Summertime – and the sunshine is intense.  Great idea to use sunscreen to prevent sunburn and sun damage;  most people would consider this a no-brainer.  But did you know there are some essential oils that will react with the sun’s ultraviolet rays and create unpleasant and painful skin reactions?  The phenomenon is called
photo-sensitivity – and it can be quite nasty.The aromachemistry of essential oils plays a role in determining which essential oils are safe or not safe to use on the skin during extended exposure times or higher intensity to ultraviolet rays. Essential oils containing a type of Lactone phytochemical called Furocoumarin is primarily responsible for the photosensitivity reaction to ultraviolet rays.  Any essential oil containing furocoumarin can be problematic.  Bergamot essential oil has the highest concentration of furocoumarin in the form of a phyto-chemical called Bergapten.  Because of this, you won’t find it in any stay-on-the-skin products used in the summer months – or you shouldn’t!

What does a photosensitivity reaction look like?  The reaction can be skin burns, skin blisters or serious skin discolouration.  Depending upon the type and amount of essential oil applied and the length of exposure time to the sun, the skin damage can be mild to extremely severe. The risk of having a reaction can be any time up to 12-18 hours after applying the essential oil.  It does not necessarily take alot of essential oil to create the reaction.  Reactions have been documented at essential oil dilution rates less than 0.5%.  Besides the skin reaction itself, the pain that accompanies the reaction can also be a great concern.

The essential oils most likely to create a photosensitivity reaction include most of the expressed citrus peel oils.  Bergamot, Grapefruit, Lemon and Lime are best avoided.  Mandarin and Tangerine are safer to use as their furocoumarin  content is almost zero. Some researchers say it is safe to use expressed Orange essential oil, while others caution against its use.  Additional essential oils that are problematic include Angelica Root and Tagetes. There are others, but they are rarely used in our daily skin care routines.

To limit this photosensitivity problem, some companies will offer Furocoumarin-free essential oils, or FCFs.  These have been processed to remove the offending furocoumarin phyto-chemicals.  For instance, you will often see Bergamot FCF (or Bergapten-Free Bergamot) available for sale during hot, sunny weather. The removal of the furocoumarins does alter the natural chemistry of the essential oil and, as some would argue, the oil’s full therapeutic benefits. But by removing the furocoumarin, it improves the essential oil’s safety for use on the skin in sunny weather.

Can you use essential oils containing furocoumarins during the summer?  Certainly – but with safety in mind.  Anything that will be washed off the skin immediately (such as soap or shampoo) is usually fine.  Room diffusions are okay.  Room sprays can work, as long as the droplets don’t land on one’s skin when spraying. Evening skin care should be fine, as long as the dilution rate is very low so the essential oil can be gone before the next day’s sun exposure.

Any questions or doubts about the essential oils or aromatherapy products you are using?  Contact a qualified Registered Aromatherapist or Essential OIl Therapist for the safest answers.

Did you know ……

• HealthLink BC is a government funded tele-health service which provides non-emergency health information to the residents of BC.,  through combined telephone, internet, mobile app, and print resources.
• HealthLink BC has two dedicated phone numbers:  8-1-1 and 7-1-1 for hearing impaired callers.
• The website is a good source of health information and contact info for provincial services, agencies and supports  http://www.HealthLinkBC.ca/

If you are dealing with a life-threatening situation, call 9-1-1 instead

As the Spring gardens continue to burst forth with life, I am humbled and in awe of the regenerative and restorative powers of Nature. While it restores itself, it also restores me. Form, colour, aroma and textures all come together in a way that is nothing short than miraculous. The healing energy coming from the garden showers down and around me and helps me become grounded, calm and joyful.

The forms in the garden inspire the imagination. Notice how the Fibonacci sequence can be found in the unfolding of the petals of roses or sunflowers and the unfurling of ferns. These plant spirals grow by exactly 1.618 each cycle. In Sacred Geometry, this is called the Golden Ratio and is known to be one of the most appealing shapes to the human eye.  It was how Da Vinci created his Vitruvian Man – just look at how the spirals and lines dissect the image.

The colours in the garden reflect those of the rainbow – and then some!  Each colour has a part to play in restoring and balancing our energy centres.  The reds, oranges and yellows offer us energy, vitality, security, joy and focus; can’t be sad when they are surrounding us with their gifts!  The blues, purples and pinks are more calming and soothing;  they help us to dream, rest and connect to the greater powers.  All gardens have lots of greens – light, dark and everything in between!  Green is a great balancer – it is the physical heart energy and is a colour that helps us find our centre.  That place of peace within, at our core.

The aromas in the garden can take us on a magical ride!  Inhale the lilies, lilacs, roses, sweet peas, mock orange and lavenders and see where you go in your mind!  Pick the fresh herbs – smell and taste them to really appreciate their aromatic gifts. Without aroma, food would taste bland.  Without the aroma of flowers, the garden would not be complete.  Gardens and their flowers help us to imagine, remember and smile.

The textures in the garden offer us a tangible way to help anchor our experiences in the garden.  Gentle petals, fuzzy leaves, spiny twigs, soft grass and moss all call us to come and connect.  If you’re not sure about this, watch a youngster in the garden.  Learn from their delight.  Connect with the plants and feel your tensions melt away.  Hug a tree or sit up against it and feel the strength it shares.  Braid some grass, create a flower headpiece, arrange flowers in a vase or create something beautiful with the plants you find in the garden.

June is a most magical month for experiencing the healing gifts from the garden.  Give yourself the gift of time spent in a garden each day – and see how your world responds.  I am sure that you, too, will feel grateful for Nature’s gifts you receive.

Did you know ……

• Edible flowers include:  roses, violets, pansies, nasturtiums, calendula, daylilies, squash blossoms, flowers of edible herbs, lavender. borage and orchids
• If you plan to eat the flowers, be sure they have not been sprayed with toxic herbicides or pesticides or have had toxic fertilizers used on them.
• Fill an ice cube tray with water and press one or two small edible flowers into each section.  Freeze until solid.  Use the cubes in any cocktail or drink

As we come upon Valentines Day, many people will be choosing roses as a means of conveying their affection and love.  In days gone by, elaborate messages were communicated through bouquets, as each plant translated its own vocabulary.  Flower colour make a difference to the scent of a rose, and also to its medicinal benefits.

I had the pleasure of meeting British aromatherapist and author Elizabeth Ashley at Botanica 2016 in England. Elizabeth has gone to great lengths to explain the history, qualities and energetics of various  roses.  She states,  “… For rose truly is a timeless elixir, unmatched in her beauty but also her power. ” In her book, Rose Goddess Medicine, she offers us these descriptions of various coloured roses.

Red Rose –  Passionate love
This essence helps us to face the wounds which we might have hoped had already healed.  Its compassionate medicine reaches out as salve for guilt that underlies the perception of pain. … The Red Rose is a thread through the infinite lifetimes of being.  It is eternal and can connect in a timeless fashion unhindered by space and time. …
Self-hating strategies stack up layer on layer and form a fiercely angry welt that Red Rose energy is supremely good at dissipating. … This is root chakra energy, physical love and life foundations.  It is the healing gateway from those lessons learned in the first seven years of your life, of dependency, security and how easily your emotional needs can be met.

Yellow Rose – Gladness, friendship, promise of a new beginning;  it can also convey jealousy
When someone suffers a trauma, eventually the shock to the tissues will start to change how the body acts at a cellular level, slowly driving up inflammations and markers of chronic disease.  Yellow Rose energy is first aid.  It entirely dissipates the trauma before it has a chance to infect.  Emergency medicine of the solar plexus chakra.

Bright Pink Rose –  Appreciation and gentleness
This is truly the colour of the female consciousness as it stands today.  It is the “widget” for anyone who dreams of manifesting an altruistic role but somehow always sees their goal slip away.  The Pink Rose will seriously kick your (butt) if you are wasting time or managing it ineffectively. The medicine might be subtle, but with her 6 inch Louboutains on her fragranced feet, you are sure going to feel it when she does! If you want to manifest, then you most certainly will. Be warned:  if life can’t get any fuller, then something will have to go.  Make sure you say your goodbyes with compassion and love. … The Pink Rose is sisterhood, grace and your place in the cosmic order.  How do you fit into the universe’s plan and who can you call on to help you?  Rose will tell you who, what, why, where and when – and the chances are she will also present your purpose right there at your feet!… Bright Pink Rose energy draws out everything you were ever born to be.

Pale Pink Rose –  Grace and  “Please believe me”
Before any real healing can take place in the heart, or success starts to manifest through your life, there absolutely has to be some semblance of self-esteem.  This is truth medicine. … Confidence is a practice learned trait.  It builds and gathers momentum with success.  At the very beginning of a dream or new project, it is hard to make new listeners hear. Pale Pink Rose engenders faith in us and in them…. The Pale Pink Rose helps you like what you see in the mirror.  It carries the gift of unconditional self love and acceptance. It fosters healthy interpersonal connections. All Pink Roses vibrate at the heart chakra.

Orange Rose –  Desire and enthusiasm
This is very clear bright sounding throat chakra medicine.  It enhances creativity,  clears emotional blocks and eases anger. It is happy, feisty and energetic;  really caught up in the moment, like nothing else ever really mattered.

Purple Rose – Enchantment
This is a transient and transcendent energy of the third eye.  A snapshot into another realm. It is intuitive, psychic and spiritual.

White Rose –  Purity, silence and innocence
This is the rose of the crown chakra, gently nurturing and compassionate.  White Rose essence engenders the will to live and a commitment to see life’s trials through to their resolution.

The Rose has a long history of cultivation, use and appreciation.  It has always been associated with love, passion, connection and spirit.  As a herbal medicine, its qualities are amazing.  As an essential oil, its aroma is divine.  A little goes a long way – deeply and profoundly.  Perhaps it is time we took another look and whiff of this exquisite beauty.  Happy Valentines Day!