body & mind balance

VALUABLE ESSENTIAL OILS FROM WOOD

Anna Dannfelt — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 10:46:27 +0000

There are a few, very popular oils that come from the heart-wood of trees; Oud (Aquilaria agollocha, A. malaccensis, A. crassna) that I have written about earlier, Rosewood (aniba rosaeodora) and Sandalwood (santalum album). I will not write again about Oud, but concentrate on Rosewood and Sandalwood. These oils come from the heartwood of trees – trees take a long time to grow and for each tree that is cut down we need to plant many, many more or the tree will become extinct.

Rosewood (aniba rosaeodora) is a tree that grows in the Amazonian rain-forest, Brazil being the main producer of essential oil. It is a large, evergreen tree reaching up to 30 m in height and 2 meters in diameter. All parts of the tree are fragrant although only the heartwood is traditionally harvested and distilled. To give an acceptable amount of essential oil the tree needs to be 40 years old and have a diameter of about 30-40cm, but because of indiscriminate felling even trees with a diameter of 15cm will be cut as it is getting progressively harder to find fully grown trees. Because of its high content of linalool, the essential oil has been widely used in perfumes and soaps. Now linalool is produced synthetically for perfumes and the use of rosewood has diminished; In the 1960s, exports of rosewood oil from Brazil alone were around 500 tonnes per year. Today, the world market for rosewood oil is about 100 tonnes per year. Rosewood essential oil is often substituted by the cheaper Chinese Ho oil (cinnamomum camphora l. linaloolifera leaf oil)

Over the years the heavy harvesting of rosewood have diminished the number of wild-growing trees to a point where they are rapidly becoming a threatened species. Development of sustainable planting is underway, but a lot of wild trees are still felled for the sake of essential oil. Recent research aims to develop new essential oil production derived from rosewood leaves and stems.

Pricing of Rosewood essential oil: 10 ml €6,40 or 8,65 US dollars.

Sandalwood (santalum album) grows in forests of southern India, the best known being Mysore. The tree reaches a height of 20 meters. It is a hemiparasitic plant as the roots attach themselves to nearby plant roots, obtaining nourishment and causing the host plant to die. Essential oil is produced in the heart-wood and the roots. The tree is mature at 60-80 years when it is harvested and the heartwood is distilled. The trees start producing heartwood at 30-50 yrs. As with rosewood, the trees are being over-harvested and today they are felled already when they are 30 years. Sandalwood has been used as an incense ingredient for the last 4000 years and is an important plant in Asia, used in all manners for its spiritual powers. Today the forests are too young to produce any essential oil, and since the late 1990’s there is only a mere 5% of forest left.

In late 1980 – early 1990 India exported 100 tonnes of sandalwood-oil/year. In 1996 the Indian government regulated export of sandalwood-oil, bringing the yearly amount down to 5 tonnes. This created a huge raise in the price of sandalwood essential oil; on the Indian market the price went from Rs20 000/ton in 1980 to Rs200 000/ton in 1990. Much work is being done in India to create a sustainable replanting of sandalwood-trees, but since it takes such a long time before the trees produce essential oil, this is less popular. Due to the extremely high prices, large amounts of trees are still illegally cut down and smuggled out of the country. In 1993 sandalwood-oil cost 185-200 US dollars/kg, during the last 5 years, the price has increased to 1000-1500 US dollars/kg.

A new player on the scene is Western Australia where sustainable plantations of sandalwood has been going on for some time. They have become the biggest exporters of sandalwood and are now even exporting to India, who is a huge user both of oil and wood. The sandalwood-oil from Australia is half the price of the Indian.

Price of Sandalwood essential oil: 5 ml: €27 (37 US dollars) or 10 ml: €42 (58 US dollars)

So you see, the value is not in the pricing or the oil, the value is in nature; in taking care and always returning something for that what we take and protecting our environment.

A 2,000-year-old cream belonging to an aristocrat discovered

Anna Dannfelt — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:21:33 +0000

In 1922 Howard Carter discovered the intact tomb of Tutankhamun. The tomb had been sealed approximately 3 200 years earlier. (The reign of Tutankhamon lasted 1333-1324Bc) The tomb was filled with unimaginable treasures and amongst these treasures were clay-pots filled with solidified matter from which a scent could was faintly discernible. On analysis the pots turned out to contain perfumed ointments; myrrh and frankincense mixed in animal and vegetable fat. This story always fascinated me, and now it happened again:

A 2,000-year-old cream belonging to an aristocrat discovered

July 12th, 2009 – 5:56 pm ICT by ANI

Washington, July 12 (ANI): Archaeologists in Italy have discovered a 2,000-year-old cream, left almost intact in the cosmetic case of an aristocratic Etruscan woman.

The lotion, which was discovered four years ago in a necropolis near the Tuscan town of Chiusi, has been revealed now, only after chemical analysis has identified the original compounds of the ancient ointment.

The archaeologists found an intact tomb-dating to the second half of the second century B.C.-sealed by a large terracotta tile.

The site featured a red-purple painted inscription with the name of the deceased: Thana Presnti Plecunia Umranalisa.

And quite near to the tomb, they found a cosmetic case, richly decorated with bone, ivory, tin and bronze elements.

The feet of the box featured bone carved in the shape of Sirens.

The case was filled with precious personal objects- a couple of bronze finger rings, a pair of tweezers, two combs and an alabaster unguentarium vessel – a vase-shaped jar – of Egyptian origins.

“The entire content of the cosmetic case was found under a clay layer which deposited throughout time. This made it possible for the ointment to survive almost intact despite (the fact that) the vessel had no cap,” Discovery News quoted Erika Ribechini, a researcher at the department of chemistry and industrial chemistry of Pisa University, as saying.

The ointment, a solid, homogeneous and pale yellow mass, revealed fatty acids in high abundance.

“This is almost unique in archaeology. Even though more than 2,000 years have passed, the oxidation of the organic material has not yet been completed. This is most likely due to the sealing of the alabaster unguentarium by the clayish earth, which prevented contact with oxygen,” said Ribechini.

The analysis revealed that the contents of the vessel consisted of a mixture of substances of lipids and resins.

“The natural resins were the pine resin, exudated from Pinaceae, and the mastic resin, from Anacardiaceae trees. The lipid was a vegetable oil, most likely moringa oil, which was used by the Egyptians and Greeks to produce ointments and perfumes,” said Ribechini.

Moringa oil was one of the ingredients in a recipe for a perfume for ancient royalty.

Thus, the researchers believe that the lotion was imported.

The discovery has been detailed in the latest issue of the Journal of Archaeological Science. (ANI)

More at : A 2,000-year-old cream belonging to an aristocrat discovered http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/health/a-2000-year-old-cream-belonging-to-an-aristocrat-discovered_100216985.html#ixzz0gYHGQEH1

ALL OVER THE WORLD

Anna Dannfelt — Sat, 20 Feb 2010 10:28:49 +0000

Since I put a world-map on this site, I am so excited to see that I have readers all over the world. The map only registers places, not how many readers, but no matter if you are one or 20, I am grateful to you for reading what I write, it makes it so much worth my while, and gives me the inspiration to do research and write. This site is for you readers and if any of you have any preferences or questions, please tell me and I will do my best to research and answer all.

Thank you and Bless you all!

SMELL YOURSELF WELL

Anna Dannfelt — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:10:21 +0000

I found this article and wanted to share it. A lot of what is said here is what aromatherapy is all about, and then, amusingly enough, prof. Jacobs (halfway through the article) calls aromatherapy nonsense…this I call ignorance. True, some claims to what aromatherapy can do are not realistic and there tends to be this “pink cloud” enveloping the idea of aromatherapy. But these are only wishful ideas; true aromatherapy is something quite different; it is the knowledge of how to use essential oils (realistically) and it is backed up by an enormous amount of scientific study. I think prof. Jacobs should have known this.

Smell yourself well

If smell improves our mood, could it also be an effective treatment for everything from obesity to sleeping problems? The answer is right under our noses, says Hugh Wilson

Tuesday, 16 February 2010

Getty

The nose has it: The most underrated human sense could be used to treat a range of complaints, according to research

It’s the too-good-to-be-true weight loss ’system’ that’s taking America by storm, and its manufacturers hope to launch it here in the next few months. Sensa lets you eat exactly what you want, when you want it, and in the quantities you desire. And it still claims to help you shed around 5lb every month.

It achieves the impossible – its makers say – by making sure the quantities you desire are not very great. Sensa comes as granules that are added to every meal and snack you eat. Put simply, the Sensa “sprinkles” are designed to enhance the sensory experience of eating, stimulating taste and smell to an extent that fools the brain into thinking you’ve eaten more than you have. Users have reported the novel experience of happily leaving food untouched on their plates.

Depending on which expert you talk to, taste is between 75 and 90 per cent about smell, and Sensa is not the only new product on the market in the States that claims to exploit the apparent connection between strong smells and smaller appetites. SlimScents are pens filled with fruity or minty smells, sniffed before meals. Aroma Patch is vanilla scented and worn permanently, like a nicotine patch. All boast scientific validity.

A limited number of studies have been done. Dr Alan Hirsch, the scientist behind Sensa, conducted his own research in 2005 on what would later become Sensa granules. The study followed over 1,400 subjects over a six-month period, and recorded an average weight loss of 30.5lb, and a five-point drop in Body Mass Index.

Kimberly Tobman, a spokeswoman for Sensa, says those results have since been duplicated in a smaller study carried out by an independent laboratory.

And last year Dr Bryan Raudenbush, an associate professor of psychology at the Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia, conducted a small study which found that subjects who regularly sniffed a peppermint aroma consumed, on average, 1,800 calories fewer over the course of a week than normal.

Raudenbush is not convinced by the miraculous claims of Sensa and others, and suggests we take them “with a grain of salt and cautiousness”. But he does think something is going on.

“From what we have found in other studies, peppermint scent can distract you from painful stimulation,” he says. In one of them, participants held their hands in cold water for prolonged periods. “Participants who were administered peppermint scent held their hand in the water for a longer period of time and rated the pain as less severe.”

He believes that something similar may be at work in the appetite experiments: strong smells are distracting participants from physical discomfort, whether that means pain or hunger.

Professor Tim Jacob, an expert in smell and taste at Cardiff University’s School of Biosciences, is more sceptical of the connection between strong scents and weight loss, not least because we tend to get habituated to smells very quickly. But he thinks the idea that scents can distract us from pain or allow us to endure more of it is valid.

“The olfactory (sense of smell) system and pain share some brain networks and it’s thought that the positive consequences of experiencing pleasant or familiar odours offsets pain to a measurable extent,” he says.

In fact, there’s increasing excitement in the scientific community about the power of our sense of smell, and what consequences this may have for psychological and physiological health. Though much of the research is in its infancy, various studies have shown that scents like peppermint, vanilla and coffee may have therapeutic effects.

In a recent study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, for example, researchers at the University of Tokyo found that inhaling Linalool, a natural chemical found in flowers and spices, significantly reduced stress levels in rats. And a study at Tubingen University in Germany showed that vanilla fragrance reduced the startle reflex, making us calmer.

Scientists involved in this research are keen to distance themselves from what many see as the quack principles of aromatherapy – the complimentary therapy that recommends administering pleasant smells for anything from cancer to the common cold – which Professor Jacob calls “nonsense”.

But Jacob and others in the field of olfactory research believe the connection between smell and memory – and the associative power of odour – represents a hugely promising avenue of investigation.

“Using conditioned association we could use smell therapeutically, to treat sleep problems, anxiety, blood pressure, etc; and even clinically, possibly for immune system pathologies, intractable medical conditions, for example lower back pain; and use it for drug rehabilitation,” says Jacob. “Smell, once conditioned, can re-evoke a psychophysiological state. It relies upon the association of smell and memory.”

And, as Professor Jacob suggests, it may be possible to programme smell associations for particular therapeutic tasks. In the most famous study of this kind, healthy male volunteers were injected with insulin every day for four days and their blood sugar fell. At the same time, they were exposed to a smell. On the fifth day they were just given the smell, and their blood sugar still fell.

Such findings hold out the promise of some pretty mind- boggling medical advances, from diabetics with inhalers instead of injections, to insomniacs cured by a smell they associate with sleepiness. We’re not quite there yet, but as Jacob says, “watch this space”.

Automatic Aromatherapy to Keep Drivers Awake | Popular Science

Anna Dannfelt — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:38:20 +0000

Some years ago I was part of a scientific group concentrating on olfaction. I was invited as an aromatherapist to join the group in their endeavours to unravel the mysteries of scent and what scent does to us. The other members of the group were chemists, biologists, physicists and reps from the culinary and artistic world.

Each time we held a seminar the largest group to attend were always from the automotive industry. They wanted to know more about how to scent a car attractive. There is actually such a thing as a “new-car-scent” that is sprayed into cars for added attraction.

Over time the automotive industry has apparently stayed on the scented trail of aromatherapy and understood what these powerful essential oils actually can do as this article shows:

Automatic Aromatherapy to Keep Drivers Awake | Popular Science.

What do you think? Any opinions?

VALENTINE

Anna Dannfelt — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 11:00:45 +0000

My grandfathers name was Valentine. My father in law died on Valentines day, I found it sort of beautiful; he was so ill – and old – that his passing actually became an act of love. My mother in law said it was because he hated the whole thing, and she was probably right, but I stick to my romantic notions because they are prettier…

Love is in the air and so is despair. Around Valentines day my heart goes out to all lonely, abandoned and heartbroken people. It is like the whole world is enhancing the loveless-ness, much like Christmas. Therefor I am, today, creating blends to heal broken hearts and cover the wound of loneliness as well as blends to enhance love, affection, and lust.

The oils that are most associated with love are:

Rose (rosa centifolia, r.damascena) Opens the heart for love
Jasmine (jasminum officinalis) The enigmatic scent of sensuality
Sandalwood (santalum album) Stillness and unity, balsamic.
Bergamot (citrus bergamia) Relaxes, releases and refreshes, joy to the heart
Patchouli (pogostemon cablin) earthing and arousing. Playfulness
Ginger (zingiber officinalis) warming and invigorating
Ylang-ylang (cananga odorata var. genuina) Joy and sensuality, liberation
Black pepper (piper nigrum) Fire and power. Energy

There are plenty of oils that fit in there as well, but these are the most popular and best known. Use your imagination and have some fun.

The oils that will help a broken heart and/or loneliness:

Marjoram (origanum majorana) Warmth and safety in loneliness
Cypres (cupressus sempervirens) Opens and guides for new directions, change.
Frankincense (boswellia carterii) Spirituality, protection, warmth. Breath of life.
Lavender (lavandula augustifolia) restoring, calming, eases the mind,
Cedarwood (cedrus atlantica) stabilizes and opens the mind to a larger picture
Rosewood (aniba rosaeodora) protective warmth like that of a mother
Hyssop (hyssopus officinalis) opens the chest and breath, liberation
Myrrh (commiphora molmol/c. myrrah) tranquillity, solitude, peace
Benzoin (styrax benzoin) soothing and stabilizing. Enveloping sanctuary.
Clary sage (salvia sclarea) Relaxing, expansion, warmth

Use oil-blends in the bath before meeting with your lover – or your self. 10-15 drops of essential oil in 15-20ml of unperfumed soap or cream. Add the oil-blend right before you get in, and swish it around with your hand.

Sensual: Ylang-ylang 4 dr + Ginger 3 dr + Sandalwood 5 dr + Patchouli 3 dr.
Uplifting: Bergamott 4 dr + Black pepper 4 dr + Ylang-ylang 3 dr
Invigorating: Ginger 3 dr + Black pepper 3 dr + Patchouli 2 dr + Bergamott 4 dr
Love: Rose 2 dr + Sandalwood 4 dr + Patchouli 3 dr
Passion: Sandalwood 4 dr + Jasmine 2 dr + Ginger 3 dr

Use the same blends of essential oils in 5-10 ml veg. oil blend, preferably Jojoba-oil, for a sensual perfume to wear during the evening. You can also use these blends to scent your room; either put them in an aroma-burner / fan (3-7 dr depending on the size and ventilation of the room) or blend them in distilled water; 5-10 dr/ 100 ml. Shake well before use and don’t spray directly on surfaces.

Citrus-oils and rosemary can be used in any blend as an enhancer or pick-me-up. Many of the oils used for love are also used for loneliness. Have fun with the oils and don’t be afraid to experiment. Remember to always start with a lower amount of drops, this way you can smell if the scent is balanced and you have a chance to change your blend as you go along.

Loneliness: Marjoram 3 dr + Myrrh 3 dr + Orange 5 dr + Lavender 4 dr
Sadness: Lavender 4 dr + Frankincense 3 dr + Hyssop 4 dr + Clary sage 2 dr
Despair: Benzoin 3 dr + Rosewood 4 dr + Cedarwood 4 dr + Myrhh 3 dr
Changes: Cypres 4 dr + Rosewood 4 dr + Clary sage 3 dr
Love: Rose 2 dr + Marjoram 3 dr + Rosewood 4 dr + Myrrh 3 dr

Note: The oils of Rose and Jasmine are very expensive but the scent is strong so they go a long way. In true perfumery musky and deep earth-notes are used in perfumes, such as spike-nard, valerian and oud. They enhance the more flowery smells and act as fixatives. A blend should become one distinguished perfume, not a collection of scents. If you want your perfume-oil to deepen in scent, you should blend it beforehand and let it “mature”. You will notice the scent changing and deepening over time.

AROMATHERAPY & CEREBRAL PALSY

Anna Dannfelt — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 08:51:52 +0000

The use of aromatherapy, especially in combination with massage, can be extremely helpful for individuals (all ages) suffering from any kind of handicap. As I said before, touch transgresses everything as do the essential oils. They reach into the very deepest part of a person to balance and sooth. I want to tell you about Jane, one of my clients some years ago. She was, at the time, aged 24 and suffered from hypotonic cerebral palsy (CP). She was living at home except for some holidays and her parents were wonderful and loving people, doing all they could to make her comfortable. Jane was in a wheelchair, unable to move at all which had, over the years, made her skeletal structure crooked and brittle so she had been through surgery a few times to be able to stay in the wheelchair. She had no communication-possibilities at all since she had no control over her face or body. Her respiratory system was very weak resulting in repeated bouts of pneumonia when she would have to spend time at the hospital. Her digestive system was also weak, and sometimes she wouldn’t take nutrition so then she would go to the hospital for feeding. She was also given medicine to help with the cramping.

When I saw her the first time she was strapped in her wheelchair, hands tightly clasped against her chest. She kept moving her head from side to side, gnawing her teeth. I sat with her and her mother for some time, chatting and bringing out the oils. I made a selection of oils for Jane to smell. I could see by the way she moved her head what oils were interesting to her, they made the motion of her head slow down. In this way she chose:

Orange (citrus sinensis) 14 dr, Lemongrass (cymbopogon citratus) 8 dr and Lavender (lavendula augustifolia) 10 dr. Blended in 100 ml blended vegetable oil + 50ml macerated oil of Marigold (Calendula officinalis)

Together with her mother, we massaged her hands and arms, one hand each. Soon she started relaxing her fists, allowing her hands to lie open in her lap. Once the hand-massage was finished, the hand massaged by her mother stayed relaxed and open longer. I then massaged her legs, showing the mother how to enhance circulation. By this time Jane was meeting my eyes and her head was stiller. I just had this flash that she was suffering from headaches (constant gnawing of her teeth) so I asked her. Tears started rolling down her cheeks and I made an oil-blend for her face and neck which I massaged her with; feeling the tension leave her head as I massaged her scalp.

In a blend of 25 ml veg.oil blend + 5 ml of Teebalm (monarda fistulosa) + 3 dr of Neroli (citrus aurantium ssp amara var. pumilla).

I showed her mother and father the massage and made oils for them to use: Massage of legs, feet and stomach every morning, massage of face, head and hands 3-5 times during the day. A month later I visited again and Jane, was visibly happy to see me again. She basically stayed with the oil-blends above with small changes in the essential oils to help with circulation and relaxation. When I left Sweden I referred her to another very good aromatherapist in the area. Jane is still doing fine on the oils, her life (and that of her parents) a little bit easier. Over time her respiratory and digestive problems have lessened with a lot less traumatic days in the hospital.

Her movements are involuntary, which makes the observations very interesting, proving that massage (and) essential oils have an impact on the central nervous system.

For info on Cerebral Palsy (CP): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerebral_palsy

CALL FOR ATTENTION

Anna Dannfelt — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 07:59:27 +0000

Please watch this short movie. The goal is over the next 3 days to have as many watchers as possible. It is well worth your time.

Pour que ce film soit en salle (film qui dénonce les méfaits de la mauvaise alimentation et des pesticides), il faut qu’un maximum de personnes regarde la bande-annonce dans les 3 jours à venir. Faites passer, même si vous ne le
visionnez pas complètement : c’est le nombre de visites dans les 3 jours qui fera le poids… Le voir est encore mieux. Faites suivre à tous vos contacts !

Merci.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/k7hNn292T6XV3RP2bC

Burning Incense Is Psychoactive: New Class Of Antidepressants Might Be Right Under Our Noses

Anna Dannfelt — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 18:34:51 +0000

One of the earliest use of plant-matter was by burning it, breathing in the smoke. Some plants would help with respiratory problems, some with nausea or head-aches. Some plants would calm and relax, others were considered to open the mind for the unseen – the world of the Gods.

So of course I was not surprised when I stumbled upon this article:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080520110415.htm

THE OBSERVER EFFECT

Anna Dannfelt — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 19:21:58 +0000

I stumbled upon this blog today, and I found it really interesting, if you are interested in physics, take a look. I found this film and decided to share it with you – the observer effect. It ties in nicely with what I have earlier written about thought-patterns and creative thought. Tell me what you think.