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Articles
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By David Crow, L.Ac. Lavender is one of the most well-known, versatile, and extensively used essential oils in the world. When we use lavender essential oil we receive the blessings of the feminine, because lavender could be described as an angel of healing from the floral realm, and an expression of the earths compassion. |
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By David Crow, L.Ac. The next time you stop to smell a rose, imagine that its deep, rich floral fragrance is a gift from nature to your heart and soul. In her generosity, the earth has blessed us with over five thousand varieties of this beautiful flower. However, only a few give the world-renowned treasure sought by perfumers: the oil of rose. |
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By David Crow, L.Ac. Neroli is the fragrance of orange trees blossoming under the Moroccan and Tunisian sun. It is the fragrance that greets farmers as they begin another spring day of harvesting, gently plucking the tiny golden gems that shine from inside green citrus foliage. Many factors will influence the quality of the neroli oil: each blossom must be plucked when it is just starting to open; the buds must... |
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By David Crow, L.Ac. Over two thousand years ago, three sages made their way across the desert, following celestial signs. Among the various gifts they carried for the newly incarnated Avatar was a collection of resinous tears, one of the most sacred substances and valued medicines of the time. Ever since then, frankincense has been remembered as a fragrance associated with the Christian holidays. |
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Vetiver: I Am The Fragrance of the Soil By David Crow, L.Ac. All creatures are born of the earth, and nourished by her rich flavors. Every plant absorbs the prana (life force) and ojas (nutritive essence) of the soil into its body, transforming them into foods, medicines, and oils for the benefit of other beings. Yet none capture the subtle complexities of the earths mysterious fragrances as completely as vetiver grass, known in India as khus. |
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By David Crow, L.Ac. Like scented stars appearing in the evening dusk, the night-blooming jasmine silently opens her five-petalled blossoms beneath our windows. In the dawn her sister will bloom, again filling the breeze with enchantment. Together, the jasmine sambac and the jasmine grandiflorum are among the most potent, ethereal, and intoxicating floral fragrances in the world. |
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Vanilla: The Seed of Happiness By David Crow, L.Ac. One of the most enjoyable aspects of studying natural healing systems such as Ayurveda and aromatherapy is the endless variety of plants and fragrances that onemeets along the path. A person could spend a lifetime studying just one of these plants , and still not know everything about it. This month we feature a common spice known to all, but one with many intriguing secrets. |
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By David Crow, L.Ac. Bakul, champa, and parijata are among the most beautiful and sacred of Indias many exotic flowering trees. Countless souls throughout the ages have lived in the gentle presence of these beneficent beings that give their barks, leaves, roots, seeds, resins, and flowers for medicine, ceremony, and pleasure. So rich are their contributions to traditional societies that the ancient Rishis proclaimed these trees to be gifts from the heavenly realms... |
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By David Crow The tale of Savitri begins on a train ride from Mumbai to Jaipur, Rajasthan. I was traveling with my mentor, on a tour of the regions aromatic treasures. We had talked for hours as usual, from the moment we sat cross-legged on the worn blue vinyl of his lower bunk. In the beginning, the harsh slums of Mumbai passing outside the window made an incongruous backdrop for another lively conversation about the hopeful humanitarian projects... |
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By David Crow, L.Ac. There are deep and mysterious relationships among the soil, water, sunlight, and air, and the bodies of plants that absorb and transform these elements. There are wondrous alchemies in the transmutation of these elements by plants into foods, medicines, and fragrances. An aromatic plant creates its fragrance from nutrients of the soil and its symbiotic microbial ecologies. When we breathe that perfume, we are breathing the breath of the... |
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By David Crow, L.Ac. Until now, all the articles in this series have focused on beautiful, exotic, rare, and tantalizing flowers, fragrances, and essential oils. But the plant realm is full of many mysteries and surprises, and some of the most effective remedies are found in common weeds. This month we feature two aromatic herbs that are so unobtrusive and humble they could easily be overlooked... |
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By David Crow, L.Ac. Four hundred years ago in Japan, a Zen priest picked up his calligraphy pen and painted a scroll extolling the Ten Virtues of Incense. Although we do not know who this monk was, we know from his writing that he had a great appreciation for fragrance. As the popularity of aromatherapy, essential oils and incense increases, it is wise to consider his observations. Read The Full Article... |
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By David Crow Essential oil-containing aromatic plants have been used for anti-infectious purposes for millennia. The unpleasant odors of sewage, rotting garbage, sick people, and environmental pollution reveal the presence of proliferating microbial toxins. Without knowing the details of what pathogenic agents were present, people have always known that where there were bad vapors, diseases lurked. |
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By David Crow We are entering a period in history when human health will be seriously challenged. If the destructive trends of rapid global warming, accelerating loss of biodiversity, widespread pollution and degradation of ecosystems, deepening poverty, malnutrition, and political instability are not reversed, all forms of medicine will become increasingly ineffective, unaffordable, and unavailable. |
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How To Use Essential Oils Effectively This article is a comprehensive overview of how to use essential oils effectively. The article includes: • The Seven Best Ways of Using Essential Oils Effectively • How Essential Oils Work: Absorption and Effects • Contamination: Ten Important Facts To Know Before Purchasing • The Safe Use of Essential Oils |
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