The Fever Blend with a Touch of Traditional Chinese Medicine or TCM

contributed by Fai Chan

In this chilly weather, it is easy to get sick by catching a cold.  I am the kind of person who gets cold easily, which will then turn to fever.  The symptoms that usually developed include aversion to cold, sore throat, headache and mild fever.  To try something new, and to have a breakthrough in my blending, I have made a fever blend that incorporates some of the TCM concepts.  It works very well, as after one to two applications, my body returned to health.

Zingiber officinale Roscoe

The blend that I made includes:

•     1 drop of  Ginger
•     2 drops of Balsam Copaiba
•     1 drop of Orange
•     2 drops of peppermint

·         in 5ml olive oil (Oleum europaea). 

The rationale behind each selection is as follows:

Ginger (Zingiber officinale): it is a warming oil which helps the skin to perspire and to release the cold trapped in surface exterior (skin), it is also anti-inflammatory. 

Orange (Citrus sinensis): It’s uplifting, calming and soothing energy can have a pleasant impact on the sick.  The oil can also tone and vitalize the body, and it is an immune booster.  The reason that I choose the oil is that it can bring out (uplift) the synergistic effect of the whole blend.  Therapeutically, its skin penetrating property helps the absorption quickly. 

Peppermint (Mentha x piperita): Peppermint is the cooling oil, which can cool the heat trapped in the surface exterior of the skin.  Therapeutically, it can reduce fever, stimulate circulation, and boost the immune system. 

Balsam Copaiba (Copaifera officinalis): The oil comes from the resins of the tree, therefore, it has the property of healing, as whenever there is a wound, the tree can heal itself via the secretion (resins/gum).  The cooling, anti-inflammatory and healing properties make the oil a good choice for the fever blend.

Copaifera officinalis

Whenever I have headache, there is too much Qi in my head.  I find it most effective when Qi is being dissipated (by bring the Qi downwards).  That is why I use cooling oils like peppermint, and Balsam Copaiba.  The areas that I apply the oils include the back of the neck, the upper shoulders and the lower back.  At the same time, I drink honey with lemon juice in warm water to soothe my sore throat.  I sip the drink instead of swallowing it so that the liquid can stay longer in my throat, which helps to speed up the recovery process. 

In this “experiment”, my body returned to normal after two applications. 

To conclude, the combination of TCM concepts and essential oil knowledge makes my fever blend works wonderfully well.  By considering the two elements: releasing the surface exterior and lowering the Qi ( by bringing the Qi downwards), the wind cold that I caught was healed in this fever blend.

References:

Aromahead Online Classes

Marc Gian's webinars in the reference:  http://www.marcjgian.com/