White Fir Essential Oil
Essential Oil News
What about White Fir Essential Oil?
Latin Name:
Abies Alba – The essential oil is obtained from steam distillation of the needles of the tree.
Where does it grow indigenously?
White Fir is also known as the European silver fir or silver fir, is a fir native to the mountains of Europe, from the Pyrenees north to Normandy, east to the Alps and south to southern Italy, Bulgaria and northern Greece.
What has been the historical use?
This pine-scented oil has soothing qualities, and is used in perfumes, bath products, and aerosol inhalants. The White Fir was the first tree used as a Christmas Tree. The white fir tree is a popular wood for construction because of its combination of strength, versatility, and beauty. It is also a popular choice for Christmas trees.
Native Americans used white fir as a building material and in traditional health practices.
Main Chemical Components:
Limonene, β-pinene, bornyl acetate
What are the benefits of this essential oil?
- Evokes feelings of stability
- Supports clear breathing and respiratory function
- Calming effect, but energizes the body and mind
- Alleviates the discomfort of sore muscles and joints
How do I use this essential oil?
- After strenuous activity, massage into skin for soothing comfort.
- Diffuse for energizing effect.
- When working through difficult circumstances at home or work, diffuse White Fir to reduce stress.
- Place a few drops on your terra-cotta ornaments, or in a room spray for a bright holiday scent – it smells like a Christmas tree and if you have an artificial tree, this oil will give you the true Christmas Tree fragrance!
Topically: For sensitive skin, apply one to two drops to desired area; dilute with a carrier oil, such as fractionated coconut oil.
- Apply to cold, achy muscles and joints during winter time.
- Add 1–2 drops to a hot bath to relax and breathe in White Fir’s cleansing aroma.
- Massage 1-2 drops into the feet during times of stress or chaos.
Soothing Muscle Soak:
Combine 1 cup Epsom salt, 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 tablespoon pink Himalayan salt with 10 drops each Lavender, White Fir, and Frankincense. Stir until combined and enjoy.
Reparative Muscle Salve:
Combine 1/2 cup oil with 1/4 cup beeswax, heat until combined. While cooling add 5 drops each of White Fir, Frankincense, and Wintergreen essential oil.
Aromatically:
Diffuse to reduce mental fatigue at work.
Diffuse or apply to chest to promote clear breathing.
Calming Nature Diffuser Blend:
combine 3 drops Patchouli with 2 drops White Fir. Diffuse for a neutral grounding effect.
Citrus Forest Blend:
2 drops White Fir
2 drops Lemon
2 drops Bergamot
Holiday Bliss
2 drops White Fir
2 drops Cassia
2 drops Wild Orange
Christmas Blend
4 drops White Fir
3 drops Frankincense
1 drop Wild Orange
Chillin’ by the Fire
3 drops White Fir
2 drops Frankincense
1 drop Clove
1 drop Peppermint
All Purpose Cleaner
(for tile, glass, marble, granite, wood, stainless steel, porcelain and acrylic.)
1 c. water
1/2 c. 70% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
1/2 c. distilled white vinegar
1 tsp. pure castile soap
10 drops lemon essential oil
10 drops white fir essential oil
10 drops melaleuca essential oil
Mix all ingredients in a 16 oz. glass spray bottle and label bottle. Shake well before and during use.
Note: I recommend using glass spray bottles when making recipes contain essential oils. That is because essential oils, especially the citrus oils, are not very friendly to plastic. Glass spray bottles will last forever and are a great investment.
Blends Well With:
White Fir essential oil blends well with Frankincense, Cinnamon or Cassia, Clove, Wild Orange, Lavender and others mentioned above.
Emotional Benefits:
As with any "tree oils", White Fir is a grounding oil. Think of a tree, whose roots reach deep into the Earth while its branches reach high into the sky and you'll get a picture of the emotional effects of this oil. Grounding, yet empowering and uplifting. It leaves you feeling emotionally stable and strong enough to weather the storms.
Caution:
Always test for skin sensitivity prior to widespread use and use on the feet when possible. Excessive use of any oil can lead to skin sensitization. Keep out of eyes, ears, or nose. Not all oils are created equal, so test brands carefully, and never use an oil in a way not recommended by its maker.
Other Links:
On PubMed.gov*, there are 9 published clinical studies specific to essential oil from Abies Alba.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Abies+Alba+oil
* PubMed comprises over 25 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLiNE, life science journals, and online books. PubMed citations and abstracts include the fields of biomedicine and health, covering portions of the life sciences, behavioral sciences, chemical sciences, and bioengineering. PubMed also provides access to additional relevant web sites and links to the other NCBI molecular biology resources.
An Important Message about Quality!
Not all oils are created equal.
Because of a lack of industry standards and a lack of regulation for terms such as "natural" or "pure", much of what you find at the drug store is NOT a therapeutic grade essential oil and may lack real quality or even contain contaminants or adulterants (way more common than you'd think).
A LOT goes into creating a high quality essential oil.
A good brand should follow these guidelines:
- Proper plant varieties - check the preferred Latin Name
- Each plant grown indigenously for the healthiest plant
- Grown without chemical pesticides, herbicides, etc.
- Harvested with precise timing to ensure peak properties
- Extracted with proper temp and pressure to preserve oil molecules
- Third-party testing of every batch
- The company stands behind the internal use of their oils
I always say, "If it is not pure enough to swallow, do you want to put it on your body?
The largest organ of your body is your skin; anything applied to your skin is absorbed into your body. If a bottle of essential oil says “external use only”, do you really want that in your body through absorption? Oils are absorbed into your system aromatically too, from inhalation; another reason to use only the purest oils you can find!
About me...
Hi! My name is Pamela Swamy and in August of 2015, it will be 2 years since I was first introduced to essential oils.
As a registered nurse, I was initially highly skeptical of essential oils but over time have personally experienced amazing responses from using them. Essential oils can be used for so much more than their fragrance and there are many online resources where you can find more information. Some of that information I will be sharing here.
It is important to note that before using any essential oils, you want to know for sure they are safe and pure enough to be taken internally. There are NO regulatory standards and the labels don't always state what is actually inside the bottles.
If you want more help in knowing how to determine if oils you want to try are safe and pure, please contact me by email or phone.
Email: agelessoils.pamelaswamy@gmail.com
Website: AgelessOils.PamelaSwamy.net
Location: Chicago area
Phone: 847.475.4170