Ocotea Quixos - To Help You Avoid the Holiday Candy Bowl

Ocotea Essential Oil is extracted from an evergreen tree (Ocotea Quixos) in Ecuador. Referred to as Ecuadorian cinnamon, the bark of this tree is used during cooking and food rituals.

Ocotea (pronounced: Ock-o-tay-a) has the highest level of alpha humulene of any Young Living essential oil, which is a compound that helps aid the body's natural response to irritation and injury.*

• Provides soothing comfort for aches
• Helps balance appetite
• Supports normal blood sugar levels
• Assists with curbing appetite and preventing binges
• Helps reduce inflammation
• Effective against bacteria and fungus for cleansing and purifying

How do I use it? Take it internally in a glass of water (mix in a breakfast smoothie!), or dilute with a carrier oil (like olive oil or coconut oil) and apply topically.

Ready to purchase?

To purchase you have 2 options:
Retail or Wholesale Distributor (think "VIP").Don't be frightened by the word "Distributor." Being a Distributor only means that you get a discounted wholesale price, and have the option to sell the product yourself, if you choose. To purchase wholesale as a Distributor you’ll need to make a purchase of a starter kit while you’re joining. No worries, there is absolutely no requirement to do anything ever again, other than log in and order products at your convenience, and only if you choose. It’s just like being a Young Living VIP!

Need more information?

1. Chemical composition and biological activities of Ishpingo essential oil, a traditional Ecuadorian spice from Ocotea quixos (Lam.) Kosterm. (Lauraceae) flower calices. Food Chemistry. http://www.academia.edu/3044948/Chemical_composition_and_biological_activities_of_Ishpingo_essential_oil_a_traditional_Ecuadorian_spice_from_Ocotea_quixos_Lam._Kosterm._Lauraceae_flower_calices
2. Antiplatelet and antithrombotic activities of essential oil from wildOcotea quixos (Lam.) Kosterm. (Lauraceae) calices from Amazonian Ecuador. Food Chemistry. 
   http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1043661806001721
3. Sacchetti, G., Guerrini, A., Noriega, P., Bianchi, A. and Bruni, R. (2006), Essential oil of wild Ocotea quixos (Lam.) Kosterm. (Lauraceae) leaves from Amazonian Ecuador. Flavour Fragr. J., 21: 674–676. doi: 10.1002/ffj.1648 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ffj.1648/abstract
4. Ballabeni, V., Tognolini, M, Giorgio, C., Bertoni, S., Bruni, R., Barocelli, E. (2009), Ocotea quixos Lam. essential oil: in vitro and in vivo investigation on its anti-inflammatory properties. 2010 Jun;81(4):289-95. doi: 10.1016/j.fitote.2009.10.002. Epub 2009 Oct 13.
   http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19825398
5. The Power of Ecuador Ocotea and Dorado Azul Part 1.https://blog.youngliving.com/the-power-of-ecuador-ocotea-and-dorado-azul-part-1/#.VFD2cJRdV2k

Caution:  Possible skin sensitivity. Keep out of the reach of children.
If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition,
please consult a health care practitioner prior to use.

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.
The information contained on this page does not constitute advice. 

September 2014 - Whole30 Day 18

Thursday, Whole30 Day 18

YAY for Day 18!

So excited that I've made it this far, and I'm still going strong and thinking of a Whole60 and even Whole100... can you imagine? 100 days with no sugar, no dairy, no soy, no pasta or grains of any sort? If you've made it to Day 18 of a Whole30 then you probably know what I'm talking about. My skin is clear, and my head is clear, and my clothes are looser. I haven't weighed, but I'm definitely down a few pounds and feeling good. NO, I don't have any Tiger Blood excess energy surges yet, but that's ok. I have years and years of fast food and poor food choices to clean out of my system.

Breakfast today was tough. I did NOT want to eat, but I forced myself. Two scrambled eggs with a handful of spinach, sea salt, and dried garlic, and a handful of shredded sweet potato cooked in olive oil.

I had a cup of coffee today with coconut milk and cinnamon. I didn't really enjoy it very much. I may be off coffee all together. It's just not worth it without a gallon of milk and sugar which is definitely not something I can have. Or want to have.

Lunch consisted of tuna stuffed in mini bell peppers, and a tall glass of water with a splash of Knusen's Just Cranberry juice and a drop of Young Living Lemon Essential Oil for a little liver cleansing. A little sparkling LaCroix added to the drink would have turned this into a nice mocktail cocktail!

 

After lunch I wanted a little something more so I made a smoothie with a cup of blackberries, a banana, a handful of kale, a drop of the Lemon Essential Oil, and 30 drops of Red Raspberry tincture. The smoothie was good, but could have used a little honey. Yes, I'm still trying to slay that sugar dragon.

 

Dinner was so very delicious, in part because I didn't have to cook it! Tim pan fried a salmon filet with crushed pecans. Oh so delicious! Plus asparagus and a salad. 

 

 And now the kitchen is closed. Night Night everyone.

YAY for another successful Whole30 Day. How was your Day 18?

September 2014 - Whole30 Day 12

Friday, September 12, 2014

Woke up this morning tired and needing more sleep. I slept 10:30-7:30ish but it's not enough.

Breakfast - Coffee with "Creamer" (coconut cream pureed with cinnamon). And a banana. Go ahead and say it. Maybe I'd have more energy if I ate more food for breakfast. Ugh. I hate eating in the morning.

Lunch - Water with Lemon Essential Oil, Boiled applegate hot dogs, and many yawns. OH, and I also ate an apple. 

This afternoon, I am wearing Young Living's Joy™ essential oil on my wrists and I have it in my diffuser for an afternoon pick me up. Joy has a such a pretty and happy scent.

Joy™ is a luxuriously exotic blend with uplifting overtones that creates magnetic energy and brings joy to the heart. When worn as cologne or perfume, Joy exudes an alluring and irresistible fragrance that inspires romance and togetherness. When diffused, it can be refreshing and uplifting.

Ingredients: Bergamot (Citrus aurantium bergamia†), Ylang ylang (Cananga odorata†), Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens†), Lemon (Citrus limon†), Coriander (Coriandrum sativum†), Tangerine (Citrus reticulata†), Jasmine (Jasminum officinale*), Roman chamomile (Anthemis nobilis†), Palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii†), Rose (Rosa damascena†) †100% pure, therapeutic-grade essential oil *100% pure absolute

 

"A Joyful heart is good medicine, 

but a crushed spirit dries up the bones. Proverbs 17:22"

Dinner - For dinner I met a dear friend of mine at Whiskey Cake. I scoured the menu before I left for the restaurant and decided I'd have the grilled shrimp salad.  The shrimp was highly seasoned, a little spicy, and quite tasty, but the salad was a little disappointing in flavor. Not to mention, it was sooo cold sitting outside with a heavy wind blowing through the patio. I ate the shrimp, but saved the salad to eat at home.

The appetizer menu listed deviled eggs and the waitress said that they changed their deviled egg flavor each week. She listed the ingredients, full of veggies, but had to inquire into the kitchen to verify no dairy, sugar, or soy. Sure enough, sugar. I have to ask why? Why put sugar in deviled eggs? Seriously!? We don't do it at home. Do you?

I got the chicken strips and fries for Grady because i knew he wouldn't eat anything else on that menu. The chicken turned out to be a little too fried with batter for him, so I ended up peeling off the batter and eating some of the chicken myself. I'm learning (over and over again) that kids menus are rarely appropriate for little kids; they're too gourmet. I need to stick with ordering sides, like a side of fruit. We always order him a side of ground beef at Mexican restaurants, but I forget to do that at other restaurants.

Feeling - Distracted. I'm not foggy or sluggish, but I am tired and distracted today.

How were you feeling on Whole30 Day 12? How do you use Joy essential oil?

It's here! My Young Living Premium Starter Kit!

The long awaited arrival is finally here! I can hardly contain my excitement!

My Young Living Premium Starter Kit and Thieves Essential Rewards Kit, and Bonus Raven Essential oil.

I’ve been interested in holistic remedies and alternative healing since high school, but have only dabbed in it a little bit. Until last month when my son contracted the Fifths Disease virus at his preschool. His pediatrician, who is not only board certified pediatrics, but also board certified holistic whatever, told me to get Thieves essential oil, mix it with coconut oil, and apply it to Grady’s feet every morning before we put his socks on. She also suggested a daily probiotic, and a daily supplement of Elderberry, which I mentioned a few days ago. The doctor said that both the elderberry and the Thieves oil would stop the virus, prevent it from replicating, and also build up his immune system to prevent new viruses. I got some Thieves from a friend, and I have to say the virus started clearing up immediately, and he hasn’t been sick since.

I ordered the Premium Starter Kit immediately, along with the Thieves Essential Rewards kit, and have been waiting anxiously for 2 weeks.

Over this past weekend, both kids had sniffles and runny noses, but the Thieves oil always seemed to stop the coughing and sniffling. It definitely stopped Grady’s runny nose. I am sold. My boyfriend, the kids father, not completely sold. Yet… J

I'll tell you more about the Starter Kit, and the bonus Raven essential oil tomorrow, in the meantime I need to say that I’m not going to actively seek out selling this product to friends, family, neighbors, strangers, or anyone… but I am going to talk about how wonderful it is, ALL the time. I’m going to share this at every opportunity. It’s healthy. It’s green. It’s a whole lot better (and cheaper) than the drugstores. Most of all, it's empowering.

If you do decide to purchase, you can do so here. And do yourself a favor and get the premium starter kit as a distributor. You'll get the wholesale price, with no further obligations to buy (although, if you're like me, you will want to!)

And since I talked about Thieves so much... here are the basics:

Antiviral, Antibacterial, Anti infectious, Antiseptic

Young Living’s Thieves essential oil blend was created based on the historical account of four thieves in France who protected themselves from the Black Plague with cloves, rosemary, and other aromatics while robbing victims of the killer disease. When captured, they were offered a lighter sentence in exchange for their secret recipe. Young Living’s proprietary Thieves oil blend includes clove, cinnamon bark, rosemary, lemon, and Eucalyptus radiata and has been specially blended to offer the same kind of defense. 

Thieves has been university tested and found to be highly effective against airborne bacteria. (Sushil K. Shahi, A. C. Sukla, et al., “Broad Spectrum 

Herbal Therapy against Superficial Fungal Infections,” 

Skin Pharmacol Appl Skin Physiol. 2000; 13:60–64. )

For more information:

https://static.youngliving.com/en-US/PDFS/lit-thieves_booklet.pdf

And now for some very important disclaimer information... Nothing I say about essential oils, remedies, my conditions, my family's conditions, or any information contained on this website is intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. The information represents what I have chosen to do to take control of my own personal health and that of my family's. Statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Products on this site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, or have a medical condition, consult your physician before using these products. Information found on this site is meant for educational and informational purposes only, and to motivate you to make your own health care and dietary decisions based upon your own research and in conjunction with your health care provider.