Just add oil: Aromatherapy in Joshua Tree - The Desert Sun

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Last year, Jenny Qaqundah developed an acute infection that put her in the hospital for several months. It took all of the fingers on her right hand, both legs — and nearly her life. “Doctors said it must have been prayer that saved me, because I shouldn’t be here,” says the Joshua Tree resident. An herbalist for 20 years and registered nurse for four, Jenny believes the doctors and prayer saved her life. A cocktail of self-prescribed herbal remedies as well as aromatherapy, she’s convinced, aided in her full recovery. Her surgeons, surprised by Jenny’s resilience, have even asked about the herbs and put them on her medical chart. More than a year and forty surgeries later, Jenny is in good health and even better spirits. “This experience made me realize I’m here for a purpose.”

Long before her illness, Jenny believed in the healing powers of herbs and essential oils. A passion for climbing ultimately carved her route as an herbalist and aromatherapy “bartender.”

“My hands were getting badly cut on the granite here,” says the owner of the Grateful Desert Herb Shoppe and Aromatherapy Bar in Joshua Tree. “I started making my own hand salve with nourishing natural oils, and then sent it to other climbers to try. It took off from there.”

Jenny’s home lab soon included healing herbal infusions called tinctures (aiding everything from digestion to stress), aromatherapy sprays and handmade scented lotions (for moods, energy and physical well being).

“We’ve long known about the emotional benefits of aromatherapy, but we’re now discovering more of their physiological effects,” Jenny says. She notes the story of a French chemist who, about a century ago, burned himself in his lab. “He instinctively dipped his hand in the first liquid he could find, which happened to be lavender essential oil. When the chemist’s hand healed rapidly, and without scarring, he was inspired to study the [properties] of these oils.”

For more than 6,000 years we have have relied on aromatics for health. Egyptians unlocked the secret to their benefits, using them in massage oils and even skin care. Europeans have long employed more sophisticated methods for using essential oils, but only recently have Americans become intrigued about the medicinal effects of these plant extracts.

Jenny recommends using rosemary for aromatherapy.
(Photo: Provided photo)


The idea, Jenny explains, is that after oil absorbs into the skin — the body’s largest organ — it then enters the blood stream. “People used to inject essential oils,” Jenny says. “You can die from this, so I wouldn’t recommend it, but a drop or two of an essential oil like ginger, for instance, can be added to a glass of water to ease digestion.”

Even when applying oils topically it’s important to be knowledgeable. “Some essential oils be applied directly to the skin, others need to be diluted with a carrier oil,” Jenny explains.

Oils also have different molecular structures, and will result in various consistencies when mixed with essential oils. “The molecule of jojoba is the same size as a hair follicle and so it absorbs deep into the skin. Other oils, like almond oil, have larger molecules that cover the skin’s surface.” That’s why you can apply jojoba and the outer layer of skin will still feel dry. Jenny opts for a blend of oils that will moisturize deeply while also leaving the skin feeling emollient.

At the Aromatherapy Bar (an actual bar with stools, a shelf and a bartender), Jenny keeps about 70 essential oils (“I keep adding more — I have a problem!”), organic Shea lotion and sunflower and jojoba oils. If you’d like to add another kind of oil like grape seed or olive, you can purchase them next door at the Health Foods market. Most customers come to the shop looking to have a personalized perfume lotion made. "While they’re at my bar, I teach them about the benefits of the essential oils they’re choosing — and then they want another formula for their health,” Jenny says. Common ailments include anxiety, depression, flightiness and sleeplessness.


Jenny adds rosemary essential oil to each laundry load, to infuse a clean scent and help break up grease.

(Photo: Provided photo)


Finding a wellness formula that has a fragrance you like is made easier by the array of oils. Some — lavender, orange and Frankincense, to name a few — even come in multiple blends from different parts of the world. “Each has a distinct scent and almost always, one will speak to a customer,” Jenny says. Lavender from France, for instance, smells entirely unlike one from Russia or Bulgaria.

All essential oils have a grounding (low), medium or uplifting (high) note. Citruses like lemon, lime and grapefruit are invigorating and found to relieve depression. Lavender helps with anxiety. Cedar and vetiver are grounding and calming. Rose and ylang ylang are aphrodiasics. Frankincense, known for cell regeneration, is even thought to help fight cancer. Each essential oil carries a benefit, and when combined, synergize to bring overall balance and wellness.

‘It’s true, some essentials on their own smell like feet — but when blended, they become beautiful,” Jenny says.


Citruses like orange, lemon and lime ward off depression

(Photo: Provided image)


AIR IT OUT

Those looking to diffuse emotional wellness into the air can follow this tip.

“I have about 50 essential oils at my house that I use according to what I am feeling that day,” Jenny says. Traditional diffusers produce an aroma by heating a mix of water and essential oils, typically with a tea light candle. If you prefer a lighter fragrance (or don’t want to light a candle in a company office, for instance), use brown rice or lavender petals. A potpourri doesn’t denature the oils. Pour ½ cup of brown rice into a small bowl and add 10 drops of essential oil. Add more oil as the scent fades, and replace the rice when it turns rancid. Or, add a cup of lavender petals to a decorative bowl and drop lavender essential oil onto the petals (add a bit of rice to help absorb the oil). Compost and repeat. “I also add a squirt or two of rosemary essential oil to each laundry load,” Jenny says. “You can use any scent, but rosemary smells so clean and helps break up grease.”