Hi everyone! I want to share my journies of an essential oil retreat that I recently attended in Oregon. The retreat was 5 days long at the beginning of June, and I am still swimming in the bliss of the oils. The retreat was held on land that Lucid University just acquired, close to Ashland. Lucid University described the weekend as follows:

Join Dr. Nick for an interactive learning experience taking place at the wild historic Trillium farm found in Southern Oregon at the height of summer's explosive boom. Get fully immersed with a beginner's course of essential oils, take plant walks through the wild hills and learn about some secret alchemical techniques in Essential Oil Wizardry's processes. Create your own customized blend and share your personalized blend with the group. Dive deep into the world of plant species and different extraction techniques - learn and apply the use of therapeutic essential oils into your day-to-day life. Enjoy some time with Ecstatic Dance playing games of scent, learn about essential oils and energy healing with Carter Lipnick, explore an impressive set of rare/exotic essential oils/absolutes/CO2 extracts and celebrate plants in a sacred plant ceremony.

How cool does that sound? I couldn't miss this opportunity to dive into alternative plant medicine. To be honest, I wasn't fully sure why I was going until the first night that we gathered in a circle and Dr. Nick said, "The essential oil is the soul of a plant". At that moment I thought to myself, "Ohhh, I understand why I'm here now - to have a deeper connection with the plants that I am growing and hope to one day provide to the community for their healing properties."

We spent the 5 days immersed in learning, playing, creating, and sitting in ceremony with these plant medicines. I want to share some of what I learned with you, and I hope that you may find this information valuable :-)

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Day 2

Hydrosols and Carrier Oils

• Hydrosols are the water soluble portion of a steam distillation process
  a) They are very moisturizing and great to spray on the skin after a shower when your pores are open
  b) However, hydrosols are less concentrated than essential oils, so you need more for body application
  c) Hydrosols also have spoilage properties and can go bad in 6-36 months depending on the environment
  d) Dr. Nick passed around eucalyptus hydrosol, which we all swished around in our mouth as mouthwash since it has anti-microbial properties
• Carrier oils are the lipid-rich extractions from different plants that carry less of an aromatic profile and have a whole range of therapeutic benefits for the skin and body, but they have a shorter shelf life than essential oils
• For people with sensitive skin it is best to apply essential oils mixed with carrier oils because the fatty lipids will increase absorption levels into the skin and dilute the concentration of the essential oils

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Essential Oil Tinctures

• Dr. Nick created tinctures that are around 10-20% essential oils and 80-90% organic sugar cane alcohol
  a) These tinctures are meant to be ingested either through the stomach or absorption through the lip
  b) It is best to ingest them under the lip (drop one drop underneath the tongue) rather than through the stomach (dropping the tincture right on the tongue)
  c) When a tincture is ingested through the stomach, it goes through the liver, which then metabolizes the essential oils into something else - changing the therapeutic properties of the aromatic molecules
  d) When you drop the tinctures in sub-lingual it bypasses the liver and goes straight to the bloodstream
• Ingesting one drop of peppermint essential oil is the therapeutic equivalent of drinking 19 cups of peppermint tea seeped for 15 minutes
• Essential oils are extremely concentrated, and you need to use caution when ingesting them because the body cannot always take such concentrations - less is more!
• When in doubt about oral ingestion of an essential oil, consult a trained practitioner or be under a physician’s care

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Essential Oil Spotlights

• Fennel is a great essential oil when experiencing nausea or bloating - you can add 2 drops of fennel into a palmful of fractionated coconut oil and rub it on your stomach. A drop of fennel can also be added to drinks for "conscious bartending". It is also great for treating ovarian cysts and for hormone balance. It is not an essential oil that pregnant women should use.
• Frankincense sacra essential oil has been used for 1000's of years. The CO2 extract has boswellic acids which are anti-carcinogenic compounds and have anti-tumor properties. 90% frankinscense sacra and 10% myrrh essential oil is a great anti-carcinogenic blend. Frankincense sacra is also great for an aura cleanse by rubbing the oil into the palms and waving the hands around the auoric field.
• Rose geranium essential oil is wonderful for balancing the emotional center and it is good for forgiveness. The smell can aid in reducing attachment to anger and it is great for new relationships

• Howood (ravintsara) is antiviral and opens up the lungs and throat. It is great for people with asthma. Howood can be put onto a bandana and worn around the face in the dusty outdoors.
• Ravensara aromatica is also antiviral. It can be mixed 50% with tamunu oil and is a wonderful coldsore rememdy. It can also fight a cold or flu by adding a drop of the oil to a bath.
• Lime essential oil is a great addition to beverages (recommended 1 drop in a 16 oz of club soda), and it is also great to use in a diffuser for mood elevation
• Mace essential oil is a wonderful pain reliever and can aid people with artheritus. We put a few drops of it in our hands, added a palmful of fractionated coconut oil as a carrier oil, and rubbed in into an area of our body that was experiencing pain. Mace essential oil is created from the outer layer of the nutmeg fruit. I rubbed it into my lower back and experienced a warming sensation and a decrease of aching.
• Valerian root essential oil is great for relaxing the nervous system, easing into sleep, and facilitating a deeper quality of sleep. We added a few drops of the oil to our hands and rubbed it into the bottom of our feet for the full effect.
• Ylang ylang essential oil is an aphrodisiac, it relaxes the nervous system, lowers blood pressure levels, is good for jealousy issues, and softens the heart space. We applied it to our wrists and took 3 deep inhales. A drop of ylang ylang can also be added to 16 ounces of fizzy water, as Dr. Nick nicknames it "horny water". It is definitely a libido booster!

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Fun Methods of Use

• Dynamic diffusion is a method of using the essential oil. Put a few drops on your finger tips and snap your fingers around the area where you want to dynamically diffuse the smells of the essential oil. This is great to do in parties or dances if you want to see immediate mood changes and energy shifts in groups of people.
• For essential oils that are safe to orally consume and that you want to add to drinks, Dr. Nick recommends 1-2 drops of essential oil in every 8-16 ounces of water, depending on the oil and the desired strength

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using this product.

If you're interested in exploring some of Dr. Nick's wonderful oils, you can find them at essentialoilwizardry.com :-) I'll be covering therapeutic essential oils in my next post!