Fragrant Light – Medicine of the Future

The deep inter-connectedness of plants with the Cosmos and their omnipresent nourishing and caring attitude towards all living beings, makes it very easy to fall in love with their essence and develop an unending admiration for the unfathomable intelligence of Nature present in them. …and through them we are connected with the creative spirit behind…

NIAOULI – breathe and protect with motherly care

The name “Niaouli” is derived from Nyelayu, a New Caledonian language, translated into Niaouli in French. The botanical name is Melaleuca viridiflora or Melaleuca quinquenervia, commonly known as Niaouli or “broad-leaved paperbark”. The genus name “Melaleuca” means “black and white” – referring to the colour of the bark which resembles the bark of the birch…

Thoughts on Arthritis/Arthrosis – Aromatherapy and Herbal Medicine

Arthritis and Arthrosis are symptoms of pain and stiffness in the joints; ligaments and bones, both are affected in both cases. It is an inflammatory condition and as such can also influence skin and muscles as well as certain organs. Arthrosis is one of the most common kinds of Arthritis. In this case the cartilage,…

Yarrow – A Thousand Leaves, A Thousand Cures

Yarrow, with its botanical name Achillea millefolium, is a perennial medicinal plant popular throughout Europe. The Latin name goes back to the Trojan hero Achilles who came to Troy in search of the king of the Mysians, Thelephos. He injured Telephpos on the thigh, and healed the wound with a medicinal plant, which was later…

Frangipani – An Intoxicating Seducer

Frangipani (Plumeria alba) is a genus of flowering plants in the Apocynaceae family, containing seven or eight main species of shrubs and trees. They are native to Central America, Mexico, the Caribbean and South America but have been spread by missionaries and early travellers throughout the world’s tropics, especially Hawaii. The name Plumeria can be…

German Chamomile Oil – Caring and Motherly

Chamomile ‘matricaria’ contains the latin word ‘matrix’ in its botanical name – meaning ‘caring for the womb’. This finds its echo in folk medicine which has always emphasized Chamomile’s emmenagogue properties and its connection with the female system. The word ‘Chamomile’ is derived from Greek ????? (chamaí) ‘on the ground’ and ????? (m?lon) ‘apple’ hinting…

Aromatic Reflections for Moments of Crisis – Part 2

We do not need to re-invent the wheel. We just have to deepen our knowledge of Nature and combine her age-old defense mechanisms with our modern scientific approach. Essential oils are Sun-Light messengers. With their poly-molecular bio-chemical outfit they have developed as allies of interaction inside Nature herself in a kind of challenge and response…

Aromatic Reflections for Moments of Crisis – Part 1

Sometimes… When we look at our lives today, individually and collectively…When we have forgotten how much we are caught up in the matrix of habits, routines, conditionings, boredoms, stress… Then something may appear from “nowhere“, pulling us by the nose ? making us jump up in panic, cutting the normal flow of things in a…

Cardamom – Healthy Breathing, Healthy Feeding

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…