If you are as disappointed as I am with the summer weather right now, you may be thinking about jetting away to a warmer climate. But many of you already know from experience that flying can still be quite a stressful experience. The hassle of just getting through airport security and queuing at the check-in is enough to raise anybodys blood pressure!
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Stress is the curse of living in modern times and it seems almost impossible to escape from. And despite what some people might say to the contrary, just about everyone suffers from stress at some point during a typical working day. The problem is, if we experience stress continually it can take a heavy toll on our mind, body and spirit.

In recent studies experts have determined that heart disease is linked to anger, and irritability is linked to mental stress. Too much stress can cause the blood flow to the heart to become restricted (cardiac ischemia) which can lead to a heart attack.
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Two closely related species of citronella grass have been cultivated over the years to produce citronella essential oil; Cymbopogon nardus which is known in the oil industry as ‘Ceylon type’, and Cymbopogon winterianus known as ‘Java type’.

In the early 1900’s C. nardus was cultivated almost exclusively in Sri Lanka (formerly known as Ceylon), and C. winterianus was produced on the Indonesian island of Java. At that time, C. nardus oil was the most sought after variety but gradually C. winterianus increased in popularity due to its higher yield and slightly fresher aroma.
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I recently spoke to a new customer who had previously purchased her anonymous ‘cedarwood’ oil from a supplier that did not provide either the full common name or a botanical reference on the label. It was just called ‘cedarwood oil’.

When she purchased Quinessence Cedar Atlas oil she had presumed that it would be the same as the oil she was familiar with, and was understandably surprised at the different fragrance. ‘Why doesn’t it smell like pencils?’, she asked me.

Good question. ‘If only I had included this oil profile in a recent post’, I thought to myself, ‘It would have made this explanation so much easier!’ Oh well, at least our customer helped me to decide which essential oil I should cover next.
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Sweet marjoram is a frost-tender perennial plant which can grow to a height of 60 centimetres (24 inches), producing oval leaves and pale or dark pink-purple flowers. These flowers are small but plentiful and form in spiky clusters, blooming between June and September. It is a warm climate plant, preferring lots of sun and well-drained soil.

The whole plant is highly aromatic, exuding a pleasing peppery, warm and fresh fragrance of which Culpepper said ‘It helpeth all diseases of the chest which hinder the freeness of breathing’. The fresh and dried aromatic leaves have been used for centuries throughout the world as a condiment in cooking due to their spicy, pungent flavour.
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