By Connie Scheel
Today Connie Scheel shares information and personal experience with essential oils of cinnamon bark and clove. (the cinnamon we eat comes from the inner bark of the cinnamon tree.) You’ll learn much for helping with seasonal challenges as well as acute and chronic health conditions. We pray you will read through to the end. Also, here’s a link to Connie’s brand new Young Living website. You will be able to learn so much about essential oils and order them for yourselves right here at this link. You may follow her on Facebook by liking her page: Catalysts to Connie’s Wellness.
It’s beginning to look like – a lot like… autumn in Memphis. As the seasons slowly shift I find myself shifting to different essential oils (EOs). Perhaps you’re feeling the urge to shift a bit, too. Did you know that cinnamon bark and clove come in EO form? Are they part of your autumn? I hope this article shows you a new and fascinating side to cinnamon bark and clove.
Cinnamon bark has an opposite property to peppermint. Can you guess which one? Come on, take a guess! Peppermint, one of my favorite and most frequently used EOs, has a cooling effect whereas cinnamon bark EO has a warming effect. This may help improve your circulation, increase your energy, and bring relief to inflammation in your body.
Along with cooler temperatures, a fresh school year and beautiful foliage, autumn often brings colds and viruses, and a boost to our immune system is welcomed. Thankfully, cinnamon bark is a powerful antibacterial, antiviral, antiseptic and antimicrobial. It’s also an analgesic (which is a fancy word for pain reliever), anticoagulant, and it stimulates the immune and circulatory systems. These constituents may make cinnamon bark EO really helpful if you have respiratory infections or asthma, arthritis or rheumatism, digestive challenges, athletes foot, diabetes, warts or infections. Did some of these surprise you?
An easy and safe to way to reap the cornucopia of benefits, especially respiratory and boosting your immune system, from cinnamon bark EO is to diffuse it. Wait, what’s diffusion? It’s a method or device that disperses essential oils into the air. Once diffused the EO molecules work really hard for you by killing off airborne germs and making our spaces smell lovely. It’s also really safe since only a teeny tiny amount of EOs actually get into your body with diffusion which is wonderful if you have pets or children.
Diffusing can be cost effective too. Just place a drop of cinnamon bark EO on a tissue and keep it near you throughout the day. Be careful when inhaling cinnamon bark EO directly from the tissue. I encourage you to hold the tissue a few inches from your nose before inhaling. I like to use the cotton ball method for my car and in my bedroom- just 2 drops on the cotton ball carefully wedged into the vent lasts for a couple of days. Terra cotta necklaces with a drop of EO is another good diffusing option. There are also small plug-in and ultrasonic diffuser choices. I have all of these, except the terracotta necklace, and still find myself reaching for the cotton balls and tissue methods most often. Be careful with cinnamon bark EO as it’s quite potent. Diffusing is a gentle and lovely way to experience it.
However, for arthritis, infections, digestive issues, warts and diabetes better results may be realized from rubbing a diluted mixture into the bottoms of your feet. The bottoms of your feet are the safest way to apply EOs because the soles of your feet are less sensitive than other parts of your body, but also have the largest pores so the EOs are absorbed into your bloodstream to go to work quickly. The bottoms of your feet represent the entire body as we know from reflexology. Coconut, almond, or olive oil mixed with cinnamon bark EO in a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio works well. (That’s 3-4 parts carrier oil to 1 part EO.) An eighth of a teaspoon of carrier oil mixed with 1 drop of cinnamon bark EO will go a long way.
Clove EO makes beautiful harmony with cinnamon bark EO. Although cinnamon bark EO is warming, it may also have a calming effect on the body. Clove EO encourages sleep. And both are anti-infectious, anti-inflammatory, and analgesic. Yet clove EO has it’s own unique and wonderful properties, too.
Clove is widely known for it’s sedative and pain relieving properties in dentistry. It’s been used to numb gums, may be quite helpful for toothaches and dry socket pains. Use a diluted 4:1 (see above) mixture and rub directly onto that spot. I used this with great success after I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed earlier this year. The beauty of EOs is that they are multi-talented. While I was using clove EO for pain, it was working to boost my immune system and relieve stress at the same time with no negative side effects.
When clove EO is extremely diluted with a carrier oil, it may bring relief to babies as they begin to cut teeth. In your clean palm mix 1 drop of clove EO with ¼ teaspoon of carrier oil. Gently rub on the baby’s gums to bring relief and also may help the baby sleep.
Clove EO also improves circulation like cinnamon bark EO. Blending an eight teaspoon carrier oil with a drop of each EO (a 4:1 ratio) may soothe sore nerves, tension headaches, the digestive system, bunions and warts. This is another potent EO, so please always dilute it in at least a 4:1 (see above) ratio before applying to your skin.
I have very warm and fuzzy feelings about clove EO. It played a big role in my post chemo journey back to health. After I finished chemo, just over 3 years ago now, I routinely applied clove EO twice a day in a diluted mixture on the bottoms of my feet. Along with the peppermint EO it helped relieve the nerve pain that’s often a side effect of chemo. It also eased me away from depression and the stress of treatment while boosting my struggling immune system, and helped me find sleep through insomnia. And I just love the earthy, sweet and spiciness of clove… the lingering fragrance was as comforting as a cuddly blanket.
If you’d like to experience these EOs in your own home this autumn, check out my new Young Living website. You can easily place your order while you’re there, too. Wishing you Peace and Wellness this Fall, and always.
Safety considerations for cinnamon bark and clove EO’s advise avoiding them during pregnancy or while trying to become pregnant. Also, please heed all sensitivity warnings for these two EO’s as suggested in this article.
Disclaimer: No intent is made or implied to diagnose or prescribe for any medical condition. Please consult with your medical professional.
