Sunday, March 11, 2018

Myrtle


Myrtis communis distilled from the leaves/twigs (sometimes flowers). Fresh aroma at first reminiscent of evergreen and a sweet eucalyptus, with an almost floral dry down. There are several chemotypes including Lemon, Honey, Green and Red. Honey is actually Melaleuca teretifolia,  grown in Australia, steam distilled, leaves. It is high in  citral often over 65%. No other melaleuca produces this level of citral. The high citral content makes Honey Myrtle a very effective antibacterial, but also limits its topical use to very low dilutions, under 1%. It is also unusually high in myrcene (over 13%).

 Each one has its different constituents for different conditions.  However, all Myrtles help with the things listed below.

Appears to be low dose non-toxic, non-sensitizing. Avoid use on sensitive or damaged skin. Mild and generally non-sensitizing, making it useful with children and elderly.


 CHARACTER:  "Supportive Balancer"  Protection, Angelic, Balancing, Revitalizing, Energetic Truth, Empowerment, Noble, Yang with strong YIN

ETHERIC COLORS: Luminous Soft Green, Pearl White, Pale Sky blue, Gold, Pink

GEMS: Rainbow Jasper, Unakite, Jade, Amazonite, Leopardskin, Sunstone, Apatite, Kambaba Jasper, Green Aventurine, Chrysoprase, Selenite, Moonstone, Labradorite

CHAKRAS:  Heart, Throat, subtle Third Eye

PERFUME NOTE:  Middle to Top         

ELEMENT:  Air, Water        

ASTRO:  Venus, Libra, Virgo, Moon

MUSIC:  G, D; “Choral music in a stone chapel”

ENERGY TYPE:  4,2

CHEMICAL FAMILY:  Oxide, Monoterpene


USED FOR THESE POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES:  Protection, Promise, Bounty, Communication, Forgiveness, Divine Love, Meditation, Quiet, Calm, Supportive of Self, Comfort, Upliftment, Acceptance, Harmony


USED FOR THESE NEGATIVE STATES: Agitation, protects through emotional upheavals, Addictions, Sadness, Grief,  nervous conditions, calms mental chatter, exhaustion, Disoriented, busy but not productive. Excellent for Mental Stress where thought processes need to be quieted. It might be helpful, by diffusion, for the type of insomnia that is caused by the mind refusing to stop running its “to do list.”


USED FOR THESE PHYSICAL STATES:  acne, oily skin, asthma, bronchitis, coughs, colds, flu, infections, thyroid, hypothalamus, bacterial infections.  Mild, so can be used for children.


PROPERTIES:  Astringent, Anti-catarrhal, antiseptic,  balsamic, sedative, expectorant, decongestant, deodorant, nervine, aphrodisiac

 

BLENDS CONTAINING:  Anasazi,  Desert Cathedral,  Emerald Pool, Kayenta, Kolob Trail, Manipura, Outback Blue, Point Sublime, Rain Cove, Sage Country, Sitalpu, Sunrise, Sunstone, Thunderbird, Tomahawk, Twelve Tribes, Way of the Leaf, Star Breath


Blends with CITRUS, BERGAMOT, LAVANDIN, LAVENDER, ROSEMARY, CLARY, HYSSOP, BAY, LIME, LAUREL, GINGER AND OTHER SPICES. 

 Contains: cineole (35%), myrtenol, pinene, geraniol, linalool, camphene, limonene, methyl eugenol etc.


ARCHETYPES:  CHILD-DIVINE, ADVOCATE, PEACEMAKER, PIONEER, CARE GIVER, APHRODITE, SACRED BRIDE, DEVOTED HEALER


PERSONALITY:  

+Loving, strong, inviting respect.

+Humble, but energetic

+Peacemaker, Harmonizers and mediators

+Supporting—people flock around for emotional support

+Mild mannered, at ease around children and elderly

+Ego has no entrance pass with this personality

+Many are Sensitive empaths

+ Seek emotional purity after chaos+ Calm confidence, Refined inner beauty

-

(Updated Feb. 19, 2026)

Saturday, March 10, 2018

Muhuhu


brachyleana hutchinsii--distilled from wood (mostly sawdust and scrap wood cuttings).  Also known as African Sandalwood.  However, it does not have the same wonderful fragrance or benefits of true sandalwood and is more similar to Atlas Cedarwood. It can be used with true Sandalwood to extend it. Has a balsamic-woody, sweet and faintly floral odor, reminiscent of vetiver, sandalwood and cedarwood.   It is grown in the coastal regions of Tanzania and Kenya and the hardwood is used for carvings and furniture.

  

Generally considered non-toxic, non-sensitizing, non-irritating in low doses.  Dilute  for topical use. 


CHARACTER:    "Expansive Serenity”;  transition, Yin, Balancing, Introspective, Meditative, Protective, Expansive, “Old Timber Beams” 


ETHERIC COLORS:  Deep Brown, Bronze, Amber, Honey, Earth-red

CHAKRA:  Opens Root; Solar, subtle Heart


GEMS:  Riverstone, Botswana Agate, Petrified Wood Agate, Amber, Aragonite, Mookaite, African Opal, African Jade, Pietersite, Smoky Quartz, Amethyst, Red Aventurine, K2 Granite, Labradorite, Chrysocolla, Lapis Lazuli

MUSIC:  Low C or D; bass drum, didgeridoo; rhythmic and grounded rather than melodic or airy.

PERFUME NOTE:  Base to Middle

ENERGY:  4,3; “Pillar”


USED FOR THESE POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES:  Grounding, Relaxing, Meditation, Calming, Sedative, Gratitude, Acceptance


USED FOR THESE NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES: Anxiety, Nervous tension,  depression


USED FOR THESE PHYSICAL STATES: Respiratory, chronic infection, cough, acne or oily skin, dry skin. 


PROPERTIES:  Aphrodisiac, antimicrobial, emollient, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, hypotensive



BLENDS:  Brave Heart,,  Dancing Angels, Desert Cathedral,, Enchantment, Into The Woods, Kachina,  Kayenta,   Legend, 

 Mesa Verde, Moonstone, Moss Agate, Noble Spirit,  Petroglyph,  Sacred Rim, Sahasrara  Silverado, Sitalpu, Spruce Mesa, 

Timberline, Visudda, Wild At Heart, Yellowstone, 


Blends well with Rose, Rosewood, Vetiver, Ylang Ylang, Bergamot, Cedarwood, Clary Sage, Frankincense, Geranium, Lavender, Mandarin, Neroli,  and Orange.  It seems to add smoothness to any blend.


Contains:  sesquiterpenes, cadinene, copaene


ARCHETYPES:  PHILOSOPHER, MYSTIC, SEEKER, COUNSELOR, CARPENTER, ARTIST, ARCHITECT, BUILDER, CRAFTSPERSON, DECORATOR, ENVIRONMENTALIST, FOREST GUARDIAN, QUIET KING, ENDURING WARRIOR


PERSONALITY:

+May be drawn to carpentry or similar creative vocations.

+Serene and in charge of their emotions, aware of their direction in life.  Slow to anger but firm in boundaries

+Instinctively knows when something is missing or not right.

+ Supportive of others trying to pick up the threads of their lives.  Dependable and solid.  Speaks less, acts more. Leads quietly.

+Tactile in a gentle sort of way depending on the mores of their culture.

+Sensuous, easy-going, self-assured, calming.

+Tend to land where they need to be. 

  •  Embrace wholeness, able and complete just the way they are. 
  •  Endures hardship without complaint. 

+ Love camping and the outdoors.

- If negative, can be possessive of their knowledge and manipulating.

- May need to clarify boundaries and strengthen sense of self. 

- May have opened themselves too much and now need to withdraw


(updated Feb. 23, 2026)

Wednesday, February 21, 2018

Wild Tansy


  Tanacetum vulgare~~steam distilled from leaves and stems. Has a strong and sweet, camphorous aroma. The fernleaf variety has an especially high percentage of camphor. Artemesia vulgare or Mugwort is often confused with Tansy, but it is NOT the same plant. Additionally, Tansy is not Tansy Ragwort! It has many common names including Idaho Tansy, Common Tansy, Bitter Buttons, Cow Bitter, or Golden Buttons. It is not to be confused with tanacetum annum or "Blue Tansy." 


CAUTIONS:   Women who are pregnant or have epilepsy should not use this oil. Additionally children under the age of 5 should not use this oil. Dilute well  (to 1% or less) for topical use. Be wary because it potentially may have a neruotoxic effect in high dosages and is not recommended for internal use.  The camphor element may be overwhelming for diffusing or inhalation.  Because of it's high thujone level, it is not traditionally used in aromatherapy.  Do NOT ingest at all. 

 


CHARACTER: "Wild & Free" "Uncompromising Healer"  

GEMS:  Aventurine, Agate, Kambaba Jasper, Riverstone, Pyrite, Obsidian, Black Tourmaline, Hematite, Garnet

ETHERIC COLORS: Burnt Yellow, Dark Green, Rust Red 

CHAKRA:  Root Solar        

PERFUME NOTE:  Top            

Blending Factor:  Very strong

ENERGY TYPE:  3

ASTRO:  Scorpio, Aries, Mars, Saturn

ELEMENT:  Fire plus Earth

 


USED TO HEAL THESE PHYSICAL STATES:    Use sparingly in fly spray at the barn.  I have only used it as insect repellent.


PROPERTIES: Antibacterial, anticoagulant, antifungal, antiviral, anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, analgesic, nervine, insect repellent and stimulant (immune).


BLENDS:  Not used in any of my blends.   


 Contains: up to 80% thujone (depending on variety and distillation) camphor, borneol alcohol, thulyl alcohol, ketones, cineole oxide

 ARCHETYPES:  HERMIT, TRICKSTER, NATURE BOY, PIONEER, RESCUER, EXORCIST, PEST REMOVER, HARSH PURIFIER, BITTER HEALER, FIELD PROTECTOR

PERSONALITY: (this type of personality is extremely rare.)

+ Strong and aggressive.

+ Ability to draw out the best in other people.

+ Well oriented, able to hold together amid confusion and clear up "fuzzy edges."

+ Feels connection with nature's strength and power

 + Gifted at moving forward and letting go of past patterns. Helping others to get out of their stuck rut.

+ Good to have around in an emotional storm or grieving as they provide a solid shoulder to cry on. 

+ Expresses the freedom of the glorious wilderness  

- If negative, subject to dark moods and heaviness of heart.

- May sabotage themselves from achieving their goals.

- May become frustrated and speak loudly and become a harsh disciplinarian. Here is Fresh Fernleaf Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare var. crispin) I have distilled several batches of this variety.  One batch produced about 3 ml of oil and some hydrosol. This one is POWERFUL and needs major diluting for any purpose. I use it as an insecticide with the horses and on other plants.



This oil apparently has up to 40% camphor and it surely smells like it. Another use is like "moth balls" in cedar chests.

(updated Feb. 23, 2026)



Saturday, February 17, 2018

Galbanum

Ferula Galbaniflua/rubricaulis/gummose/ceratophylia~~Steam distillation or CO2 extraction of the aromatic gum resin found mostly in Iran, Turkey and Afghanistan.    Has a peculiar, somewhat musky, warm, earthy odor, intensely green somewhat reminiscent of a green bell pepper, fresh leafy aroma with a dry woody backnote of balsamic, bark like character.

 

CAUTIONS: not normally an irritant or a sensitizer, but may be a cross sensitizer with Benzoin and/or Peru Balsam. Avoid working while pregnant or on young skin.

 

CHARACTER:  "Truth Unfolder"  Communicator, Spring Equinox, Yang (hot), rebirth, renewal, Exciting, Entrancing Alien, Deep Clearing, Prophetic strength, “Sacred Wilderness”. “Truth in plant form”


ETHERIC COLORS:  Romans considered it to be the epitome of the color Green, as in the ceremony of Spring to encourage green growth of the new growing season—Deep Forest and Dark Emerald; also Smoky Charcoal, Burnished Bronze and Desert Gold.

  

CRYSTALS:  Tiger eye, Amber, Topaz, Fossil Agate, Aragonite, Jasper, Mookaite, Rutile Quartz, Rhodochrosite, Onyx, Apatite, Chrome Diopside, Obsidian, Hematite, Pyrite, Malachite, Emerald

    

NUMBER:  8


CHAKRAS: Root, Heart, secondary Crown; It uniquely bridges Root and Crown

MUSIC:  Low D or C; deep drum, cello, shofar; deliberate, not melodic


ELEMENT:  Earth and Air, some Fire


PERFUME NOTE: Some say Top, some say green middle to base note, for blending purposes.  

BLENDING FACTOR:  Use only SMALL amounts in blends 


ASTROLOGICAL:  Mars, Libra, Scorpio, Saturn

ENERGY TYPE: 4, 3  

CHEMICAL FAMILY:  Monoterpene       


USE FOR THESE POSITIVE ATTRIBUTES: Calm, Fortitude, Focus, Concentration, Stability, Direction

  

USED TO COUNTERACT THESE NEGATIVE ATTRIBUTES:

Strong emotional /psychic healing effects on some, especially in the area of childhood traumas and memories.  Fatigue, nervous exhaustion, hysteria, convulsions, stress; Cutting negative attachments; Clearing spiritual stagnation


USED FOR HEALING THESE PHYSICAL STATES:

Aging skin, scar tissue, acne, wound healing, eczema, irritated wounds, healing old scars, and for wrinkle removal, asthma, bronchitis, whooping cough, arthritis, rheumatism, muscle cramps, scars, skin ulcers, insect bites
 

PROPERTIES:  antispasmodic, antiseptic, analgesic, expectorant, anticonvulsive, carminative, hypotensive, stimulant, decongestant, detoxifier, emollient, insecticide, anti-parasitic


BLENDS:  Focused Journey,  Power of Heaven, Twelve Tribes, Noble Spirit,  


Constituents are variable and may include:   generally monoterpenes(84%+), tricyclene, pinene, camphene, carene, limonene, myrcene, sabinene, sesquiterpenes, esters, furmaric compounds, coumarins. 


ARCHETYPES:  ALCHEMIST, DESIGNER, ECCENTRIC, HEALER,  INVENTOR,  MENTOR,  PIONEER,  VISIONARY, DESERT HERMIT, HIGH PRIEST, GATEKEEPER, WILDERNESS GUIDE


PERSONALITY:

+ Good Communicator, but the communication skills may not come until maturity with advanced age. 

+Able to communicate with deeper layers of self.  Can make a good coach or therapist. Able to tap into aspects of the self that may never have been discovered before. 

+ Innovator, Air of mystery & secretiveness, possibly a genius.  Sees through deception.

+ Creative, finding new solutions to old problems

+. Generous, prefer their own initiative, eccentric, very much an "old soul." Disciplined and intense.

+ In tune with life's purposes--well balanced between the physical and spiritual.

+ Strong beliefs and desire to walk in the light; sensitive to atmospheres.

+ Can sense the intentions of other people.  Prefers authenticity over approval.

+ Warm, kind hearted; Make people feel confident and secure. "Things Are Going to Get Better"

+Profound love of God and of all things spiritual, can totally surrender to the Creator.

+ Deep wisdom; excellent speaker; clear and eloquent, but can be blunt. Speaks truth without apology.

- If negative, destructive & bitter, skeptic, cynic, guilt-ridden, insecure.

- Liable to suffer anxiety attacks; could become short-tempered & agitated.

- May be quite settled in their ways, no matter the age.


(updated Feb. 23, 2026)