Your aromatherapy Star Sign - Pisces (February 20 - 20 March)

PISCES (20 February – 20 March)
Ruler: Neptune/Jupiter
Colour: Blue
Element: Water
Season: Winter
Aromatic: Clary Sage, Bergamot and Lavender

Clary Sage (Salvia Sclarea)
Clary Sage has a euphoric effect which makes it a useful oil for treating stress-related nervous tension and fatigue. Some people find it helpful in the treatment of migraine and it can also reduce pain associated with back ache and muscle stiffness. The medicinal application of Clary Sage began prior to the birth of Christ. The Egyptians used it as a cure for infertility whilst the Greeks and Romans believed that it could prolong human life. It was one of the Anglo Saxons’ nine sacred herbs and by the sixteenth century it was grown in every medicinal herbal garden. It became known as ‘clear eye’ as it was believed to cure eyesight problems. Under the guise of its therapeutic properties it was often added to beer and wine, however it was possibly appreciated more for the fact that it enhanced the effect of alcohol, making weak beer seem more potent.

Bergamot (Citrus Bergamia)
Bergamot oil, expressed from the rind of bergamot fruit, is an anti-depressant with an uplifting effect on the mind. It can be helpful in calming an overactive mind and relieving physical symptoms such as palpitations and twitchy muscles. It has been reported in several journals to be useful in treating psychiatric cases where it has been found to quell fears and improve mental focus. Bergamot can also be useful in treating stress-related problems of the digestive tract such as irritable bowel syndrome. The bergamot tree was introduced to the new world by Christopher Columbus in 1520. By 1800, at the time of Napoleon’s domination of Europe, it was at the height of popularity for both medicinal and perfumery purposes, with most herbalists and physicians of the time mentioning its valuable medicinal properties for soothing the mind and healing infection in their manuscripts. In African voodoo culture, Bergamot has been historically used to drive away evil spirits and protect individuals from physical danger.

Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia)
Lavender is distilled from the flowers and leaves of the herb and is a very well known, widely used and inexpensive essential oil which is an effective anti-depressant. It is a good “balancer” so it is useful in helping people to recover from mood swings, is a well known treatment for insomnia and is equally good for relieving tension headaches. It has a restorative, tonic effect which makes it useful for treating individuals with debilitating fatigue or lethargy and it is an effective pain killer and anti-spasmodic so it is valuable in treating tension related “aches and pains” of a muscular nature. The name derives from the Roman word 'lavare' which means 'to cleanse'. It refers to the Roman custom of scenting baths with the leaves and flowers of the plant. Matthiole the Sixth Century Botanist regarded lavender flowers as most effective against conditions of melancholy. Lavender was popular in the monastic medicinal gardens of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and even earlier than that, in the twelfth century, Abbotess Hildegarde dedicated a whole chapter in her herbal to the medicinal uses of lavender. Lavender has been used since pagan times to purify the air and the mind. This is linked to another of its pagan uses which was to drive out wicked spirits and, later on, witches. Gerard in his Sixteenth Century Herbal said that the flowers helped to cure 'lovesickness' and keep one chaste. The Victorians thought that it was an excellent headache cure and would often wear a sprig under their hats.