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Aromatherapy
Ayurveda
Incense as Medicine
January 30, 20200Comments

The Ancient Indian Philosophy of Aroma & Incense, Part II

In my last blog, The Ancient Indian Philosophy of Aroma & Incense, Part I, I spoke about the beautiful tradition of healing plant smoke, Dhumapana, and the many used of
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After six incredible years, we're saying farewell After six incredible years, we're saying farewell to someone who has been such an important part of The Northwest School of Aromatic Medicine. ❤️ Our dear Summer, who has served as our Student Support & Operations Manager, is moving on to her next chapter. It's hard to put into words just how much Summer has contributed to this school over the years. For thousands of our students, she's been the kind and helpful person on the other end of an email, answering questions, solving problems, pointing them in the right direction, offering encouragement, and making sure people felt supported along their journey. But so much of what Summer has done has happened behind the scenes. She's helped strengthen the foundations that keep this school running. She's tackled countless technical challenges, built systems and automations, managed entire course promotions, and helped us grow in ways that would have been difficult to imagine six years ago. There are pieces of Summer's work woven into nearly every corner of this school, and they'll continue to be here long after she's moved on. And beyond all of that, she's simply been a dear friend and an extraordinary person to have alongside us on this journey. Summer, thank you. For your dedication, patience, care for our students, and the countless hours and pieces of yourself you've poured into this school. We're so grateful for everything you've done, and we're going to miss you dearly. As we move into this next chapter, we'll carry so much of what you've helped build with us. And to our community, we'd love your help giving Summer the send-off she deserves! ❤️ If you've ever exchanged an email with her, received her help, or simply want to send her some love, please leave a comment below. Even if you've never spoken with her directly, chances are that if you've been part of this community, Summer has touched your experience here in some way. Let's fill these comments with some love and appreciation for someone who has given so much to this school. Thank you for everything, Summer!
🌿 The Lost Art of Homemade Herbal Preparations Im 🌿 The Lost Art of Homemade Herbal Preparations Imagine stepping into an old-fashioned home apothecary. Bundles of fragrant herbs hang drying from wooden beams. Shelves are lined with glass jars filled with roots, flowers, and leaves gathered throughout the seasons. There's a pot of aromatic herbs steeping on the stove, and little bottles of homemade extracts tucked away for when they're needed. For generations, the knowledge of preparing plants was woven into everyday life. People gathered herbs, preserved their harvests, and learned to make useful preparations for themselves, their families, and their communities. Today, we can buy nearly anything we need, often without giving much thought to the plants, people, or processes behind it. But there's something about making these preparations yourself that a finished product simply can't replace. The satisfaction of working with your hands, the relationship you develop with the plants, and the knowledge that comes from learning an age-old craft through experience. And with the holidays approaching, we've been thinking about another side of this tradition: the simple pleasure of giving something you've made yourself. We've just published a new article exploring the lost art of homemade herbal preparations, why these skills still matter, and the joy of bringing them back into our everyday lives. 🌿 Comment CRAFT to get “The Lost Art of Homemade Herbal Preparations” blog in your DMs. #Herbalism #HomemadeHerbalPreparations #AromaticMedicine #HomeApothecary #HerbalCrafting #HerbalEducation #BotanicalMedicine #PlantMedicine
We've forgotten how to make so many things ourselv We've forgotten how to make so many things ourselves. 🌿 Not so long ago, knowing how to turn the plants around us into useful preparations was part of everyday life. People made their own herbal oils, salves, extracts, fragrant waters, and countless other preparations for their homes and families. Today, we can buy almost anything we need, neatly bottled, labeled, and delivered to our doorstep. And that convenience is great. But we've also lost a little something along the way: The satisfaction of gathering herbs and transforming them into something useful. The knowledge of how different plants and preparations come together. And the confidence that comes from knowing you can make something yourself rather than always depending on someone else to make it for you. And of course, the experience of working directly with the plants themselves. I've been working with aromatic plants for years, and I still find there's always something new to discover when we change how we prepare them. Whether you've been practicing herbalism for decades or are just beginning, these are skills worth learning, practicing, and passing along. If you could learn to make just ONE of these preparations, which would you choose? #Herbalism #AromaticMedicine #HerbalPreparations #HomeApothecary #HerbalCrafting #BotanicalMedicine #PlantMedicine
🌿 Not everything needs an essential oil. There. I 🌿 Not everything needs an essential oil. There. I said it. Somewhere along the way, essential oils became the answer to just about everything. Want to relax? Essential oil. Want your home to smell nice? Essential oil. Making skincare? Add essential oils. Even herbal teas and recipes sometimes call for drops of essential oil! But here's the question I think we should be asking more often... Why are we reaching for highly concentrated aromatic extracts when sometimes the whole plant, or a simpler preparation of it, might serve us just as well? It can take an enormous amount of plant material to produce a relatively small amount of essential oil. And while essential oils are extraordinary botanical preparations with their own valuable applications, they're not automatically superior to an herbal infusion, an infused oil, a hydrosol, or the raw aromatic plant itself. In some situations, those gentler preparations may be more appropriate, more economical, and less demanding on precious botanical resources. I love essential oils. I've worked with them for close to 2 decades. But I also believe that truly respecting aromatic plants means questioning how much we consume, why we consume it, and whether we really need such concentrated preparations for every application. Here's my potentially unpopular opinion: We don't need more essential oils in everything. We need a deeper understanding of when they're actually necessary. What do you think? Have we become too dependent on essential oils? #AromaticMedicine #EssentialOils #Herbalism #SustainableAromatherapy #PlantMedicine #Aromatherapy #BotanicalMedicine
🌿 How well do we really know a plant? Take Lavend 🌿 How well do we really know a plant? Take Lavender, for example. You might know its aroma intimately, have grown it for years, or used its flowers in countless preparations. But here's something worth considering... Every method of preparation reveals certain qualities of a plant while leaving others behind. Steep Lavender flowers in hot water, and we extract water-soluble constituents, including rosmarinic acid and other phenolics, alongside some volatile aromatics. Lavender tea has traditionally been enjoyed for relaxation and digestive comfort, while its phenolic compounds exhibit antioxidant activity. Infuse those flowers into a fixed oil, and we're extracting a different range of more lipophilic constituents. Traditionally used in calming massage preparations, Lavender-infused oil offers a gentle way to support relaxation, ease tension, and nourish the skin. Distill Lavender, and another dimension emerges. Its essential oil concentrates volatile compounds like linalool and linalyl acetate, studied for their calming effects. The hydrosol captures smaller amounts of water-coompatable aromatics, offering a gentler, more diluted preparation for topical use. An alcohol tincture offers yet another perspective. Alcohol concentration changes which constituents are extracted. Lavender tinctures have traditionally been used for nervous tension and digestive discomfort, although their effects aren't necessarily the same as those of its essential oil. And there are more, of course. But none of these preparations represents the plant in its entirety. Each has its own chemistry, applications, and potential benefits, shaped by the methods we choose. We can spend years working with a single plant and still discover qualities we've never encountered before, simply by changing how we approach it. Knowing a plant isn't just about memorizing its constituents or traditional uses. It's also about working with it, observing the differences, and allowing our experience to deepen our understanding. Is there a plant you've worked with for years that continues to surprise you? #Herbalism #AromaticMedicine #Lavender #HerbalPreparations #PlantMedicine
🌿 An impossible question for all you plant lovers 🌿 An impossible question for all you plant lovers out there... If you could only make ONE type of herbal preparation for the rest of your life, what would you choose? Would you stick with tinctures? Infused oils? Salves? Herbal teas? Hydrosols? Herbal honeys? Or is there another preparation you simply couldn't live without? Think about it for a minute. You'd have to give up making all the others! 😅 I imagine some of you have been making herbal preparations for decades, while others are just getting started. Either way, I'm curious what you'd choose. For me, one of the things I love about working with plants is how differently we can experience the very same herb depending on how we prepare it. Take Rose, for example. A cup of Rose tea, a fragrant Rose-infused oil, and freshly distilled Rose hydrosol can each offer a completely different experience of the plant. So what's your ONE preparation, and why does it get your vote? #Herbalism #HerbalPreparations #AromaticMedicine #HerbalMedicine #Herbalist #PlantMedicine #HerbalRemedies #HomeApothecary #MedicinalPlants #HerbalEducation #BotanicalMedicine #HerbalCrafting #PlantLovers #HerbalCommunity
🚨 LAST DAY! Our Incense Crafting Kit Flash Sale En 🚨 LAST DAY! Our Incense Crafting Kit Flash Sale Ends Tonight! 🌿 If you've ever wanted to make your own natural incense but weren't sure where to start? We've made it easy! Our Botanical Incense Crafting Kit comes with beautiful aromatic woods, resins, natural binders, an incense cone mold, and simple recipes to help you make your first batches of handmade incense. And for a few more hours, we're throwing in 2 FREE bonuses ($88 value)! 🌳 Aromatic Resins & Gums Masterclass ($79 value) — Explore the fascinating world of botanical resins, their traditional uses, and how to work with them. 📖 Materia Aromatica eBook ($9 value) — Discover 20 treasured incense plants and their rich aromatic histories and traditions. All yours at no extra cost when you order your kit! Imagine lighting your very first handmade incense cone, breathing in the beautiful aromas of the plants you've brought together, and knowing you made that yourself. There's something pretty special about that. This offer ends TONIGHT! After that, both free bonuses are gone. 👉 Follow our bio link to grab your kit and bonuses before they're gone: Happy crafting! ~ Evan #IncenseCrafting #NaturalIncense #BotanicalIncense #HandmadeIncense #IncenseMaking #AromaticPlants #TraditionalIncense #IncenseKit #PlantBasedLiving #IncenseCones
48 HOURS ONLY! 🌿 Get 2 FREE Bonuses with Our Botan 48 HOURS ONLY! 🌿 Get 2 FREE Bonuses with Our Botanical Incense Crafting Kit! Ever wanted to make your own incense using real woods, resins, and aromatic plants? Our Botanical Incense Crafting Kit gives you the materials and recipes to start creating your own all-natural incense cones, experimenting with different aromatic blends, and discovering the art of traditional incense making. And for the next 48 hours, we're including two special bonuses with every kit! 🎁 BONUS #1: Aromatic Resins & Gums Masterclass ($79 value) Explore the fascinating world of botanical resins and gums and learn more about these incredible aromatic materials. 🎁 BONUS #2: Materia Aromatica Ebook ($9 value) Expand your knowledge of the aromatic plants and materials used in incense, perfumery, and beyond. That's $88 in FREE bonuses when you purchase our Botanical Incense Crafting Kit. Whether you're completely new to incense making or ready to explore new materials and recipes, this is a great way to get your hands into the craft. ⏳ This offer disappears in 48 hours! 🌿 Grab your kit and claim both bonuses through the link in our bio! #IncenseMaking #NaturalIncense #HandmadeIncense #BotanicalIncense #IncenseCrafting #IncenseLovers #AromaticPlants #Herbalism #BotanicalCrafts #TraditionalIncense #DIYIncense #HigherMindIncense
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