Dwarf Essential Oil Uses and Benefits That You Never Even Imagined
Dwarf Plants are plants that are abnormally small for a given species or genus. Dwarf varieties of birch, pine, juniper, willow, and fir develop as a result of poor soil or adverse climatic conditions in the Arctic and Antarctic, as well as on high mountains. Dwarf fruit trees and ornamentals are produced by artificially grafting on stocks with poorly developed root systems or by cultivating seedlings in pots filled with tightly packed soil. Artificial dwarfs include oak, gingko, maple, cherry, and plum trees.
The Two Popular Varieties of Dwarf Essential Oils
There are two popular kinds of essential oils derived from dwarf plants: dwarf pine essential oil and dwarf juniper essential oil. Both these plants grow in adverse conditions, causing their stunted growth and dwarfed size. However, the medicinal properties of these plants remain similar to their regular-sized varieties and may even have other beneficial properties.
Let’s find out the properties and uses of these essential oils.
Dwarf Pine Essential Oil
Pine oil is a colorless to pale yellow essential oil. Depending on its source, pine oil may either have a fresh, earthy, and forest-like fragrance or a strong, dry, balsamic, turpentine-like odor. Also called fir leaf oil or oleum folii pini sylvestris, pine oil should not be confused with pine nut oil. Pine nut oil, which is also referred to as pinon, pine kernel, or Indian nut, is a vegetable oil mostly used for cooking. It is derived from the seeds of the pine tree.
Pine oil, on the other hand, is extracted through steam distillation of the needle-like foliage of the pine tree. Generally, pine oil comes from trees of the genus Pinus Dwarf pine needle (Pinus mugo) – a tall and shrub-like tree harvested from the Swiss Alps. In Europe, this plant is used in healing skin and scalp diseases.
Dwarf Pine is forest fresh and a little balsamic sweet in aroma with faint spice and woody nuances flittering in and out of detection. The essential oil is obtained by steam distillation of the needles and twigs, water white in color and of a pourable viscosity.
Dwarf pine essential oil has a sharp, fresh, and clean scent. It is distilled from the needles and resin of several varieties of pine trees. Scotch pine (Pinus Sylvestris) oil is recommended for use in aromatherapy and other herbal remedies. Poor quality dwarf pine oils lack sweetness and have a harsh aroma like turpentine.
Dwarf Pine Essential Oil Uses
Below are some practical uses for dwarf pine oil – plus handy tips on how you can use it at home.
- Dwarf pine essential oil is used as a fragrance in soaps, creams, detergents, and many pharmaceutical preparations such as analgesic ointments, nasal decongestants, and cough and cold medicines.
- It also works as an insect repellant. To protect your wool sweaters from moths and other insects, pour 10 drops of dwarf pine oil onto small pieces of untreated wood. Place the pieces of wood in your closets or drawers.
- You can use dwarf pine oil as an air freshener. Eliminate the awful smell of cigarettes and stale air by adding four drops of dwarf pine oil to one cup of water. Pour the mixture in a spray bottle, shake it well, and spray it to instantly freshen up your room. Avoid spraying it on furniture.
- Try it as a massage oil before and after exercise. Create your own pre- and post-workout massage oil to prevent or soothe strained muscles. Add three drops of dwarf pine oil, juniper-berry oil, and rosemary oil in two ounces of jojoba oil.
- It can be used for the treatment of eczema, psoriasis, athlete’s foot, cuts, scabies, and sores.
- In aromatherapy, dwarf pine essential oil is used to refresh a tired mind and soothe mental stress.
- Dwarf pine essential oil is good for helping to fight fatigue and nervous exhaustion. It helps build strength, self-confidence, and stamina. The scent of pine brings about a sense of freedom and can be warming or cooling depending on the situation.
- Dwarf pine essential oil reduces inflammation of the gallbladder when used in compresses and poultices.
- It may also be used as an inhalant for infections of the respiratory tract. Dwarf pine essential oil is used in the treatment of everything from pneumonia to stuffy noses. It is a powerful antiseptic and can relieve chest congestion.
- Dwarf pine essential oil is good for the kidneys, adrenal glands, prostate, and reproductive organs.
- It is often used in the treatment of hepatitis.
- Women suffering from menopausal hot flashes and night sweats can benefit from the use of dwarf pine oil since it can reduce profuse sweating.
- Dwarf pine essential oil can relieve rheumatism, neuralgia, anxiety, digestive problems, allergies, sciatica, gout, muscle pain, and arthritis.
- Dwarf pine oil also stimulates circulation.
- Dwarf pine essential oil is a good addition to muscle rubs and massage oils, but may cause irritation if used on sensitive skin. Always test any new lotion or massage blend on a small area of skin before using on large areas of the body.
- Dwarf pine oil can restore health after a prolonged illness.
- Manufacturers use the scent of dwarf pine essential oil for cleaning products, deodorants, and soaps. Dwarf pine essential oil blends well with bergamot, cedarwood, clary sage, cypress, eucalyptus, frankincense, grapefruit, juniper, lavender, lemon, marjoram, peppermint, rosemary, sandalwood, tea tree, and thyme essential oils.
Composition of Dwarf Pine Oil
Dwarf pine oil contains 50 to 97 percent monoterpene hydrocarbons, of which 60 to 65 percent is a-terpineol. It also has car-3-ene, dipentene, β-pinene, a-terpinene, y-terpinene, bornyl acetate, cadinene, sylvestrene, and camphene. Dwarf pine oil is best blended with botanical essential oils like cedarwood, rosemary, sage, labdanum, and juniper.
Oil properties
Dwarf pine oil has a pleasant, woody aroma with a balsamic undertone. The dwarf pine is native to the mountainous regions of Europe and grows to about 3.5 meters high (11 feet). The essential oil is extracted by steam distillation from the needles and twigs. The therapeutic properties of this oil are analgesic, antiseptic, antiviral, diuretic and expectorant. The main chemical components of this oil are limonene, pinene, dipentene, camphene and others.
Dwarf Pine Essential Oil Benefits
Dwarf pine oil has antimicrobial, antiseptic, antifungal, anti-neuralgic, and anti-rheumatic properties. It also works as a good decongestant and expectorant for respiratory ailments. In addition, dwarf pine oil is praised for its ability to naturally:
- Ease muscular stiffness and rheumatism as a rubefacient
- Relax the body when added to a bath
- Stimulate healthy metabolism
- Boost activity levels
- Help eliminate excess water, uric acid, salt, and fat through urination
- Neutralize free radicals with its rich antioxidant capacity
- Cure urinary tract infection (UTI)
It’s also a natural analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent, which makes it a potential substitute for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that can come with loads of devastating side effects.
Clinical tests of the shampoo with natural essential oil of dwarf pine did not indicate any side effects in its action on the scalp, visible mucous membranes and the surface of face and body skin. It was noticed that it is more effective in treating dandruff, and encouraging hair shine, strengthening of hair follicles and their growth when compared to other readily available scalp-treating formulations.
Clinical tests of the shampoo conducted on 113 men and 75 women have shown that the dwarf essential oil-based shampoo was gentle and effective in taking care of the scalp. The use of the shampoo resulted in disappearance of dandruff, strengthening of hair roots, hair growth and shine. The shampoo was especially effective when used as a medical treatment against seborrhea, for hair strengthening and growth-stimulation.
Conducted tests have indicated that natural essential oil of dwarf pine has a wide range of biologically active effects on skin and hair-covered skin areas of humans and while being easy on the nose.
How to Use Dwarf Pine Essential Oil and Side Effects
While dwarf pine oil has low risk of toxicity in humans, inappropriate dosage, improper application, or use of low-quality and oxidized variants may cause skin rashes, eye irritation, gastrointestinal issues, severe aspiration, and respiratory distress.
Dwarf pine essential oil contraindications: As a safety precaution, do not integrate dwarf pine oil or any type of essential oil in your treatment protocol without seeking expert medical opinion. Consult your a natural healthcare practitioner about this matter, so you can be guided accordingly.
Again, for simple dermal applications, it is recommended to do a skin test first. Apply dwarf pine oil on a small area of your skin. Wait for 24 to 48 hours to see if redness or any sign of irritation occurs before using it on larger parts of your body.
Dwarf pine essential oil should not be used in cases where a person has high blood pressure. It should not be used to treat babies, small children, pregnant women, or the elderly. Keep all essential oils away from the eyes. Do not take essential oils internally. Always dilute essential oils with a good carrier oil and test on small area of skin before use. Always consult with a healthcare professional before using any herbal remedy especially if pregnant, nursing, or taking other medicines.
Dwarf Juniper Essential Oil
Beautiful mountain juniper, when grown at a high elevation, causes the trees to grow as dwarfs. The juniper berry oil extracted from the berries of the dwarf juniper tree is often used as a bladder stimulant, good for treating infections in the bladder, kidneys, and other illnesses throughout the urinary system.
Herbal uses of juniper date back to early Greek and Arabian physicians. Juniper was commonly used as a fumigant by ancient Greeks, and is burned as incense and for ceremonial purposes by Tibetans and Native Americans. Native Americans also utilized Juniper for treating colds, flu, arthritis, and muscle aches.
Aromatherapists worldwide utilize dwarf juniper essential oil as a detoxifier; it can be applied topically to improve skin health, and its cleansing properties encourage musculoskeletal health when used in massage oils or baths. Diffused, it can nourish and restore optimal nervous system and circulatory health, enhancing clarity of mind, calmness and relaxation.
Himalayan Juniper oil which comes from a high mountain distillery, is not refracted, giving it a more wholesome, full, woody-pine scent than other junipers oils as it includes more notes which are often extracted in common commercial juniper oil. Such oil helps to energize and relieve exhaustion, ease inflammation and spasms, improve mental clarity and memory, purifying the body, to lessen fluid retention, for disinfecting. Juniper is said to exert a cleansing effect on the mental and spiritual planes as well as on the physical.
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Dwarf Juniper Essential Oil Benefits and Properties
- Analgesic
- Anti-arthritic
- Antibacterial
- Antifungal
- Anti-infectious
- Anti-inflammatory
- Anti-rheumatic
- Antiseptic
- Antispasmodic
- Antiviral
- Astringent
- Diuretic
- Liver supporter
- Lymphatic support
- Rubefacient
- Tonic
- Vein tonic
- Warming
Dwarf Juniper Essential Oil Uses
- It is used to provide relief for arthritis and rheumatism.
- It works as a diuretic.
- It provides liver support.
- It also provides lymphatic support.
- You can use dwarf juniper essential oil for kidneys and urinary tract infections
- It works as a vein tonic.
- It has analgesic, anti-bacterial, anti-infectious, anti-spasmodic, astringent properties.
- Dwarf juniper is used medicinally for respiratory problems as well as gastrointestinal infections and worms.
- It helps expel the build-up of uric acid in the joints and is employed in gout, rheumatic and arthritis. It is especially good for rheumatic pain and cystitis.
How to Use Dwarf Juniper Essential Oil
Dwarf juniper oil may be applied directly to skin in most cases, 1-3 drops to the afflicted area, or use topically as perfume. Do not over do it! Diffuse via steam or gentle heat, dilute 15-20 drops per ounce of carrier oil for slow absorption and extended use.
Juniper essential oil contraindications: Consult your midwife for dwarf juniper essential oil pregnancy application or for infant application. Handle carefully with children, elders and pets. Dwarf juniper essential oil side effects vary from person to person so make sure to test before applying regularly.
Dwarf juniper is a valuable essential oil and can be applied topically, through direct inhalation, or used with a diffuser. Blend up to a 5% dilution in a massage oil and massage gently into skin to support healthy detoxification. Can also be used as a compress to support healthy muscles and joints, promoting a healthy inflammatory response.
To support a healthy nervous system and urinary tract, add a 2-4 drops to warm bath water or to a sitz bath. For skin health, mix 5-7 drops in a salt scrub and apply over the whole body. Direct inhalation and diffusion of dwarf juniper essential oil or a juniper essential oil substitute helps enhance calm and relaxation, encouraging clarity of mind.
Sources:
- http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Dwarf+Plants
- http://articles.mercola.com/herbal-oils/pine-oil.aspx
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_pumila
- http://www.hermitageoils.com/essential-oils/dwarf-pine-essential-oil
- http://www.essentialoils.co.za/essential-oils/pine-pumilionis.htm
- http://www.everygreenherb.com/pine.html
- http://whitesagelanding.net/our-shop/buy-essential-oils/dwarf-mountain-juniper-essential-oil
- http://www.essencenepal.com/juniper.html
- http://www.stillpointaromatics.com/dwarf-juniper-Juniperus-communis-var-nana-essential-oil-corsica
- https://houseofaromatics.com/product/dwarf-juniper-essential-oil/
- http://www.floracopeia.com/Shop/wild-crafted-dwarf-juniper-oil.html