The Aromahead Blog - Aromatherapy Education and Resources

I was very excited to get my copy of Maggie Tisserand's new book, Aromatherapy vs MRSA, in the mail last week!

For those of you who are aware of MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and its host of complications, this book will be a welcome addition to your aromatherapy library. The book will be available by the end of July. You can order it through Amazon.

For 15 years, I've been importing essential oils from distillers, testing each batch with GC/MS and pouring countless kilos of essential oils into tiny 15 mL bottles. I just love essential oils.

I love the aromas, the surprisingly effective impact they have on health--and yes, the chemistry! I'm especially interested in essential oil components. I've been blending from a component perspective for many years now, and have found the approach really effective.

Component Blending with Sitka Spruce

Let's consider Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis). Sitka has a nice percentage of beta myrcene (β-myrcene). I like β-myrcene. (I admit, I have molecular preferences--come on don't you?) As molecular structures go, beta myrcene seems simple, sweet, helpful and easy to relate to. I know, calling a molecule "sweet" means that some people have just closed their browsers and are no longer reading this post!