Oils

Oils

 Welcome back to the Timely Drops of Wisdom podcast. I'm your host, Jessica Carmen. I am the founder of Resourced Apothecary, where we ask you to rethink how you refill your cup. In today's episode, we continue our miniseries on plant medicine preparations. Dear listener, Thank you for joining me specifically in this series.

While I absolutely love getting into the really esoteric side of working with the plants, and this space will always be devoted to sharing their message. The time feels right to give ourselves a refresher on some of the more commonly used physical forms of plant medicine available. I doubt this information is new to you, but it never hurts to refresh your understanding.

I invite you to use this miniseries as an opportunity to visit your personal medicine cabinet and to get really clear on how you prefer to work with the plants. If you're not sure, this series will give you the opportunity to check in with you and see which forms of medicine call to you. Don't feel like you have to pick favorites and don't feel like you have to like them all.

Remember, approach this with non-judgment and get to know yourself better in that knowing you'll be ready to approach your relationships with the plants on an even deeper level. And that my friend, is what it's all about. So let's explore the next plant medicine preparation in this series.

Today we discuss infused oils. I'm pretty sure that I've said that each type of preparation is my favorite, but I've got major love for infused oils. When we talk about infused oils, we are talking about carrier oils like sweet almond oil, olive oil, avocado, coconut, oil, et cetera. And a plant material has been submerged in this carrier oil and let to sit for a certain amount of time, usually around six weeks if no heat is applied or 12 to 24 hours if heat is applied. These carrier oils can extract both alcohol and water soluble compounds from the plants and if properly prepared, can be shelf stable for a year or longer. Infused oils can be used internally. In fact, you probably consume them like that without even thinking about it. Think of culinary oils like herb infused olive oil. We don't go without garlic infused olive oil in our house.

Infused oils really shine though in their external use. I personally have been using infused oils in the place of face and body moisturizer for over a decade. And all of our favorite salves and ointments start with infused oils.

For me, the sensory experience of working with infused oils is top notch. They carry scent well. Most plants will impart some color into the oil . Different carrier oils have different textures, and again, most can even have a culinary application.

In terms of plant spirit medicine, I think working with an infused oil can really help you connect physically with the messages of the plants.

Resourced Apothecary has a marigold infused body oil that I love. And honestly, if I could only pick one marigold product to work with, it would be that body oil. There is something about slowing down enough to apply the oil in a mindful way. I can't help but feel more strongly attached to marigold's message. Maybe because she is bringing the message of the fiery divine feminine, and the act of taking time to offer the body this attention and support in a loving way really activates the divine feminine.

Maybe because the physical healing properties marigolds have get carried in the oil as much as the energetic properties. Or maybe because I really connect to a plant's message when I can work on the physical and energetic level at the same time. There are so many reasons why this infused oil is really powerful for me and could be for you too.

Infused oils are going to fall into kind of the same category as tinctures in that they offer physical support as well as energetic support. These are both great for use over a long period of time. I would say that if you're in need of really big or deep, energetic support, and oil is going to be a good supplement to a flower essence or even a protocol that uses several different preparations.

I wanna take a moment here and talk to my cerebral people. You spend a lot of time in your head, in your thinking mind and your upper chakras, you may experience what feels like more than your fair share of anxiety or depression, fear or grief. You may even notice a kind of disconnect from your body, like when you get busy working and completely forget to eat. Or despite intensely loving your partner, having little to no sex drive, there's a lot to this and I'm not diagnosing anything. If you feel called out, lean in. You specifically can benefit from the use of infused oil on your body. You can create ritual and it can be as simple as applying oil as a moisturizer after the shower.

Simple can be powerful. Adding a ritual with oil to your daily life can help you really sink back into your body into those lower chakras. It can help you initiate communication with your body that can tune you into the signals it is sending. This is embodiment. When we can feel with our bodies and our hearts without having to filter first through our thinking minds some magical things start to happen. This is the difference in thinking versus doing. This brings you into the experience of human being.

And my friend, A real bonus in my book is that it doesn't have to involve intense movement. I mean, other than the motion of applying the oil, there doesn't have to be much going on at all. Now, if you are someone who loves movement, that is an excellent way to get into your body, and I highly encourage you to find a movement practice that really helps you to connect. If you know me, you know that I'm not the biggest fan of movement practices for myself, just cuz I just, I don't know. But that's a story for another time. What I am saying is there are ways to get into your body that don't require a bunch of movement.

And if you are like me, you might like those ways. And I'm here to tell you infused oils are a great tool in these lower movement practices. Our bodies respond beautifully to loving touch in a safe environment. And how cool that you have the power to create a safe environment for yourself. You can offer yourself loving touch, and it can be as easy as applying moisturizer.

The key to all of this is the "loving" part. I know that the voice inside your head may not have anything nice to say to you right now. I know it may be hard to look at your body and come up with kind words or feelings for it.

The plants can help. If you've been listening along for a while, you might have noticed that in their unique ways, all the plants are offering us love. When we don't have any love to offer ourselves, we can borrow from the plants. We can repeat their messages until we have our own. We can feel their love until we have our own. And little by little, we can rewire that voice inside our heads.

I want you to really hear me when I say little by little because that's the only real way we achieve lasting change. So, if you felt called out earlier, please know I love you. And accept this invitation to work with an infused. If you want guidance on how exactly to work with infused oil or which oils might be good to start with, reach out to me. I love talking about this stuff and would be happy to listen to you and offer suggestions. You can contact me on my website www.thymelydropsofwisdom.com. Remember, thymely is spelled like the plant. I'll put a link in the description of this episode. You will have the option to leave me a voice message or write me an email. I love both, so do what feels right for you.

Also be on the lookout for upcoming audio courses. I'm creating a guided process complete with product recommendations and recipes for those of you who would rather make your own, and I'll walk you through several ways you can use sustainable products and practices to connect in with yourself and create a loving relationship.

It's gonna be so good. I'm excited and I will have updates as soon as it is ready. In the meantime, get an infused oil and start small. You've got this.

We've made it to the last episode in our plant medicine preparations miniseries. Thank you for joining me in discussing each preparation. I hope each episode has sparked some curiosity in you and helped you reflect on what types of preparations you want to be using. Remember, there is no wrong answer here. As I said before, if you have questions, please reach out to me.

May this entire mini-series serve your highest good.

Big love, my friend.