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New Year, New Blogs!


Well, it's clearly been radio-silent on the blog for some time now, my apologies! It's a New Year, and I'm finally getting back to a routine, which includes a blogging & creation routine!

I'm pregnant! And my first trimester was less than easy. Couple that with smell sensitivities and extreme nausea; up until recently I've been unable to do very much with my aromatherapy craft.

Like anything in life, things ebb and flow so I took my cue from the universe and focused on nurturing myself and my son, as well as my unborn little babe; putting all of my energy into my family over the past couple of months.

Being pregnant is wonderful, and there are lots of ways that aromatherapy and the use of essential oils can support an expectant mother. I will be doing a mini-series of Mama-To-Be blogs with lots of tips and ideas for each stage of pregnancy and how essential oils can help.

To begin, I want to share with you the full list of oils that should be limited or avoided completely during pregnancy/nursing.

Note: these are EO's that have been determined as unsafe for use during pregnancy/breastfeeding via ALL ROUTES (diffusing, topical, ingestion.) This is because the chemical makeup of these oils contain specific chemical constituents that should be avoided during pregnancy. Robert Tisserand is considered the father of modern aromatherapy, and this is his complete list.. Many of these oils are more uncommon to the less-experienced essential oil user. I have highlighted in bold those that are more commonly used/found in health food stores, etc.

  • Aniseed (Pimpinella anisum)

  • Anise, Star (Illicium verum)

  • Araucaria (Neocallitropsis pancheri)

  • Artemisia (Artemisia vestita)

  • Atractylis (Atractylylodes lancea)

  • Lemon Basil (Ocimum x citriodorum) – Safe in a low dilution, no more than once a day

  • Birch (Betula lenta)

  • Black Seed (Nigella sativa)

  • Buchu (Agathosma betulina, Agathosma crenulata)

  • Calamint (Calamintha nepeta)

  • Camphor (Cinnamomum camphora)

  • Carrot Seed (Daucus carota)

  • Cassia (Cinnamomum cassia)

  • Chaste Tree (Vitex ugnus castus)

  • Cinnamon Bark (Cinnamomum verum)

  • Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea) – Clary Sage can bring on contractions and is safe to use during labour (under the guidance of a doula or midwife) for just this purpose, same goes for postpartum.

  • Cypress, blue (Callitris intratopica)

  • Dill Seed (Anethum graveolens)

  • Dill Seed, Indian (Anethus sowa)

  • Eucalyptus, ALL (Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Eucalyptus globulus, Eucalyptus maidenii, Eucalyptus plenissima, Eucalyptus kochii, Eucalyptus polybractea, Eucalyptus radiata, Eucalyptus autraliana, Eucalyptus phellandra, Eucalyptus smithi)

  • Fennel, bitter and sweet (Foeniculum vulgare)

  • Feverfew (Tanacetum parthenium)

  • Frankincense (Boswellia papyrifer) – Safe at a low dilution, no more than once per day

  • Genipi (Artemisia genepi)

  • Hibawood (Thujopsis dolobratta)

  • Ho Leaf (Cinnamomum camphora)

  • Hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis)

  • Lanyuna (Artemisia afra)

  • Lavender, French/Spanish (Lavandula stoechas) - this is only for the French/Spanish varieties, Lavandula Officinalis is just fine (and it's the most common.)

  • Lemon Balm, Australian (Eucalyptus staigeriana) – Safe in a low dilution, no more than once per day

  • Lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) – Should be avoided during pregnancy, but is safe while nursing

  • May Chang (Litsea cubeba) – Should be avoided during pregnancy, but is safe while nursing

  • Mugwort (Artemisia arborescens, Artemisia vulgaris)

  • Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha)

  • Myrtle (Backhousia anisata)

  • Myrtle, Honey (Melaleuca teretifolia) – Should be avoided during pregnancy, but is safe while nursing

  • Myrtle, Lemon (Backhousia citriodora) – Should be avoided during pregnancy, but is safe while nursing

  • Nutmeg (Mysristica fragrans)

  • Oregano (Origanum onites, Origanum smyrnaeum, Origanum vulgare, etc.)

  • Parsley, Leaf/Seed (Petroslinum sativum)

  • Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium)

  • Plectranthus (Plectranthus fruticosus)

  • Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)

  • Rue (Ruta graveolens)

  • Sage, Dalmatian (Salvia officinalis)

  • Sage, Spanish (Salvia lavandulaefolia)

  • Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)

  • Tea Tree, Lemon (Leptospermum petersonii) – Should be avoided during pregnancy, but is safe while nursing

  • Thuja (Thuja occidentalis)

  • Thyme, Lemon (Thymus x citriodorus) – Safe at a low dilution, no more than once per day

  • Verbena, Lemon (Aloysia triphylla) – Safe at a low dilution, no more than once per day

  • Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)

  • Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens)

  • Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium)

  • Yarrow (Achillea millefolium, Achillea nobilis)

Next week I'll cover a couple of great diffuser blends to support various ailments during the second trimester of pregnancy.


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