BCD Aromatherapy - Blog , Immune SupportBCD Aromatherapy - Blog , Immune Supporthttps://www.bcdaromatherapy.com/blogs/immune-supportFri, 05 Dec 2025 05:47:02 -0800http://zoho.com/sites/<![CDATA[Help to get Over Seasonal Challenges]]>https://www.bcdaromatherapy.com/blogs/post/help-to-get-over-seasonal-challenges1

Taking a Look at Powerhouse essential Oil Blend

Please note, this article was previously posted in a Might Community - and as I transfer content from there to here, the dates and times may not correlate!  Forgive me for that incongruent aspect.

As the new year is upon us, and we are experiencing winter “in full” and the virus threat is still very much with us here, it’s understandable that no one wants to find themselves catching a cold, or coming down with anything.


Last fall I posted about doTERRA’s OnGuard essential oil blend, and now I’d like to introduce you to Lotus Garden Botanical's Powerhouse.  This is an immune system booster blend that really truly knocks things out, especially when we’ve experienced long term illness, or are already recovering from other physical challenges, or if we’re dealing with other health and wellness conditions that compound with the symptoms of an additional illness.


I have several clients who I would recommend to use doTERRA’s OnGuard as a preventative, and then use Lotus Garden Botanical’s Powerhouse when they actually come down with something to more properly support them as they recuperate and recover. Like OnGuard, it can be used in a multitude of ways, aromatically by inhaling the distilled or passively diffused vapor, as a steam inhalation, or inhaled directly from the bottle. It can also be used topically, applied to the bottoms of the feet, the back of the ear lobes, along the neck and chest - ensuring proper dilution as several of the Essential Oils that make up this blend can be irritating to the skin. It can be used with a dispersant to be added into bath water (not to exceed 6 drops essential oil) body lotions (ensuring proper dilution ratio not to exceed more than a .5% strength to minimize possibility of skin irritation as there are some strong essential oils in this blend). Under the supervision of an Aromatherapist it can also be taken internally via capsules at the proper strength for a predetermined amount of days. These are just some of the most common ways this blend is used, other applications can be discussed based on the symptoms that you’re having.


The reason this blend is so effective when working with people who are coming down with an illness, is because the vast majority of the single essential oils used to make up this blend help us when we are overwhelmed, fatigued and exhausted.  They support our adrenal gland function, boost our immune system response, help to move and regulate fluids within the body, and have a broad range of both antibacterial properties and antiviral properties.


Powerhouse by Lotus Garden Botanicals contains: 

  • Lemon Eucalyptus
  • Oregano
  • Clove Bud
  • Thyme ct thujanol
  • Rosemary ct cineole
  • Sage (Dalmatian Sage)
  •  Palmarosa
  • Lavender


Lemon Eucalyptus

Lemon Eucalyptus (Corymbia citriodora syn. Eucalyptus citridoraI) is made up of primarily the aldehyde monoterpenoid citronellal and the monoterpenols citronellol and isopulegol.  It also contains d-limonene, a monoterpene, and small amounts of esters and ketones.


This chemical profile allows Lemon Eucalyptus to be ideal to ward of infection while calming the nervous system as well as to stimulate the liver. It promotes strength of the immune system, and emotional balance.


This Essential Oil also helps us handle feelings of being unprotected, exposed, enmeshed in unhealthy relationships/situations, it helps us recognize poor boundaries and restore the body’s natural energy.

Oregano

Oregano (Origanum vulgare) Essential Oil is mostly made up of phenols including carvacrol and a mixture of monoterpenes, monoterpenols and sesquiterpenes. This chemical profile makes this essential oil ideal to use as general tonics, to stimulate the cortisone glands and help to both kill off microbes and prevent them from multiplying.  It is also good to stimulate the digestive system and to promote circulation of the blood and the fluids within the body. It also makes it a good anti-inflammatory agent that promotes the respiratory system and relieve muscle soreness.


This essential oil also helps us with feelings of being overly prideful, obstinate, stubborn, materialistic, controlling and being too attached to negative things in one’s life. 


Oregano Essential Oil has strong bactericidal properties, and should only be used for a maximum of 14 continuous days in order to not upset the stomach’s microbiome if taken orally.  It is also a known skin irritant, and should only be used on the skin if appropriately diluted. 

Clove Bud

Clove Bud (Eugenia carophyllata) Essential Oil should not be confused or used interchangeably with Clove Leaf (Eugenia carophyllata) Essential Oil, as they contain different chemical profiles. Eugenia carophyllata Bud Essential Oil contains primarialy phenols including Eugenol (50-95%), Isoeugenol, Methylchavicol and Methyleugenol; as well as esters, sesquiterpenes, oxides, ketones and montoerpenols.


This chemical profile allow this Essential Oil to be useful when we feel discouraged, apathetic, hopeless, have low self-esteem or poor self-confidence, when we have low motivation or will power, when we feel vulnerable, helpless or oversensitive. It helps when we have physical and mental fatigue, and are debilitated (I don't know about you, but that totally sounds like me when I'm sick!)


Using this Essential Oil can help us feel more motivation, self-confidence, gain security, and stability. It is widely used to help the body when it is weakened, and when it is cold - the circulatory system is stressed, and is only keeping the core hot, while the extremities can feel cold or even numb. It's properties help restore the thyroid and return normal metabolic function. It also stimulates the adrenals to increase stamina and decrease hypertension. It too helps with the lower GI tract helping our food move along through the intestines and colon to decrease constipation.


Eugenia carophyllata Bud Essential Oil is a strong spasmolytic, which means it stops muscle spasms which disrupt the GI system from its normal function, and helps also with acute muscle spasms and aches and pains often felt while we're "under the weather." It is used as a broad-spectrum anti-infective agent that stimulates the immune system and the lymphatic system to move fluids through the body and detox the body from infected cells and microbes. It is a strong antiviral, broad spectrum antibiotic, and anti-fungal.


Clove Bud Essential Oil is rarely used by itself, and should never be used topically without adequate dilution, Tisserand & Young in Essential Oil Safety recommend a topical strength of no more than .5% based on the higher range of Eugenol content in order to avoid skin sensitivity.

 Thyme ct. Thujanol

Thyme ct thujanol (Thymus vulgaris ct. thujanol) has a chemical profile that roughly half monoterpenols including trans-thujanol, and monoterpenes including myrcene.  It does not contain phenols so it should not be confused with other chemotypes of thyme. This chemotype of thyme essential oil works in synergy with the Lemon Eucalyptus in order to provide a synergistic effect.


Thyme essential oils in general also helps us with feelings of rage, anger, bitterness, resentfulness, emotional bondage and unforgiveness. 

Rosemary ct. Cineole

Rosemary ct. cineole (Rosmarinus officinalis ct. cineole) is made up of a large combination of chemical families including oxides with the largest component being 1.8 cineole which can make up over half of this essential oil, it also contains monoterpenes with up to 1 third of the essential oil containing alpha and beta -pinenes, monoterpenones with up to a fifth of the essential oil containing camphor, sesquiterpenes including beta-caryophyllene, terpenoid esters, alcohols.  This chemical make up allows Rosemary ct. cineole essential oil to be ideal to use in situations where we want to stimulate our nervous system and our circulatory systems.  


When we’re dealing with respiratory distress as it is a great expectorant, decongestant and how it clears mucus from the system. These effects are boosted by its antimicrobial properties, and its ability to move fluids through the system to reduce inflammation and calm the nerves. Rosemary essential oils like Thyme have multiple chemotypes, so it’s important that when you’re using this oil by itself, or when it’s used in a blend or formulation you know which chemotype you have as they each have different primary chemical constituents which can have a much different effect on the body (and some are safer to use than others.)


In general, emotionally, rosemary essential oils help us to process through feelings of confusion, problems adjusting to transitions, and to help us when we have limited perspectives, and difficulty learning the lessons we’re walking through.

Sage (Dalmatian Sage)

Sage syn Dalmatian Sage (Salvia officinalis) essential oil is made up heavily by ketones including alpha thujone, beta thujone and camphor, and alcohols like borneol and linalool with a small amount of monoterpenes, oxides and sesquiterpenes.  This chemical profile allows Sage to be very effective at being antiviral and to protect healthy cells while the body is fighting off infection via viruses. It helps our liver function and to move mucous out of the body while supporting the respiratory system while relieving inflammation.


This essential oil also helps us conquer feelings of depletion, fear, procrastination, and helps to eliminate brain fog and cloudiness of thought.

Palmarosa

Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martini) essential oil contains a lot of alcohols with the vast majority being geraniol and small amounts of linalool, as well as esters like geranyl acetate which can be up to a quarter of the essential oil.  


This chemical profile allows Palmarosa to be suitable in times when we need a broad-spectrum bactericides that are anti-infectious and to stimulate and warm the skin and the circulatory system which is ideal in cases of long term illness, or when the body is dealing with multiple stressors at once as it’s balancing and soothing to the body as a general tonic which also offers pain relief and reduces inflammation.


Palmarosa essential oil helps us when we have feelings of being withdrawn, lapses in loyalty, isolation and stagnation, and overzealousness.

Lavender

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil has a chemical profile of almost half esters with mostly linalyl acetate, and almost half alcohols with the majority of those being linalool, as well as small amounts of sesquiterpenes and monoterpenes, oxides, ketones and aldehydes. This makes lavender essential oil a very balancing essential oil which can stimulate as well as calm the body, with a broad spectrum anti-microbial effect.


Lavender essential oil helps us to over come feelings of rejection, tension; as well as sensations of being unheard, unloved, unseen with fear of self-disclosure and being emotionally dishonest.

Powerhouse is a potent blend of essential oils that allow us to really address illnesses that debilitate us, or illnesses that we encounter while we are already recovering from another illness, a surgery or acute injury. It helps us move strong feelings of exhaustion, depression, stagnation, and asks us to be emotional transparent with ourselves and others.


How to Use

Lotus Garden Botanicals has formulated this blend so that for most people they can use 1-2 drops of Powerhouse without dilution on the bottoms of their feet 3-4 times a day for up to 10 days, for those who have sensitive skin, and for use past the initial 10 days, this Essential Oil blend should be diluted down to a 3% strength in an appropriate carrier oil, that is 24 drops to 1oz of a carrier oil. This diluted formulation can be applied up to every hour as needed until symptoms are alleviated and unless you have extremely sensitive skin, this formulation should be safe to use on the bottoms of your feet, back of ear lobes, and along your neck and pulse points. (Note, if you have sensitive skin, do not apply this oil straight or "neat" to your skin, always dilute to 5% in a carrier oil and do a patch skin test to the insides of your wrists or crease of your elbow if no irritation appears in 15 min you can apply as described)

You can also use this essential oil in a diffuser or in a personal inhaler this is most useful if your illness constricts the breath or is causing a lot of mucus congestion.  To diffuse, add up to 6 drops of Powerhouse in your diffuser and sit within six feet of the diffuser inhaling the aroma for at least ten minutes.  To use in a personal inhaler, drop 30 drops of Powerhouse in a bowl, and allow the cotton wick of the inhaler to absorb the drops.  Using a tweezer place the cotton wick into the glass jar of the inhaler, and screw on the metal lid.  Then place the inhaler into its case.  Un-cap the inhaler and breath in the aromatics for 3-5 minutes every hour as needed until symptoms resolve.


Please note, some of the essential oils within this blend have contraindications if you're on certain medication or have certain medical conditions.  Please schedule a consultation prior to using to ensure your safety.


If you'd like to see if Lotus Garden Botanical’s Powerhouse blend can help you, or if you have questions regarding how to best use it for yourself, please schedule a consultation.


I'll be showcasing Aromatic's International's Lil Sniffle's blend as our seasons continue to turn, as well as looking at the traditional Thieves blend which has been used in traditional medicine prior to the discovery of penicillin for centuries as a ward against illness.


We are all part of the body of God, and are called to support one another through our suffering.  I pray that this information can help decrease the amount of time you or your loved one is afflicted by the next cold that comes through your home. Especially if one of you are already going through a another highly stressful situation.

 

Have a blessed day and oil away!


Need a Diffuser? Shop Here
]]>Sun, 17 Mar 2024 05:06:49 +0000<![CDATA[Help to Get Over Seasonal Challenges]]>https://www.bcdaromatherapy.com/blogs/post/help-to-get-over-seasonal-challenges

Taking a Look at OnGuard Essential Oil Blend

As the seasons are changing, and summer is fading into late summer, and soon into fall, one of the things we're all aware of is the potential to become "under the weather."


One of the Essential Oil blends I have found to be incredibly effective to mitigate symptoms associated with being "under the weather" is On Guard.  This blend is similar to Thieves Essential Oil, but has some slight differences, so if you're familiar with Thieves, spend some time to get to know On Guard.


As a professional Aromatherapist, I've been able to advise many people to use this Essential Oil blend for various health and wellness concerns, both those with active symptoms, and those who are trying to ward off symptoms.  As such it can be used in a multitude of ways, aromatically by inhaling the distilled or passively diffused vapor, as a steam inhalation, or inhaled directly from the bottle.  It can also be used topically, applied to the bottoms of the feet, the back of the ear lobes, along the neck and chest - ensuring proper dilution as several of the Essential Oils that make up this blend can be irritating to the skin. It can be used with a dispersant to be added into bath water (not to exceed 6 drops) body lotions (again, ensuring proper dilution ratio not to exceed more than a .5% strength). Under the supervision of an Aromatherapist it can also be taken internally via capsules at the proper strength for a predetermined amount of days, these are just some of the most common ways this blend is used.


The reason this blend is so popular, and used so widely is because of the properties that the single Essential Oils within it contain, and how they work together.


This blend contains:

  •  Wild Orange (citrus sinensis)
  • Clove Bud (Eugenia carophyllata)
  • Cinnamon Leaf (Cinamomum zeylanicum)
  • Cinnamon Bark (Cinamomum zeylanicum)
  • Eucalyptus (Ecualyptus radiata)
  • Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus).
Wild Orange

Orange (Citrus sinensis) Essential Oil mostly contains monoterpenes, such as d-Limonene (86-95%), Myrcene 1-4%, and alpha-Pinene.  It also contains a small amount of aldehydes, monoterpenols, esters and coumarins including bergaptenes (which means that it is a photo sensitive Essential Oil and if applied topically to the skin can cause the skin to be more susceptible to sunburn for up to 12 hours post application).


This chemical profile allows Citrus sinensis to useful in all stress-related conditions such as stress induced colds, or distress brought on by a cold, it helps to ease and relax the circulatory system, and allow the blood flow regain a normal pressure and flow. It helps with our upper digestive tract and helps replenish and cultivate proper beneficial microbiomes in our lower digestive tract in order to bolster our immune systems when they are under threat. It helps to move fluids through the body and decreases inflammation while working to disrupt bacteria and fungi overgrowth or colonization in the lungs especially, but also in other areas of the body, and is a great air-borne disinfectant.


This Essential Oil also helps us with restlessness, irritability , anxiety and mood swings, helps us with distractability, and unbalance emotions.

Clove Bud


Clove Bud (Eugenia carophyllata) Essential Oil should not be confused or used interchangeably with Clove Leaf (Eugenia carophyllata) Essential Oil, as they contain different chemical profiles. Eugenia carophyllata Bud Essential Oil contains primarialy phenols including Eugenol (50-95%), Isoeugenol, Methylchavicol and Methyleugenol; as well as esters, sesquiterpenes, oxides, ketones and montoerpenols.


This chemical profile allow this Essential Oil to be useful when we feel discouraged, apathetic, hopeless, have low self-esteem or poor self confidence, when we have low motivation or will power, when we feel vulnerable, helpless or oversensitive. It helps when we have physical and mental fatigue, and are debilitated (I don't know about you, but that totally sounds like me when I'm sick!)


Using this Essential Oil can help us feel more motivation, self-confidence, gain security, and stability. It is widely used to help the body when it is weakened, and when it is cold - the circulatory system is stressed, and is only keeping the core hot, while the extremities can feel cold or even numb. It's properties help restore the thyroid and return normal metabolic function. It also stimulates the adrenals to increase stamina and decrease hypertension.  It too helps with the lower GI tract helping our food move along through the intestines and colon to decrease constipation. 


Eugenia carophyllata  Bud Essential Oil is a strong spasmolytic, which means it stops muscle spasms which disrupt the GI system from it's normal function, and helps also with acute muscle spasms and aches and pains often felt while we're "under the weather." It is used as a broad spectrum anti-infective agent that stimulates the immune system and the lymphatic system to move fluids through the body, and detox the body from infected cells and microbes. It is a strong antiviral, broad spectrum antibiotic, and anti-fungal.


Clove Bud Essential Oil is rarely used by itself, and should never be used topically without adequate dilution, Tisserand & Young in Essential Oil Safety recommend a topical strength of no more than .5% based on the higher range of Eugenol content in order to avoid skin sensitivity.

Cinnamon Leaf (Cinamomum zeylanicum) Essential Oil also contains a high amount of the phenol Eugenol (68.6-87%) and it also has alcohols, esters, monoterpenes, and aldehydes.



Cinnamon Leaf


Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oil increases the IgA (The Immunoglobulin A) response in the body, which is our first line of defense in the body.  It also stimulates our nervous system and allows the body to experience increased energy levels.  It is analgesic, and helps relieve the aches and pains commonly associated with being "under the weather," and it is anti-infectious, anti-fungal and antiviral. 


This Essential Oil as well is commonly only used in combination with other Essential Oils, and due to it's Eugenol content should not be used in higher concentrations than .55% if used topically in order to avoid skin irritation or adverse skin reactions.

Cinnamon Bark

Cinnamon Bark (Cinamomum zeylanicum) Essential Oil contains primarially aldehydes including, Cinnamaldehyde (60-76%), it contains a small amount of the phenol Eugenol (2-13%), sesquiterpenes, momonterpenes, and oxides.


Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil is similar to Clove Bud Essential Oil, in that is is most useful when we are experiencing emotional coldness, withdrawal, apathy, discouragement.  It helps to break up listlessness, to increase our motivation, to get ride of fatigue.  As a warming Essential Oil, it increases our blood circulation and helps to warm our hands and feet, and helps us feel more connected to ourselves and our surroundings. 


Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil has strong broad-spectrum antibiotic effects for both gram positive and gram negative bacteria and can help our bodies get over many bacterial infections.  It is also a broad-spectrum anti fungal, and helps keeps our lungs and kidneys clear of fungal infections.  It also acts as an antiviral against many respiratory, GI and influenza type infections.


This Essential Oil when used by itself is rarely used with dermal applications, as it's high Cinnamaldehyde content makes it extremely skin sensitizing, and can easily cause skin irritation, or cause adverse skin reactions. The maximum dermal strength of this Essential Oil is .07%.

Eucalyptus Radiata


Eucalyptus (Eucalyptus radiata) Essential Oil (not to be used interchangeably with other Eucalyptus Essential Oils such as Eucalyptus globolus which contain different chemical profiles) contains a high amount of oxides including 1.8 Cineole (63-72%) and Caryophyllene Oxide.  It also contains monoterpenes, monoterpenols, and monoterpenals.  This chemical profile make it ideal to be used when we are lethargic, drowsy and experiencing mental confusion, disorientation or we have poor concentration, and weak short term memories. This Essential Oil promotes positive thinking, optimism, dynamic affect and self-confidence.


It acts as an expectorant to help ride the respiratory tract of mucous and is often used in cases of bronchitis, emphysema, and pneumonia.  It's helpful when there are intermittent fevers as it balances the body's temperature, helping to lower it when it's high and raise it when it's low, so is often used when we experience fever conditions.  It's analgesic and anti-inflammatory so is helpful to assist us in the headaches that come from colds.


It has been found to have strong antibacterial action against respiratory infections including whooping cough, rhinitis, laryngitis; as well as GI infections.  It is antiviral against acute cases of bronchitis.


This Essential Oil should not be used as an inhalant around children under 8 years old, or with those who have asthma that is not well managed as it causes us to take deep inhalations which can colapse airway passages that are not used to being able to breathe so openly.

Rosemary


The final Essential Oil in this blend is Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) - not to be used interchangeably with Rosemary ct Cineole or Rosemary ct Camphor) which have different chemical profiles.  This Essential Oil has a chemical profile containing oxides including 1.8 Cineole (38-58%), monoterpenes including alpha and beta pinenes (4-32%), Camphene, Myrcerene, Limonene; sesquiterpenes; monoterpenols; and ketones. 


This chemical makeup allow it to be especially suited for times when we are discourages, pessimistic, depressed, timid, withdrawn, discontented with low confidence and self-worth, when we have chronic tiredness, lethargy.  When we're sluggish in the morning as we get out of bed or in the late afternoon after a meal due to poor stamina which leads to poor concentration and memory, can also include headaches, palpitations, cough with muscle pains and GI concerns. (Again, depending on what I'm facing, I feel most of these symptoms when I'm afflicted by various colds throughout the year to a greater or lesser extent.)


Salvia rosmarinus Essential Oil helps with a wide range of cold conditions as it is a circulatory stimulant and so helps the body when it feels it has to conserve energy and focus only on heating the body's core.  It helps to stimulate and restore our cardiovascular system as it encourages the respiratory system as a mucolytic expectorant to clear out congestive upper and lower respiratory conditions such as bronchitis, asthma and rhinitis.  It helps to restore our liver, by de-congesting it and so helps alleviate GI and digestive concerns that we can experience while ill as well.


This Essential Oil also should not be used for direct aromatic inhalation in children under 8 years old, as it contains camphor which can cause respiratory distress.

Please note, this blend contains some essential oils that have contraindications for use with certain medications and with certain medical conditions, please call and set up a consultation prior to use, as if this blend is not safe for you use or would cause reactions with your medications, we can offer you a substitute formulation that can still support you during your recovery.

I for one am extremely grateful that I don't have to worry about mixing all of these Essential Oils together when I'm in need of an immune boosting blend, as you've read, many of these have to be added at such small amounts to allow them to be used safely in topical applications.  doTERRA has formulated this blend so that for most people they can used 1-2 drops of blend without dilution on the bottoms of their feet 3-4 times a day with no dilution for up to 10 days, for those who have sensitive skin, and for use past 10 days, this Essential Oil blend should be diluted down to a 3% strength in an appropriate carrier oil, that is 24 drops to 1oz of a carrier oil.  This diluted formulation can be applied up to every hour as needed until symptoms are alleviated and unless you have extremely sensitive skin, this formulation should be safe to use on the bottoms of your feet, back of ear lobes, and along your neck and pulse points.


If you'd like to see if doTERRA's On Guard can help you, or if you have questions regarding how to best use it for yourself, please schedule a consult or ask at our next session.


I'll be showcasing Lotus Garden Botanical's Powerhouse blend, and Aromatic's International's Lil Sniffle's blend as our seasons continue to turn, as well as looking at the traditional Thieves blend which has been used in traditional medicine prior to the discovery of penicillin for centuries as a ward against illness.


We are part of the body of God, here is praying that this article brings you peace and joy, and helps you to feel better knowing that there are real scientific reasons your body responds well to the use of these aromatics. 


Have a blessed day and oil away!

Order OnGuard Today
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