Author Archives: AyurvedicOils

7 Quick Ways In Which Ayurveda Can Help You Maintain Healthy Relationships

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Human being is an exotic piece of art crafted by the Creator. The Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore rightly said that ‘Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man’. Nothing in the world has the power that a caring mother’s hands can express. Though today’s rapid living witnesses plentiful violent behaviors and brutality across the globe, the sole thing that moves and keeps moving mankind is the healthy and hearty relationships she/he holds.

A Mom is special but nothing less a Father is,

While Brother is a blessing,

A Sister is your life’s spring,

Partner of your life is an incredible part of your life,

Your Kid becomes the reason for your living,

And forever a flawless Friend is always fulfilling.

Nothing can hurt our lives as bad as a break of a relationship be it with any of your near and dear ones. Will you be surprised if I say Ayurveda, the holistic science of healing has remedies even for maintaining healthy relationships? Sounds splendid and it was completely moving and heartening for me as well. Here are the 7 quick ways in which Ayurveda can help you maintain healthy relationships.

  1. Smile together: Smile is a wonderful remedy that can help you to put an end to your worries and has the power to spread faster than your anger. This noble thought of the ancient healing Ayurvedic science is reiterated by many and one among them is the renowned Psychiatrist William F. Fry, MD, associate professor at Stanford University and the father of the science of laughter, Gelotology says, “When you laugh, your body responds,” he explains. “You flex, then relax 15 facial muscles plus dozens of others all over your body. Your pulse and respiration increase briefly, oxygenating your blood. And your brain experiences a decrease in pain production due to the creation of pleasure-giving endorphins.” Happiness gets multiplied when you share it and gives a real opportunity to reveal your original beauty with your near ones.
  2. Eat right to live bright: Ayurveda always insists on eating right for living right and bright as well. Let your routine diet be a balanced one with a mix and match of food items with essential nutrients. Only when you supplement your body with healthy food, you can expect your body to complement you with a hale and hearty life.
  3. Work out regularly: Physical exercises are indeed a part of Ayurvedic treatment. Regular work outs that suit your Ayurvedic body type, age and energy level can augment your life style and improve the quality of living. Ayurveda does not force you to take up heavy exercises in the gyms or other fitness centers but practice simple exercises on a regular basis.
  4. Give what you love to get: I love to share my favorite adage here which says, ‘What you keep to yourself, you lose. What you give away, you keep forever’. This is the essence of life and that is why Ayurveda insists on giving those things that you love to get from others, be it your love or smile or other eternal possessions.
  5. Meditation is a must: Meditation is the best way through which you can breathe the air of confidence and liberty. Ayurvedic therapy strongly suggests meditating daily for few minutes as this quality time for yourselves will help you know who you are, make you realize where you are and aid you in understanding the distance towards your ultimate goals. Totally put together, systematic meditation in an Ayurvedic way of living will certainly pave way for self-realization and avoid unnecessary traumas that end up in relationship collapses.
  6. Enhance your immunity: Ayurvedic approach of healing focuses on treating your illness initially and fortify your immune system to prevent such poor health conditions in the future. This helps you to go on a long way in enriching your relationships and achieving your ambitions without any pitfalls.
  7. Peaceful sleep: With all the above mentioned Ayurvedic tips, a peaceful sleep can never be away from you. Enjoy the peace and pleasure of sleeping together with your loved ones and waking up for a fresh day to greet and glow your dreams. Early to bed and early to rise, according to Ayurveda is the profound secret to success.

Ayurveda always has something for everyone and try exploring your psycho-emotional set up with this antique science in strengthening your relationships. Discover the joy of being together with your near ones and each and every step you take towards your life matters. Even a simple, caring and caressing massage with Ayurvedic essential oils can express your unconditional love in a matter of minutes. Keep smiling and living every minute of your life by maintaining healthy relationships with the absolute support of Ayurveda.

Reference Links:

  1. Ayurveda Beyond The Elements By Lyn Vasudeva
  2. Gelotology by Wikipedia
  3. Meditation and Ayurveda by Ayurvedic-Ayurveda
  4. How to Increase Immunity with Ayurveda by Onlymyhealth

β-pinene

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β-pinene) found in plants is an organic monoterpene compound, and is one of the most abundant compounds released by forest trees. If oxidized in air, the allylic products of the pinocarveol and myrtenol family prevail. α-pinene, which is a colorless liquid soluble in  alcohol, but not water, is one of the two isomers of pinene.

Owing to its woody-green pine-like smell, beta-pinene has been used as a flavoring and fragrance agent.  It’s is pretty common in essential oils and is also used in cooking to provide flavoring effects to the food, and also to act as a preservative.

The botanical families that contain β-pinene are Humulus lupulus, Clausena anisata, Cuminum cyminum, Pinus pinaster, Cannabis sativa, and Cannabis indica.

Uses of beta-Pinene:

Anti-depressant:

Antidepressant-like activity is seen in essential oils that contain β-pinene and Linalool, which are two most volatile monoterpenes.

These are components of many aromatic plants used in folk medicine around the world to relieve anxiety and depression.

A study in 2015 suggested that, linalool and beta-pinene act on the monoaminergic system by reflecting their biological activity on several receptors of the system. Since these constituents focus on multiple receptors, the resulting effects are more potent and long lasting when compared to those that focus on only a single receptor.

Linalool and beta-pinene act in balancing the brain chemistry in these receptors (multiple receptors) resulting in alterations of mood and depression.

Another study in 2012 on ‘Antidepressant activity of Litsea glaucescens essential oil: identification of β-pinene and linalool as active principles’ displayed evidence that, β-pinene and linalool which were active constituents of L. glaucescens essential oil played a role in promoting antidepressant activity.  As a result, the use of L. glaucescens to treat depression was initiated in Mexican Traditional Medicine.

Antibacterial Activities:

beta-Pinene also possesses antibacterial activities.  A study on Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oil and three of its main components α-pinene (19.43%), 1,8-cineole (27.23%), and β-pinene (6.71%) were studied to understand the in vitro antibacterial behavior and toxicology characteristics. During the study, essential oils of R. officinalis L., α-pinene and β-pinene were treated on Gram-positive, and Gram- negative bacteria. The results showed that Gram-positive bacteria were more responsive to the oil.

Another study on Biological Activities of a-Pinene and β-Pinene Enantiomers conducted in the year 2012 suggested, “This study showed that only the positive enantiomers of pinene have antimicrobial activity against -pinene, C. albicans, C. neoformans, R. oryzae and MRSA. The additive and synergistic effects of (+) – and (+)-β-pinene standards combined with commercial antimicrobials are important as they reduced the MIC of combined substances, maintained the antimicrobial activity and decreased toxicity.”

Cytotoxic Activity:

Most essential oils are used in the industries of food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical and sanitary for their diverse activities that support insecticidal, anti-parasitical, bactericidal, and fungicidal properties.

Keeping this in mind, for several centuries specialists have tested essential oils from more than 20 plant families for the past 10 years. An experiment as such is what is mentioned below which proves the cytotoxic activity of beta-Pinene.

beta-Pinene is seen to show cytotoxic activity towards cancer cells. In the year 2014 a study on ‘Anticancer activity of essential oils and their chemical components’ proved, that essential oil of Schefflera heptaphylla (L.) Frodin and its major compound beta-pinene ((-)-beta-pinene and (+)-beta-pinene) showed significant anti-proliferative activity against A375 cancer cell lines. There by preventing the growth of cancer cells related to skin cancer.

Antimicrobial Activity:

Several studies were conducted to identify and prove the antimicrobial activity of beta-Pinene. One of such studies was in the year 2012 where β-pinene an essential component of Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oil proved positive.

During the course of this study, the anticancer, and antibacterial activities of the oil of Rosmarinus officinalis L were assessed and the three main constituents of the oil 1,8-cineole, α-pinene and β-pinene was brought under consideration.

The result- the oil of Rosmarinus officinalis L exhibited the strongest antibacterial and cytotoxic activities towards SK-OV-3, HO-8910 and Bel-7402 human tumor cell lines, which were in order: Rosmarinus officinalis L. essential oil > α-pinene > β-pinene > 1,8-cineole.

Reference Links:

  1. beta-Pinene by Wikipedia
  2. Biological activities of α-pinene and β-pinene enantiomers by Institute of Microbiology Paulo de Góes, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, PubMed
  3. Antibacterial Activity and Anticancer Activity of Rosmarinus officinalis L. Essential Oil Compared to That of Its Main Components by Wei Wang, Nan Li, Meng Luo, Yuangang Zu and Thomas Efferth, published in Molecular Diversity Preservation International Journal.
  4. Antidepressant activity of Litsea glaucescens essential oil: identification of β-pinene and linalool as active principles, published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology and PubMed

α-Pinene

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α-Pinene is a productive chemical constituent that’s seen in various species of coniferous trees especially the Pine. It’s also seen in Rosemary as well. α-pinene is more commonly seen in European pines; it is one of the two isomers of pine and an organic compound seen in the terpene class.

A mixture of α-pinene and α-isomer is seen in Eucalyptus oil and Orange peel oil. The chemical substance is also seen in Juniper berries and tea tree oil. The concentration and quantity of the chemical compound present in the oil depends on the temperature and availability of sunlight.

α-Pinene is seen in several essential oils and exhibits anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, and acts as a broad-spectrum antibiotic. It also functions as an acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor and as a bronchodilator as well.

In ancient times, drops of the resin were collected from the bark of the trees to treat ailments. The resin collected was mixed with wine, milk or water to treat respiratory illnesses especially the ones that lead to congestion of the airway. The mixture was used as an expectorant to create relief.

The mixture of the resin were also used internally and externally to treat parasitic infections. Mixed with bees wax or animal fat, alpha-pinene was used as an antimicrobial ointment or an analgesic balm.

In the 1600, the Dutch used Juniper berries to create an alcoholic tonic which is now commonly known as Gin. This was even used as a medical aid in the ancient times. The French distilled the chemical compound from the bark of Juniper trees to create a product to treat skin diseases like eczema.

The resins containing α-Pinene called melaleuca was also put to use in the Aborigine cultures of ancient Australia to treat open wounds and prevent further infection, and also to treat fungal infections of the feet as well.

Likewise several cultures around the world used α-Pinene as tinctures, in teas and in topical formulations. As of today, this chemical constituent is being used in mouthwashes, cough lozenges, cold and chest ointments.

Antibacterial cytotoxic activity of α-Pinene:

A study conducted on Rosmarinus officinalis L. Essential Oil which contains 1,8-cineole (27.23%), α-pinene (19.43%) and β-pinene (6.71%) as its major constituents; was performed to identify the cytotoxic and antibacterial activity of the oil. The results suggested that R. officinalis L. essential oil was extremely effective towards three different kinds of cancer cells and exhibited the highest antibacterial activity.

Antimicrobial properties of α-Pinene:

Several studies have been carried out to understand the antimicrobial activities of α-pinene. One of these studies was on Biological Activities of α-Pinene and β-Pinene Enantiomers. This study was to understand the effect of the chemical substances on bacterial and fungal cells.

The study proved that α-Pinene projected an incredible amount of microbicidal activity against all fungi and bacteria when treated with MICs that ranged from 117 to 4,150 µg/mL.

Anti-inflammatory effects of α-Pinene:

Studies have proved that α-pinene exhibits anti-inflammatory effects in human Chondrocytes; keeping this in mind a study was carried out to establish an understanding on α-pinene and its anti-osteoarthritic activity.

The results focused positive feedback on the effects of α-pinene as an anti-inflammatory, anti-catabolic and anti-osteoarthritic and should be studied further for its promising activity as an anti-osteoarthritic drug.

Reference links:

  1. Antibacterial Activity and Anticancer Activity of Rosmarinus officinalis L. Essential Oil Compared to That of Its Main Components by Wei Wang, Nan Li, Meng Luo, Yuangang Zu and Thomas Efferth, published in Molecular Diversity Preservation International Journal.
  2. What are the medical uses of alpha-pinene? By WiseGeek
  3. Anti-inflammatory and Chondroprotective Activity of (+)-α-Pinene: Structural and Enantiomeric Selectivity by University of Coimbra, Portugal, published in the Journal of Natural Products.