I’d had some news that day which had sent my stress levels to the max. Here was me, lying in bed that night trying to calm my mind in order to sleep. It was a futile exercise. My stress barometer was sitting at 10/10.
Finally, I reached across to my oils case, and pulled out the one oil that I knew I could easily find in the dark, out of my case of 130 oils. I put 2 or 3 drops on my chest, and circled the oil 3 times clockwise to activate it.
Within a minute or two, all of the stress had drained out of me. There were literally no stressful thoughts to be found. That’s right – not anywhere!
I thought I must have been dreaming, so I deliberately tried to find those stressful thoughts again. Nope, they weren’t anywhere to be found. They had disappeared into a black cosmos, never to be seen again. Even now, almost 2 weeks later, I have no stress around that situation. It hasn’t fully been resolved, but I’m in total trust that I’ll work it out (one way or another). Those fear-based thoughts have no power over me.
So how can this be?
How can a beautiful, aromatic essential oil possibly exert such a profound and transformational effect on our consciousness and our emotions? What gives it such power?
It’s because essential oils are nature’s magic in a bottle. They smell beautiful, for sure. At least, most of them do. But they are so much more than a pretty smell. They contain powerful natural plant chemicals that are designed to work miracles in the plant…and it just so happens that they are completely compatible with our body too, so they bring their miracles into our lives when we use them. And that’s not just physically – it’s also emotionally, mentally and spiritually.
Let’s take a deep dive into 3 of the single oils that make up this beautiful oil blend, so we can understand just a fraction of the many benefits that Stress Away brings to us.
Copaiba Essential Oil
This comes from the Copaifera reticulata tree from the Brazilian Amazon region. Every 4 years or so, a pipe will be inserted into the side of the tree, and the natural plant resin mixed with essential oil just pours out. This resin-oil mix can still be steam distilled in order to separate the resin from the essential oil.
I was fascinated to learn that Copaiba oil is one of the highest natural sources of beta-caryophyllene. This is a natural plant chemical that falls into the category of “terpenes”, and more specifically it’s a “sesquiterpene”. Sesquiterpenes bind to oxygen to carry them around our body, and terpenes in general are strong aromas which protect the plant by deterring insects and other predators.
Beta caryophyllene is unique amongst the terpenes, because it also acts as a cannabinoid and targets the CB2 receptors of the body. This gives it an amazing array of properties for the human body, including a deeply calming resonance which is very soothing to a stressed mind.
Lime Essential Oil
Citrus oils are our happy oils, and they include Orange, Lemon, Grapefruit, Tangerine, Bergamot and Jade Lemon. Anytime you are feeling low, diffuse some citrus oil to lift your moods.
Unlike many other essential oils which are extracted from the plant using steam distillation, our citrus essential oils are extracted from the rind of the fruit using cold pressing.
They are especially high in d-limonene, another naturally occurring plant chemical that falls into the terpene family (this time as a monoterpene, not a sesquiterpene). In fact, some citrus oils comprise up to 98% d-limonene.
d-Limonene is a natural antioxidant for our body, helping to cleanse our body and counteract the effects of free radicals. It’s also a selective activator of the adenosine A(2A) receptor on our cell membranes. These receptors are vital for proper nervous system functioning. If these receptors aren’t being properly activated, we can end up with feelings of anxiousness and difficulty sleeping. So inhaling lime oil is a great way to calm nerves and reduce stress.
Vanilla Essential Oil
The Vanilla plant comes from the family Orchidaceae, and it’s a type of orchid! It was Spanish explorers arriving on the Gulf Coast of Mexico in the early 16th century who gave vanilla it’s name. It’s based on the Spanish word vaina, which translates as “little pod”.
We all know how beautiful its flavour is in food, when raw vanilla pods or vanilla essence is used. But vanilla oil isn’t technically an essential oil. Instead, it’s an oleoresin. Unfortunately a lot of vanilla products on the market are synthetic, simply because they are so much cheaper to produce. Where real vanilla extract could cost several US dollars per ounce, synthetic vanilla extract would likely cost several cents per ounce.
That’s why I love the Young Living Vanilla oil. Young Living’s unique Seed to Seal process allows them to guarantee that their essential oils are pure and unadulterated.
Their Vanilla oil is made with a proprietary extraction process. It’s the only one of the Young Living single essential oils which contains a carrier oil, in this instance fractionated coconut oil. The Vanilla oleoresin is extracted from the vanilla pod using naturally sourced ethyl alcohol derived from French sugar beets, a relative of beetroot. The ethyl alcohol is then removed, and the Vanilla oleoresin is then mixed with the fractionated coconut oil.
Vanilla oil is renowned for soothing the brain, helping us to feel whole again.
When we don’t feel whole, that’s when we try to fill ourselves up. Some people do that with overeating. Others try to fill that void with unhealthy relationships. Others will reach for a cigarette or a glass of wine to try and soothe themselves. Vanilla is a natural alternative to all of these less healthy choices….and it has the added benefit of being an aphrodisiac, helping us to feel sensuous and safe.
Stress Away oil also contains 3 other essential oils in this unique blend. These are:
Cedarwood Oil, which helps to naturally deepen our breathing cycle, carrying us into a naturally calm and meditative state of consciousness.
Ocotea Oil, which is a relative of Cinnamon oil, helping to ease stress and lower our reactiveness to those things that irritate us.
Lavender Oil, which is renowned for calming children and adults alike. Studies have been undertaken where Lavender oil was applied to the corners of the mattress of elderly patients, and it was a miracle worker in helping these people to sleep more restfully.
