In India and Southern Asia, Vetiver is a rockstar. It’s used for all kinds of things. Roof thatching, curtains for windows and doors, bug repellent, and additive in food, drinks and perfume. Vetiver is related botanically to Citronella and Lemongrass, and has an earthy, smoky scent reminiscent of Patchouli but with lemony undertones. It’s been used in perfumes for centuries. In India, it’s known as the Oil of Tranquility because of its ability to calm and soothe.  It’s this ability that we’re going to talk about today.

Vetiver is highly prized for supporting emotional balance. It’s especially wonderful for helping people recover from emotional traumas and shock. Its sedative qualities are great when treating insomnia, ADD and ADHD, high stress levels, panic attacks and PTSD. We’ve talked multiple times about how EOs are so beneficial for our emotional health and help re-program out brain to de-stress. This EO is a must have for that purpose. A winning combination in your diffuser for calming anxiety and nervousness would be equal parts Vetiver, Cedarwood, and Lavender. Especially at naptime or bedtime.

When treating ADD and ADHD, I would suggest a combo of Vetiver and Peppermint. We know what Peppermint does to our ability to focus and boost memory recall. Imagine that with the calming effects of Vetiver for our little ones that get the wigglies. Diffusing at night while asleep, has been shown in studies to improve behavior and performance in school aged kids. When dropping your kiddos off at school I would rub a few drops on the collar of their shirt or maybe even get a pretty diffusing necklace for your little girl to wear. I have a diffuser necklace that I wear every day and switch out the EO I use daily to suit my emotional or physical needs.

Vetiver is also great for hormone and PMS support. Not only will it help balance your hormone levels and keep those mood swings in check, it’s will also help cool you off from hot flashes. It’s considered a rubefacient. Rubefacients are EOs that leave a warming sensation on the skin. Kind of like peppermint, or eucalyptus they’re also called “hot” EOs. And should most definitely be used sparingly with a carrier oil for use on the skin and do not use topically on kids under 6. For the PMS aspect, I would diffuse equal parts Ylang Ylang and Vetiver to combat those monthly issues.

Vetiver is also considered an antioxidant just like Vitamin C or E. Let me explain just why exactly that’s so important to your health. Your brain uses a tremendous amount of oxygen to function normally. This also makes it especially vulnerable to free radicals. I know you’ve heard these terms before, but I’m going to explain exactly what they are and why they’re so important to healthy brain function. Free radicals are oxygen atoms that have become unbalanced or uneven in the number of electrons they contain. This can happen many ways. Your body’s immune system could be purposefully creating them to neutralize a virus or bacteria that’s attacking the body. Or sometimes it’s outside factors that cause these free radicals like pollution, smoking, radiation or herbicides. When these atoms become unbalanced, they go on a hunt for other electrons to make them even and settled again, sometimes stealing from other oxygen atoms surrounding them, setting off a chain reaction of “oxidative damage” to that area of the brain. Antioxidants act as scavengers that hunt down those rouge atoms and neutralize them. Vetiver EO’s molecular structure allows it to pass that blood brain barrier when inhaled, helping to stop those free radicals in their tracks, performing even better than both Vitamin C and E. My mind was blown when I found this out. It really makes you think about what you surround yourself with in your environment.

And with that, we’ve discovered another must have oil for our arsenal to help us live the healthiest life we can. I’m going to go get some now! Until next time, Happy Oiling!

Hey, do you have any questions about oils and how to use them? Leave me a comment and I’ll get right back to you or email me directly at thecurrentoilco@gmail.com.