far as I could tell, a cinnamon smell that is in On Guard.  So I smelled both, and even tasted both, and I'd say there was a definite difference in the metal container.

     My conclusion is that the metal interacted with the oils somehow, changing them.  It's never happened to me with glass before.  So from now on I will only use glass.  Anyone else have some insights on this subject?

Later note: I was told at a conference by another attendee that stainless steel also does not interact.  I'll have to try it!!

     

Delicious Cream Cheese Mints, Any Flavor!

Love this recipe from a friend! Easy and wonderful, and stores well frozen. 

Cream Cheese Mints

1 - 8 oz pkg Cream Cheese
1 - 2lb bag of Powdered Sugar
¼ C Butter
Flavoring (EO’s) and Food coloring

(Make sure your essential oil flavor is one that can be taken internally. If it is DoTerra brand, it will tell you if you can take it internally right on the bottle.)

1. Melt butter and cream cheese in a saucepan over low. When combined, stir in powdered sugar. You might not need ALL of the sugar, but most of it.
2. Divide the mixture into however many flavors you want.
*When using Essential Oils start out with one drop and taste it. It can get too strong very quickly.
3. Add the flavor and coloring and mix. Roll into quarter sized balls and then press down with a fork.
4. Let rest for a few hours or overnight uncovered.

**Pictured is Wild Orange with orange food coloring.  I used 5 drops of Wild Orange, and they were a little strong.  When I made Peppermint (colored them blue), I flavored the whole batch with 2 drops of Peppermint, and it was perfect! (EO's vary one from the other as well--some taste stronger.)

I have also eaten Lemon and Lavender mints, and they were fabulous!! 

Enjoy!

Essential Oils to Fight Illnesses in Families: One Mamma's Strategies

 It is cold and flu season in the United States, so I was happy to hear how one woman uses essential oils to help her family in a fantastic webinar about doTERRA essential oils!  Here is my write-up of the webinar called Mammas Speak Out!!

Two things first:
1. To use oils with children, I  highly recommend buying a Modern Essentials Book and reading the section on children.  Also, since doTERRA has oils that are the purest that I know of (because they use guidelines above the industry standards) I would only ever use doTERRA oils on my children.

2. All the oils mentioned below can be purchased at mydoterra.com/oils2you.  (You only have to sign in if you have a wholesale account, which, if you'd like more information on that, please leave a message on the website.)

Mammas Speak Out! Cachay Wyson and a panel of Mammas July 23, 2013

(also with Nicolette and Tonya)

Cachay does the following with children and oils:

Kid Basics

• 1 to 2 drops of essential oil to start
• After 10 minutes, try a new location, or a new oil (Modern Essentials book is a great reference for helping to know which oils and where.)
• Always dilute “spicy” or “cool” oils (like oregano, or peppermint) with a “carrier oil”
• Use Fractionated Coconut Oil (FCO) to wash out/off (if an oil irritates skin, put another oil like FCO or another oil like olive oil (or another oil) over the top, and it will take care of it)
• Explain what oil and why you are putting it on to teach the children about oil
• Rash=body's way of saying it's too fast/strong detox. Decrease oils or stop and increase nutrition.

Sickness: 007

(007 helps you to remember O for On Guard, O for Oregano, and L (7 upsidedown) for Lemon)

• On Guard: 1 to 2 drops diluted with FCO on spine
• Oregano: 1 drop on feet “neat” (undiluted) and then apply socks (most feet can take oregano undiluted; if a drop gets somewhere else, simply apply a layer of FCO or other carrier oil.)
• Lemon: 1 to 2 drops diluted with FCO applied on neck and chest.

*For older children and adults: 2 drops each of On Guard, Oregano, and Lemon.

• You don't have to use the oils where indicated here, you could put them all on the bottom of feet or something else; she has just found that this works best for her family.
  
  
  
  
  

“These are strong oils; we have the highest grade essential oils and they are so pure. We are dealing with some amazing strength, so save your money and just use one to two drops.”

At first symptoms, you can use this regimen without worry of overdose or negative side effects.

“We don't have to wait and go 'I'm going to see if this is the flu that's going to knock me down for three weeks. I'm going to see...' Jump on it! Knock it out before it even has a chance to take you down!"

If 007 isn't quite enough:

Sickness: THE BOMB!

• On Guard: 1 to 2 drops diluted with FCO on spine
• Frankincense: 1 to 2 drops diluted on spine

• Oregano: 1 drop per foot neat (undiluted)
• Peppermint: 1 drop per foot neat. Apply socks after oregano and peppermint.

• Lemon: 1 to 2 drops diluted on neck and chest.

*older children and adults, recipe for taking it internally (blog author note: again, oregano needs to be diluted or in a capsule): 5 On Guard, 2 Frankincense, 2 oregano, 2 peppermint, 2 lemon

*If child is running a fever, she doesn't put it on their feet. She dilutes it and puts it on the forehead and the back of the neck, she puts the residue on the feet.

“Peppermint knocks out a fever great!”

Proactive Approach to Sickness Prevention:

• 1 drop On Guard mixed with 6-8 oz. Un-filtered Apple Juice (she gets hers at Trader Joes) (Try to avoid sugar-filled juice) (start with less until they get used to the taste.)
• 1 drop On Guard applied to bottom of feet after bath.
• Do this 1 to 7 days, depending on if it's the sick season.

Other ways to use On Guard:

• On Guard beadlet in honey
• On Guard throat drops, sometimes she smashes it to use smaller pieces
• Washing with On Guard hand wash
• Make hand sanitizer with On Guard
  • Uses pump 1/3 Aloe Vera, 2/3 pure water, 3 drops On Guard

Other uses of oils:

• Nose Bleeds: Imortelle on the bridge of the nose or helichrysum (mentions that she pinches the nose as well)
• Cuts: helichrysum (the “liquid bandage”)
• Eczema: Lavender internally (in honey or melt dark chocolate and put lavender in there) or Thyme (follow dilution directions)
• Skin irritation of any kind: Small spray bottle filled with: ¾ full of fractionated coconut oil, 3-5 drops lavender, and 3-5 drops Melaleuca. (saves on bandaids because the kids love the spray)
• Severe Diaper Rash: Small spray bottle ¾ full of fractionated coconut oil, 3-5 drops lavender, 3-5 drops Melaleuca, 3 drops thyme
• Sleep: Lavender, Balance, Serenity: Puts one of them on bottom of feet, or back of neck and chest. Usually Lavender does it, but if not she moves to Balance
• Nightmares: Give a sense of security and helps with nightmares. (Again, use on bottoms of feet or dilute; if you get irritation, put an oil like fractionated coconut oil over it. Do not use Oregano for more than 10 days straight.)
• When all else fails: Frankincense! Head bumps, teething , tantrums, wounds, fat lips
• Teething: little bit of clove (dilute with carrier oil) and apply to gums, and little bit of deep blue rub diluted on the outside of the jaw line.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

The Effect of the Essential Oil Blend, Balance, on Red Blood Cells

I have so much to share with you!!!! I have attended a health summit on oils, and an on-line, week-long symposium on oils, and THERE WAS SO MUCH EXCITING INFORMATION!!! I hope I get to blog most of it!! But here is a tidbit that I was alerted to during the online symposium.

 This is a video of red blood cells clumping (stressed, explained the class) before the oil blend Balance, and also only 30 seconds after applying only one drop to the bottoms of the feet of the subject (oils are readily absorbed through the feet).

 Red Blood Cells without and with Balance

Note the clumping of red blood cells in the first sample, and the free-flowing blood cells in the second sample. I went on a little bit of a search to find out more about this, and came up with this link:

Info on red blood cells

(I found out some interesting things about red blood cells, especially in relation to SODA.) Sorry I am not very complete in my explanations this morning--I am in a hurry (like always!). But I had to share because I feel this is so remarkable!!

An Introductory Video Explaining Essential Oils

Lavender For Burns

Silly me, for two reasons: First for touching a hot pan, and second, for not taking a before picture. =)  This is the after.

 I was camping Saturday (two days ago) and grabbed a hot handle on a pan while serving hash browns.  Immediately I could see white ridges on the lines on my fingers and knew it was a bad burn.

What did I do?  I instinctively ran for the water and ran it over my fingers. Then I remembered: "Oh yeah, I have lavender in my tent!"  and ran for my tent.  I put several drops on the affected fingers (three of them) and let it soak in.

For the next two or so hours I soaked it in ice water, and put on lavender about four more times and went back to the ice water because when I took it out of the ice water, it was burning again.

Saturday and yesterday I had blisters.  The biggest blister was on the the middle finger (on the left in the picture).  It was raised about an eighth of an inch, and was about a half inch across (almost round) and the blisters were tender to the touch.  They remained yesterday, but became less tender.

This morning: this!  The picture above, and no tenderness.  I was so excited I decided to blog about it!! =) In fact, I dug with a shovel in my yard for 45 minutes without discomfort!!  (At least not from the burns, haha!)

So that is my experience.  

I so love lavender for burns!!!

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