from November 2008 Newsletter

It's folk wisdom to dab an aching tooth with clove essential oil. Clove is not only the spicy, pungent, zesty ingredient in many a pumpkin pie, gingerbread or holiday punch, but belongs in every essential oil first aid kit for its pain and germ killing properties. Eugenia caryophyllata is a steam distilled oil from the evergreen tree syzgium aromaticum. It has been used since the Middle Ages to treat arthritis, rheumatism, sprains, strains, toothaches, asthma and bronchitis. I recommend it to you for colds and flus as well.

I carry two qualities of clove essential oil: clove bud essential oil and the less costly clove stem essential oil. I prefer the wild-crafted CO clove bud in therapeutic custom blends and the Certified Organically Grown clove stem for perfumery and incense. I also carry clove flower water (hydrosol), the lightly fragrant watery product of distillation. I use this in baths, toners, laundry sprays and best of all, with citrus in room deodorizers. I find its warm, spicy, woody scent more addictive than precious sandalwood. Clove bud is unmatched as a base note in perfume, as well.

But how can you use clove essential oil in your home first aid kit?

* Carefully put a drop of clove essential oil on an aching tooth while you make an emergency dental appointment. You'll still need dental treatment, but your pain will be safely reduced at the source and the infection will be temporarily contained.

* Pour 100 ml of clove hydrosol - flower water - in the bath with you and perhaps a cup of epsom salts to soothe tired aching muscles.

* Add 20 drops of citrus essential oil and 10 drops of clove essential oil to water, shake well, and spritz around the house for an uplifting and at once grounding scent.

* Add a few drops of clove essential oil to a few tables spoons of water in a candle diffuser to scent and disinfect the room when a family member has a cold or flu. Better yet, add a few drops to boiled water and have the cold or flu sufferer inhale under a towel.

* Add 10 - 20 drops of clove essential oil to 10 ml of a vegetable oil and apply to painful areas if the skin is unbroken. Massage tired, aching muscles with the oil blend.

Clove essential oil can irritate the skin, so never apply it undiluted except to a tooth. Do not use if you have an auto immune disease; consult a registered aromatherapist instead.

Don't forget to decorate oranges for the holidays by inserting whole clove buds in patterns around any citrus fruit. You'll feel the anaesthetic properties as you work with the cloves ~ just imagine how well the essential oil works! These pomander balls will deodorize and scent your home and even protect your closets, drawers and pantry from moths, molds and fungi - not to be mistaken for fun guys!

Tracey TieF is a Registered Aromatherapy Health Practitioner, among other things! Certified Organically Grown clove stem essential oil is available to Anarres clients wholesale for $.50 a millilitre. Certified Organically Grown clove bud essential oil is $.75/ml, and clove hydrosol is $3.10 per 100 ml. Say you saw it here and get a 10% discount off your total order!