MERCY, please!

The many uses of MERCY -

Ruth Gilbert, from Vancouver, has been a regular client for well over a decade. She orders a LOT of our MERCY Body Wash and Treatment Gel.  She recently mentioned some of her uses for it, and agreed to write a 'guest blog' article for us discussing it.

 Several years ago I had a MRSA infection in a surgical wound and after two further surgeries and 6 months of wound healing I never wanted another so when I saw that Marge of Nature’s Gift had come up with a concoction that might help fight such infections I immediately got some. I have no idea if it has done anything to prevent or treat a MRSA infection because fortunately I have not had one. However, I have found a multitude of uses for it. 

 The first came about because I had a rash on my legs that was originally diagnosed as folliculitis—an infection of hair follicles. Thinking it was bacterial I used the Mercy soap to wash it and the Mercy gel on it several tunes every day. It was ferociously itchy so I added some extra lavender, German Chamomile and helichrysum oils. It didn’t make the rash go away but it did help with the itch. It turned out not to be a bacterial infection but an autoimmune rash called lichen planus which has no cure. The worst thing you can do is scratch the rash because then it spreads, but you really want to tear your skin off. They prescribed a cortisone cream for the itch which had side effects and wasn’t nearly as effective as the MERCY gel plus oils which was extremely good at bringing down the itch and inflammation. 

 Now it is my go to concoction for any skin itches or irritations including insect bites and heat rashes. When I began having trouble with hemorrhoids I added some cypress needle oil and kept some cotton pads nearby for application. I found it both immediately soothing (though it does sting some) and very healing.

I also have an ailment called interstitial cystitis which is a non infectious bladder inflammation problem. When you have IC you really need to avoid urinary tract infections and you tend to get them frequently. So I began to wash my genitals in the shower with the mercy shower soap every time I showered. This radically reduced any uti’s and had the added advantage of keeping down yeast infection as well. We also use it to clean our bottoms to help with both hemorrhoids and any pain or irritation from acid burn. These are what I have discovered so far but of course, I will continue to experiment in the future.

Ruth Gilbert

We really thank Ruth for sharing her experience. And I am reminded that several nurses have mentioned that using MERCY liquid soap does seem to reduce the number and severity of UTI's among their clients.  

 

How to "smell" essential oils

Earlier this week we received an email from a new client. She had placed a rather extravagant 'beginning' order - lots of the "rare and precious" oils.   And wrote complimenting us on the quick shipping and excellent packaging..and added "I think I blew out my sense of smell tonight...no one should smell ALL those beautiful scents al at one time. I will be more careful the next time."

We emailed back and forth all evening...and I realized that she had no clue how to first experience her new oils, and how to "clear her palate" so she wouldn't overload her olfactory nerves.... ie, "blow out her sense of smell."

If you have been working with the oils for a long time, everything here is probably familiar to you, but if not, we hope it helps.

1. How to smell an essential oil:

It's human nature to just open the bottle and inhale, and we all do that sometimes. But that is the worst way to evaluate the richness of the aroma of an essential oil or absolute.    Imagine the traditional Brandy Snifter, large and bowl shaped, with just a little brandy at the bottom.  The empty space in the glass gives room for the aromatics of the wine to develop and mingle..to dance with each other, for a fuller experience.   

When you inhale from the top of the bottle, the aromatic molecules do not  have room to expand, to mix, to dance.    

At Nature's Gift, while we often will get our FIRST impression of an oil from smelling the top of the bottle, or a bit better, the bottle top (a bit less intense than inhaling directly above the bottle) the only way we will truly evaluate the complexity of an oil is on a scent strip. Yes, we offer "professional" scent strips; we use them ourselves, teachers use them to help their students fully experience the oils.  

Nature's Gift Scent Strips

You can make your own by cutting construction paper or lightweight cardboard/poster board into strips. 
Put one or two drops of the oil on the scent strip or dip the tip of the scent strip into the bottle.   Let the oil on the strip dry for a minute or two, then inhale.  See what you think of the oil initially. Wait ten minutes and smell the strip again.  Twenty minutes,  an hour, two hours.  Notice how the oil's (or blend's) aroma changes in time. Let it sit overnight and smell it in the morning. The lightest top notes will be barely perceptable the next day; the deep base notes, the woods and roots, will be deeper and richer tomorrow than they are now.

2. How to "refresh your palate":

The above description is all well and good if you have one new oil you want to experience and evaluate.  But what if, like my new friend mentioned above, you have a dozen or more.  Of course you want to sample them all, right now!  But I know that if I am smelling new oils, after about five or six they all start to smell alike.   "Olfactory overload" or, as my new friend said "I blew out my sense of smell."   There is a fast and simple remedy for "olfactory overload"    Keep a small jar of coffee beans. They don't have to be fancy organic French Roased Kenya or Hawaii beans. They can be discount store brand, as long as they are whole beans.   Open the jar of coffee beans, smell their aroma for perhaps a minute or two, and you can go back to enjoying your new oils.  I have no idea why coffee beans  "clear the palate" so you can resume playing with your oils and absolutes, I just know that they do. When we used to travel to trade shows as vendors, we always had a bowl of coffee beans on the sample table. We still use them if a large shipment of new oils come in. 

Hope this helps!