February Classroom: Herbs & Oils of Truth
Class Notes Session 1 2/9/2017
DAMIANA – Turnera Diffusa, Mexico
Zodiac sign: Aries, Gender: Male, Element of Fire, Planet: Pluto
Damiana is a powerful aphrodisiac that has been used by the indigenous people of Mexico for thousands of years. It is used today primarily as a love drawing herb, and made into potent tinctures and teas by healers in Mexico. The herb itself is quite bitter, so liquers and tinctures made using Damiana are often heavily sweetened. Sweetners can dilute the herbs potentcy, however.
The actual benefits of Damiana go beyond sexual interest or potency. Damiana is an auric softener, opening the person who uses it to a deeper level of spiritual and intimate connection. Damiana was used in Mayan and Aztec ritual and ceremony to soften the senses and become more easily attuned with sun and moon cycles.
PASSION INCENSE:
1 part Red rose petals
1 part Cacao powder
1 part Damiana
1 part Cinnamon stick or bark
1 large Vanilla bean
Split the vanilla bean, scoop out seeds, and set aside. Mix the rest of the ingredients, then slide the beans into the mixture and stir. Add Makko powder or burn on charcoal disk.
SEDUCTION TEA:
1 part Damiana
1 part Ginger Root
1 part Red rose petals
1 part Lemon Grass
1 part Saffron
1 part Mugwort
Steep herbs together for 3-5 minutes, then strain and drink. Add a candied hibiscus flower to the tea for sweetness and additional energies of love and attraction.
CINQUEFOIL – Potentilla Simplex, North America
Zodiac sign: Taurus, Gender: Female, Element of Earth, Planet: Mars
Other names: Five Finger Grass, Witches’ ointment (when made into tincture), Gambler’s Herb
Cinque in French means five, and so comes to us the name of this magical planet, which contains five leaves. Each of the five leaves of the cinquefoil plant represents one of five ‘divine gifts’ bestowed upon humans by the gods: Love, prosperity, luck, power, and wisdom.
Cinquefoil’s money drawing properties cloud much of its other benefits. It is antiviral and antispasmodic; a tea made of cinquefoil eases symptoms of irritable bowel disease, such as diarrhea and intestinal inflammation. Cinquefoil root is used in soups and stews by many native American tribes since it has a nutty flavor and grows wild throughout the plains states.
In medieval times a salve was made with cinquefoil, wolfsbane, and mandrake that as known as flying ointment. It was thought to induce lucid dreaming and facilitate astral travel.
SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS INCENSE:
1 part Cinnamon bark
1 part Orange peel
1 part Patchouli leaf
1 part Cinquefoil
Add a piece of Golden Apatite or Nephrite Jade, and a quartz point, and blend with a prosperity oil blend if desired. Then, charge under full moon light and use with a charcoal disk. Burn a small pinch at a time, only on a heatproof dish.
DREAM TEA:
1 part Jasmine flowers
1 part Marigold/Calendula
1 part Peppermint
1 part Mugwort
1 part Cinquefoil
Steep herbs together for 3-5 minutes, then strain and drink. Add a candied Jasmine flower to the tea for sweetness and additional energies of prophetic dreaming and clairvoyance.
LAVENDER – Lavandula Officianalis, France (L. Angustifolia, England)
Zodiac sign: Cancer, Gemini, Gender: Female, Planet: Moon
Lavender is considered by many to be a common flower, in part because it is the most widely purchased essential oil for aromatherapeutic use. Yet its healing benefits are so vast that we are still learning about the many ways lavender can benefit our physical and emotional health.
Lavender takes its name from the Latin lavera, which means ‘to wash’. Lavender detoxifies and cleanses due to its antibacterial and antimicrobial properties. In ancient Greece and Rome, Lavender oil from wild lavender plants was used to cleanse the body. Today, lavender has a well earned reputation as an anti-anxiety and anti-depression treatment, and when used topically is also effective for burns and cuts. Many claim that a blend of lavender with petitgrain is effective as a treatment for migraine headaches, reducing both the intensity and the duration of headache pain.
Lavender brings restful sleep to those who suffer from insomnia and nightmares. Simply apply a few drops to the bedsheets and pillowcases before sleep. Or diffuse in a professional diffusing machine to release the scent in your bedroom.
DEEP SLEEP ESSENTIAL OIL BLEND
10 drops Lavender EO
10 drops Petitgrain EO
5 drops Peppermint EO
5 drops Balsam of Peru resin
Add 20 combined drops to 1 fluid ounce of jojoba oil and turn the bottle three times to blend. As you blend, repeat to yourself “As above, so below, as above, so below, as above, so below.” Anoint your body or bed linens before sleep with this blend.
PETITGRAIN SUR FLEURS – Citrus Aurantium, France/Egypt
Zodiac sign: Aquarius , Gender: Male, Planet: Venus
Petitgrain is one harvest of the orange tree, made with the branches, leaves, and twigs. The flowers are saved and harvested to make precious Neroli oil, while the rinds of the fruit are saved for Bitter Orange oil. All parts of the sacred orange tree are used in harvest. Petitgrain sur fleurs also contains the oil steam distilled from orange blossoms, so the scent is sweeter and more mellow.
Petitgrain is an antidepressant and is, like lavender and many other herbs and flowers, is also antibacterial, antispasmodic, and is a powerful tonic for nervous agitation and anger.
TOTAL CALM BATH OIL BLEND
20 drops Lavender EO
20 drops Petitgrain Sur Fleurs EO
10 drops Cedar (Virginian) EO
10 drops Cypress EO
Add 60 combined drops to 4 fluid ounces of jojoba or sweet almond carrier oil to a dark glass dropper bottle, and turn the bottle three times to blend. As you blend, repeat to yourself “As above, so below, as above, so below, as above, so below.” Add a few drops to your running bath water before slipping into the bath, preferably 30 minutes before bedtime.
Welcome to a new year of AroMagic!
I am so excited to start this journey deeper into the world of aromatherapy with herbs and oils with you. No matter if you’re brand new to aromatherapy or knowledgeable and experienced, this class is a place for all to take their knowledge deeper. This month, we will be focusing on herbs and oils for truth, power, healing, and attraction, which you received wonderful examples of in your AroMagic kits – lavender, petitgrain, cinquefoil, and damiana. As healers we must first stand in our own healing and personal truth if we want to be a conduit for others. So now let’s talk about herbs and oils! Please note that the oils in your kit, if you purchased it, are undiluted and should be suspended in a carrier oil or lotion base before use on your body.
Herbs
Cinquefoil – Potentilla simplex
Is a do-it-all kind of herb. It summons love, prosperity, health, wisdom and power. It is sometimes known as five-finger or five-leaf grass, and I like to burn this herb to add a layer of magic to intention setting. Use Cinquefoil by sprinkling it in your candle as it burns, adorning your altar space with its leaves, grinding into a grounding or abundance incense, and by sprinkling into your medicine bag. Spirits of manifestation and protection recognize and are drawn to the spell of this potent herb and will come to you whenever you use it.
Properties of cinquefoil:
Cinquefoil is known as a helping hand to aid in getting us what we want. It is also used as a protective agent. It is widely used to aid in courtroom proceedings and legal issues. Work with cinquefoil for visions of a future lover, to gain favor in asking requests, and for purification, love, and of course, gambling as it is a money drawing herb. Physically cinquefoil is healing, and was long used as a poultice for treating wounds.
Cinquefoil is also known as five-finger grass, five-leaf grass, five fingers, hand of Mary, five-finger blossom, potentilla, synkefoyle, sunkfield, synkefoyle, synkfoule, common cinquefoil, cinquefoil, witches weed, crampweed, silverweed, goosegrass, goose tansy, moor grass, and pentaphyllon. It is a mild, grassy smelling herb.
Damiana – Turnera diffusa
I chose this one as one of our first herbs of this year because of its potent power and rich history. Native to Mexico and southern parts of the United States, this herb was widely unknown to the Europeans until they began invading the North American continent. The first mention of this enigmatic herb appears via the chronicles of the Spanish missionary Jesus Maria de Salvatierra in 1699. Before the conquistadors and explorers of Europe arrived though, the indigenous people of Mexico had long been familiar with the herb’s magical properties. De Salvatierra mentions that Damiana enjoyed a widespread reputation as a potent and popular aphrodisiac, which is what this lusty herb is most famous for today. In Mexico it is frequently dispensed in the form of a herbal liqueur that is made by steeping the damiana along with spices such as vanilla, galangal, cinnamon, pimento, and honey in rum. Sounds delicious doesn’t it?
Properties of Damiana:
Damiana is an excellent nervous system tonic to tone and relax tense nerves. It is an excellent anti-spasmodic. What areas or issues in your life need releasing, healing, and letting go? Damiana carries detoxification and purification properties.
And, in magical use, damiana is a love and visionary herb that attracts passion for the one who keeps it. It is a powerful herb for sexuality and for connecting to the element of the Fire. You can use this herb by sprinkling in your candle as it burns, adorning your altar space with its leaves, grinding into a stimulating love or passion incense, and for sprinkling into your medicine bag. Spirits of love and lust recognize and are drawn to the spell of this potent herb and will come to you whenever you use it.
Damiana carries a warm and woody, yet sweet and fruity scent. This vibrant herb blends well with ylang ylang, orange, clary sage, neroli, bergamot, cinnamon, geranium, frankincense, and palmarosa.
Essential Oils
Lavender – Lavendula sp.
One of the most commonly used essential oils in the world, the lavender plant represents tranquility, meditation, yin and yang, the Crown Chakra, levels of higher consciousness, and purification. With it’s soothing, clean, and pleasant scent, it brings to mind all things comforting. These days we find lavender in all sorts of products, from cosmetics and aromatherapy, to household cleaners and soaps. Lavender’s many uses date back to Roman times and its very name is descriptive of the many uses of this plant. Lavender is derived from the Latin ‘lavare’, which simply means ‘to wash’. It’s at home in the hot, dry climate of the Provencale Mediterranean, Britain and the high deserts of North America.
Properties of lavender
It can help support physical wellness, especially for promoting restful sleep, and bringing about a state of happiness. Lavender is perhaps one of the best oils to use for purification, protection and for healing rituals. It calms and centres the mind and is a great aid for meditation. Its superior balancing qualities are ideal for overall chakra-balancing
Lavender is also known for its powers in love, romance, sexual attraction, and attraction of the beloved! Use Lavender by sprinkling it in your candle as it burns, or anoint yourself at your pulse points or meridians. Spirits of love and purification recognize and are drawn to the spell of this potent oil and will come to you whenever you use it.
Lavender has a unique sweet floral scent that carries a bit of a punch. It agrees with everyone, though. It blends well with citrus, geranium, clary sage, bergamot, myrtle, patchouli, vanilla, vetivert, frankincense, and chamomile.
Petitgrain – Citrus aurantium
This is a rare and expensive oil that is derived from the bitter orange tree. This tree is a very generous plant when it comes to its oil yield. We are able to get three different essential oils from the bitter orange tree – neroli is derived from the flowers, bitter orange from its fruit, and petitgrain from the twigs and leaves. Originally, petitgrain oil included small pieces of unripe fruit, which is where the name is derived from. Petitgrain is French for “little seed.” Petitgrain oil is the least fruity of the orange scents; its aroma is deeper and more woody. It is one of the classic ingredients of ‘Eau-de-Cologne’ and was once used only for perfumery and cosmetics, but is now widely used in aromatherapy.
Properties of petitgrain (not recommended during first trimester of pregnancy).
A master healer, petitgrain offers anti-aging, anti-fungal, and antidepressant properties to name a few. This refreshing and uplifting herb has amazing skin toning properties and is quite relaxing. Put a few drops in your hair conditioner to combat dandruff and greasy hair.
Petigrain is a high vibrational oil that invokes higher consciousness and awareness, so it is a wonderful ally for meditation.
