When we close our eyes and imagine Christmas we are surrounded with the smell of Cinnamon, Ginger, Orange, Cloves, Christmas trees and usually something sweet. We also remember the story of the 3 wise men bringing Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. These smells and these stories have been past down for centuries. I’ve always wondered where and why traditions have been started. This has made me wonder if the scents of Christmas have more to do with staying healthy over the winter than it does with Christmas itself.
Cinnamon and clove essential oil have now been studied extensively for their ability to kill a wide variety of bacteria and even viruses. While eating oranges provide our body with nutrients that help us fight colds and flus, the orange peel itself has been shown have high antibacterial properties and to help control bacteria in the mouth. So, all of a sudden, mulled wine is not just delicious, it may actually help keep that cold at bay (as long as you keep it at a cup).
Ginger tea with something sweet (raw honey) and a few lemons simmered in, is a go to cup for my family whenever someone is under the weather. Ginger will help the body’s immune system and the honey and lemon are quite antibacterial. The best part is, this drink can be rather tasty. Having it on a more daily basis during the holidays can help your immune system, your digestion and even your hangover!
In Biblical times, Frankincense and Myrrh were actually more valuable commodities than Gold! Both Frankincense and Myrrh are used in traditional Chinese medicine to increase vitality, decrease pain and inflammation and to help blood flow throughout the body. Frankincense works mostly through the heart and lung meridian whereas Myrrh works mostly through the liver meridian. In small amounts topically, both of these herbs can be very beneficial to the body and can aid in conditions like rheumatism, circulation and hormone imbalance. Internally, these can be irritating to the stomach. In the Bible, the directions of use for Frankincense and Myrrh were more for making incense. We now know that burning these oils can help to neutralize allergens and airborne bacteria. These two herbs are now very highly regarded essential oil with good reason. Their ability to assist with the body’s immune system, help with pain management and help to improve skin tissue is amazing and is continually being studied extensively.
So when we look at it this way, the Scents of Christmas really do make Sense. The incense that is burned, the apple cider and mulled wine that we drink and our sweets made with honey all have the ability to keep us healthy during December which is notoriously bad for colds and flus. Filling our house with these tastes smells also creates a sense of comfort for ourselves and everyone in our homes. Here are some of our blends and some suggestions for recipes that you can try this holiday season…
Holidays Essential Oil Blend
Our own creation to get you and those around you in the holiday spirit! This is a blend of blood orange, wild black spruce, cinnamon, clove and vanilla. Diffusing the cinnamon and clove will help keep airborne bacteria in control, the orange will help to uplift spirits, the black spruce grounds everyone while giveing the house the smell of real trees and the warmth of vanilla will help to keep everyone calm.
Diffuse 3-5 Drops in a diffuser or place 3-5 drops in 3 cups of simmering water on your stove for 30min.
*do not ingest or apply topically as the essential oils in this blend can irritate the stomach in large quantities and can irritate the skin’s surface.
4 Thieves Blend
The story behind this oil comes from a story of 4 thieves who stayed healthy while raiding the houses of the dying and the dead during the plague. The story states that daily they took a Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar infused with Cinnamon, Clove, Lemon Peel, Lavender and Rosemary and that this helped them keep from getting sick. Since then, natural practitioners have been combining these herbs with some other to create blends that help the body’s own immune system and also have the potential of killing germs on contact. Different blends of thieves are used in many households to clean surfaces and essential oil blends of these herbs can be diffused to help control airborne germs. Our thieves oil contains Frankincense, Clove, Cinnamon, Rosemary, Lemon, Lavender, Tea Tree & Eucalyptus.
Diffuse 3-5 Drops in a diffuser or place 3-5 drops in 3 cups of simmering water on your stove for 30min.
*do not ingest or apply topically as the essential oils in this blend can irritate the stomach in large quantities and can irritate the skin’s surface.
Ginger Tea
Simmer 4 cups of water with 5 slices of ginger and 1/2 a lemon for up to 4 hours. Take off the stove and mix about 1.5 tsp of raw local honey for each cup of tea. If you love the taste of cinnamon, you add a cinnamon stick to your cup of tea for extra flavor and extra immune stimulating properties.
Mulled Wine/ Mulled Grape Juice
Grab a bottle of organic red wine or 100% pure grape juice and empty it into your slow cooker. Add in 1 sliced orange, 1 tsp of clove buds, 1 or 2 cinnamon sticks,1 star of anise (optional) and 1/4 cup raw honey (optional). Simmer for at least 4 hours. Garnish your drink with an extra slice of lemon and/or a cinnamon stick. For those who like and extra punch, a touch of brandy can be added at your own risk.
Happy Holidays!
Jay & Rae
