January’s ESSENTIAL oil – Eucalyptus Globulus

Hi, Janice here from Advantage Aromatherapy.  In this blog you will discover more about Eucalyptus  🙂

Let me share something I just recently learned about myself. I discovered that I’ve loved aromatherapy long before I even knew what it was!

When I was young and loaded with the cold, memories of my mum slathering vicks across my nose throat and chest to ease the symptoms come flooding back to me. The warming soothing feel of it and not to forget the strong, nasal clearing vapours!

Now that I’m a qualified aromatherapist my love for eucalyptus has grown. Eucalyptus Essential oil is surely familiar to many, but how many know of it’s healing properties in other areas too?

This month, the month of January I’d like to focus on eucalyptus. For a stuffy nose, coughs and cold symptoms it really is a fabulous oil. Here I’m talking about eucalyptus globulus. For there are over 600 species of eucalyptus throughout the world with 20 having been exploited commercially.

Eucalyptus globulus is a great oil for massage as it is non toxic, non sensitizing and non irritant topically on the skin. But don’t leave it lying around, for internally it is toxic. Deaths have been reported from as little as 3.5mls – 21mls. In Australia it is scheduled as a poison. Definitely keep out of the reach of children. Interestingly though, koala bears can metabolize the fresh green leaves, however us humans indeed can not.

The main producers of Eucalyptus today

Native to Tasmania, where it was cultivated in unhealthy, swampy districts for its antiseptic qualities, eucalyptus is now cultivated in Spain, Portugal, Brazil, N. Africa, S. Europe, S. Africa, California, Russia, the largest producer of eucalyptus globulus being China.

About Eucalyptus

One of the largest fastest growing trees, it’s interesting that it was cultivated in countries where the wood was needed for construction or where wood fuel was of domestic importance. I love knowing things like that! While we’re on interesting nuggets of information, it was also used in world war 1 to help control the meningitis outbreaks and in 1919 during the flu influenza.

Benefits

So what other conditions is this oil helpful for? Well, being antimicrobial, anticatarrhal, decongestant, expectorant, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, rubefacient, antirheumatic, antineuralgic, antibacterial, antifungal….. (breathe!) It’s a great oil for muscles and joints, aches and pains, headaches and migraines, the immune system and in skin care.

For the mind and emotions this oil can help with symptoms of lethargy, fatigue and stress, but it’s not an oil to be using late at night as it is a mentally stimulating oil.

My fizzing bath bomb “Pick Me Up” has eucalyptus, sweet marjoram, tea tree & lavender oils, as well as jojoba and Epsom salts. The idea here was a hot steaming bath, with the vapours helping to clear the sinuses and the hot water and oils soaking into the muscles and joints all the while supporting the immune system… yeah, it’ll chase the winter blues away!

Failing that, treat yourself to an aromatherapy massage which will help with your sinuses and muscular aches and pains, through the deeply relaxing treatment 🙂

All in all, this is my oil of the month… my January oil.

I hope that you have enjoyed this little snippet into the world of eucalyptus. Please feel free to add to or comment on this wonderful oil in the comments section below.

I’ll be along with my February oil in a couple of weeks.

Until then… Improve your health & well being.

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