ABOUT TCM OILS

Alchemica Botanica Traditional Chinese Medicine Essential Oils is the first line of essential oils dedicated purely to traditional Chinese herbs and substances, intended for therapeutic use within the context of acupuncture and Chinese medicine.  To date, it is the only one in existence.

With this new access to essential oils made from Chinese medicinal plants, the scope of their therapeutic interventions is blossoming.  These essential oils are easy to use, cost effective and often miraculous in their powers to stimulate healing and potentiate change in a very short span of time.  It often requires no more than a pinprick amount of an essential oil to activate the system in powerful ways.  In fact, less is often more using essential oils since they are very concentrated, and as with any concentrated substance, using too much may cause irritation. 

Oils are inherent in plants the same way that blood is inherent in the human body.  However, in their essential oil form, they also create new elements, inaccessible in other plant preparations.  Extracting oils from plants and parts of plants may change both the concentration and nature of their natural oil content.  Some plants and some parts of plants naturally contain volatile oils, which change during the extraction process.  

Volatile oils are the way plants protect themselves and the way they communicate.  In Chinese medical terms the aroma produced by these volatile oils is analogous to Wei Qi, Defensive Qi.  Since Wei Qi travels over the surface of the body, essential oils are an ideal preparation for addressing any and all issues arising in conjunction with Wei Qi.  As well, when we inhale an aroma it directly enters the Lung system which disseminates Wei Qi, going directly to the system most involved in many disorders of Wei Qi.  

On the other hand, in the same moment when the aroma enters the nostrils it also communicates with the brain.  In ways that science has yet to fully explain, aromas have the capacity to activate emotion and memory, stimulating brain activity of many kinds.  In Chinese medicine, the brain is thought of as the sea of marrow, a sea of Jing.   The Chinese word for essential oil is Jing You. This Jing is the same character as the concept Jing/Essence in TCM, You means oil. Essential oils are the Jing or concentrated essence of the substance from which they come.  They therefore have the potential to resonate with the body’s Jing level therapeutically.  Applying essential oils to acupuncture points, particularly those that resonate with Yuan Qi or to areas such as the lower abdomen where Jing resides, will directly affect the essence and all its emanations in the body.    

Alchemica Botanica TCM Essential Oils can be used in several ways.  They are intended for external application to acupuncture points, channels, or areas of the body.  For acupoint application, they can be used directly or blended, distributing one drop over a three to five point prescription. For application on channels or wider areas of the body, the oils should be diluted appropriately with a carrier oil.

Because the herbs in the Alchemica Botanica line are part of the traditional Chinese medicine pharmacopeia, they come with the benefit of thousands of years of experience and documentation.  Their properties, channel affinities, actions, and uses are known, and their essential oils can be deployed accordingly, especially those oils that are extracted by the CO2 process. This process retains the water metabolites of the herbs, keeping their nature similar to that of a decoction. There is no doubt that the essential oil form of these plants will trigger new discoveries for ways to use herbs, and of the many powerful therapeutic possibilities inherent in plants.

Some precautions about using essential oils:

Topical application of an essential oil or blend whether diluted or not should always be tested first on a very small area for sensitivity. If any irritation arises, discontinue use or change the dilution and test again.

Essential oils are commonly blended as a 2% to 10% dilution in a suitable carrier oil chosen for a particular purpose.

Direct application of an essential oil, for example, on acupuncture points, may be done after testing for sensitivity on a single point first. One drop may be distributed over a 3 to 5 point prescription. Never rub or massage an undiluted essential oil on the skin. If any irritation arises, discontinue use or dilute and test again.

It is not the intention of Alchemica Botanica or this website to provide specific information on disease processes or the healing of any disease or symptom. The information and statements regarding efficacy of products contained within this website are for educational purposes only, and have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products mentioned within this website are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease; and are not to be used as a substitute for consulting a licensed medical practitioner regarding any medical advice or treatment.

To learn more about using essential oils in the context of Chinese Medicine, Alchemica Botancica recommends the following Teachers: Jeffrey Yuen (jadepurityfoundation.org ) and Josephine Spilka ( essencepresence.com ).

Deep gratitude goes to the people and sources who contributed to the information contained in these TCM herb oil descriptions including: Dr. Jeffrey Yuen, Josephine Spilka, Andrew Ellis, the Materia Medica 3rd Edition by Bensky, Clavey & Stoger, Chinese Medical Herbology and Pharmacology by Chen&Chen, The Materia Medica of Essential Oils by Yuen, The Divine Farmer's Materia Medica translation by Yang Shou-Zhong, and various research articles and papers.