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July 9, 2010
This was one of my first questions as I learned about essential oils years ago. The first thing I noticed was there is a wide spectrum of prices for essential oils out there. You could pay $5 for one kind of oil by one brand or $100 for a bottle by another brand. What’s the difference?
I am currently taking an aromatherapy course through Dr Christopher’s School of Natural Healing, and one thing I’m learning is that the same plant can have different compounds and constituents depending upon what variety it is, where it’s grown, how it’s processed and what parts of the plant are used.
Usually, there is one specific part of a plant that contains essential oil of the highest medicinal value. Many producers use additional parts of the plant because they smell the same, but they don’t have the same amount of compounds or potency.
Many essential oils are extracted with chemical solvents. It’s hard to remove these solvents completely and makes the production process more expensive. As a result, most companies in the past have not been willing to pay the extra expense to do this extra step or buy more expensive oils extracted a different way. And some companies dilute or adulterate their oils to make more money.
In fact, the FDA requires that only 10% of an actual oil be present for a company to claim it as being 100% pure. Don’t be fooled!
This is why it’s traditionally taught that essential oils should not be taken internally. And it’s true that many brands of essential oils are unsafe to take internally.
I’ve been asked many times why I recommend one company in particular. It’s because I’ve never found another organization at all like them. The company is Doterra, and they are absolutely committed to having the purest oils possible. They go to great lengths and spend the money it takes to do so. Not only do they outside-test all batches of oils to make sure they are pure, they also measure the oils to verify they have the correct amount of medicinal compounds. They call their oils CPTG: Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils.
As a result, their products are safe to take internally within recommended guidelines, which is the same as herb and drug usage. I’ve used Doterra’s products for a year and a half, and have been amazed at the power and purity of their essential oils. My nose has gotten better at detecting differences in quality between brands. Some are so obvious when you have something really pure with which to compare.
Doterra is definitely a pioneer in the field of essential oils. They promote scientific research, and have already had success in the areas of cancer and diabetes. It’s exciting stuff, and I’ll be learning more at their convention this September.
There are other reasons why I love Doterra. They offer things I couldn’t find from other companies.
This is why I am so loyal to the Doterra brand. They’ve raised the bar of quality for essential oils to a very high level.
Go ahead. Try some. You’ll be able to tell a difference too!
July 1, 2010
I’ve always loved brownies, but I couldn’t eat them for a long time. They were too rich with unhealthy ingredients that set off my allergies and made me sick. Now I’ve found a healthier recipe that uses natural sweeteners and has perfect, peppermint taste.
I start out making a mix. This saves tons of time in the long run, because you only have to measure the dry ingredients once. The mix batch is big, so you’ll need 2 huge bowls like this or a big soup pot.
Peppermint Brownie Mix
Makes 11 batches, 8×8 pan size. Each batch makes 9-12 brownies.
- 9 cups white whole wheat flour
- 2 TB baking powder (non-aluminum)
- 2 TB salt (sea salt’s the best)
- 12 ½ cups sugar (I use evaporated cane juice crystals)
- 12 ounces unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips (these make all the difference!)
- 5 tsp vanilla powder (or use 1 tsp extract when baking)
Directions
- Sift first 4 ingredients into large bowl. Mix well.
- Add vanilla & chocolate chips. Mix well.
- Measure 2 cups into quart freezer bags (for 8×8 pan recipe, or 4 cups for 9×13 pan size recipe). Makes 11 bags.
- Label each bag (8×8 size) with the following: Add 2 eggs, ¼ cup melted butter & 4 drops peppermint essential oil or flavoring (may need more than 2 drops). Add extract if you didn’t use vanilla powder. Mix with beaters. Batter will be SUPER thick. Just spread it like frosting in your greased glass or stone pan (never aluminum) and it will rise up.
- Bake at 350 ° for 30-35 minutes. Test with a knife. For slightly fudgy brownies, take pan out 5-10 min early.
I put a couple batches in a gallon size bag to have on hand for social events when I need more brownies. Label your bags!
So tonight we made a double batch. We dumped a big bag in a bowl and added double the wet ingredients with the oil.
Using peppermint essential oil gives the flavor so much zip! Beat ingredients with a blender.
The dough will be very thick. Spread it like frosting in a glass or stone pan. Pampered Chef stones are my favorite!
Be forwarned that while these are baking, your home will smell so good everyone’s mouth will be watering!
This brownie recipe is great because the sides don’t rise higher as in many other recipes.
Slice brownies before they are completely cool, as the crust will harden and make them harder to cut.
We are planning to take these to the closing social for Raquel’s summer art class.
When you use unrefined ingredients, the taste you get is so substantial and real. I love this taste so much more than cheap food varieties.
These brownies are always a big hit!
June 22, 2010
I was featured on Passionate Homemaking website today!
Come check out my article and enter the giveaway for a free essential oil kit & bottle of Breathe.
May 7, 2010
Mike had to put staples in our son Isaac’s head the other night.
Isaac, 7 years old, was playing with his brother. They had covered some PVC pipe with a foam swim noodle. Unfortunately, when it got thrown at Isaac’s head, the foam slipped down so the sharp end of the PVC gouged him just above the forehead.
All the kids ran up screaming because Isaac had blood running down his face. When Mike did an inspection, he could see the cut went through to the skull. He decided the injury needed extra attention.
I immediately put some helichrysum essential oil on Isaac’s head to stop the bleeding and prevent inflammation.
I have to admit, when Mike said he was going to get staples, I was somewhat worried. I knew it needed to be done, but I visualized the staples going into Isaac’s skull. Fortunately that’s not how it works.
The staples go into each side of the cut, only clipping the skin together so it can heal.
Isaac said it didn’t even hurt, thank goodness.
The perfect thing to heal this speedily is Vickie’s Cuts & Bruises oil. Of course, my problem isn’t that I lack tools for healing, it’s that I forget to use them as often as I should in our busy lives.
Raquel’s Injury
The last time Mike had to supplement our home medicine with emergency room tools was a couple months ago when Raquel cut her shin open on a sharp bookshelf corner. She was doing gymnastics on our bed without me knowing. Mike super-glued the cut shut. He wanted to stitch it, but she was scared and I was worried.
Raquel still has a mark from the cut that hasn’t healed. I gave her some of Christopher’s Complete Tissue ointment and frankincense oil to put on at night, but I haven’t been following up well to make sure she’s doing it. I think I’ll make a chart right now…
Neighbor Boy’s Injury
Before I was done writing this post, I got a call from a neighbor telling me her son had just crashed his dirt bike. She was away from home, so I told her to send him over here. Mike was sleeping in preparation for his night shift. I didn’t want to wake him yet.
The kid was pretty banged up. His chin was bad enough I thought he’d need stitches. I got out my oils while we waited. I poured several drops of helichrysum essential oil on his chin and knee, which were bleeding. Then I put Cuts & Bruises on the multiple abrasions covering his body. Anything that was bleeding stopped fast.
He said his shoulder, elbow and thumb joint were hurting. He could move them all well enough, and nothing was poking out. I figured he hadn’t broken anything. Doterra’s Deep Blue essential oil blend is very effective for muscle pain & healing, so I applied it to these areas. After a few minutes, he said the pain had diminished.
Mike woke up and confirmed that stitches were needed. He went to a fellow doctor’s home to pick up a suture kit, and got back the same time as the boy’s mother. The stitching was accomplished as I ran out the door to teach a Dr Mom Class on the essential oils…with one more story to tell.
For those of you who have kids, you know life’s always an adventure!
April 6, 2010
Earaches are not difficult to resolve at home.
The most economical tool is garlic. Garlic oil can be rubbed on the bottoms of the feet, around the ear and dripped in (2 drops in each ear) at night to kill infection. Two cloves of garlic is equal in strength to an adult dose of penicillin.
 Read more…
March 28, 2010
Did you know that smelling peppermint could increase recall by 28%? That’s significant, especially if we could harness that power when our kids really need it, like during tests or recitals.*
I pulled out my peppermint when I was writing the thesis for my master herbalist program. It cleared my mind and helped me focus better.
You can just open the bottle and smell it, or you can put 3 drops in a little water in a diffuser like this.
 One reason I love this is it's beautiful! It looks like a work of art! Read more…
January 2, 2010
I’ve had 2 calls in the last week about sore or strep throat, so I thought I’d share my recommendations.
My throat is my barometer for the well-being of my body. When my throat starts to hurt, I know I need to cut back on heavy foods (especially after the holidays) and give my body a break.
Here are a few things I do to help my body get balanced again and fight any infections that may be starting.
- Stop eating meat, dairy, sugar and flour products.
- Drink lots of filtered water.
- Get enough sleep.
- Drink raw fruit or vegetable juice for breakfast and/or lunch.
- Eat a light soup or salad for dinner. Read more…
November 17, 2009
My oldest son, Noah was born with sensitive skin – extremely sensitive. He was a happy baby with baby zits and an adorable smile. We thought he just had dry skin because we live in the desert.
His cheeks were always red from the dryness. But it also affected him in his cute little rolls, his elbows, back of his knees, and his ankles. Read more…
July 1, 2009
I’m doing a vendor booth for Doterra oils this weekend at the American Family Festival. I went to a meeting this morning, on last minute details and learned that Lena Hughes, mom of the Hughes Brothers (largest performing family in the world, from Branson, MI) had twisted her ankle last night.
When the meeting ended, I pulled out a bottle of Vickie’s “Cuts and Bruises” oil and dripped it all over her swollen ankle. After a couple minutes, she was very surprised to report that it felt better.
When you’re running a HUGE event, you want to at least be able to walk around, right?
I happened to have an extra Dr. Mom kit in my car, so I grabbed the “Deep Blue” oil blend out of it (which is specifically for pain relief and inflammation) and we poured that on. She was even more amazed at the difference it quickly made. I told her to reapply every half hour, and maybe she’d have less difficulty walking tomorrow.
What do you know? She asked me if my booth would be the first aid station for the weekend.
Guess, I’d better go buy some band-aids…
June 30, 2009
I was out surveying my garden today, and there were some little flies buzzing around my face, driving me absolutely crazy. So I decided to get out my “Terrashield,” Doterra’s repellent oil blend, and apply some to myself.
First of all, I’ve bought a lot of “natural” bug repellents, and most of them smelled strongly unpleasant, but I continued to use them because I hate DEET. It causes neurological damage, especially to small children.
But this oil blend smells AMAZING! I was happy to slather myself in it, and I enjoyed smelling it while I was outside.
And, yes, it worked wonderfully keeping the flies away!
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