Home Remedies Archives - Summers Acres

Cardamom Essential Oil (Ellettaria cardamomoum)

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A close relative to Ginger, Cardamom is known as an expensive cooking spice and for being beneficial to the digestive system in a variety of ways. Cardamom is commonly used internally to help soothe occasional stomach discomfort.* Its distinct scent can promote a positive mood. Ingested Cardamom also has profound effects on the respiratory system due to its high 1,8-cineole content, which promotes clear breathing and respiratory health.* Native to Southeast Asia, Cardamom is added to traditional Indian sweets and teas for its cool, minty aroma and flavor. doTERRA Cardamom essential oil is extracted from Cardamom seeds grown in Guatemala, using our strict CPTG® testing standards. Through a collaborative and responsible sourcing arrangement, we are able to have a significant impact on the lives of local partners, ensuring that these farming communities enjoy improved livelihoods.

PRIMARY BENEFITS OF CARDAMOM ESSENTIAL OIL

Delivers a cooling sensation to the skin
May help ease occasional indigestion and maintain overall gastrointestinal health
Promotes clear breathing and respiratory health
Flavorful spice for cooking and baking

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Basil (Ocimum basilicum) Essential Oil

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Valued for its calming properties, Basil is commonly used as a cooling agent for the skin. Basil has a warm, spicy, yet herbal aroma known to reduce anxious feelings. Basil provides great benefits to both the mind and body due to its high linalool content, making it an ideal application to help reduce feelings of tension when applied to the temples and back of the neck. Basil is commonly used in cooking to add a fresh, herbal flavor to meats, pastas, and entree dishes. When diffused, Basil helps promote focus and a stress-relieving experience.

PRIMARY BENEFITS

Acts as a cooling agent for the skin
Promotes mental alertness and lessens anxious feelings when diffused
Uplift mood
May ease monthly feminine discomfort*
Protects against environmental threats*

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Treat Chigger Bites With Clove Essential Oil

Treating Chigger Bites with Clove Essential Oil

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Summer is drawing to a close soon and many of you are probably dreaming of fall and cooler weather, but those that are still working outside in the woods and brush in this dog days of summer heat may find this treatment for chigger bites helpful. If you are experiencing multiple chigger bites, you know they feel like the bane of one’s existence!
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Arborvitae Thuja plicata (Courtesy of Wikipedia)

Arborvitae (Thuja plicata) Essential Oil

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Known as the “tree of life”, Arborvitae is majestic in size and abundant in unique benefits. Arborvitae essential oil is concentrated in tropolones, such as hinokitiol, which are a group of chemical compounds that protect against environmental and seasonal threats and have powerful purifying properties. These compounds also contribute to Arborvitae’s natural insect repellent properties. Thujic acid, another tropolone found in Arborvitae, has been studied for its ability to protect against common threats in the environment. Native to Canada, all parts of the Arborvitae tree were used extensively by Native Americans for health benefits and for building vessels, totem poles, baskets, and clothing. Because of its natural preserving properties, Arborvitae prevents wood from rotting, which makes it popular in woodcraft and for preserving natural wood surfaces.

PRIMARY BENEFITS

Protects against environmental and seasonal threats*
Powerful cleansing and purifying agent
Natural insect repellent and wood preservative

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Melaleuca (Melaleuca alternifolia) or “Tea Tree” Essential Oil

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Melaleuca (Melaleuca alternifolia) essential oil, also known by its more common name “tea tree” has been esteemed by cultures around the world for ages. Melaleuca is comprised of over 92 different compounds. Melaleuca is renowned for its cleansing effect of the skin. The leaves of the Melaleuca tree were used by the Aborigines of Australia for centuries. They would crush the leaves and inhale the oil to promote feelings of clear breathing and apply the leaves directly to the skin for a cooling effect. Melaleuca is best known for its purifying properties. It can be used to cleanse and purify the skin and nails and to support a healthy complexion. Melaleuca can be used on surfaces throughout the home to protect against environmental threats. Melaleuca is frequently used on occasional skin irritations to soothe the skin. Diffusing Melaleuca will help purify and freshen the air. Taken internally, Melaleuca promotes healthy immune function*

PRIMARY BENEFITS

Cleansing and rejuvenating effect on the skin
Promotes healthy immune function*
Protects against environmental and seasonal threats*

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Lavender Oatmeal Facial Scrub

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Over the last 6 months or so I have been experiencing some changes to how products I have used for years work on my face like (soap, facial scrub, and make-up). I’m sure it is due to being 38 years old and my body and skin’s chemical make up or something is changing. I have always used a particular store bought facial scrub brand for many years that all of a sudden makes my skin burn like fire and turn bright red! At first I tried different products, but they still caused irritation. Then I decided to go with no product on my face at all but water and to only wear make up on my eyes. Finally, I wasn’t having the fiery burning any more. After some time I thought I would start trying more natural products on my face. I decided to try making up a batch of homemade lavender oatmeal facial scrub.

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Natural Remedies for ADHD

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Treating ADHD with medication has become as standard as handing out ibuprofen. Unfortunately, the use of these types of medication also creates a long list of potential side effects ranging from mild symptoms – such as irritability, stomach ache, and insomnia – to more serious symptoms like high blood pressure, psychiatric episodes, substance abuse and irregular heart rate.

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Treating and Preventing Chigger Bites

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I grew up in the country crawling around in weeds and such as a kid. We were always warned we were going to get chigger bites, but never did I in my entire 38 years until this year. While mowing and working out at the land several weeks back, Jon and I and one of the boys got a bad case of chigger bites. I even got them twice. The second time was horrific and they even blistered. No chigger bites in 38 and years and now twice within a few weeks of each other!

What is a Chigger?

Chiggers are the larvae form of a certain type of mite.
Chigger Life Cycle (Photo Credit MedicineNet.com)

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Peroxide Mouthwash for Whitening Teeth

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I used to be a smoker and drink wine, coffee, tea, and grape juice. Although I quit smoking a few years back and rarely drink a glass of wine, I still frequently enjoy coffee, tea, and grape juice. These are all some of the worst things for staining or yellowing teeth. There are many products on the market that offer teeth whitening (Crest White Strips, Rembrandt, etc.). I have never paid for professional whitening, but over the course of my adult life I have spent countless dollars on the over the counter products to keep my teeth white and counteract the staining effect of some of my favorite things. Although over the counter, they can still get quite expensive. On top of the price, none of them are really enjoyable to apply or use. Some are abrasive gritty toothpastes, bleaching gels and plastic trays, plastic whitening strips, and brushing a liquid bleach onto the teeth.

About 4 or 5 years ago, a friend emailed me an article about various home remedies one of which was using hydrogen peroxide as a mouthwash. If I still had it I would share it, but that has been many moons ago. After that email I looked at some of the products I had been using and found that hydrogen peroxide was a key ingredient in them. The mouth rinse which is the last step in the multi-step system that Rembrandt has was pure hydrogen peroxide. So, I read the Hydrogen peroxide bottle I had at home (for wound antiseptic cleansing) and found it also said right on the bottle it could be used as an “oral rinse”. The bottle I currently have in the medicine cabinet says “oral debriding agent”.
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