Having Trouble With Sleep, Anxiety, Facial Scars, Joint Pain or Headaches? Try This Wonder Oil

Photo: Liz Lawley

It is that time of the year again -- back to school! While I am relishing the thought that soon I will have peace while my children are in school, my youngest is fretting over the thought of entering high school. The transition from grade school to high school can be quite anxiety producing for the entire family.

I have found an essential oil that helps in relaxation. This essential oil is frankincense and it has become the "wonder oil" in our household. There are so many ways to benefit from frankincense, and I'd like to share how my family and I use it because maybe it will help your family, too.

What Is Frankincense

Frankincense is dried sap from trees grown in areas such Somalia, Ethiopia, Oman and Yemen. The trees are of the Boswellia genus. They are harvested twice a year and the resin is aged for about three months before being sold.

Photo: Gerry and Bonni

Frankincense has a fruity and woodsy odor and has been used for centuries as a perfume, for religious ceremonies and to relieve pain, cure scurvy and as a remedy for baldness!

Today Frankincense is used to help fade scars, to relieve anxiety, improve memory and sleep and so much more. If you've never given it any more thought than a gift that was brought by the Three Wise Men, I urge you to check it out.

Some Sources I Checked Out
http://www.scents-of-earth.com/frankincense1.html
http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/question2831.htm

How to Use Essential Oils

Please research the specific essential oil thoroughly before use. Many should not be used internally. Others should be used only sparingly.

Essential oils are used aromatically, topically or internally. The smell of different oils can bring on mental clarity or elicit emotional responses. Some essential oils can be used to produce a calming effect, while others can be used to uplift or invigorate.

You can breathe in essential oils by using a diffuser, placing a bit on your hands or placing a drop on a piece of cloth or cotton ball and placing them in your car or home. You can also add a few drops to a spray bottle, fill with water and use as a mist over bed sheets, furniture or in the air.

Essential oils are easily absorbed into the skin, so using them topically can bring immediate benefit. I typically apply essential oils to my neck, arms or forehead. You can also add a drop to your bath water.

Some essential oils can be used as a dietary supplement. It is important to follow the recommended guidelines for use and dosage on the oil's packaging.

The Many Uses for Frankincense Essential Oil

Frankincense is one of my favorite essential oils because it is so versatile. I have used it in the following ways:

1. To relieve headaches. I suffer from regular headaches as well as migraines. Before reaching for medicines, I reach for Frankincense. By rubbing a drop into my temples, or breathing in the scent sprayed onto a pillow, I can often eliminate the headache within ten minutes or so.
2. Remove skin tags. I never thought it would happen to me. Skin tags are for old people! I guess I'm getting old. By dabbing frankincense oil on my skin tags daily, I can get rid of them, usually within two weeks. Now no one (well, except you) will ever know that I ever had them. Although I have not done this, I have read that if you mix a drop with coconut oil, the combination makes for a great facial moisturizer.
3. Help with sleep. I go through periods where I seem to be awake throughout the night more hours that I am asleep. Spraying frankincense essential oil mixed with water on my sheets truly helps me sleep like a baby. While I know some people who spray it on their pillows, the scent is too overwhelming for me. I just spray my sheets.
4. And finally, I use frankincense oil to help ease anxiety and help with relaxation. This past week, as my young daughter was preparing for her first day of high school (wouldn't want to go back to that day!), I have used frankincense essential oil in a diffuser in our home. The scent has a calming effect and I know it has helped us all (she is just a bit high drama). One would think it would make sense to have the diffuser running 24/7 if it helps ease anxiety, but I have found that it is most effective if I use it only during the times when the anxiety level is high or could potentially escalate.

I have read that frankincense can also be used to fade scars, ease joint pain, improve memory and ease congestion, but I have not specifically used it for any of those purposes. I find this essential oil so useful, however, that it is likely that it does all of these things and more.

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