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Rosa Damascena – flower from the East that conquered Europe

The name “Bulgarian Rose” assumes a specific type of this flower – Rosa Damascena, also known as the Damascus rose and the Castile rose. This species is a hybrid – derived from Gaelic and Muscat rose. It grows as a deciduous shrub of irregular shape, with a maximum height of 2.2m. The stem is covered with firm thorns and hairs and the leaves of the rose are feathered with 5-7 leaves. The color of the flowers ranges from light pink, over medium pink to light red.

There are 2 types of this rose based on the length of the flowering season – summer and autumn damascene. Summer rose has a short flowering season – only in summer, while with the fall variety the flowering season extends to fall.

Rosa Damascena, as you might guess from its name, originates from the city of Damascus in Syria (also known as damask textile), from where it was transmitted to Europe. In the Middle East you can no longer find this rose in the wild, it is now an exclusively grown plant. In Bulgaria, it mostly grows in the region called the Valley of the Roses, where the most exclusive and beautiful oil is made from this beautiful plant.

Valley of the Roses and Festival of the Roses

The Valley of the Roses is an area in central Bulgaria, beneath the Balkan Mountains. Due to its climatic characteristics, this territory was ideal for establishing a damascene rose plantation and it has been cultivated here for centuries. Studies have shown that there are as many as 280 different factors – from climate specificity to soil characteristics, which give the aroma of the rose a long-lasting and specificity.

What are the natural conditions that make this valley ideal for growing roses? Being surrounded by mountains gives it protection against adverse winds, and its extensive network of rivers and streams supplies it with water. All these conditions have a favorable effect on the growth of the rose, as well as other types of flowers used in the perfume industry.

Heavy rainfall during May and June is a key advantage of this territory when it comes to growing damascene roses – average rainfall is 10mm per square meter. Winters are generally mild. The soil in this area contains sand and gravel, and alluvial types and subtypes of soil formed by the deposition of river-bearing materials are present.

Rose Festival Kazanlak

The center of this region is Kazanlak – a popular tourist destination. Turning to the agribusiness with roses has affected the lives of the locals so much that even a museum dedicated to this world has opened in this city. Every year, at the end of May or beginning of June, the beginning of the rose picking at the Rose Festival begins. The festivities last for several days and begin with a picking ceremony and include a parade through the city with traditional costumes. This event attracts a large number of tourists.

 

 

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How to Use Essential Oils Topically

When we talk about the usage of essential oils – topical or external use is the most common one, which is to apply oils directly to the skin.

You carefully tip the oil bottle and drop 2-3 drops into the palm of your hand or right into the desired application area. This is considered an undiluted application. You may drop the oil in your hand, rub your palms together and massage the oil onto the skin.

But most of the time, you will want to dilute your essential oil with the carrier oil, which is any plain vegetable-based oil (olive, coconut, grape seed, apricot, almond, etc). Another reason why to dilute your oils is to allow them to cover a larger surface area.

Also, keep in mind you will always want to dilute your oils when using them with children.

Certain oils are called – hot oils because they can irritate the skin. Oils like cinnamon, peppermint and oregano are examples of hot oils.

Caution!

Never put essential oils in your eyes or ears!

TIP:

When you are starting out, it is a good idea to only start with one oil at a time for a few days before trying another one.

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Best Essential oils to support Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, known as hypertension, is a health problem that occurs when there is constant blood pressure in the arteries, caused by narrowing of the arteries or some obstruction in them.

Proper nutrition and a healthier lifestyle can influence the regulation of this high pressure. Changes in diet, smoking cessation and stress reduction are the basis for long-term regulation of pressure, and medication should only be administered if these measures are not sufficient to regulate pressure.

One of the natural remedies can also be essential oils. However, you have to be careful with the ones you will use because some oils like peppermint, rosemary and thyme oil can actually raise your blood pressure and make your health condition even worse. These oils are good to use if you have low blood pressure. On the other side, there are some amazing ones for high blood pressure.

Top 3 essential oils to help you with lowering your blood pressure

Ylang-Ylang oil

A very flowery, kind of a soft smelling oil, but it’s really good for hypertension. It reduces stress, which is accompanied by this kind of a problem. You can use it both topically and in a diffuser. Another great way of using the oil is to pour 3-4 drops in a warm bath and you can relax in it.

Marjoram oil

Also a very effective oil to use for reducing high blood pressure. It can relax your whole body and you can use it the same way as ylang-ylang essential oil.

Petitgrain oil

It has similar effects like the other two, except, you can use this one internally. For example, you can put it in veggie caps, empty caps (2 drops) and use it 2-3 times a day. You can use it as an internal supplement.

No matter which of these oils you decide to use, you will improve your health condition. However, don’t forget to take care of other aspects of your hypertension and to follow your doctor’s directions.

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How to effectively use Lavender essential oil

The effect of lavender is widely known and accepted. Of all the herbs, this is probably the most used one. There is certainly no home that lacks lavender, in various forms. Its essential oil is most commonly obtained from the flower. Its blossom has a distinct aroma. Traditionally, it is used for perfumes making. Today, the oil comes in various forms, such as essential oil, lotion, soap. It is highly appreciated in aromatherapy and many preparations have this product in their composition. Its oil blends well with other essential oils such as sage, cedar, nutmeg.

Refreshing, floral, soothing, lavender essential oil is widely used in aromatherapy. It is one of the safest oils and can be applied directly to the skin.
Lavender may be the most versatile essential oil for aromatherapy and natural healing. Its cooling, relaxing and uplifting effects have been cherished throughout the world for thousands of years.

Usage of Lavender essential oil

This amazing oil gives luster to the skin, balance to the body and happiness to the mind. For today’s fast-paced modern lifestyle, this aromatic oil is one of our greatest treasures: a quick drop on the hands with a deep inhalation can help to relax the worried or agitated mind. If you have children, lavender oil is a must. Use it in your home diffuser while the kids are playing or place a drop in their hands for direct palm inhalation before they leave the house for school. Diffuse this beautiful, high-quality oil while they sleep.

You can check more about the beneficial properties of this oil and how to use it effectively in this article: https://bulgarianoils.com/blog/lavender-oil-usage-benefits/

No matter which way you prefer, there is no doubt that this magnificent product can do so much for our health and you cannot make a mistake by choosing it for everyday usage.

What are your favorite ways to use Lavender?

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Essential Oils for Relieving Stress

Stress is part of everyday life. The problem is that there is no way to avoid it completely. With constant stress throughout our lives, our bodies eventually begin to respond: headaches, insomnia, muscle cramps. All of these symptoms can sometimes lead to heart problems.

So, even if we can’t completely remove the stress from our lives, we can reduce the inconvenience that stress causes. How? By learning to deal with it better. A man is lodged and trapped in his body from which he cannot escape and in which he feels good or bad. Whenever we think, feel, or experience, our body reacts.
With the daily dynamics of life, we all need a break to keep the balance we need. It is often difficult to catch that desired respite in the fast-paced rhythm of life, so essential oils are the perfect natural strength when you need to “stop-time” and take a deep breath of peace and balance.

Aromatherapy helps with stress by directly affecting the limbic and autonomic nervous systems. When we smell something, olfactory or olfactory receptors send a message to the limbic system, which is associated with instincts, moods and emotions. This is one of the reasons why aromatherapy is good for stress, emotional and psychological problems. Stress reduction through aromatherapy is especially effective because the pleasant scent in itself has a calming effect.

5 Essential oils to use for stress relief

There are lots of beneficial oils that might help us fight stress, such as Lavender, Roman camomille, Mandarine or Melissa essential oil.

In this video, there are 5 stress relief essential oils and 2 recipes for how to use them.

• Frankincense essential oil (Boswellia carterii)
• Cedarwood essential oil (Juniperus virginiana)
• Bergamot essential oil (Citrus bergamia)
• Neroli essential oil (Citrus aurantium var. amara)
• Ylang Ylang essential oil (Cananga odorata)

No matter which one of these oils you decide to use, you will help your mental health and improve the overall quality of your life.

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Melissa – The Oil of Illumination

Interesting Facts! 
Melissa was a bee-nymph who nursed the infant Zeus with honey in his youth and helped him gain his great power to later became king of the gods. The plant of the same name was named in the nymph’s honor.

Melissa, also known as Lemon Balm or Balm Mint, is a perennial member of the mint family, native to North Africa and the Mediterranean region. The Melissa officinalis plant is nothing thrilling to look at, simply a low growing plant with serrated heart-shaped leaves and tiny little flowers. However, this is a classic example that great things can come from the most humble sources, for each leaf containing just a little of this delicate and magical oil with a powerfully effective lemon scent.

When the goddess Venus was absent, bees would nurse Cupid with nectar from the Melissa plant. The 16th-century physician/alchemist Paracelsus referred to Melissa oil as the “Elixir of Life” believing that its use could completely revivify a debilitated individual.

Today, this precious essential oil is celebrated for a wide array of soothing and balancing properties. This extraordinary herb can help you balance your body and it will boost your immune system. It is considered to be the right cleaner (tonic) for all systems in the body and it promotes the absorption and will eliminate or relieve pain, lower your body temperature when you are sick.

Effectively, this oil will eliminate the fever, suppress the infection and stimulate sweating which detoxifies the body and regulates the body temperature. Thus, it will also be effective in preventing various infections in the stomach, intestines, urine, as well as healing of wounds of all kinds. It helps to treat diseases such as typhoid fever, food poisoning, various skin diseases and even malaria. Lemon balm oil prevents all types of sepsis. It also helps to stop bleeding by narrowing the blood vessels effectively.

More healing properties of this amazing oil you can read here: Top 5 Benefits of Using Melissa Essential Oil

Looking for a trusted source of pure Melissa oil, we are soon launching smaller retail quantities, so stay tuned and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter and social channels! 🙂

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Best Essential Oils for Sleep

While millions of people easily fall asleep every night, roughly 70 million Americans suffer from some sort of sleep disorder. Of these, about 4% rely on prescription medication to fall and stay asleep each night before having to get up for work the next day.
If you’ve ever had trouble sleeping, then you know how a good night’s sleep can make all the difference in your mood, productivity, and energy levels.
What makes an essential oil good for sleep? Check out this video and find out 9 amazing essential oil that can help you with this issue:

The scent has a huge effect on us. Just think about when you go back home to your grandma’s house, and she’s making cookies in the kitchen, it really awakes this emotion for you.
And scent has very close ties with memory and mood because the same part of the brain that is responsible for smell is also responsible for memory and mood.
This is why scents can make us feel happier, soothe and even help us remember certain memories that we may not have thought about for a very long time.
Essential oils have been proven to help with all sorts of things, energy, mood, sleep, but there are certain essential oils that are much better for sleep than others.
There are two different types of essential oils that are good for sleep.
The first types help to clear your airways and with snoring, allergies…
The others are oils that are good in helping with anxiety and insomnia.
Using essential oils can train your brain to relax and fall asleep.
We’re gonna focus on that second type of oils, that are relieving anxiety and battling insomnia.
In this video, you will see 9 amazing essential oils that can help you get a night of better sleep.
Depending on your preferences and skin sensitivity, you can choose one or several oils to use for sleep.

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