Aromatherapy for Women: How to use essential oils for health, beauty and your emotions. Maggie Tisserand

a period of weeks, months or years will eventually lead to a breakdown in health; this could manifest itself in the form of a serious health problem such as cancer, ME, MS or some other disease of our time. Daily letting-go of stress and tension could be and should be as routine as brushing our teeth.

      INSOMNIA

      Anyone who has a busy lifestyle which sometimes overburdens him or her with worries and responsibilities, may experience the occasional night when sleep is elusive.

      While preparing for my exams at school, many years ago, my sleep patterns became very disturbed due to my constant fear of failure. Once the stressful situation was removed – in my case, after I had received the examination results – I was again able to go to bed and fall asleep.

      Nowadays, it is a rare occurrence for me to lie awake at night but such is the power of the mind that when a strong thought pattern has been established, and continues to go round in circles, I find that I have to take practical steps to break the circle. If my problem is that I am thinking negative thoughts about someone who has upset me, or I strongly disagree with a decision over which I have no control, then I reach for pen and paper, and write down my thoughts until I have ‘got it off my chest’. I may write a letter to someone who has been causing me to feel very negatively, and in my letter I express myself in a very forthright way, imagining the effect it will have on the recipient as he or she reads it. When I feel satisfied that I have unburdened myself, then I sprinkle some marjoram oil onto my electric burner, and with the aromas of sweet herbs floating through my mind, I fall asleep. I always find on those nights when I have used marjoram, I sleep deeper than normal. Of course, in the morning, I tear up the letter. I don’t need to send it: it is enough that I have written down the destructive thoughts, and rid myself of the unpleasant emotions that were robbing me of my rest.

      Many people suffer from chronic insomnia, and find that their body’s natural rhythms have been so disturbed that the only way in which to fall asleep is to take a nightly tranquillizing drug. It is possible to substitute essential oils for tranquillizers, and to enjoy a good night’s sleep without feeling ‘hung over’ the next morning. Lavender is a very strong sedative which, when used in a night-time bath, dissolves away mental and physical tension, and induces a restful night’s sleep. Add five or six drops of lavender to a comfortably hot bath. Don’t wash and scrub – this bath is not for cleanliness but for rest and relaxation – just lie back and wallow; and don’t set a time limit on yourself – stay as long as you feel comfortable, adding more hot water as necessary. Some relatives of mine of retirement age swear by their lavender baths to help them to sleep at night. Because of the deep sleep they enjoy at night, they are full of vitality during the day.

      Common sense must play a part in treating insomnia, and eating the main meal of the day at lunchtime, instead of in the evening, may help considerably. Foods which are known stimulants should be avoided, such as coffee and chocolate, as they could aggravate the inability to ‘switch off’. For any insomniac who does not like the aroma of lavender or marjoram, then a completely different type of aroma is neroli (orange blossom). Although very light and floral, neroli is still very sedative, and may be used alone or in combination with either lavender or marjoram. All of these oils can be used in the bath, on the edge of the pillow or in a room fragrancer.

      WAKING UP AT NIGHT

      Sometimes the day’s events or a particular worry are so strongly entrenched in our minds that even when asleep, the slightest provocation (a cat fight in the garden, or a car door slamming) can awaken us, and it becomes impossible to go back to sleep again. A glance at the clock may tell us that 3 a.m. is far too early to get up, but the mind is chattering away as though it was the middle of the day. This has happened to me on occasions, especially when staying in hotels where everything is unfamiliar (and sometimes uncomfortable). I write down any thoughts that are going through my mind, and then put some lavender or marjoram oil on a tissue, place the tissue across my face and breathe in the aromatic vapours until sleep comes.

      REVITALIZE BEFORE A NIGHT OUT

      Occasionally our energy levels can be so depleted at the end of a busy day that there seems to be no enthusiasm to go out socially and enjoy oneself. Sometimes it feels as though you are a car with a flat battery, and without some sort of a boost, there is no way that the car will start. At times like these a half-hour aromatic bath could be just the boost you need. One or two drops of oil, in any of these combinations, will help to revitalize you for the evening ahead; rosemary and rosewood; rosemary and geranium; rosewood and bergamot; or whichever essence you find to be beneficial. If exhaustion has depressed your emotions slightly, then add a drop or two of clary sage oil to your bath water. Alternatively, a drop or two of clary sage oil may be taken internally, on a little brown sugar or in honey water.

      HANGOVER

      Most adults have, at some time or another, experienced a hangover: that unique combination of heavy head, unbelievable pain, nausea, sensitivity to noise and light, and generally feeling like death. This is hardly surprising when you consider that alcohol is actually a poison when taken in excess, disturbing the body chemistry and robbing it of vital fluids. According to one scientist, for every glass of whisky we drink, 1 million brain cells are killed; and if alcohol were invented today, it would never pass the government safety tests on new products.

      Nobody ever wants a hangover, but we all overindulge occasionally, and need to recover. Firstly drink a large glass of water, preferably still, bottled water, as alcohol causes dehydration which in turn gives rise to severe headaches. Follow this by a long aromatic bath with rosemary or juniper (see recipe section). To combat nausea there is nothing finer than a drop of peppermint in warm honey water. Peppermint can also be taken on a little brown sugar, but I find that hot water increases the speed at which the essential oils reach the bloodstream. If you do not have access to a bath, then you should massage a little lavender oil into the nape of the neck and lie down with a lavender or geranium compress across your forehead. Jojoba oil is virtually indigestible, and will coat the lining of the stomach. A teaspoonful taken before going out drinking, may slow down the rate of absorption of the alcohol, but will also interfere with digestion of food, and is only a temporary measure. I still prefer to ‘mix’ my drinks; one glass of wine or other alcohol, followed by one glass of water.

      On occasions I have drunk too much alcohol, as I have a very low tolerance level, and find that the following day I have a dull ache in the middle of my back, as alcohol adversely affects the kidneys. By rubbing sandalwood oil (which is extraordinarily good for helping with kidney problems) into this area, I always find that the ache is soothed away, which means that I can get on with the business of the day without discomfort.

      AROMATIC TEAS

      Flavoured teas make a welcome alternative to the taste of black tea, and for a while I was a regular user of Earl Grey tea until I became bored with it. As this is just tea flavoured with essential oil of bergamot there is no reason why you cannot make your own aromatic teas with essential oils that you have in your collection. Next to bergamot, the most obvious choice of oil for a tea would be peppermint. You can make your own Earl Grey tea by adding one drop of bergamot oil to tea in a pot and adding 3–4 cups of hot water. Either Japanese green tea or Indian black tea may be used, but some essential oils work better with green tea and others with black tea. Black tea should be used with peppermint and bergamot. Put tea into a pot, add one drop of oil and then add 3–4 cups of hot water. Drink while fresh.

      Lemon and orange oil may be added to either type of tea and make a delightfully refreshing tea any time of the day; to a teapot add tea, one drop of oil and 1–2 cups of hot water. Jasmine oil makes such a wonderful tea that I have put it in the chapter on sex and sexuality