So Divine...Angelica Essential Oil

Angelica Archangelica photo By Kat- St Albans, United Kingdom
via Wikimedia Commons

The essential oil I'm showcasing today, Angelica, plays an important role in my cozy mystery work-in-progress, Essentially Dead. As the novel opens my main character, aromatherapist Verbena Brazwell, is on the hunt for lacey white Angelica flowers for her shop's display vases. What she discovers is anything but angelic.

The Angelica plant was deemed so beneficial to mankind, it was called Holy Spirit Root and its essential oil, "oil of the angels." Angelica Archangelica (usually just called Angelica) was said to have been introduced by the Archangel Michael and was widely used to help with the ravages of plague in medieval Europe. Today, Angelica essential oil is a prime ingredient in aromatherapists' arsenals. It has a woody/peppery/spicy aroma and can be dispelled into the air by diffusers, inhaled through steam applications, and massaged into the skin with carrier oils. Angelica covers a myriad of benefits including aids as:

-anti-spasmodic for cramps and coughs

-carminative for intestinal gas

-depurative for high blood pressure

"Garden Angelica" By Franz Eugen Köhle (Public Domain)

-diaphoretic to promote healthy perspiration

-digestive to stimulate digestive juices

-diuretic to aid urination

-hepatic to aid liver function

-emenagogue for menstrual symptoms

-expectorant for relief from excess phlegm

-febrifuge for fever

-nervine for nervous disorders
-relaxant for calming and soothing

-stimulant for positive internal actions

-stomachic for balancing stomach acids and bile
-a tonic substance for strengthening the immune system

No wonder Angelica was considered a gift from Heaven!

Have a good couple weeks, dear Reader. Thanks for stopping by...y'all come back now! 

(As always: this post is for information only for adult use and does not replace medical advice. Тest out an oil first by placing a small diluted amount on your arm as a patch test. In particular, those who are or could be pregnant should always refer to their physicians before using any essential oils. Specifically Angelica should not be used in pregnancy or by diabetics and if applied topically, you should avoid direct sunlight for 24 hours.)