A Story About Blue Spruce Essential Oil
By Clare Licher
My Mother has had sensitive lungs ever since she was a child. She had to home school every winter because of chronic Bronchitis. For her entire life, every time she has come down with either a cold or flu, it winds up in her lungs and usually takes about two months for the cough to resolve. Two years ago she got a cold and decided to use an amphora that I had given her. She looked in our catalogue and chose Blue Spruce EO because of its broad range of benefits, such as anti-viral, mucolytic, antispasmodic, tonifying and uplifting. She filled her amphora with the oil, and wore it for two days. For the first time in her 82 years, the illness did not go into her lungs! We were all thrilled! She also has not been sick in the two years since. Naturally we are all very concerned for her health during this pandemic. She is using her amphora whenever she goes out, or after she has been in the presence of anyone outside the family. She and my Father, who helps collect the Blue Spruce, have also been diffusing the oil regularly in their home.
Please check out the beautiful amphoras and aromatherapy jewelry designs by Char Howard at www.aromatherapy-diffuser.com.
My 88 year old Father trimming Blue Spruce (with Meizy) |
Blue Spruce has a relatively small range in comparison to other Spruce species in North America. In the US, it grows in a few isolated high mountains of Arizona and New Mexico, more abundantly in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Utah, and in a few pockets as far north as Idaho and Wyoming. The aromatic profile varies greatly within its range, and there are noticeable differences even within Arizona. The Blue Spruce from the White Mountains in eastern Arizona is muskier with a minor vanilla note, and if there is a fruity note present, it is reminiscent of mango. The Blue Spruce from the Kaibab Plateau has a fairly consistent fruity top note that is a bit higher and often smells like passionfruit. Both regions are wild and lovely, and both are also about a five hour drive from Sedona. We have chosen to focus on our work the Kaibab Plateau because of the more consistent complexity of aroma, which is probably due to the stress of less annual rainfall. The essential oil contains almost 140 constituents, which is quite high for a conifer. It features limonene, a and b-pinene, camphene, d-carene, bornyl acetate, and b-myrcene, with minor amounts of borneol, camphor, and citronellol. The unique aroma and broad range of benefits are also very much shaped by the stellium of micro constituents.
The aroma and properties of this oil is fantastic all on its own, but we frequently diffuse it with citrus oils, such as grapefruit or lemon peel, to synergistically enhance the antiviral, tonifying and uplifting qualities of both.
The Blue Spruce range map is from Wikipedia. |
