Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below — what’s your biggest takeaway about Evergreen Essential Oils from this episode? Which are you interested in trying?

While the New Year is typically seen as a time to start something new or make resolutions and goals for the upcoming year, it’s also a time when people feel withdrawn, burnt out, and exhausted.

As the pandemic continues and the cold weather lingers, evergreen essential oils alleviate the mental and physical symptoms of fatigue, stagnation, and dispiritedness, all while stimulating the immune system and clearing respiratory issues.

Taking a walk in the woods and smelling pine or eucalyptus trees can uplift your spirits and help you reenter the world, and essential oils are the concentrated and distilled forms of those same leaves, needles, wood, and other healing components of the natural world. Essential oils enter through your sense of smell, entering the limbic part of your brains to shift your emotional states.

As we continue to live in the prime of Seasonal Affective Disorder and the pandemic, essential oils are critical for our overall health, helping us emerge from a state of apathy and invigorate the circulation of your blood and Qi. 

Fir and Pine: Opening the Lungs and Drawing in Qi

Fir and pine essential oils boost the body’s Qi and break up phlegm or fluid that has collected or stagnated internally. Because Fir has a warming quality, it stimulates blood circulation throughout the body. It is especially beneficial for those who have cold hands or feet, as well as those who experience stagnation in their joints, which is correlated with arthritis. 

These two oils draw energy from the breath down into the Kidneys, toning the adrenal glands and impacting the body’s Water energy. In Chinese Medicine, Water energy is related to the Kidneys, which houses your Zhi, also known as willpower. Therefore, Fir and Pine essential oils can restore a sense of motivation and the desire to bring forth your energy into the world. 

In times of COVID, these oils are effective for the prevention and treatment of lingering respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, chest congestion, wheezing, and difficulty breathing. They can be diffused in the bath or in a bowl of hot water for safe inhalation. First, mix four or five drops of the essential oil into the water, then place a towel over your head and then inhale. If you happen to be near a hiking trail, you can also pick up the leaves and steep them in water, inhaling the steam to open your Lung Qi. 

Opening and freeing the Lungs helps dissipate feelings of apathy, depression, and sadness. Essential oils build the Lung Qi, pulling it down so that the Kidneys can grasp it and bring it upwards, ascending the Qi.

By inhaling steam infused with pine and fir essential oils, your psychological state and mindset can be shifted and renewed. They rejuvenate the desire to externalize our energy in the world and pursue our dreams.

Because pine and fir essential oils are wood oils, they contain the nature of Wood and strengthen Wei Qi. They stabilize us and provide a sense of security, while also enhancing the metal and water elements of the body (the Lungs and Kidneys, respectively).

Your sense of self is found in the water element, relating to confidence and self-esteem. For those who feel stuck and unmotivated, fir and pine essential oils can prevent stagnation, reinvigorating the will to extend our energy and live.

Atlas Cedar: Healing Burn-Out and Soothing the Shen 

While Atlas Cedar essential oil nurtures Yin, builds Qi and raises energy levels, it should be used with caution. It is not recommended for those who are pregnant or pre-pubescent, and it can be damaging to the skin if applied directly (or “neet”). Make sure to use these oils properly, especially as you’re experimenting with and exploring their use.

One of the safest ways to use essential oils is to diffuse them and use them as aromatherapy, though it’s also important to note that this may not be safe for all pets.

Atlas Cedar is important in its ability to encourage focus and boosts energy, making it especially helpful for those with ADHD or those suffering from burnout. It contains sedative properties and can nourish Yin, resolve dampness, and calm the Shen, or the spirit.

It is also an anti-inflammatory and antihistamine, alleviating allergies and breaking up congestion or other blockages. In Chinese Medicine, the Liver stores the body’s blood, meaning that since Atlas Cedar regulates the Liver Qi, it also helps regulate menstruation. Therefore, Atlas Cedar encourages circulation and can relieve premenstrual symptoms, such as unstable mood and discomfort.

When our minds are hyperactive and caught in cycles of obsessive-compulsive thinking, atlas cedar acts as a relaxant, treating mild anxiety, low self-esteem, low willpower, water retention, and mood swings.

Cypress: Promoting Muscle Relief

Similar to atlas cedar essential oils, Cypress essential oils should be used with caution, as it is a ketone oil with chemicals that can be toxic to children or harmful to anyone with a history of seizures or epilepsy.

It can also stimulate estrogen, so those with a history of cancer related to estrogen should also avoid using Cypress oil. However, for those who are experiencing menopausal hot flashes, Cypress essential oil reduces excessive sweating. As an astringent, it can also promote bladder control for those with incontinence.

Cypress invigorates the blood and moves stagnation in the veins. Its decongestant properties can help prevent or reduce the swelling of the prostate.

On par with other evergreen essential oils, Cypress allows the Kidneys to grasp the Lung’s Qi, increasing willpower, self-confidence, and sense of motivation. Furthermore, it functions as an anti-spasmodic, providing relief to muscle spasms, weak lower backs, and gastrointestinal or menstrual cramps. 

Juniper: Strengthening Earth Energy and Reducing Dampness

Juniper essential oil is key to strengthening the Spleen and bringing warmth to the interior of the body.

However, it is important to note that Juniper can stimulate uterine contractions and should not be used during pregnancy. It can also overstimulate the Kidneys and should not be used by those with a compromised Kidney system.

In Chinese Medicine, the Spleen is one of the organ systems related to Earth energy, which is linked to digestion and the processing of food and inflammation. It also reduces dampness, which accumulates in the body due to stagnated circulation and a poor diet. When dampness accumulates, it can cause mental fatigue and a lack of motivation or focus. 

Through its ability to drain dampness, Juniper has powerful physiological and mental effects and can help treat ADHD, depression, psychosis, and lethargy. 

Because of its diuretic properties, similar to Cypress, Juniper detoxifies the body and promotes circulation of blood and lymph fluids, which is especially helpful for those with edema or cellulite. 

Tips for Essential Oil Usage: How to Explore and Experiment with Essential Oils

Our goal is to promote the safe exploration of essential oils, especially for those who are trying them out for the first time. Here are some tips for effective usage:

1. Diffuse essential oils in a pot with boiling water or diffuser.

2. Diffuse essential oils in the bath. It’s especially effective to first mix the oils in a fatty component, such as milk and yogurt, before putting them into the bathtub so that that oil can be absorbed better into the bath and into your skin.

3. Consult a healthcare practitioner such as an acupuncturist who’s well-versed in oils, and who can help make a custom blend for you and your needs, especially if you’d like to use essential oils for more than a couple of months. Clinical essential oil blends can also be rubbed into certain acupuncture points to benefit particular conditions and organ systems.

4. Three days on, three days off. To prevent allergic reactions and hypersensitivity, it’s recommended to start by using the essential oil for three days, then taking a break from usage for the following three days. 

5. Exercise patience. It’s also important to note that it can take time to notice the benefits of using essential oils, especially for chronic issues. Pay attention to your body’s response to the oils, and allow time for its benefits to take effect.

Once you’ve listened, let us know in the comments below — what’s your biggest takeaway about Evergreen Essential Oils from this episode? Which are you interested in trying?

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