Cardamom is a perennial plant and grows up to 2-3 metres in height. It has white flowers with reddish stripes in the centre. The fruit capsules (pods) grow near the ground and contain the seeds which are used as spice. They are gathered before they are ripe to prevent bursting during the drying process which would…
Sleeping Problems and some Natural and Aromatic Approaches
Sleeplessness or insomnia is a major problem in our modern, stressful society. Millions and millions of people all over the world suffer from it. Our hectic life style in a modern society with constant demands for better and faster performances, the global media connectedness, disharmonious day and night rythms in general etc. have also left…
Lemon Balm – Healing with Angel Wings
Balm or Lemon-Balm was introduced to the monastic gardens in Europe by Charlemagne in the early 9th century. The plant had been known for its sedative, anti-depressive as well as carminative effects long before. Due to its fresh lemony fragrance Balm was also called Cedronella. The botanical name Melissa (greek for “honey bee”) indicates the…
Neem – The sacred tree of Ayurveda
The Neem tree (Azadirachta indica) is a tropical evergreen tree native to India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Burma. It belongs to the plant family of the Meliaceae related to the Mahagony tree. It is a fast growing tree that can reach a height of up to 35-40 metres. Its leaves have a very bitter taste, whereas…
Aromatherapy for Rehabilitation
What can aromatherapy add to rehabilitation centres? Padre Gabriel Mejia from the Christian order of the Claretians has created more than 50 rehabilitation centres all over Columbia. In these centres he introduced Transcendental Meditation and aromatherapy to thousands of kids and adolescents. “The street is my church” Father Gabriel “Now operational in 52 centres across…
The Artemisia Oils – Part 2: Thoughts on Malaria and Cancer
Artemisia annua, also called “Sweet Wormwood”, is another amazing medicinal herb from the Artemisia genus. Extracts of Artemisia annua have been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) for over thousands of years. The plant has stirred up strong interest over the last decades because of its highly efficient results on treating Malaria. Until today Malaria…
The Artemisia Oils – Aromatic Challengers and Benefactors, Part 1
The genus “Artemisia” belongs to the Asteraceae family – the “star blossomers” (lat. “aster” = star), so called because of the star-like structure of their blossoms. It was also called before the “composite” or “daisy” plant family. “Composite” because of their special way to compose their flowers in a circular group together, giving the impression…
Depression, Anxiety, Stress and some Aromatherapy Solutions
Depression is something mysterious, enigmatic – it is like an accident, something that seems fatal and which hits when we do not even think that it could be us who are the victims this time. And no solution seems to work – although big Pharma sells anti-depressants for billions of Euros in the world today….
Rose – Making A Myth Our Fragrant Reality
Mankind has given to the Rose the name ‘Queen of the Flowers’ – and this is certainly not a misnomer… Rose, this wonderful floral being has always – and particularly since the beginning of historical writing – held a particular fascination in the awareness of mankind. It inspired men of so many cultures to create…
Ginger – An Ancient Universal Healer
The name Ginger stems from the Sanskrit word “shringan” meaning “horn of a dear”. It refers to the special form of the Ginger rhizomes which have been used in Asian cooking and medicine over thousands of years. Ginger has abundantly been used since old in the Ayurvedic kitchen of India. Confuzius has already praised the virtues…