If anyone is into Young Living Oils - Consider trying the Hinoki oil. This is one of thew few companies that sells a true, pure product (Chidoriya, a Japanese Geisha line sold here in the US, is another source I fully trust as top of the line product.)
I recommend reading the article "Take Two Hours of Pine Forest and Call Me in the Morning" to begin reading about potential benefits with Hinoki oil:
http://www.outsideonline.com/1870381/take-two-hours-pine-forest-and-call-me-morning
About 75% into the article, is information regarding the studies of Mr. Qing Li, an immunologist in the department of hygiene and public health at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo.
The article goes on to state:
"Li is interested in nature’s effect on the human immune system. A person’s natural killer immune cells (NK cells for short) can, like cortisol and hemoglobin, be reliably measured in a lab. A type of white blood cell, NK cells are handy to have around, since they send self-destruct messages to tumors and virus-infected cells. It’s been known for a long time that factors like stress, aging, and pesticides can reduce your NK count, at least temporarily. So, Li wondered, if nature reduces stress, could it also increase your NK cells and thereby help you fight infections and cancer? [...]
To test the phytoncide theory, Li sequestered 12 subjects in hotel rooms. In some rooms, he rigged a humidifier to vaporize stem oil from common Hinoki cypress trees; other rooms got nothing. The results? The cypress dwellers had a 20 percent increase in NK cells during their three-night stay and reported feeling less fatigued. The control group saw almost no changes.
“It’s like a miracle drug,” said Li.
It sounds hokey that evergreen scents—the kind of thing given off by those cardboard trees dangling from the rearview mirrors of taxicabs—could help us live longer. But Li found similar results with NK cells in a petri dish: they increased in the presence of aromatic cypress molecules. So did anti-cancer proteins and proteases called granulysin, granzymes A and B, and perforin, which act by causing tumor cells to self-destruct. Li’s olfaction theory is unconventional, but it contains some of that Zen five-sense wisdom. While American researchers are mostly showing people pictures of nature, the Japanese are pouring it into every orifice..."
If you google the researcher's name and "NK cells" there are many more scientific papers from his lab on the web with more detailed information than in the article regarding Hinoki oil trials.
Something that smells good AND might boost my immunity? Yes please.
My comments:
I have been using Hinoki oil (from Chidoriya,) in an ultrasonic diffuser and I also use the Chidoriya Hinoki balm on my lips, and around my nose if I get stressed out or tired or my nose is dry. (you can barely smell the hinoki oil in the balm, so its safe for use on skin and lips.)
I love the Hinoki oil. I can't say I have any amazing 'feel good' benefits, but I feel like I relax quicker, and the scent is a very light lemony-pine. Its LOVELY.
ALSO: If you get the Hinoki oil from Chidoriya - the bottle has an expiration date (mid-2017,) and it comes with a brochure on how to use the oil and recipes to make your own 'balm' and use with carrier oils, its very informative! I was very pleasantly surprised.
(I will be writing an update on my trial of Chidoriya skin care, which I REALLY LOVE. My skin has calmed down from a recent flare up, using this skin care line exclusively. I am now going to try some different things and see what my skin does and continue to trial this line. This is a very simple line and their skincare focuses on simplicity, gentleness and lowering inflammation.)
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