Therapeutic Grade Melissa essential oil comes from the melissa officinalis plant, in the mint family. It’s commonly called “lemon balm” and   it is steam distilled from the aerial parts before flowering.  Historically it has been used for nervous disorders, to promote fertility and in Munich, Dr. Dietrich Wabner, a professor at the Technical University in Munich found it effective against the Herpes Simplex virus.  It may be helpful for depression, viral infections, anxiety and insomnia.  Diffuse 1-2 hours up to 3 times a day, apply to the skin or Vita Flex points to support the immune system.

Melissa essential oil is found in the Young Living blends of Awaken, Brain Power, Forgiveness, Hope, White Angelica and in the supplement Multi-Greens.

Our family has personally received the benefits of  melissa essential oil in the Thieves mouthwash blend and Multi-greens.  Awaken is one of my favorite Young Living blends, a combination of 5 different blends including 27 different essential oils including melissa essential oil.   It’s an exquisite blend that  I wear  as a “healthy” perfume.    When you use the essential oil blends or personal care items with melissa in it, you are getting a powerful oil in an economical way.

Select Research:

Kucera LS, et al. Antiviral activities of extracts of the lemon balm plant. Ann NY Acad Sci. 1965 Jul 30;130(1):474-82.

Sadraei H, Ghannadi A, Malekshahi K. Relaxant effect of essential oil of Melissa officinalis.  Fitoterapia. 2003 Jul;74(5);445-52.

Lavender – spray your pillow at bedtime, freshen your bathroom, spray on sun-burned skin

Purification essential oil blend – neutralizes odors from shoes, kitchens, bathrooms and bedrooms.  Kills bacteria in the air and on soft surfaces like furniture.  Spray on the skin to soothe insect bites.

Thieves essential oil blend – Create your own disinfecting spray powerful enough to kill bacteria in the kitchen and bathroom.  Replace harmful bleach (linked to cancer) with this spray.Use this spray to disinfect sinks, toilets, countertops and produce.

Watch this video to see how quick it is to make your own spray with ingredients you trust:

Anxiety, depression and attention disorders are on the rise. I believe the causes are two-fold, first simply because we live in a culture saturated with unimportant things. We have thousands of choices we can make every day, from the foods we eat to products for our home and health. Marketing campaigns reach for our hearts, showing that we will be happy if we just purchase their goods and services. We can have instant gratification: on-demand movies, fast food and drugs to take away our symptoms in an hour. These are solutions targeted at making us content for the moment. It’s easy to fall into habits that can be harmful to us if we only have a short term fix in mind, leading to anxiety with so much information or depression from lack of contentment.

I believe a second cause of the increase in these health issues is the vast amount of chemicals we are exposed to every day. Some have even said today we are exposed to more chemicals in a day than people 100 years ago were exposed to in a lifetime. This does not even include chemicals we choose to subject ourselves to: over the counter & prescription drugs, plastics, untested cosmetic ingredients, perfumes and artificial fragrance. All of these chemicals can wreak havoc on our bodies and may cause hormonal imbalance which also may contribute to anxiety & depression.
I saw a mom with a newborn baby in the home fragrance aisle at the store the other day contemplating which “home scent” to purchase, I couldn’t help myself and I just told her to avoid using any of it around her kids, for their sake. Our children’s bodies and ours are being bombarded with chemicals, many of them we consciously are burning and “plugging in” to our homes, poisoning our air. We are chemical beings and all these fragranced products are causing chemical reactions in our bodies – the evidence is mounting that these chemicals are linked to anxiety, depression and attention disorders to name only a few. Over the counter and prescription drugs are even worse, with these and other health issues listed as potential side effects. I’m actually surprised at how many people ask if essential oils will interact with the drugs they are taking, yet don’t give a thought to using a home cleansing wipe labeled “harmful to humans and domestic animals” or consider how common household products and cosmetics are interfering with their prescriptions. Perfumes and artificial fragrance are known to disrupt hormones and the endocrine system making us more vulnerable to symptoms of anxiety, depression and attention disorders.

If you are truly looking for help with issues like anxiety, depression or attention disorders, you seriously have to consider cleaning up your environment, diet and personal care products. Essential oils may offer some promise for dealing with these but they cannot compensate for a lack of common sense and poor choices. I myself have used essential oils to deal with anxiety and depression but I have been careful to assess what might be triggering these symptoms in my body. 

Anti-depressants are some of the most widely prescribed drugs, with prescribed usage doubling in just one decade: 1996-2005.  Some studies have even shown that their effects may be questionable.  Dr. Mercola offers some insight into this research and alternatives to prescription drugs even suggesting that placebos have as great an impact on improving your mood .   Keeping this in mind, essential oils may be a great side-effect free option to try before going on medications.   These suggestions have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any disease.

Lavender essential oil helps balance the body, may help with insomnia and is calming. Simply smelling something pleasant can have a positive effect on our psyche. Make sure you are using only a pure, food grade lavender essential oil. I met someone the other day who had a bad experience with lavender. After applying a drop to her pillow, she developed a horrible headache. If an essential oils is altered or diluted with any chemical, one can never really know what side effects may occur from fillers. It is always best to use essential oils from a trusted source that verifiies the ingredients of their products. Mine is Young Living essential oils because I know they have the highest quality control standards in the industry.

Frankincense essential oil may be helpful in alleviating symptoms of depression. I apply Frankincense to my face every day, it’s excellent and nourishing to the skin plus it gives a boost to my psyche. Frankincense can be diffused to improve concentration and mental clarity. Because of this quality, it would be a great choice for using when a student needs to get homework done. This is an excellent oil to use for anxiety – when you have a lot of things going on and you don’t know where to begin. This oil is clearly evidence of divine creation – one breath in and your mind is clear and focused for the most important task at hand.

Valor is a Young Living essential oil blend that has similar qualities to frankincense – simply because frankincense is one of it’s ingredients. It also contains spruce which is grounding and helps create positive memory. I used this in one of my yoga classes and afterwards one student commented that at the beginning of relaxation her mind was running in several directions. She said that the second she smelled Valor, her mind was completely cleared and she could just relax. This blend may also be a good choice for helping focus and dealing with attention disorders.

Peace & Calming is a Young Living blend of essential oils. It’s a blend that appeals to most people, it’s a sweeter smell with tangerine essential oil. Some think it evokes thoughts of childhood. Just applying a drop to your carotid artery as a natural perfume can be calming. When it is applied to the soles of the feet it can help move you into a peaceful nights rest. This would be a good choice for overactive children and pets, or adults who suffer from nervous tension.

Stress Away – Roll-On is a Young Living blend that contains vanilla & lime essential oils. This is another blend that works well as a natural perfume with positive side effects of calming you when you are experiencing anxiety.

Peppermint oil is the first choice for mental clarity for attention disorders. Simply applying the oil to the temples can improve concentration and focus. Diffusing peppermint oil when you are studying can help improve memory retention. Peppermint may also be useful in treating headaches brought on by anxiety or depression.

Essential oils have the potential to even out moods, balance our emotions and help improve our mental clarity. But first, it is important to clear your environment and personal exposure to man-made chemicals that may be contributing to these issues. If you are on a lot of medications, have intelligent conversations with your doctor or pharmicist about potential side effects. There are many natural, drug free solutions to anxiety, depression and attention disorders for those willing to do some research and tune into themselves to figure what might be triggering these symptoms in the first place.

Also known as “Ruta”, this essential oil comes from the plant Ruta-Gaveolens  found in Latin S. America.  It originally became well known as a food flavoring agent for cheese because it prevented mold growth.  It’s an anti-bacterial agent that prevents fungus growth.  It can also be helpful with insomnia, stress management and asthma type respiratory symptoms brought on by stress.  Ruta can also help with reducing pain levels and inflammation from digestive issues like leaky gut syndrome and candida.   Overall, it will help you sleep better which will affect many body systems.  Ruta contains these constituents:

Alpha Pinene – is anti-tumoral  like frankincense which has high Alpha Pinene.  The Alpha Pinene is lower in the Ruta but  has enough to strengthen the immune system.  If it is not distilled right then Alpha Pinene levels are very low.

Eucalyptol – reduces inflammation in the respiratory tract due to stressful lifestyle and Maladaptive Stress Syndrome.  It is a vascular dilator which may improve oxygen in the lungs and can be beneficial for chronic respiratory stress (asthma).

Alpha Eudesmol - repairs and regenerates tissue on the mylene nerves.  May be promising for use in autism, ADD, dyslexia, Aspergers, Tourette’s syndrome, Bi-polar, manic depression.  All of these may be  associated with destruction of neurites in the brain.

Ruta’s chemical structure helps reduce stress levels, Maladaptive Stress Syndrome in particular.  This situation occurs when someone is under chronic stress conditions with little control over the situation such as a divorce or the loss of a loved one.  This intense stress can manifest itself in many ways: hypoglycemia, diabetes, candida, insomnia, hormonal imbalance and depression.    A chronic state of stress increases acid and cortisol levels in the body, decreases digestive acids and can throw many body systems out of balance.   RutaVaLa helps reduce these stress factors especially when rubbed on the brain stem.  Gary has seen people suffering from  maladaptive stress lifted out of their depression and symptoms after using RutaVaLa .  One study found some women on  anti-depressents  like Prozak, Zoloft, etc.  go off them within 6 hours of using Ruta Vala.

Increased stress may lead to hormonal imbalance.   Women with low estrogen will have low testosterone which causes mood swings,insomnia,  depression, digestive issues causing IBS.  When you can sleep better you will have a better life and more energy.  Ruta Vala works on the Locus corelius (LC) in the brain which is a switchboard for the endocrine system and regulates the adrenals. When the LC shuts down it effects the hypothalamus which compromises the immune system.   Ruta Vala may be most effective when applied at bedtime.  It will help improve your quality of sleep which may lessen symptoms of chronic stress.  If you wake a little groggy, apply frankincense and peppermint or Clarity blend in the morning to your temples when you wake  for clearer thinking and improved concentration.  Do not use RutaVaLa in conjunction with a sleep aid.  If you are on prescription sleep medication, consult with your doctor before switching over to RutaVaLa to treat your sleep issues.

Gary added Lavender to the RutaVaLa blend because of it containing aldehydes and esters which are calming and sedating.  Chamomile also has esters and aldehydes and it lowers and reduces cortisol.  Adding  these two oils helps to make the fragrance of Ruta a  more pleasant and gives aromatic balance.

To use RutaVaLa:

Rub on the brain stem 3-4-5 times or on base of skull, rubbing clockwise 3 or 4 times, it will lower anxiety levels and cortisol levels. Ruta lowers the stress levels by reducing hypertension and lifting a person out of depression.   If you have a problem of sleeping or have restless leg syndrome, use Ruta Vala.  Have your loving spouse massage your shoulders and neck.  Applying to brain stem, under and around the ear down the jaw line and on each side of the esophagus.  Being applied along the esophagus you are very close to the jugular vein and it gets into the blood stream right away.   So if you sleep erratically, you will sleep 5-6 hours without waking up.  Most people don’t get into the 4th stage of sleep and have to sleep 8-10 hours or longer to get rested.   They can’t focus while on the job or can’t hold a job.   But when you get into that 4th  stage of sleep you can feel great with just 4-6 hours of sleep because you get the same benefit as those that sleep longer.  Applying RutaVaLa before bed can help you get a good night’s rest by helping you reach that 4th stage of sleep.

Children are under a lot of stress when they are in school:  competing in sports,  studying for good grades, some are bullied.  This is a great time to put Ruta Vala on the brain stem just before the going to bed or rub them down on the shoulders for a good night sleep and a great start  at school the next day.

RutaVaLa comes in a 15ml bottle and a convenient roll-on bottle.  You can order these at Wholesale (select independent distributor and add a $40 Start Living Kit, your wholesale membership is for a lifetime and does not require monthly orders) or Retail prices as a customer.   

RutaVaLa 15ml bottle      Wholesale – $29.75    Retail – $39.14

RutaVaLa  10ml Roll-On  Wholesale – $29.75    Retail – $39.14 

These statements are for educational purposes only and not meant to diagnose, treat or cure any diseases.