Newsletter - October 2006

In this issue

Monthly Special Offer
The Aloe Era
Oil Profile - Silver Fir
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We have taken onboard all the suggestions from our visitors about how we could improve our site and have included as many of them as possible. Products are now much easier to find, and our information section has been tidied up and extended.

Lots of new products have been added too - relaxing Music CD's, Incense Sticks, Biosun Ear Candles, and an increased range of Bottles and Jars to store your blends in. Over the next few months we will be adding more new products, so be sure to call back.

October offer

FREE Marinal Mask

• Hydrating Day Cream 50ml containing Organic Rose Geranium plus active botanicals

• Hydrating Night Cream 50ml containing Sandalwood, Palmarosa & active botanicals

PLUS

FREE Marinal Masque 50ml worth £8.99 containing Organic Geranium & Seaweed

Order Online

Free Marinal Masque Offer!

We will give you a 50ml jar of Marinal Clay Mask worth £9.99 - absolutely FREE - when you buy this selection of 50ml Hydrating Day Cream & 50ml Hydrating Night Cream for only £24.99!

From our Aroma-botanicals range, these luxury skincare creams are a revolutionary step forward in natural skincare, uniting the therapeutic benefits of Organic Essential Oils with the beautifying qualities of botanical extracts:

• Hydrating Day Cream
Lock-in vital moisture throughout the day with a nutrient rich formula including Organic Rose Geranium oil and a rich harvest of botanicals. Comfrey and Ginseng work to nourish, soften and condition the skin, whilst Evening Primrose provides protection against the damaging effects of the environment and pollution. Suitable for all skin types, particularly combination skin prone to oiliness.

• Hydrating Night Cream
Replenish vital moisture levels and nourish the skin whilst you sleep with this intensive night repair treatment containing precious oils of Sandalwood, Organic Palmarosa and collagen-enhancing Centella. A truly unique combination of re-hydrating oils and restorative botanicals to repair environmental skin damage promoting a soft, radiant complexion.

• FREE - Marine Clay Mask
Deep-cleanse and refine your skin with this wash-off mask rich in purifying botanicals and absorbent clay. Mineral rich Seaweed, Sea Lavender and balancing Organic Geranium oil gently lifts impurities to reveal smoother, refined, more radiant skin.

But you need to hurry - this offer is only available online during June and is limited to the first 100 customers. So order now to claim your own FREE Marinal Clay Mask!

Aloe Vera

Aloe is derived from the Arabic word 'alloeh' meaning 'shiny bitter substance', due to the taste of the extracted juice.

The science bit

Extracted aloe gel contains over 75 nutrients and 200 active compounds, including 20 amino acids, 11 vitamins, and a wealth of minerals, enzymes, proteins, polysaccharides and biological stimulators.

Just a few of these active substances include:

• Acids
Antimicrobial, anti-helminitic (anti-parasitic worms), wound healing for skin tissue and ulcers.

• Amino Acids
Required for repair and growth. Aloe Vera contains twenty of the twenty two essential amino acids.

• Enzymes
Catalysts enabling chemical reactions to take place.

• Lipids
Principle structural components of living cells.

• Lactates / Salicylates
Analgesic properties.

• Minerals
Calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese, copper, zinc, chromium, and selenium are all present in significant quantities.

• Phenolics
Mild antiseptics and antimicrobials.

• Polysaccharides
Long chain sugars broken down to smaller ones via enzymes.

• Vitamins
Contains 11 of the 13 recognised vitamins.

The Aloe Era

Recognised as a significant medicinal herb for over 3,000 years, Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis) still remains today a living legend in the botanical world. Scientists are still trying to discover how this plant produces so many wonderful healing properties, with absolutely no side effects. Since the times of the ancient Egyptians it has been used to treat burns, cuts, wounds, insect bites, skin ulcers and infections of all types - bacterial, viral and fungal. Today we are discovering even more about its miraculous healing powers.

The ancient Egyptians called Aloe Vera 'The Plant of Immortality', recognising not only its healing qualities but also its valuable skin moisturising and nourishing effects. This highly prized plant was so revered it was often included among the funerary gifts buried along with the pharaohs.

As we know, the Egyptians passed much of their knowledge along to the Greeks and Romans, and records show that the Indian and Chinese cultures also used this plant. Today scientists have scientifically proven that Aloe vera stimulates the circulation of the skin, helping to accelerate cellular regeneration as well as softening and hydrating the skin.

African origin

Believed to have originated in Africa, this succulent, cactus-like plant is actually a member of the Lily family and over time has been introduced to America, Asia and Europe. There are over 240 different species of Aloe, but of this number only 4 offer healing and nutritional properties of any significance, and Aloe barbadensis at the top of this list.

Aloe Vera gel is extracted from the internal portion of the thick, spiny, tapered leaves which grow in a rosette pattern. The size of this plant varies depending on the conditions under which it is grown, but a mature plant can reach a height of over one metre (3ft). It must be allowed to mature for at least 3 years before being harvested, at which time 3 or 4 leaves can be removed from the plant every 6 to 8 weeks.

Aroma-botanicals skin care and Aloe Vera

We have employed Aloe Vera extensively in our Award-Winning Aroma-botanicals Skincare Range, utilising its skincare benefits to the absolute maximum. This was driven by our desire to create a complete skincare system that gives you everything you need to revitalise, re-hydrate and protect your skin.

Aloe Vera has proved to be key ingredient in achieving this result, and we love it so much we included it in the following Quinessence skin and haircare products:

Aloe Vera and Lavender Gel with Seaweed
Age Defying Cream with Shea Butter & Rose Otto
Anti-Wrinkle Cream with Frankincense & Lady's Thistle
Vitamin E Cream with Neroli & Safflower
Mild Shampoo Base with Heather & Pro Vitamin B5
Protein Conditioner Base with Ginseng & Pro Vitamin B5

Perhaps in the fullness of time, other plants will be discovered that can rival the vast range of medicinal and cosmetic uses that this plant has to offer. We can only live in hope. But right now, Aloe Vera ranks as possibly the most useful botanical extract on the planet for both health and skincare.

More about Aroma-botanicals skincare.

Silver fir

Top: A typical pyramidal form Abies alba tree.

Above: A close-up of the essential oil producing leaves.

Oil Profile - Silver Fir (Abies alba)

From the Pinaceae family of plants, Abies alba is also known as the European Silver Fir, White Fir or White Spruce. It is a lofty, symmetrical tree with a pyramidal form, sometimes reaching a colossal 45 or 50 metres (150 - 165 ft) in height. This hardy, evergreen tree grows slowly, and its canopy can become flat-topped with great age.

Measuring up to 2 metres in diameter, the straight trunk is smooth and grey with resinous blisters, bearing horizontal boughs that curve upward at their outer extremities. The flat, needle-like leaves are dark green above with two white lines beneath, and when seen from below the tree appears to have a silvery colour - hence its common name.

The winter buds are green, rounded and resinous, and at maturity the cones turn brown and stand upright. These cones are composed of thin, close scales, and each scale bears two winged seeds. An oil known as 'Templin' is produced from the cones, and the odour of this oil is colourfully described by the expert oil researcher Guenther, as 'suave and balsamic'.

Geographical sources

The silver fir is native to Europe, with extensive forests located on the southern Alps. The tree is also plentiful in the Rhineland and on the Apennine and Pyrenees ranges. In fact the tree is abundant in most of the mountain ranges of southern and central Europe, but it is not usually found in the northern parts of that continent. In Russia it occurs on the Caucasus and Ural mountains and in some parts of the Altai chain. It is also prevalent throughout most of North and Central America.

Folk medicine

Like many species of 'pine', the entire tree is highly medicinal and provides a wealth of health giving remedies. The buds are antibiotic, antiseptic and balsamic, and the bark which can be harvested throughout the year is antiseptic and astringent. Leaves are expectorant, working also as a bronchial sedative, and the resin is antiseptic, balsamic, diuretic, eupeptic, expectorant, vasoconstrictor and vulnerary. What a powerhouse of health this tree is!

For centuries, the essential oil derived from the fragrant needles and twigs has been used throughout the European Continent for conditions such as fevers, arthritis, rheumatism, muscular pain and respiratory problems. The oils full range of properties include analgesic, antiseptic, astringent, balsamic, decongestant, deodorant, diuretic, expectorant, immunostimulant, rubefacient, stimulant, tonic, vasoconstrictor and vulnerary.

Harvesting and distillation

Some harvesting takes place all year round, except in areas where heavy snow causes problems with transportation. Prior to distillation, the twigs are chopped into small pieces in order to pack the still as tightly as possible. Silver fir oil was still produced abundantly in many small village distilleries throughout Russia during the early 1900's.

Steam distillation of the needles and twigs reportedly produces a yield of between 0.25% and 0.35% colourless, or pale yellow essential oil. The fragrance of the oil is sweet-green, slightly fruity and balsamic, - and very reminiscent of the fresh needles. An absolute is also produced in France which is often referred to as Absolu d'Aiguilles.

Uses in aromatherapy

Along will its close relative pine needle (Pinus sylvestris), silver fir oil does not appear to be very popular in the world of aromatherapy despite its many benefits. Nonetheless, it has powerful antiseptic properties that can be put to great use during the cold and flu season, - vaporising it helps to stop the spread of infection and clears a stuffy nose at the same time.

Its rubefacient and diuretic properties are ideal in combination with massage, for such conditions as muscular aches and pains, arthritis, rheumatism, fluid retention and cellulite. Silver fir has a mild analgesic action that really seems to help ease stiff joints and muscles, whilst acting as a tonic to the whole system.

This tonic action also helps boost the emotions, bringing upliftment to downheartedness, negativity, sadness, stress and nervous exhaustion. All round, it is a strengthening and grounding oil. When vaporising the oil, for me the fragrance is always reminiscent of a walk in a coniferous forest - uplifting, refreshing and highly rewarding.

In blends, Silver fir oil adds a fresh, green note wherever it is used, especially with cypress, cedars, lavender, lemongrass, marjoram sweet, peppermint, rosemary, sandalwood, spearmint and most citrus oils.

Researchers are always discovering more about the healing and medicinal properties of trees. Based on this, you can bet there are still more benefits waiting to be revealed about the majestic Silver Fir.

See you next time.

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