Ocotea Essential Oil

If you are like me, when you first saw the word “Ocotea” some questions immediately popped into your mind: What is it? What can it do for me? And most of all...how do I pronounce it? Here are some answers.

Ocotea (pronounced: Oh-koh-tay-ah) is a tropical plant found primarily in the Americas. There are over 300 species of Ocotea, many of them being evergreen trees. Young Living's Ocotea essential oil is made from the female trees of the species Ocotea quixos, which are grown and distilled on Young Living's farm in Ecuador. Ocotea trees are often huge, with some growing to be 60 feet tall or higher.

Thyme Essential Oil

My step-dad is an organic grower, and I am an organic foodie, so we love talking about organic gardening, recipes, and food preparation. Whenever he visits, we can kill an entire afternoon drinking glasses of fresh-made veggie juice (usually made from the stuff from his garden), and talking about nothing but organic food.

The other day, he brought over a bag of fresh produce, including a small bunch of Thyme. The little sprigs smelled fantastic and looked so lovely that I stuck them in a vase where I can easily pull off a few bits whenever I need them for cooking. That vase is sitting before me as I type this.

Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

Cananga odarata, commonly known as Ylang ylang, is a tropical tree that is used worldwide to create perfume. Pronounced “Ee-lang ee-lang”, this species is a favorite among essential oil enthusiasts due to its sweet floral fragrance. In traditional folk medicine it is used for stress, tension, circulatory issues, beautifying skin and hair. and also as an aphrodisiac. So what does scientific research have to say about this heavenly scented oil? Here are some of the ways that Ylang ylang is being studied right now.

How I Use Grapefruit Essential Oil

By now you've probably seen this month's Young Living promotions for the Canadian market.  I was very excited when I received the promo flier as all three of these oils are among my favorite and most used.  In fact, I was planning to purchase both Peppermint and Grapefruit this month so it was awesome to receive them for free with my essential rewards order this month!

We have already covered some of Peppermint Oil's amazing uses in a previous post so I wanted to share some of the ways that I like to use grapefruit essential oil in our home:

Peppermint Essential Oil 2.0

Think peppermint essential oil is just a common garden-variety kind of oil? One that is merely good for indigestion or the occasional headache? Think again. Peppermint oil may not have an exotic or regal reputation like frankincense oil, or even a cool historical legend attached to it like Thieves oil blend, but peppermint oil is anything but ordinary.

Put on your scientific cap with me for a moment and take another look at this old favorite. Research on essential oils is revealing some interesting data on the humble Mentha piperita plant (aka peppermint). Science is starting to view peppermint as a complex essential oil with a wide range of health benefits. For example, peppermint can help: