Essential Oils to Keep you in the Swing of Spring

The season is turning - can’t you smell it!? Scent is one of the most distinguishing features of the natural world, and we’re wired to respond to it. Essential oils are a potent way to activate our relationship with scent. Read on for some fragrant ideas on healing and harmonizing with essential oils this season.

Spring is a time of new beginnings and new growth, of rapid change and bursting energy. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, spring is associated with the Wood element, seen in the fresh green of new plants, and the dynamic force that sends seedlings bursting up through the soil. Especially in early spring, we might feel ‘cabin fever’ waiting for the tail end of winter to be over, and find ourselves more easily frustrated and impatient. Spring can also bring physical health challenges such as allergies causing congestion, sneezing and itching.

When we inhale essential oils, they enter the brain via the nose and are processed by the amygdala, our emotional center. By impacting brain cells and neurochemicals, oils can regulate our immune and endocrine systems. Essential oils are truly potent powerhouses for mind-body balancing. Here are some of my spring favorites.

Lavender: probably the most well-known and loved essential oil, lavender has a fresh, sweet scent. It’s known as a soothing oil, but it’s relaxing without sedating. It’s also very helpful for headaches of all kinds, and great to relieve itching

Peppermint: another herb garden classic, peppermint essential oil is high in menthol, making it potent against headaches, congestion and itching. Peppermint is great for releasing stuck energy and helping you ‘pep’ up.

Bergamot: Known as the distinctive scent of Earl Grey tea, bergamot essential oil is harvested from the skin of the bergamot citrus fruit. With a perfumey citrus smell, bergamot is one of the best oils for emotional balancing, especially if you’re feeling moody and irritable. It can make your skin sensitive to the sun, so cover up after use.

All three of these oils blend well together. Try a few drops in a diffuser or on the wall of your shower for a fragrant steam. If itchy skin is bugging you, add a few drops of lavender and peppermint to jojoba or coconut oil and smooth on your skin (always dilute essential oils in a carrier oil)

Enjoy Fragrant Medicine for Your Spring Fever!
Kirsten Cowan L.Ac
Clinic Manager

PS Interested in more about using essential oils safely and effectively? Check out my classes on Essential Oils for Stress and Essential Oils for Respiratory Support, or reply to this email to learn more.