Healing with Rosewood Essential Oil
The Medicinal Benefits in Aromatherapy of Rosewood Oil
For its soothing and restorative properties, rosewood oil is a popular healing essential oil in aromatherapy. It has both a positive impact on the psyche, and on the body, primarily benefiting the skin, making it an ideal facial oil and massage oil. Rosewood essential oil does however come from an over-forested tree in Brazil, making its use in aromatherapy somewhat controversial.
Characteristics of Rosewood Essential Oil
Rosewood essential oil is extracted from the Brazilian rosewood tree, Aniba rosaeaodora. This giant evergreen is in the Lauraceae family of plants along with cinnamon and cassia, and many other plants used to make healing essential oils. The Brazilian rosewood grows only in Brazil where it is often illegally logged. Recently, legislation has been put in place to protect the rosewood, requiring distilleries to plant a new tree when one is cut down. Often rosewood oil is made from wood chipping left over from trees that have been cut down for other purposes such as carving and cabinet making. Because of the environmental issues surrounding rosewood essential oil, many aromatherapists suggest using this beneficial oil sparingly.
Rosewood oil has a sweet, spicy, woody, and somewhat floral fragrance. Its healing properties, due to its phytochemical contents, including linalool, geraniol, camphene, limonene, and alpha-pinene, are not as varied as with other essential oils, although rosewood essential oil is highly prized for the medicinal properties that it does have. It is one of the best healing essential oils for depression, as well as being an ideal skin care essential oil. It is an anti-depressant, aphrodisiac, stimulant, cephalic, antiseptic, and mildly analgesic essential oil.
The Benefits of Rosewood Oil on the Psyche
Rosewood oil is particularly useful for improving the psyche after a long, difficult day. When mentally fatigued, stressed, even depressed, rosewood essential oil has the ability to stimulate positive, hopeful feelings and to create a state of emotional balance. If physically exhausted as well, this healing essential oil will stimulate circulation, creating a warming feeling, and will relieve very mild pain. It is also excellent in this way to treat headaches and the symptoms of PMS. Rosewood essential oil can be used as an aphrodisiac to benefit both impotence and frigidity. By effectively reducing stress levels, and its overall stimulating effect, rosewood oil does have a positive impact on the immune system as well.
For a calming, restorative bath to both ease tension and rejuvenate the skin, add six drops of rosewood essential oil and four drops of jasmine essential oil to a cup of water. Add this solution to bath water. Inhale the fragrant aroma of these two healing essential oils for about 15 to 20 minutes, enjoying the positive transformation of the psyche.
The Benefits of Rosewood Oil for the Skin
Rosewood oil is an ideal skin care essential oil because of its ability to stimulate cell and tissue regeneration. It helps to balance dull, dry, and oily skin, specifically benefiting mature, wrinkled skin. To make a rejuvenating facial oil, blend three drops of rosewood essential oil with three drops of lavender essential oil in one ounce of jojoba oil. Softly rub this healing blend into the skin, being careful to avoid the area around the eyes.
Guidelines for Using Rosewood Essential Oil
Rosewood essential oil is non-toxic, non-irritating, and a generally safe to use healing essential oil. However, like all essential oils, rosewood oil is highly concentrated and should never be applied directly to the skin, but always diluted in a carrier oil, water, or lotion. Rosewood essential oil should not be ingested.
When using in aromatherapy, rosewood oil does blend well with most oils, particularly all of the citrus and floral essential oils. Always use therapeutic grade essential oil for the medicinal properties of healing essential oils.
Sources:
Balch, Phyllis A. " Prescription for Nutritional Healing." Fourth Edition (Penguin Books, 2006).
Mukherjee, Aparup. "Health Benefits of Rosewood Essential Oil." (OrganicFacts).
Rosewood Oil is From Rosewood Trees
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