QUICK TIPS for BEATING the COLD SEASON!

You may have noticed the many colds and flu's migrating around the world this winter.  Maybe you have had the ‘pleasure’ of experiencing it yourself?  Or maybe you have simply been one of the lucky parents that have missed work due to the havoc these menaces have caused in schools. 

Whatever the case,  I think we all agree that it’s time we had some simple tools to keep these viruses at bay. 

Here are a few quick tips for beating the cold season this winter:

1.  In lower temperatures, wear a coat and scarf.  I have so often seen people wandering around town like it’s sunny outside while their exposed arms are covered in goose bumps proving otherwise.  A cold body is a compromised body.  If the body is busy working overtime to keep your body warm, your immune system is going to have to settle with the left over energy to fight off these unwanted, contagious visitors.   Do yourself (and your kids) a favor and bundle up appropriately.  Adults?  Hats, scarves and coats are not your enemy.  And if you require your kids to wear them as well, you’re not the enemy either; you are the protector.  You can do it.  I believe in you.

2.  Keep your insides warm too!  When we eat ice creams and smoothies in the winter, we chill our insides causing the same (if not worse) weakening of our immune systems as when we under dress for the weather.  My solution?  Besides chilling out on your cold food consumption?  I call it, the fire starter tea.   It’s quite simple, so get a pen and paper and keep this one visible in the kitchen.  For one serving, simply squeeze ½ a lemon into your cup and add hot water.   Then add about 1tsp (more or less) of cayenne pepper to the mix.  Sweeten with honey or stevia and you’ll be on your way.  Of course, adjust to taste.  I personally prefer much more cayenne and the fire it starts inside me.  But you just play around and see what works best for you.  Lemons are high in Vitamin C and the cayenne is good for circulation, inflammation, congestion, weight loss and so much more.  It’s a win win!

3.  Clean out the bad to make room for the good!  I’m not talking about an all out body cleanse; though you should go for it if you feel so inclined.  Naturally, one of my favorite natural winter immune boosters is eucalyptus oil!  The benefits?

·       Antibacterial Properties – great for respiratory infections!

·       Pain Relief – proven to have analgesic properties

·       Stimulates Immune System Response to common conditions like:  Arthritis, skin problems, congestion,  acne, diabetes, flu, fevers, ulcers and more!

The best way to activate the Eucalyptus is through steam therapy treatment.  Have you noticed how much easier it is to breath once you step into a hot steaming shower?  Your lungs and sinus feel free to expand.  Well, add to that the oils of the eucalyptus joining that steam as it opens up your tightened bronchial passages while penetrating and clearing out the infection causing the problem.  To enjoy a therapeutic steam, just add a few drops of eucalyptus oil to a saucepan of simmering water on the stove. You can also use a humidifier -- some actually provide a compartment for essential oils. If you don't have an oil diffuser but would like to disinfect the air, no need to even dilute the oil, just aim and spray!  My personal favorite is to use it in the shower, steam rooms or in a spa!

The result is ridiculously effective, cost efficient and safe for both your body and the environment.  The benefits of aromatherapy as a health investment and even the perfect gift, makes this an easy and relaxing tip to apply to everyone’s weekly winter routine!

A healthy and luxurious winter is available for all at Eurospa Aromatics whether you are a large spa or want to buy independently for personal use in your own home or as a gift.

So let’s recap a moment, shall we?  The top 3 ways you can beat the cold season?

·       Dress for warmth.   (not just success ;) )

·       Light your inner fire

·       Eucalyptus Steam Therapy

Take charge of your health this season.  Get a bottle for yourself or even as a gift, right here.

Take a deep breath. Love your body and practice good health now.  

15 Reasons You Need Eucalyptus Oil in Your Home

Only a Smart Phone Has More Beneficial Uses in Your Home, and a Year's Supply of Eucalyptus Oil will only Cost You $29.95.  

I stare at the little block of aluminum, glass and electronics in my hand and I marvel.  The phone, computer, camera, video camera, radio, TV, movie player, music device, flashlight, and clock is the invention of a generation.  Of course, most amazing of all is that the list above only scratches the surface of uses for a smart phone.

Amazingly, nature has provided us with a product that can go almost toe-to-toe with the smart phone for useful benefits to mankind.  The mighty eucalyptus tree doesn't get the kind of press that iPhones and Galaxies get, but that isn't for lack of value.  Here are the top 17 reasons for keeping an 8 oz spray bottle of 100% pure, pharmaceutical grade eucalyptus oil in your home.  (BTW - The uses for the tree itself are not even included here, but can be found here.)

1. Anti bacterial - kills bacteria and prevents return
2. Anti fungal - kills fungus (many types) and inhibits return
3. Cold remedy - reduces symptoms.  May speed recover and/or help prevent colds
4. Helps with respiratory inflamation 
5. Helps to prevent staph infections
6. Analgesic effect - For any tired or overused muscle, including feet
7. Mosquito Repellant - 2nd only to DEET
8. Steam Room Improvement - Works as anti-fungal, anti bacterial, decongestant, analgesic, aromatherapy, and just smells good.
9. Use in hot shower or facial sauna - Same benefits as steam room.
10. Cat repellant - Can harm cats, but used properly will keep strays away.
11. Cold Sore remedy - apply early to stop formation
12. Aromatherapy - One of the most beneficial essential oils for various aromatherapeutic effects
13. Reduce symptoms of COPD
14. Cures athlete's feet - Maybe ringworm, jock itch and other similar issues
15. Overcomes addition to cigarettes - the study also found reduced craving for chocolate.  Use eucalyptus oil at your own risk regarding chocolate. 

We have chosen to list only those uses for which there has been some scientific evidence of usefulness, or where the product has been in active use for years, decades or centuries for the purpose listed.

Our 100% pure eucalyptus oil is not currently available in stores.  It is used by many of the top spas in the world, gyms, and baths for steam rooms and sometimes saunas.

We are now making an 8 oz and 16 oz bottle available to you on a direct basis from our factory in Long Beach.   This is exactly the same 100% pure, pharmaceutical grade eucalyptus oil that is used in the spas noted throughout this blog.

BUY SUPREMA GRADE EUCALYPTUS OIL NOW

To purchase the product, please give us a call at 1-800-395-6478.  We have the 8 oz bottle available for $29.95.  If you have a steam room in your home, you may prefer the 16 oz bottle, which we sell for just $54.95.  All major credit cards accepted.  

Eucalyptus Oil Second Only to Chemical DEET as Mosquito Repellant

Ochlerotatus notoscriptus, Tasmania, Australia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

5 Reasons to Use Eucalyptus Oil Instead of DEET as Mosquito Repellant

As we head into the heart of mosquito season, the various sprays, ointments, and zappers come out of the closets and basements.  You may not be aware that Eucalyptus Oil is considered to be the 2nd most effective method of repelling mosquitoes.  Wikipedia points out:

However, more recent evidence shows that DEET serves as a true repellent in that mosquitoes intensely dislike the smell of the chemical repellent.^[6] A type of olfactory receptor neuron in special antennal sensilla of mosquitoes that is activated by DEET, as well as other known insect repellents such as eucalyptol, linalool, and thujone, has been identified. Moreover, in a behavioral test, DEET had a strong repellent activity in the absence of body odor attractants such as 1-octen-3-ol, lactic acid, or carbon dioxide. Female and male mosquitoes showed the same response

 So, why might you choose to use eucalyptus oil as a mosquito repellent instead of Deet or other chemicals?

1. Eucalyptus Oil is natural.  You can purchase it in pure oil form.  
2. The aroma is one of the most soothing and appreciated of all the aromatherapy scents.
3. While minor, there are side effects to products with DEET
4. Mosquitos have been shown to be able to adapt to and overcome DEET
5. A bottle of 100% pure, pharmaceutical grade eucalyptus oil in your home has a long list of other potential uses including as aromatherapy, a shower mist, and an antibacterial agent.

Please not the the pure eucalyptus oil is not recommended as a topical mosquito repellent for children under 3, but is approved for all other groups.  

Eucalyptus Successfully Used in Fight to Control Malaria

Eucalyptus Hugely Successful Against Malaria for Two
Reasons

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation intends to finish off dreaded Malaria in the next 20 years.  One wonders if the Eucalyptus Tree will be a continuing part of the effort.

The following article has been taken from what must be the most exhaustive website on the subject of eucalyptus.  The story of Eucalyptus and its use to reduce, or in some cases eradicate, malaria reads like a mystery thriller.  I have slightly rearranged the paragraphs to increase the intrigue. 

One of the most enthralling chapters in the history of eucalyptus is its relationship to the eradication of malaria. Throughout the nineteenth century, it was believed that the eucalyptus fought malaria simply by disinfecting the ground and air. By the end of the century, the cause of malaria was found, and the eucalyptus' true relationship to the disease became known.
  
As in any mystery there are theories. Early on there were many theories of how the eucalyptus miraculously stopped malaria. Also there were glowing accounts of real life experiences of the successes made in the fight against malaria by the eucalyptus.
 
Very few people know that California had malarial problems. Malaria could be found in the Sacramento Valley and Kern County last century. In the Third Biennial Report (1874-75) of the California State Board of Health, the secretary of the board, Dr. Thomas M. Logan, was the author of a section entitled "Malarial Fevers and Consumption in California." Much of the report was about the eucalyptus and its ability to suppress the spread of malaria. He reprinted a contemporary article taken from the Kern County Courier reporting on one farmer's experience with malaria and eucalyptus:

     In regard to the anti-malaria influence of the eucalyptus, we have this conclusive  evidence. We have given it what we regard as a reasonably fair test on our own farm.  This is cultivated by two families, or companies, of Chinese. One company lives near the north and the other the south end of the premises, about three-fourths of a  mile apart.
    The localities both parties inhabit are favorable to the development of malaria. The soil  is rich, moist, and teeming with vegetable life, and the free sweep of the prevailing  wind is obstructed by the intervention of dense thickets. As might be expected, they
 have, every year, during the heated term, suffered with malarial fever. Last winter  we determined to test the much vaunted virtues of the eucalyptus.
    In February we gave to the party at the north end two ounces of the seed with the  directions that it should be planted near the house. It germinated finely, and produced  several thousands of young plants, but the frost killed most of them. About twelve
 hundred, however, survived. These, when the heated term commenced, had attained an  average height of two feet, and emitted a strong aromatic or camphorous odor,  perceptible at a distance of a hundred yards.
    In due time the party at the south end were visited by their usual mildly distressing  fever, but up to the present time we have looked in vain for the first symptoms to  develop in the other. They are all, to their own astonishment, in the most robust  health. These trees now average more than three feet in height, and the atmosphere of the house is strongly impregnated with their odor . . . and propose, the coming  season, to plant it on all the waste places and corners on our farm we can spare from  the other purposes. If everybody would do likewise, the great valley of Kern County
 might soon take rank among the sanitariums of the State . . . " 314 Concluding, Dr. Logan wrote, "These evidences go far to establish the fact that the eucalyptus globulus has a good effect in preventing the spread of malarial diseases . . . "315
 
In the California State Board Health's Tenth Biennial Report (1886-88) appeared an article with the title "Irrigation and Forestry Considered in Connection with Malarial Diseases." Use of eucalyptus and other plants were being used to stem the spread of malaria as seen in this excerpt:
     It is a well established fact that in malarial districts the planting of shrubs and trees  has had the effect to greatly modify, if not entirely remove, the malarious influence . . . But wonderful far efficacious than all, owing to the rapidity of its growth, its  wonderful powers as an absorbent, and the balsamic exhalation of its essential oil, it is Australian blue gum tree (Eucalyptus globulus).316
 
Dr. W.P. Gibbons of the Medical Society of the State of California wrote, "It has not been proved, though asserted until belief is established, that the  aroma of the eucalyptus is effective in preventing the incubation of intermittents."317 The scientific and medical fields knew that the eucalyptus arrested malaria but didn't really know why. The assumption by some was it was disinfected the air.
 
There were numerous reports worldwide of the success the eucalyptus was having in treating malaria. In 1874, the periodical California Horticulturalist contained such reports. For example in Cape Colony in southern Africa came this testimony: "In the spring of 1867, I planted upon this farm 13,000 plants of the Eucalyptus globulus. In July of that year, the season in which the fevers appear, the farmers were completely free from them . . . "318
 
Another example is this report from Constantine (Turkey) where eucalyptus had been planted: "The atmosphere is constantly charged with aromatic vapors, the farmers are no longer troubled with disease, and their children are bright with health and vigor."319
 
M. Gimbert in 1874 made these comments before the French Academy of Sciences concerning the eucalyptus:
    A tree springing up with incredible rapidity, capable of absorbing from the soil  ten times its weight of water in twenty-four hours, and giving to the atmosphere  antiseptic camphorated emanations, should play a very important part in  improving the health of the malarious districts . . . it has the property of absorbing  directly from marshes, thus preventing fermentations which are produced, and  paralyzing the animal miasma proceeding from them which might arise from them."320
 
During this period of time, throughout the world, the eucalyptus was labeled "fever tree"

Australia known as "almost fever free."

because it generally stopped the spread of deadly fevers. In Valencia, Spain, eucalyptus trees had to be protected by guards to prevent leaves from being stripped off by its citizens.321 And what did the Australians think about their treasured native tree and malaria?
 
In 1876, J. Bosisto read a paper before the Royal Society of Victoria (Australia) entitled, "Is the Eucalyptus a Fever-Destroying Tree?" He opened with this statement:
     Its (eucalyptus) power to absorb considerable moisture, and to permeate the air with  its peculiar odour, led to the belief that this tree . . . exerts a beneficial influence upon  malarious districts . . . is the eucalyptus a fever-destroying tree? Or, in other words  does it tend to lessen malaria or to destroy miasmatic poison?322
 
Bosisto then tells of his investigations in Australia, commenting: "Australia on the whole may be said to be pretty free from virulent endemic or miasmatic fevers, and the latter may be said to exist only as the eucalyptus recedes."323
 
After analyzing eucalyptus oils and resins, Bosisto was not able to find anything in them that had the power to oxygenate and purify the air more so than other plants.324 He noted that eucalyptus oils permeating the air, did refresh one's breathing.325 Bosisto concludes his paper with some support of the eucalyptus' value in fighting malaria, but the question is still virtually unanswered. He wrote, "In conclusion, may we not say with some authority that the evidence set forth in this paper on our own vegetation is in favour of the eucalyptus being a fever-destroying tree?"326
 
The most famous case concerning eucalyptus treatment of malaria comes from the Tre Fontaine Monastery near Rome, Italy. Each year during the "fever season," the monks would come down with malaria. Swamps were near, and the monks worked the fields returning to the monastery at night. It was thought that the night air carried malaria. Eucalyptus trees were planted in the swamps reclaiming the land with their ability to drain the water through their root systems. With the water gone the mosquitoes had no habitat in which to breed and carry on activity. Malaria fever greatly lessened, but a Dr. Montechiare, who was a physician for years in that area, was not convinced that eucalyptus affected the disposition of malaria.327
 
Scientists and physicians knew that the eucalyptus did something to interfere with the process of malaria, but what it did and how it did it wasn't clear. Many simply disclaimed it until the cause of malaria was found.
 
In California, malaria reached its peak in the 1880's. Blue gums were planted with fervor because it was generally felt they purified the air and had some effect on malaria. This comes from the Pacific Rural Press:
     A paper read before the California Academy of Natural Sciences in 1879 reported that  the Southern Pacific Railroad had planted 1,000 eucalyptus trees between the train  stations and the marshes to ward off malaria in the interior valley.  The number of  malaria cases had dropped from twenty-five to eight.329
 
It was thought that malaria came from moist, rich soil escaping into the night air during the summer months. Night air is usually damp and chilly, and thought to carry a multitude of maladies of which one was malaria. The word "malaria" in Latin means "bad  air."  By virtue of its aroma, it would be only natural to suppose that the eucalyptus somehow purified the "mal aria" or bad air.
 
It was also thought that the oils dropping from the eucalyptus leaves and the gums secreted from the bark, disinfected the ground around the tree. These secretions had a purifying effect just like its aroma did to the surrounding air.
 
In his 1895 work, Eucalyptus, Abbott Kinney gave many examples of the success eucalyptus was having in arresting malarial fever. Some of have been noted above. Kinney thought that malaria entered the body through the ingestion of water, milk, or food. The malarial germ, he felt, was released into the air by turning over soil in warm, marshy land, and some way it got into what humans ate or drank. He cited Bakersfield cases where unboiled water from shallow wells (he felt) caused malaria. He called it the "Bakersfield Fever." After the water was boiled from these wells the malaria disappeared he reported.330 Kinney did experiments with meat, water, and eucalyptus leaves. He wanted to see if eucalyptus stopped the growth of bacteria. In results were inconclusive.331
 
The connection was beginning to be seen between disease and insects especially mosquitoes. Kinney used an eucalyptus smudge to kill mosquitoes, but it didn't work.332 The Pacific Rural Press reported in 1876, " . . . being very much in his sleep by mosquitoes, took it into his head to place a young plant of eucalyptus in his bedroom over night. From that moment the insects disappeared and he slept in comfort."333 There was a doctor who rubbed eucalyptus leaves on his horse to drive the insects away. Pillows were sprinkled with an eucalyptus powder to keep insects off them.334
 
The Tulare Register ran this testimony: "Our house was surrounded with blue gum trees. We always slept with our doors and windows open and were never seriously bothered while just a few rods away the stock would be covered and almost perish with the great numbers (mosquitoes) tormenting them."335
 
Finally the cause of malaria was known. In a 1900 issue of The Forester, published by the American Forestry Association, there was an article entitled, "The Eucalyptus in the Tropics: Its Rapid Growth and Value as a Sanitary Agent, Acting as a Preventative of Malaria." It told of the cause of malaria, and urged the planting of eucalyptus to dry up swampland thereby removing the mosquito's breeding habitat. The article went on to discuss the positive effect eucalyptus had on the air.336 This theme could be seen too in the 1897 yearbook of the U.S. Department of Agriculture:

The female anopheles mosquito carries the malaria parasite and implants it in a human's blood system. The mosquito's home and breeding ground is generally in a area of standing water such as swampland. Because the eucalyptus absorbs large amounts of water, it can drain swampland thereby destroying the habitat of the mosquito, and consequently stopping the spread of malaria.

With regard to the sanitary value of the tree, it has been strongly stated that its value  was owing to its rapid growth and the great absorbent power of its roots in drying up  wet and marsh lands, but it is no longer doubted that Eucalyptus globulus, along with  other species of Eucalyptus, evaporate with water a volatile oil and a volatile acid,  which permeate the atmosphere and contribute to its invigorating and healthy nature and character.337
 
The eucalyptus had found its place as a partner in the prevention of malaria, and it still held its usual stature as an agent in cleansing the air. The latter would last until modern medicine got more sophisticated and became disinterested in old-fashion ideas of treatment or "sanitation." 

 In 2013, Eucalyptus has become one of the most important plants on the face of the planet.  The many uses of this tree and its gum, leaves, and wood, has turned eucalyptus into a major cash crop in countries all over the world.

And even with all the science that has been done, it is still not clear today why and how eucalyptus is so effective in helping reduce symptoms of and even curing everything from cold sores to aching feet.  As with so many essential oil based "cures," the evidence of success is in the testimony of the users and the wide spread use based on those testimonies.

9 Surprising Ways Eucalyptus Trees Benefit Humans

In Sherbrooke Forest, Victoria, Australia (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Best Friend a Steam Room Ever Had, Eucalyptus Oil, Comes from a Tree that Provides the World with a Long List of Benefits

Everyone loves the scent of eucalyptus oil in the steam room at the local spa or gym.  Many are now finding that they also like to bring it home to their home steam unit or shower.  We know about some of the reported benefits to our skin, olfactory system, respiratory system, and even emotional and spiritual health, but the oil and the tree that creates the oil are amazing on many, many levels.

1.  Biomass is a potential source for generating power around the world.  Biomass can be derived  from renewable, sustainable sources like plants and trees.  While we currently use corn, sugar, and switch grass for biomass applications, better might be fast growing hardwood trees planted and harvested for energy production, but also supplying wood and fiber. 


2.  The eucalyptus tree is one of the fastest growing hardwood trees in the world.  It already represents 8 percent of all planted forests.  Grown in 90 countries, the eucalyptus is easy to grow in many climates.  In 2003, global Eucalyptus pulp demand was 8 million tons and it represented 40 percent of the world’s hardwood pulp market.

3.  Dryland salinity is becoming a serious problem in many parts of the World.   In Australia, almost 50% of the divertible water supply is either undrinkable or marginal because of salinity.   Scientists believe that this may be due to the removal of deep rooted trees to make room for shallow rooted food crops.  The water table moves up, bringing salt that has been in deposit for millennia closer to the surface.  A solution for this has been to plant eucalyptus trees in the farm areas, whose deep roots will then lower the water table.  Early experimentation seems to be showing promising results.

4.  Eucalyptus oils derived from the leaves of some species of eucalyptus provide commercially viable products for cleaning and disinfecting.  The oils are known to be antibacterial and antimicrobial.  Thus eucalyptus oils are used for cleaning virtually any surface and can even be used in the wash.  Great for smelly shoes.

5.  Eucalyptus oils are used in pure form and in combination with other products to produce excellent remedies for colds, flu, dry skin, itchy feet or scalp. 

6.  Essential oils are used in many applications as aromatherapy to sooth the nerves and help with relaxation, either by themselves, or in conjunction with massage, sauna or steam baths. 

7.  There is evidence that merely thinking about the smell of eucalyptus may be helpful in arresting cravings for chocolate or cigarettes.  Good idea for the cigarettes.  Leave my chocolate cravings alone.

8.  Combined with Tea Tree Oil, Eucalyptus may be effective with Lice and Nits.

9.  Eucalyptus oil has been studied and is being studied at universities around the world, and there is a growing body of evidence that shows multiple medicinal uses, including:  cure for athletes feet, relieve muscle pain, control airway inflamation in COPD patients, prevent staph infections, and more.

May we recommend that you consider our 100% pure, pharmaceutical grade, eucalyptus oil for your commercial steam room or for your home steam bath or regular shower?  Please visit http://eurospaareomatics.com for more information or call 800-395-6478

Could Eucalyptus Oil Help Curb Chocolate and Cigarette Cravings? Study Says Yes

Eucalyptus scent beats chocolate cravings, says new study

Taken from a story here http://www.fgb.com.au/whats-new-archives/whats-new-eucalyptus-and-chocolate-cravings

Most of us have experienced the irresistible lure of the 3pm chocolate fix - but for some people, cravings lead to more than just a harmless, occasional indulgence.

Those who experience ‘pathological’ cravings find them constant and debilitating and may be at risk of serious health problems, according to new Australian research.

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Stop Chocolate and Cigarette Cravings with Eucalyptus Oil??  New Study Opens Says This Could Be True! 

Psychology researcher Dr. Eva Kemps and colleague Dr. Marika Tiggeman examined the psychology of food cravings and found the use of counter-visualisation - in particular, imagining the scent of Eucalyptus Oil - was highly effective in curbing cravings.

Kemps, from Adelaide’s Flinders University, conducted a series of experiments in which chocolate cravings were induced in participants who were then asked to perform a series of tasks.

When they were asked to imagine the smell of eucalyptus oil, the chocolate cravings disappeared.

“When you are having a craving you are experiencing very vivid and clear mental imagery,” Kemp says.

“People’s mental capacity is limited in size, so if you are using it up to conjure up images of food, it can’t be used for something else. 

“On the flip side when we got them to do another task, such as imagining the smell of eucalyptus they could not maintain the craving,” says Kemps.

“Engaging in a simple visual task seems to hold real promise as a method for curbing food cravings.”

The research is also relevant for people craving alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine and drugs, Kemp believes.  “Smokers experience the smell of the cigarette,” she says.

She hoped further research would determine whether the technique could be used to modify eating and substance-abuse behaviour.

Source: A Cognitive Experimental Approach to Understanding and Reducing Food Cravings, E. Kemps and M. Tiggemann,  Current Directions in Psychological Science 2010 19: 86.