Who else is joining us next Monday 13th July live on zoom at 7pm BST for this, even if I do say so myself 😊, for this really interesting and informative class on the A&P of plants and how the extracted plant part corresponds to our own A&P? It will make your understanding of the extracted EO's much simpler to remember and apply to yourself or your clients. Yes, we need to know botanical names, country of origin, how varying climates, cultivation, soil, extraction process etc., are important for the end product, particularly for therapists. But when do we look at the plant's A&P for a deeper understanding of the healing properties they have and the Wow moment when we join the dots between their structure and our own A&P? This class isn't just for qualified Aromatherapists, it is ideal for the novice/home user of EO's and will simplify which EO is best suited for what ails you. No need for remembering or knowing the botanical name, country of origin, climate differences which affect the chemistry etc., just knowing which part of the plant is used. A fun class which gets you thinking outside the conventional box of essential oils. Please contact me direct for your registration and payment details. https://www.skool.com/maverick-aromatherapy-3200/calendar?eid=960b25dd501f4b728d267e5c4636c7d9

This morning I woke up in the mood to begin studying. I felt like I had to put on my diffuser and rather than putting together a quick blend based on what I thought of as essential oils to stimulate and energize the mind and body, push back fatigue, promote congitive enhancement, concentration, focus, memory retention, recall and better understanding of the material being learned, I felt drawn to pulling out my brand new wooden pendulum to dowse for the response. What the pendulum chose made me scratch my head a bit because I started to delve into its chosen oils. May Chang (Litsea) Litsea cubeba Drops: 5 Note: Top The High-Energy Spark Oil Primary Compounds: Citral (Geranial 38.15% and Neral 30.50%) - Lifting the spirits when in a funk. - Uplifting to thought process and makes you look for the positive. - An oil that helps with optimism,  creativity, focus, and concentration - Calming and soothing to the nervous system Mechanism: Acts as a powerful nervous system stimulant. The bright, citrusy aroma instantly triggers the release of uplifting neurotransmitters to crush physical and mental fatigue. Why 5 Drops? I can only guess, but I believe it is because it forms the top note and dominant volume of the blend to ensure an immediate impact, which is highly energizing and refreshing. Contraindications: Patients on bupropion antidepressants should avoid this oil. Sweet Basil Ocimum basilicum ct. linalool Drops: Note: Middle The Cognitive Enhancer Primary Compounds: Linalool (55.85%) and 1,8-Cineole (5.04%) - Stimulates and soothes - Energizes the mind, encouraging concentration and memory recall - Relieves mental anxiety, fears, doubts, mental fatigue, and brain fog Mechanism: Sweet basil is a renowned neurotronic. The linalool chemotype is chosen specifically because it reduces anxiety and stress without causing drowsiness. Meanwhile, trace amounts of 1,8-cineole help stimulate local blood flow and modulate acetylcholine—the key neurotransmitter required for focus, concentration, understanding, and memory retention.

Jane once told me there are some oils that should not be refrigerated. I was taught to refrigerate citrus oils, and pretty much have refrigerated everything! I recently ran out of carrier oils and now am wondering if I should or should not be refrigerating those. Does anyone else refrigerate anything? Why or why not? I do not use a whole lot of oils so preservation is important to me. Thank you for your expertise!

I'm old enough to remember (pre-internet) when suppliers would advertise and the range of oils they would supply to the public were limited. For other oils, deemed as "for use by therapists only" you had to supply your certificate to prove you had the training to use those oils. Rather like "restricted" medications only available from "behind the counter" at a pharmacist and on his/her approval. The internet has a lot to answer for a "free for all" accesibility to EO's by the general public. Personally, I wish suppliers would adhere to "restricted EO's" again and that alone would put the Therapy back into AromaTHERAPY! Don't get me wrong, I'm all for educating and helping non-therapist users of EO's to better understand and know what they are doing. In today's "climate" that distinction between the home user and therapist has been eroded and disolved to be almost indistinguishable between the two. As much of the blame can be placed firmly at the door of the MLM's, lack of restrictions by suppliers and every man and his dog (company's) jumping on the Aromatherapy bandwagon by including "so-called" EO's in candles, washing products etc., the main blame lies squarely at the feet of qualified Aromatherapists who, for decades, have been promoting "one size fits all" blends, for this that or the bloody other ailment and the cherry on the cake is no sign of the contraindications to usage if there are other underlying health conditions! This includes social media posts and in their books! I teach all my students not to share blends online on social media. But rather emphasise that there is no "one-size-fits-all", otherwise what is the point of AromaTHERAPY? Educate your clients, educate the general public, and most importantly as a therapist..... learn to know the difference!

Australia was, in my opinion, a country that was ahead of the curve in the Aromatherapy world with a nationally recognized Diploma of Clinical Aromatherapy & one of the very first government-accredited qualifications in Aromatic Medicine (Internal Use of essential Oils). Ever since 2015, when the Government decided to no longer recognize Aromatherapy as an effective therapeutic treatment and therefore no longer subject to private health insurance rebates, or Government Study Assistant Loan, Aromatherapy has been slowly dying. From the Aromatic Medicine Qualification going from an HLT60907 Advanced Diploma to now downgraded HLTSS00046 Skill Set, to the ONLY Australian Aromatherapy Association IAAMA (International Aromatherapy & Aromatic Medicine Association) which was founded in September 1993 (as the Australian branch of the IFA – International Federation of Aromatherapists before breaking away from IFA in 2008) having closed its doors and now one of Australia’s oldest RTO Aromatherapy Schools, the one which pioneered the Advanced Diploma of Aromatic Medicine and was the ONLY school in Australia teaching the a HLTSS00046 Aromatic Therapies Skill Set closing its doors, Aromatherapy in Australia seems to be dead. Currently, only three RTO Schools are teaching the HLT52315 – Diploma of Clinical Aromatherapy & they are: Massage Schools of Queensland has been teaching since 2016 Melbourne College of Hair and Beauty has been teaching this qualification since 2016 Max Therapy School has been teaching this qualification since 2017. There is no longer any real competition when it comes to retail or wholesale suppliers for Aromatherapy in this country, as many of the retailers closed their doors either due to the ridiculous amount of rent, import tax on goods, etc., or by being bought out by ABP (Australian Botanical Products /Ixom). We used to be able to get Hydrosols, CO2 Extracts, and high-quality essential oils in this country. Heck, we had a product range that was exclusively sold to practitioners only called Essential Therapeutics that was once owned by well-known Clinical Aromatherapist and Aromatic Medicine Practitioner Ron Guba. The company, unfortunately, was bought out by ABP, and since then, the quality and reliability of the company have gone downhill, with products not being restocked for months or even years.