What comes to mind when you think of taking a walk in a forest?

QUIET. PEACE. WILD.

I always feel a sense of overall healing after walking in the woods. The visual of these tall beings that have lived and grown silently while the world races around them. It requires so much alignment to have a seed grow into a sapling and continue it’s path to the skies. The smell immediately brings me to inner peace.
If you are lucky enough to be in the forest after (or during) a rain, the scent is heavy and sweet, earthy and deep. You will notice a common theme emerging as you read about the woody oils.

They all offer a grounding or balancing effect. Stability, calm, comfort when grieving or support in transitions. To name just a few. When I started learning about Essential Oils, I was particularly excited by the impact they can have on our emotional health, on the nervous system and on the Limbic part of the brain.
My appreciation for all the ‘wood’ oils grew. Below are a list of some of my favourite wood oils and their benefits and uses.

INTO THE WOODS WE GO...

Arborvitae: Means Tree of Life. It is steam distilled from the Giant Arborvitae tree used by First Nation Canadians for canoes, baskets, ceremony and so much more. Its long lifespan would normally mean that it's difficult to harvest sustainably, but it's closely watched by Green Peace and replanted in abundance to ensure its sustainability. It's aroma is deep and earthy.

Arborvitae essential oil has a high content of tropolones, a group of chemical compounds that protect against environmental and seasonal threats, have powerful purifying properties, and promote healthy cell function. Hinokitiol, one of the tropolones, protects the body from harmful elements while supporting normal cell activity. This compound also contributes to Arborvitae’s natural insect repellent properties. Thujic acid, another tropolone found in Arborvitae, has been studied for its ability to protect against common threats in the environment.

Emotionally, Arborvitae helps to promote grounding, calming, and spiritual trust. Like all tree oils, it can help us stand strong and stable. It also helps those of us who feel like everything is or has to be a struggle, or that we must do things ourselves without help. It can help a person process through control issues, rigidity, trust, fighting with reality, courage, and more.

Black Spruce: One of the key oils in the popular Balance blend. Historically used by First Nations people in North America to promote skin health and as part of their spiritual healing and cleansing practices. Distilled from the needles and branches of Picea Mariana tree (a type of Pine), Black Spruce essential oil is high in bornyl acetate, a chemical component that promotes relaxation and calmness.

Start your day off with the cooling and soothing benefits both topically and aromatically. After strenuous exercise, or when your body is in need of topical support, massage Black Spruce into the skin with a carrier to create a comforting massage. Diffuse Black Spruce or apply to the back of the neck throughout the day for feelings of harmony and balance. This oil is often used in aromatherapy to help support clear airways and easy breathing.

Cedarwood : A warm, soft and again, grounding oil. Still good for repelling moths (like your Granny’s old cedar chest!), it has many other uses and benefits for health and wellness, too.

Supports and maintains healthy respiratory function
Helps skin recover quickly
Promotes clear, healthy skin
Relaxing and soothing aroma, perfect for massage
Emotionally, Cedarwood is said to have a calming effect on the nervous system and the spiritual effect of bringing people together. It may help individuals feel strong and confident in themselves, both rooting a person and opening their hearts. It may support a person in overcoming tendencies to hide away, to hold their cards close to their chest, or mistrust. It can help create a sense of community and healthy relationship boundaries, or give a person the strength to examine their struggles with others, either personally or as a whole.

Cypress: A fresh, slightly woody scent. This wood oil is fresh and lighter than the others. It's said to have been used for centuries for urinary and liver support, but most especially muscular, and joint health. Aromatically, it's often said to have a grounding or balancing effect.

Assists with clear breathing
Promotes healthy respiratory function
Soothes tight, tense muscles
Supports localised blood flow
Beneficial for oily skin conditions

Used to create an emotional cleansing, moving a stuck or slow-moving healing process forward. It's strong ability to help a person release emotions and trauma can be intense, especially if you're not prepared for the work it'll ask of you. Cypress oil can also help us to learn how to go with the flow, showing a person how to let go, trust the process of life, and enjoy the course. Because of these qualities it might also help a person struggling with loss, control, tension and more. It's a strong oil to use emotionally. But totally worth it. Trapped emotions might be rough to deal with, but it's better than ignoring them.

Douglas Fir: This is Christmas in a bottle, probably because it is a popular tree to bring inside and decorate for the holidays, bringing with it a wonderful aroma. This gorgeous smell IS the essential oil of the plant! When you take a walk in a forest, you're inhaling health properties as well!

Promotes feelings of clear airways and easy breathing
Cleansing and purifying to the skin
Promotes a positive mood and sense of focus

Called the oil of "GENERATIONAL WISDOM". It helps us tap into the experience and knowledge offered. When we struggle to connect with our parents or grandparents, or to see eye-to-eye, diffusing this oil during your meditation practice can help you release the distance or blocks you might have between you and build deeper relationships. At the same time you can feel grounded and rooted in your own sense of self (because how often do we tend to lose ourselves and revert back to feeling like a 5 year old again when we're hanging around our family?)

Sandalwood (Indian): The woody, and earthy aroma is incredibly grounding and rich, but not overwhelming. Its sustainability is starting to drop off, so Hawaiian Sandalwood will hopefully become a more eco-friendly replacement.

Therapeutically, it's most often used for healthy skin, the nervous system, and muscles and bones. Sandalwood is also an oil high in sesquiterpenes, a naturally occurring chemical compound, known for having a positive impact on health and wellness, in particular with regards to the brain. It is one of the oils with the capability of passing the blood brain barrier, a necessary component to supporting cellular health. But it's probably the emotional wellness and aromatic influence that is more widely known.

Promotes healthy, smooth skin
Reduces the appearance of scars and blemishes
Enhances mood
Frequently used in meditation for its grounding and uplifting properties

Sandalwood oil is widely known for being a spiritual, sacred oil, used around the world during practices of prayer and meditation. Perhaps this is because of the way the oil impacts a busy mind, calming thoughts and anxiousness or worry, allowing a person to relax into a peaceful state, let go of their own mind/ego, and slip into presence. Especially when applied over the forehead, the prefrontal cortex, which is your worry center of the brain.

Hawaiian Sandalwood: is NOT the same as traditional Sandalwood sourced from India. Traditional sandalwood resources have begun to decline in recent years, making the switch to a newer variety a smart move on the part of distillers and oil companies, especially since the Hawaiian variety has a growth rate of almost twice as fast. Although both oils are steam distilled from the heartwood of the tree, everything from the chemical constituents to even the aroma varies between these two. The aroma is soft, woody, earthy, and a little spicy. Traditionally, Hawaiian Sandalwood has been used for skin and cardiovascular support, as well as many spiritual and emotional uses.

White Fir : Similar to Douglas Fir, fresh and woody....but with a somewhat "edgier" or crisper smell. Try it for a variation, because if you aren’t a fan of one, you will probably like the other and the benefits are worth the effort! Many commercial cleaners use this oil. A great one to consider when making your own toxin free cleaners. It's very earthy and masculine in nature, though, which is nice for the fellas out there who don't want to smell like a delicate flower.

Hot Tip :: try using equal drops of white fir and bergamot mixed with Witch Hazel and carrier oil as a cologne.

Alleviates the discomfort of sore muscles and joints.
Supports clear breathing and respiratory function
Energizes the body and the mind

Think of a tree, whose roots reach deep into the Earth while its branches reach high into the sky and you'll get a picture of the emotional effects of this oil. Grounding yet empowering and uplifting. It leaves you feeling emotionally stable and strong enough to weather the storms.

Siberian Fir: Native to both Russia and Canada, the Siberian fir tree is a tall evergreen conifer. It is used in some familiar blends like the Purify Cleansing Blend, where it is used to purify the air and protect against environmental threats. If you’re familiar with the doTERRA Holiday Joy blend, you are probably already familiar with Siberian Fir => it’s the first ingredient on the bottle. To create this refreshing and calming essential oil, harvesters collect the needles and twigs. Both components are then steam distilled.

Cleaning: The Chemical constituent a-Pinene in Firs is great for cleaning your surfaces and/or the air. Check out this study or this one. Very cool stuff!
Discomfort: The Bornyl Acetate found in this tree oil will help support your joints or muscles after a long tiring day(1)
Soothe Skin: Apply to skin irritations with a carrier oil. Check out this study on the effect of conifers for skin issues.
Cleanse: Add a drop to a veggie cap or your tea for a gentle cleanse. It’ll kick start your digestion, kidneys, and metabolism.
Cellular Support: Take in a veggie cap as needed for cellular support. (2)
Bumps + brusies: A very versatile oil when it comes to “ouchies.” Consider adding it to any boo-boo blends you have.
Oil for both genders: Use to promote balance. Apply to your temples, wrists, and the back of your neck, and over your ovaries (women). Take a drop or two in a veggie cap when dealing with female monthly issues or through a transitional time.

Emotionally, this is a beautiful oil to assist you through Grief and Loss. Apply to your temples when you experience feelings of regret about the past. Diffuse daily or apply topically when transitioning to the next stage of your life. Siberian Fir is a wonderful oil for those that are struggling with any large transition: big move, loss of a loved one, or a new job. Use this oil to promote feelings of forgiveness, wisdom, optimistism, and comfort.

Vetiver : Extracted through the steam distillation of the plant's roots. Many are not fond of the aroma when first experiencing it. But it is one you will come to love, for what it can do for you. Its use dates back centuries. It's said to affect the nervous system, endocrine (hormone) system, skin and emotions. It's especially found to be very grounding and balancing emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. When emotions run high in our house, or we need a good night’s sleep? THIS is the King-Daddy. I find it to be a great supportive oil when used in conjunction with others (like Lavender), amplifying its own and the other oil's properties.

Supports healthy circulation
Calming, grounding effect on emotions
Immune-enhancing properties

Vetiver is a deeply grounding oil, helpful when you feel restless in life. It can help bring you back down to earth to find a comfortable footing in your own role and path. I reach for it to help me relax and I personally have the deepest sleep when I rub it on my feet and diffuse before bed.. Vetiver may help a person who lacks motivation, struggles with apathy, a feeling of "why bother", or who feels disconnected. It can guide an individual to find that sense of deep and meaningful connection in the body and with the earth. It might also help someone settle in, dig deep, or become conscious of the unconscious. It's definitely a heavy hitter in this arena, so if you want to keep your unconscious comfortably unconscious, you might wanna avoid this one.

FINAL THOUGHTS : AS ABOVE, SO BELOW.

When I look at a tree, I am always blown away by the thought that we never really even see half of what is going on, because there is a whole other life happening below ground. The oils that come from these gifts of nature also have a whole unseen and unknown magic to them that we are just beginning to understand. They are worth our respect and we are very privileged to know that mother nature has created everything we need. If we just look up.

My research and writing for the purposes of this article came from the following wonderful resources.

PubMed
Emotions and Essential Oils Book
The Essential Life Book
http://www.sustainablebabysteps.com/
https://www.doterra.com/US/en/blog/healthy-living-using-wood-oils