"Sit down and feed, and welcome to our table." -William Shakespeare

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Geranium Essential Oil

I remember the smell of broken geranium stems from when I was a girl... both my mom and grandma had lots of geraniums and that pungent, sharp smell is unforgettable.


Essential oil of geranium (also called rose geranium), though, smells very sweet, really too sweet. But it mixes well with other scents. It is a powerful wound healer, anti-depressant, anti-bacterial, and the list cgoes on.

Geranium is so powerful it should NEVER be used on infants under 6 months, and betwen 6-12 months only with the advice of a healthcare professional.

It must be strictly avoided during pregnancy.

My favorite use of geranium oil is as a remedy against staph infection. God forbid you and your family ever contract antibiotic-resistant staph. But we did. (I am referring to SKIN rash-type staph, not staph infection of open wounds!)

John Paul was just a baby. By the time Ed noticed this rash oon his trunk, it was bad, and I mean bad. He was prescribed oral antibiotics and chose to take them. When we all succumbed 1 by 1, thankfully, I caught it early and our PA thought a topical ccream would do.

Well, it didn't do. It was a big, fat, terrifying mess. Another PA suggested antibacterial body wash. Nice. Like I wasn't already breeding super-germs in my house!

Then one weekend Isaiah fell on his knee and I found a big puss-filled thingy on his knee. I was sure it was going to have to be lanced and drained. But I wasn't about to spend 6 hours and $600 in the ER for that. My friend and midwife suggested trying geranium oil on it while I anxiously waited for Monday morning to come. I used the oil neat (undiluted, and NO you shouldn't do that... it should always be diluted... I was just having a reeeeally bad day) and covered the area with a hefty bandage.

Monday morning, 10 am, PA's office. Bandage comes off. PA frowns. PA looks at me puzzled. "Where is it?"

It was gone. The quarter-sized, pus-filled boil had disappeared.

SUH-WEEEEEET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She actually asked me to give her info on geranium oil, as she had several patients really struggling with staph and she couldn't give them any more antibiotics in good conscience.

Over the next couple of weeks, we continued to have little staph spots appear but the geranium oil banished them all very quickly... WAY more quickly than the topical antibiotic we had tried first. Our PA continued to be awed and impressed by the superior results.

Generally, to use geranium on wounds or bacteria, yoou dilute it a few drops to a few ounces vodka or rubbing alcohol- use witch hazel if straight alcohol is too drying for you. Geranium in witch hazel also makes a great deodorant for sensitive skin that can't handle natural deodorants containing baking soda or salt.

The reason I had geranium on hand, though, was as a help for the after-baby blues. Avoid it while pregnant, but remember it after birth if you feel down in the dumps. Use the deodorant spray or just sniff the bottle a couple times a day. As my dh likes to remind me, the fatsest way to get a chemical into your blood stream is to inhale it.

Oh, and he's an industrial construction safety specialist, not a druggie, in case you were worried.


"I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck."
-Emma Goldman

"Even if you think the Big Bang created the stars, don't you wonder who sent the flowers?"
-Robert Brault

DISCLAIMER* The author is neither a healthcare professional nor a certified herbalist. This information is for educational purposes only. Use all home remedies at your own risk.*****

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