Originally published September 27 2013
Spice up your love life with jasmine
by Willow Tohi
(NaturalNews) Warm summer nights. Romantic, moonlit walks beside a lake or in a garden with your mate. These are the images portrayed by the scent of Jasmine. In India, the Jasmine plant has been a known aphrodisiac for centuries. Jasmine works on men and women emotionally and mentally, as well as physically. It is a powerful, inspirational fragrance that excites sensuality.
Jasmine influences the emotions. It penetrates and diminishes fear. It brings euphoria , boosts self-confidence, and defeats pessimism. It is especially useful for resolving emotional dilemmas, particularly those centered around relationships and sex. Jasmine helps unblock seemingly unresolvable emotional issues, opening the user up to trusting self, and others, and offering the opportunity for experiencing love, trust, and a relaxed more confident physical awareness. It wraps couples in mystery and magic. Fischer-Rizzi says, "To adequately describe its magic would require poetry."
How Jasmine is used
Called "Queen of the Night" in India, the flowers of Jasmine are the color of moonlight, and emit a soul-stirring fragrance at night. Jasmine oil is very close in chemical structure to human perspiration, giving it a unique ability to be completely absorbed by the skin. As such, it has been part of the cosmetics industry since before the industry began. It makes wonderful bath oils, shampoos, body lotions, and individualized perfumes are especially special when made with Jasmine.
Jasmine is used to treat dermatitis, eczema, and dry, aggravated skin. Our skin often reveals unresolved psychological problems, mirroring our feelings. In this way, Jasmine is useful for treating psychosomatic disorders. When Jasmine essential oil is applied to the body's surface, the skin, or inhaled, it reaches the emotional center of the brain, redirecting negative feelings such as fear, pessimism, and sadness. It triggers the neurotransmitter enkephalin, which acts as an analgesic, to help generate positive feelings such as pleasure, euphoria, and contentment.
Jasmine is beneficial when used to treat women's health problems. It is an effective uterine tonic during childbirth, aids in milk production, and with menstruation, though there are less expensive oils that also work for these complaints. Well diluted, say one or two drops per three or four ounces of carrier oil, makes a nice massage to the low back area during pregnancy and labor, and it helps to expel the placenta and combat post-natal depression. It reduces muscle cramps and joint pain, giving the woman a warm and relaxed feeling. But Jasmine is not just for women. Undiluted Jasmine has a dark mahogany color, has a very strong animal scent, and possesses strong yang energy. The more it is diluted, the more yin it becomes. The gentler the fragrance, the more effective the essential oil will be. It helps with male sexual disorders as well, such as enlarged prostate. It is said to strengthen the male sexual organs. Since many sexual problems arise from tension, anxiety, depression, or fear, Jasmine is one of the best natural means for helping with sexual dysfunction.
Other uses for Jasmine oil include:
• It is a powerful antidepressant of a stimulating nature, which is helpful where depression has turned to lethargy or listlessness
• Massage or add Jasmine to the bath of a person who lacks confidence and self worth
• Jasmine is a good remedy for coughs, especially those with catarrh, and chest infections
• Jasmine is spectacular in any skincare product
• It is said to increase intuitive powers, like its counterpart among precious stones, the moonstone. It represents intuitive wisdom.
• It is said that Jasmine increases the attractiveness of the person wearing it.
• It has a balancing action on male/female hormones.
• Jasmine encourages the production of new cells, improving skin elasticity.
How Jasmine is made
Jasmine is an expensive oil for several understandable reasons. Making it is extremely labor-intensive. It must be handpicked at night, when the odor is strongest, it evaporates. It takes a lot of blooms to create a small amount of oil, and they are sensitive - if the blossoms are squashed, it compromises the quality of the oil. For one pound of Jasmine essential oil, you'd need about 1,000 pounds of handpicked blossoms, or 3.6 million blossoms. Added to that, Jasmine oil is not steam distilled like most essential oils, as the fragrance won't release that way. It has to be extracted through use of solvents. This means it is an absolute or essence, but technically not an essential oil. The idea is that the solvents will be subsequently evaporated, but should any residue remain, they can be very toxic. For this reason, Jasmine is for external use only, and why distributors of oils should investigate the residues to ensure they are providing a clean oil. The higher quality ones are more expensive, but virtually pure. And, as Jasmine needs to be diluted to be used, a small undiluted bottle lasts a very long time, offsetting the initial cost.
There are of course, fakes and synthetics widely available and often sold as real Jasmine oil. It is much cheaper, and the smell is described as "cheap" and "sickly sweet" making it fairly easy to detect. It is worth checking the reputation of the seller and producer.
The Jasmine plant is kind of high maintenance and will not bloom if it goes without water too long, nor will it bloom after a frost. It was imported from Persia to Europe in the 16th century. The South of France was the main supplier for a long time, but can no longer meet demand. Today, huge plantations are found in Morocco, Algeria, China, and India. There is also demand for Jasmine Tea, which offers many health benefits, though it usually comes from a different species of plant.
Additional considerations
Standard essential oil warnings apply: do use internally, do not store near homeopathy remedies, do not use with homeopathy or flower essence protocols, check with a qualified practitioner if you have any serious and acute health challenges. Be careful wearing or using Jasmine when imbibing alcohol as both can lower inhibitions.
As Fischer-Rizzi says, "Like the waters of a sweet river, this fragrance penetrates the deepest layers of our soul, opening the doors to our emotions." What is more sensual than indulging in something decadent with your special someone? Especially one with some nice, positive, healthy side-effects. Enjoy!
Sources for this article include:
Fischer-Rizzi, Susanne. Complete Aromatherapy Handbook. Sterling Publishing Co, New York 1990. p. 110-117
Davis, Patricia. Aromatherapy: An A-Z. Barnes and Noble Books, New York 1995. P. 183-187.
http://www.naturalnews.com/033004_essential_oils_aches.html
http://www.youngliving.com/essential-oils/Jasmine
http://www.naturalnews.com/031842_jasmine_tea.html
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