My Revelations on Cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica) Essential Oil

By Brandie M. Lawrence BS, MS

Holistic Health Practitioner

            Many of us are familiar with Cedarwood.  We think of backyard fences during a summer BBQ or grandmother’s old cedar chest.  You are most likely being flooded with memories from different times you inhaled the aroma of the majestic cedar!  Essential oils are such powerful tools as the molecules literally pass through the limbic system of your brain (associated with memory storage and making).  They help us process information and so much more. 

            Cedarwood essential oil has an AMAZING amount of sesquiterpenes (up to 90%), which equates to more oxygen getting to the brain.  King Solomon used cedar extensively in his home and the temple.  Solomon knew cedarwood had powerful effects on mental thought processing.  Cedarwood was also important in the worship of God, was considered to clear mental passages, and mixed with hyssop as a skin cleansing oil in the Old Testament (Stewart 2010). 

            My husband and I love to put on cedarwood when it is time to study or take an exam.  We also diffuse it before bed to help us relax and get a good nights sleep.  However, one of my favorite ways I have used cedarwood EO is when I anointed my lips along with ladies from a local Bible Study!  The study “Conversation Peace” called for believers to anoint their lips and pledge to only speak forth the words God desired them to.  I offered both hyssop and cedarwood to the ladies (hyssop for spiritual cleansing from past mistakes and to help break addictions; cedarwood as we sought the LORD for wisdom in how to use our words).  Each women dropped several drops of the oils into the palm of their hand, rubbed it three times in a circle and then inhaled the oils over their mouth and nose while praying over how they use their mouth.  Some women also rubbed the oils over their heart and other used the Biblical application of right ear lobe, right thumb and right big toe (Leviticus 14:1-2, 4, 15-18,54). 

            The French also use cedarwood for anger issues, bronchitis, cellulite, hair loss, nervous tension and urinary infections (Higley 2013).  One can diffuse cedarwood, apply directly on the body, add to Epson salt for a soak in the bath or use the vita flex technique on hands and feet. 

SOME CURRENT RESEARCH ON CEDARWOOD:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24031963

http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=c203

http://www.fao.org/docrep/v5350e/v5350e12.htm

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/aromatherapy/patient/page2

The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that He planted.  Psalm 104:16

REFERENCES

Higley, A., Higley C. (2013).  Reference Guide for Essential Oils.  Spanish Fork, UT: Abundant Health. 

Stewart, D., Clair, D., Sutter, S. (2010).  Healing God’s Forgotten Gift.  San Bernardino, CA: Soundconcepts. 

Is there an alternative to traditional allopathic pain management?

So as you may know, Chronic Pain is rampant in this country.  I read a statistic recently that estimated 1 in 3 adults have a chronic illness or some form of chronic pain.  Holy Shhhmokes!!!!  Without a doubt YOU know someone in this group.

So what options do people in this country have to help overcome their pain?  After all, no one wants to just live with it...

For some, using Young Living Essential Oils has become a life line out of their lives of chronic pain.  No it is not a silver bullet and there are no guarantees, but last time I visited with a doctor and received a prescription for my child, I believe the closing comment was "if that(prescription) doesn't work, call and we'll work you back in."  He made no promises and offered me no silver bullet either.  And when I did have to go back because the antibiotic cause bloody diarrhea for my son, I had to pay for another office visit and another prescription. Don't get me wrong, I am not in the camp that all medical doctors are malicious and out to get you, but I do believe many of them could stand to expound their complementary treatment knowledge and become versed in offering more than just another pill.

If you would be interested in educating yourself about how Essential Oils may support your body's own ability to heal and balance, message me and we will look at that together.

I ran across this recent article by Dr Mercola, who by the way is a Neurosurgeon who is VERY well versed in many complementary/alternative remedies.  I've copied part of it here.  If you are interested in reading the post in its entirety go here:  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/07/17/painkiller-addiction-overdose.aspx

By Dr. Mercola

Pain, regardless of cause, is among the most common of health ailments. Unfortunately, Americans in particular are succumbing to drug addiction in record numbers as a result of short-sighted and financially-driven drug marketing.

More than 70 million prescriptions for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are written each year, and according to 2010 data,1 there were enough narcotic painkillers being prescribed in the US to medicate every single adult, around the clock, for a month.

By 2012, a whopping 259 million prescriptions for opioids and other narcotic painkillers were written in the US,2 which equates to 82.5 prescriptions for every 100 Americans. And those narcotics are responsible for 46 deaths each and every day...

Americans use the most opioids of any nation—twice the amount used by Canadians, who come in second place in terms of prescriptions.3 The problem has become noticeable enough that US officials now warn that narcotic painkillers are a driving force in the rise of substance abuse and lethal overdoses.

As noted by CDC Director Tom Frieden,4 narcotic painkillers are very dangerous medications: "Patients given just a single course may become addicted for life,"he recently warned. I strongly recommend exhausting your options before resorting to a narcotic pain reliever, and I'll list a number of alternatives at the end of this article.

These drugs do have a place and it is a great benefit to have them as a resource, but it appears that they are clearly being abused by large numbers of people and the evidence suggests that it is likely the majority.

It's quite clear that these drugs are being overprescribed, and can easily lead you into addiction and other, more illicit drug use. I strongly suspect that the overreliance on them as a first line of defense for pain is a major part of this problem.

Convention 2014 review by Melinda Haak

I(Melinda Haak) just got back from an amazing week in Salt Lake City, Utah for Young Living’s Annual Convention and 20^th Anniversary Celebration. Right now I feel like my head is spinning with all the information I learned and the classes I sat through. It’s been a little over a week since coming home and I still feel as if I haven’t grasped all the notes that I took. One step at a time as they say.

I took away several key things from the week.

Young Living Leadership Gala

First: It was really neat to get to meet the rest of the Anointing Nations team. I see a lot of names and the little thumbnail pictures of people on Oils for Wellness, but it was fun to get to put names to faces and interact with other people in this Anointing Nations family. We are so blessed to be a part of a team that cares about each other and offers hope to others. Getting to know each other and listen to stories from our own personal team members was an encouragement to me. Frank & Rhonda and Clint & Joy are doing an amazing job of putting together resources for us to be able to utilize and meet the goals we’ve set for ourselves.

Second: It was amazing to get to sit and listen to some of the testimonies of changed lives because someone cared enough to speak up and share hope with them. I heard some incredible stories of Autism, PTSD, Children’s behavioral issues, recovery from illnesses, etc… Several times I was brought to tears as a member was sharing their story and how the Young Living oils and supplements have changed lives and given them back hope for a better future.

Third: Convention lit a fire under my seat. Each of us lives busy lives and it is easy when we aren't required to report times or clock in on a time card to get lax when we feel tired or discouraged. But then we are the ones who don’t reach our goals and we set back examples to follow. John Maxwell gave some incredibly practical business and leadership advice. Pick 5 things to do EVERY DAY to help move your business forward. DO THEM EVERY DAY!!! It’s simple. It’s basic. But, it keeps us moving forward.

Last: Farm Day. Need I say anything else? Farm day was Amazing!! Getting to see firsthand some of the fields where the plants for our oils are grown, gave me an assurance of the quality standards that Young Living says they adhere to. Being able to walk through the Distillery and see and smell the oils as they were being produced was encouraging that I have chosen the best for my family. Seeing firsthand the vastness of the complicated production that it takes to produce the world’s finest in Essential Oils, gave me an appreciation for what I have been blessed with this past year.

Our family has been changed for the better this last year with the Young Living oils and I don’t know how I got along without them before. Well, I do. We were sick. A lot. The future looks so much brighter now. --Post written by Melinda Haak Young Living Silver

The Power of Oregano Essential Oil

Researchers have just shown that oregano essential oil kills >99% of human breast cancer cells at remarkably low concentrations. In fact, oregano was the most powerful of four essential oils (sage, ginseng, stevia) at killing all six different cancer cell lines tested, including cervical, breast, leukemia, lung, and colon cancer. How? It was discovered (surprisingly) that oregano almost completely depletes cancer cells of their glutathione—an antioxidant they need to survive. Without #glutathione, cancer cells are highly vulnerable to oxidative stress and quickly die. Oregano has also shown such potent anti-fungal activity (sharply reducing Candida growth) and antibacterial activity (inhibiting listeria, salmonella, pseudomonas and others) that it’s now being tested as a natural preservative for raw chicken meat (with promising results already).


Read the full article here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24737278

Additionally, oregano essential oil may be used for arthritis/rheumatism, respiratory infectious diseases, tuberculosis, and digestive issues. Source: EODR, 5th Edition.