To have good strong healthy nails you have to attend not only to the part of the nail that we cut, but to the nail bed, or cuticle. Many physical conditions show up in the nails as ridges or thickening, including arthritic and rheumatoid conditions in which the nails thicken and become distorted.
Nail Care
All therapists involved in body work must keep their nails short, and for aromatherapists this is a full-time job because their hands are constantly in good essential oil blends and these make the nails grow furiously.
I’m not exaggerating when I tell you that after a week’s holiday, those of us working with essential oils will have beautiful, strong, long nails. All we have to do is watch them grow.
ESSENTIAL OILS TO STIMULATE STRONG HEALTHY NAIL GROWTH
Lemon
Lavender
Carrot
Eucalyptus peppermint
Grapefruit
Rosemary
Cypress
VEGETABLE OILS
Jojoba
Borage
Evening primrose
BASE OILS
Apricot kernel
Almond
Grapeseed
Avocado
Here is a general strengthening synergistic blend of oils. Make up the blend and store it in a bottle ready for use. When you want to use it, add 10 drops of the synergistic blend to 1 teaspoon of avocado oil and massage it well into the fingers and nails, or toes and nails. Do this after your manicure, but don’t put nail polish on afterwards.
NAIL STRENGTHENER SYNERGISTIC BLEND
Grapeseed oil 2 teaspoons
Jojoba oil 5 drops
Carrot oil 3 drops
Lemon 8 drops
Rosemary 2 drops
Cuticle Softene
Jojoba oil 1 teaspoon
Carrot oil 5 drops
Eucalyptus peppermint 2 drops
Massage well into the cuticle.
If you are unfortunate enough to have a fungal infection of the nails cut the 2 drops of eucalyptus peppermint oil from the formula above and substitute all the oils below:
Lavender 2 drops
Oregano 1 drop
Tea tree 2 drops
ESSENTIAL OILS TO TREAT NAIL INFECTIONS
Tea tree
Thyme (all)
Eucalyptus radiata
Ravensara
Myrrh
Lavender
Patchouli
Oregano
Calendula
GENERAL NAIL INFECTION OIL
Tea tree 10 drops
Eucalyptus radiata 5 drops
Patchouli 5 drops
Tagetes 10 drops
Dilute in 2 tablespoons vegetable oil.
Apply around the nail bed three times a day. Massage in well.
ONYCHIA is an inflammation of the nail bed that usually affects women, due to the long periods of time their hands spend in water and detergent. Treat as above, but add 10 drops of chamomile German and 5 drops of lavender to the General Nail Infection Oil.
Wish you always healthy and happy in life.
This article is for reference only and to share experiences, and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment.
Source: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF ESSENTIAL OILS & AROMATHERAPY – Valerie Ann Worwood & Essential Oil Natural Remedies – ALTHEA PRESS
We can look after our faces and work out at the gym but if we don’t take care of our hands it can all be a bit of a waste of time, because the hands reflect our age very well and give the game away in an instant. Age spots make their first appearance on the hands and one of the first signs of departed youth is when the skin on the back of the hands becomes loose and wrinkled.
Hand Care
Unfortunately, if you work with your hands a great deal this stretches the skin more than ever, and everyone’s hands are exposed to pollutants more than any other part of the body–just think of how much dirt, grease, grime, and heavy detergents a pair of hands has to handle every day. Although the skin on the palm of the hands is thicker than on other parts of the body, except for the soles of the feet, we should really wear rubber gloves for many of the jobs we do–but how many people bother?
Thankfully, essential oils can help to keep hands looking their best. If you have a favorite hand cream you can simply blend the essential oils into that, although it is always better to make a cream from scratch. Don’t be surprised if you find that you are supplying the whole family–essential oil hand creams tend to disappear very quickly!
ESSENTIAL OILS FOR HAND CARE
Rose
Geranium
Rosemary
Lemon
Sandalwood
Lime
Patchouli
Carrot
Lavender
Neroli
ANTISEPTIC OILS
Rosemary
Lavender
Lemon
Lime
Eucalyptus
Lemon
FOR DRY HANDS
Rose
Patchouli
Geranium
Carrot
Sandalwood
OILS FOR NEGLECTED HANDS
Rose
Geranium
Neroli
Patchouli
Lemon
Choose from these lists the essential oils you require and add them to the following lotions: basic hand cream (10 drops), barrier cream (20 drops), and jelly barrier (10 drops).
Basic Hand Care Cream
Cocoa butter ½ ounce
Almond oil 2 tablespoons
Beeswax ½ ounce
Evening primrose oil 5 drops
Carrot oil 5 drops
Melt the cocoa butter and the beeswax in a bain-marie, then add the almond, evening primrose, and carrot oils. You now have a basic hand cream that can be made thinner by adding more almond oil, or thicker by putting less almond oil in to begin with. Finally, add your chosen 10 drops of essential oil.
Luxurious Hand Care Oil
Carrot oil 10 drops
Avocado oil 2 teaspoons
Jojoba oil 10 drops
Evening primrose oil 10 drops
Vitamin E capsules 2 (*)
Blend well then add:
Rose 5 drops
Lemon 2 drops
Geranium l drop
Sandalwood 2 drops
(*) 1 capsule = 250 lUs
You need only a tiny amount of this oil each time. Massage it well into the hands.
Barrier Cream
Lanolin 1 ounce
Beeswax ½ ounce
Mineral oil 3 ounces
Lavender floral water (*) 4 ounces
Borax 1 good pinch (approx. ¼ teaspoon)
(*) See: Making Your Own Essential Oils
Mix the lanolin and beeswax, then add the mineral oil. In another container mix the lavender water and borax. Combine both mixtures thoroughly in a blender. Add the essential oils of your choice. Rosemary, lavender, and thyme are very good choices for use in a barrier cream because they have antibacterial properties. Use a total of 20 drops of essential oil.
Jelly Barrier for hand care
Arrowroot 1 tablespoon
Glycerine 1 tablespoon
Floral water (*) 5 ounces
Essential oil of your choice 10 drops
(*) See: Making Your Own Essential Oils
Put the glycerine in a small pot and heat very slowly. Add the arrowroot and then the floral water (I like the rose best, but use whichever you prefer). Blend this mixture in a blender, then add the essential oils.
ARMS CARE
The upper arms are as prone to sagging as are the breasts and neck. Cellulite also tends to affect this area. Sensible arm exercise helps keep the arms toned and firm, and if this is your only problem area then use the following formula and treatment.
The underside of the upper arm is very near the lymph gland in the armpit and this makes treating the underarms very easy with a form of lymphatic drainage. First make up your synergistic blend:
UNDERARM SYNERGISTIC BLEND
Cypress 5 drops
Lavender 10 drops
Fennel 8 drops
Juniper 7 drops
Make up a synergistic blend using the above proportions and then make a massage oil using 5 drops of the blend to each 1 teaspoon of base vegetable oil; use 8 drops to a bottle containing 4 ounces of water for the splash.
Hold one arm straight in the air above your head and with the other stroke it firmly downward towards the armpit, as if trying to push the flesh under your arm. Do this at least ten times with each arm. Now repeat the whole procedure but this time using a washcloth which has been soaked in the essential oil and water splash. Dry, then massage the whole of one arm towards the armpit, and then the other arm.
Making Your Own Essential Oils
Home stills can often be bought and will save you a great deal of trouble. With these stills you can make floral waters and small quantities of essential oils, but although the quantity may be small it will go a very long way, and quality, which is of utmost importance, can be ensured.
Also, you can produce essential oils which may not be readily available commercially. Depending on the flower or herb, the raw material you require may be enormous or quite small, and depending on the exact procedures you follow, the strength of the finished product can be varied to suit your requirements. You will see from the various procedures that follow that there are also other ways of making essential oils and flower- or herb-infused vegetable oils, but whichever method you choose remember that organically grown raw materials are a far better option than those grown with the usual pesticides and fertilizers, so even if you do not plan to start making your own oils just yet, do begin right now to think about ways of growing your raw materials organically. This is especially important if you plan to use your finished products therapeutically, but in any event, making your own oils gives you tremendous scope for concocting your own cosmetic lotions and potions.
Wish you always healthy and happy in life.
This article is for reference only and to share experiences, and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment.
Source: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF ESSENTIAL OILS & AROMATHERAPY – Valerie Ann Worwood & Essential Oil Natural Remedies – ALTHEA PRESS
Whether we are trying to increase our breast size or decrease it, the matter is generally beyond our control and dependent upon the adipose fatty tissue that gives our breasts their shape. Keeping the upright, firm breast line of the teenage years involves hard work and patience and needs to be started at a very early age.
Pectoral muscles that are underworked show up in signs of sagging, or as droopy bustlines. Breast stroke in the water–and out–is a good pectoral exercise, as is pushing your hands against each other when placed at chin level with the elbows stuck out on either side. Essential oils can help, together with exercise and cold water and ice treatments –the cold contracts the tissues. Splash the breasts or apply an ice cup, in outward, circular movements around the breasts and follow by applying a massage oil. Massage is the best way to help prevent stretch marks, caused by fluctuation in breast weight.
ESSENTIAL OILS TO INCREASE AND FIRM BREASTS
Fennel
Cypress
Clary-sage
Carrot
Sage
Hop
Angelica
Parsley
Lemongrass
Spearmint
Geranium
The best base vegetable oils to use on breasts are grapeseed or almond. To make massage oils use 5 drops of essential oil to each l teaspoon of base oil.
BREAST CARE TREATMENT 1:
Dilute 3 drops of cypress oil as well as you possibly can in 1 teaspoon of witch hazel. Add this to a bowl of cold water, or cold water in a basin, and splash the breasts alternately–at least ten times each. This is done alternately to allow for contraction and dilation. Then massage the breasts in outward, circular movements with this formula:
Clary-sage 3 drops
Geranium 5 drops
Fennel 12 drops
Lemongrass 10 drops
Diluted in 2 tablespoons base oil
This firming treatment must be done every day after exercise.
BREAST CARE TREATMENT 2:
While you are having a warm bath use the ice-cup over the breasts in outward, circular movements. Massage afterwards using this formula:
Lemongrass 10 drops
Cypress 10 drops
Spearmint 8 drops
Black pepper 2 drops
Diluted in 2 tablespoons base oil If you really cannot bear the ice-cup method, use cold water from a showerhead.
Wish you always healthy and happy in life.
This article is for reference only and to share experiences, and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment.
Source: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF ESSENTIAL OILS & AROMATHERAPY – Valerie Ann Worwood & Essential Oil Natural Remedies – ALTHEA PRESS
Cellulite has a variety of causes, from poor circulation and a lack of oxygen to water retention or hormonal changes.
It may be related to the menstrual cycle in some women or to poor lymph drainage in both men and women. An unbalanced endocrine system has also been identified as a possible cause problem of some people’s cellulite while others can blame their allergy–to wheat and milk products particularly. Toxicity is a major cause and this could be environmental and beyond our control, or dietary and within it. The first thing to do is cut out tea, coffee, and alcohol.
Treatment to eliminate these unsightly fat deposits is not easy and cellulite can always return if you have a predisposition to it. The fight against cellulite can become a lifelong battle which is made infinitely worse by the fact that our whole environment is saturated with toxins.
Not only is the air we breathe and the water we drink polluted, but vegetables now contain residues of the pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides used in modern farming methods
meat contains residues of the steroids, hormones, and antibiotics that are routinely fed to the animals; and the fish we eat swim and breed in seas awash with unnatural and dangerous contaminants. In view of all this it is hardly surprising that sO many people’s body tissue gets clogged up with the toxins that cause cellulite.
The first front of attack is diet. Many severe cases of cellulite can be reversed with no more than a change of diet and an increased intake of vitamins and minerals. Ideally, eat only raw vegetables including bean sprouts–all soaked and scrubbed whenever possible. Buy free-range chickens, turkeys, and eggs, organically grown wholemeal bread, pulses, and rice.
Drink only spring water and fruit juices or herb teas such as rosemary to which you can add 1 drop of lemon essential oil or 1 drop each of rosemary and lemon essential oils. Most important of all, eat no dairy products from cows. Cut out any fermented foods. Eating raw cabbage is one of the best dietary steps you can take to eliminate toxic debris. Increase your vitamin C supplement to 1000mg per day until the cellulite has gone and step up your zinc and vitamin B intake too. All the B vitamins are important here, but check supplements to make sure they are not derived from yeast.
Here is a six-point plan of action against cellulite:
1) Increase blood circulation by skin brushing. Using a brush of real bristles, brush in upward movements all over the body, as in the shower lymph drainage method.
2) Do exercises that work specifically on the cellulite areas, as these are often the places that get no exercise and hence gather toxic waste like stagnant water.
3) Massage every day– not only the cellulite areas but the whole body. Cellulite may show only in certain areas but essentially it’s a whole-body problem.
4) Essential oils in the bath penetrate the skin by osmosis, and while you are bathing pinch and pummel cellulite areas to help break down the fatty deposits.
5) Oxygen is vital for a healthy body so breathing deeply is important. Breathing exercises actually help to shift cellulite and their results can be very impressive.
6) Relaxation is needed to allow the body to shift the waste and fat deposits. Stress, on the other hand, can cause cellulite to stick.
Then run the water and add 8 drops of the synergistic blend.
Oregano 6 drops
Juniper 6 drops
Lemon 10 drops
Grapefruit 10 drops
Basil 8 drops
Blend together
Massage the cellulite areas while they are under the water.
These anticellulite bath synergistic blends can be made up in the following proportions for future use; or use these quantities for two baths. In either case use 6 drops per bath:
BLEND 1
BLEND 2
BLEND 3
BLEND 4
Thyme 8 drops
Lemon 4 drops
Sage 8 drops
Patchouli 4 drops
Rosemary 6 drops
Juniper 6 drops
Oregano 6 drops
Lemon 6 drops
The base oil for cellulite massage oils is important. Use as your base 2 tablespoons of almond oil and add to this 5 drops each of jojoba and carrot oils. Blend these together well before adding your essential oils:
ANTICELLULITE MASSAGE OIL FORMULAS
FORMULA 1
FORMULA 2
FORMULA 3
Juniper 14 drops
Lemon 10 drops
Oregano 6 drops
Fennel 8 drops
Lemon 10 drops
Grapefruit 12 drops
Basil 10 drops
Thyme 8 drops
Grapefruit 12 drops
The full anticellulite program is as follows. Before bathing, brush the skin as described in point one of the anticellulite program. Baths should be taken once a day using one water. of the formulas in warm to hot.
Then massage over the entire body with one of the massage formulas. In addition, massage the body once again each day– preferably use the massage oil twice, in the morning and at night. Twice a week take a toxin eliminator bath, having the water as hot as you can comfortably lie in. You will sweat, so shower or sponge yourself down afterwards.
Seaweed and cabbage are both excellent in the treatment of cellulite. Poultices can be made of chopped up seaweed or cabbage placed between two pieces of fine material such as gauze or muslin and ironed (yes, ironed). Wrap this all around the area and leave for fifteen minutes. This is very beneficial if done after the eliminator bath and before using the massage oil.
Wish you always healthy and happy in life.
This article is for reference only and to share experiences, and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment.
Source: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF ESSENTIAL OILS & AROMATHERAPY – Valerie Ann Worwood & Essential Oil Natural Remedies – ALTHEA PRESS
To reduce fat you need to exercise and take in less food. There is no wonder drug or plant substance that can help you to eat less, so it’s really down to self-control. But eating sensibly is important so that the body doesn’t draw on muscle as fuel instead of fat.
If you do not diet correctly your scales may show a reduction of weight but it will be valuable muscle tissue that has gone and you’ll be left with all the fat and cellulite. Think of a piece of meat and mentally cut and separate the lean meat from the fat and put them on either side of the chopping board. If you eat fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, and meat, your tissue will look like lean meat, and if you eat cakes, sweets, and potatoes steeped in butter, your tissue will look fat.
As well as diet and exercise, good massage and using essential oils will ensure that you are not left with flabby skin and stretch marks, and that you have a good shape. Use the essential oils in the bath and –dare I say it–even if you don’t diet, you’ll see a vast improvement in body tissue tone.
Here are the essential oils to use. Many of the oils on the general list also have a diuretic effect:
These are two synergistic blends that you can use while you are on a diet. They are designed for use in baths–the oils work by osmosis. Prepare your bottle of essential oils in these proportions and use 6 drop in each bath:
Here are four toning bath synergistic blends. Make up a bottle in these proportions or use these quantities for two baths:
SYNERGISTIC BLEND 1
SYNERGISTIC BLEND 2
SYNERGISTIC BLEND 3
SYNERGISTIC BLEND 4
Grapefruit 5 drops
Basil 3 drops
Rosemary 5 drops
Petitgrain 3 drops
Lemongrass 4 drops
Lavender 4 drops
Orange 6 drops
Thyme 2 drops
And here are four diuretic bath synergistic blends. Again, make up a bottle in these proportions or use these quantities for two baths:
SYNERGISTIC BLEND 1
SYNERGISTIC BLEND 2
SYNERGISTIC BLEND 3
SYNERGISTIC BLEND 4
Juniper 2 drops
Lemon 6 drops
Fennel 5 drops
Cypress 3 drops
Celery 2 drops
Grapefruit 6 drops
Oregano 2 drops
Lemon 6 drops
Fat attack massage oils are made by adding 30 drops of essential oil to 2 tablespoons of good almond oil to which 10 drops of carrot oil have been added. Blend the almond and carrot together before adding your essential oils:
Lymphatic drainage helps both general weight loss and cellulite dispersal but it is not easy to do without the help of a therapist. However, a mild form of this can be done at home if you have a detachable showerhead. With the shower fully turned on cold (the cold contracts the blood vessels and lymph) use the impact of the water on your skin to massage up the inside of the leg, especially the thighs to the groin. Then move the water around your abdomen in circular movements, then up the inner arms to the armpit. Do this as often as you can.
Wish you always healthy and happy in life.
This article is for reference only and to share experiences, and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment.
Source: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF ESSENTIAL OILS & AROMATHERAPY – Valerie Ann Worwood
Body Scrubs packs are like face packs in that they remove impurities and improve the texture of the skin while providing a good toning treatment. Some body packs can also be slimming. They are used a great deal in European spa resorts where you can get plas- tered in herbal packs made of mud, clay, or seaweed.
But body scrubs packs are very easy to do at home and essential oils are the perfect ingredient to use, not only because of their therapeutic values but because their aromatic qualities make lying around like a basted chicken a far more enjoyable experience!
When the waiting is done and you can wash the pack off, you and your body will both feel great. If you are feeling a bit neglected and depressed, go the whole way with a body pack and essential oil bath followed by an essential oil massage. You’ll feel one hundred percent better and your bank manager, if he knew it, would be much happier than if you’d gone off to Switzerland for a bit of pampering.
Clay is wonderfully absorbent and seems to act as a magnet to all the toxins and debris lurking in our skins. Cover the place you intend to lie down on with plastic– two split black trash can liners work perfectly well. Mix about 7 ounces of green or white clay (kaolin) with enough water to make a paste that’s not too stiff but resembles in consistency that of yogurt.
In another dish add 10 drops of essential oil to the yolk of an egg and mix well. Use lemon to remove impurities, lavender to relax, or rosemary for stimulation. Now mix this well into the clay pack and carefully smooth it all over your body. Leave it on for fifteen minutes, then sponge off with tepid water. Soak yourself now in an essential oil bath and follow with a massage oil.
Ground, dried seaweed or algae can be bought already in powder form and makes a good alternative to the clay. Like the clay, it is also valuable in treating muscular or joint conditions. Just substitute this for the clay and follow the directions as above.
Body scrubs are designed to slough off dead skin cells, thus allowing the new skin to be exposed and giving the skin an improved texture and color. Again, they are very easy to do at home. Any ground nut or pulse can be used as the basic ingredient although lentils mixed with coarse oatmeal make an excellent base.
Grind a handful of brown lentils in a blender or by pestle and mortar and then add a handful of coarse oatmeal and blend again until you have a powder. Add 4 drops of grapefruit and 4 drops of carrot essential oil and blend until you have a paste. Rub this all over the skin, paying particular attention to dry, scaling areas such as elbows, knees, and the backs of heels. Rinse off in the shower or bath and then use body oil. Here are some other body scrubs:
FOR DRY SKIN
Ground almond 1 handful
Oatmeal 1 handful
Sandalwood 2 drops
Evening primrose 2 drops
FOR OILY SKIN
Aduki beans 1 handful
Oatmeal 1 handful
Rosemary 2 drops
Lavender 2 drops
FOR BLEMISHED BACK/CHEST
Ground almonds 1 handful
Oatmeal 1 handful
Thyme linalol 2 drops
Lemon 2 drops
The Harem Specia
One of the most luxurious and sensual body preparations comes to us from the East where, reputedly, it was used when women in the harem were prepared for the sultan’s pleasure. It removes dead skin cells and leaves the skin glowing, fragrant, and as soft as silk:
Ground, dried citrus fruit peel 1 teaspoon
Ground almonds 3 teaspoons
Oatmeal 2 teaspoons
Clove powder 1 pinch
Crushed, dried rose petals 1 teaspoon
Nutmeg powder 1 pinch
Almond oil 2 tablespoons
Neroli (or a citrus oil, Lemon or Orange) 2 drops
Sandalwood (or Patchouli) 2 drops
Blend all the ingredients together until you have a paste. Add more almond oil if you feel it needs it.
Have a bath, dry yourself off and, standing in the bath, roll the mixture all over your body. Massage it into dry areas of skin. The idea is to cover the skin with a very fine layer, which is why you need to roll the paste over the body. (This is a technique we don’t know or use very much in the West but which is employed, for example, in Morocco when making very thin pastry–the ball of dough is slapped on to a hot place so that just the thinnest layer of dough is left on its surface).
By the time you have finished rolling the paste all over your body you’ll be ready to go back to the part of the body you started with and brush the fine dust off. Gently wipe any remaining areas of paste with a dry washcloth.
Wish you always healthy and happy in life.
This article is for reference only and to share experiences, and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment.
Source: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF ESSENTIAL OILS & AROMATHERAPY – Valerie Ann Worwood
Bo Chinh ginseng also has other names such as Trentian ginseng, Leopard ginseng, and Phu Yen ginseng. The scientific name of ginseng is Abelmoschus sagittifolius (Kurz) Merr. Other names are Hibiscus sagittifolius Kurz, Hibiscus abelmoschus L. This plant family is Malvaceae.
Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz
Describe the Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz ginseng tree
Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz is a herbaceous plant. The tree grows in the form of a bush, sometimes leaning against the surrounding trees, about 1m high or more. Roots are pale yellowish white. There are many large roots in the shape of a person that look a lot like ginseng. So people have called Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz ginseng root.
The main leaves of Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz ginseng are staggered, with long stalks. Leaves at the base are oval without sawing, the middle and apical leaves are 5 lobes strip-shaped, petioles shorter than the blades, hairy.
Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz grows naturally in Vietnam. In the central mountainous areas (Binh Thuan, Phu Yen, Quang Ngai, Quang Nam, Nghe An, Ha Tinh.). And a few other places in the North. Currently, due to indiscriminate exploitation, Ginseng Bo Chinh is gradually becoming extinct. Since then, some places have propagated and replanted the raw material garden of Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz Ginseng.
Due to its many nutritional benefits for the body, Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz ginseng plant is listed by Oriental Medicine as a plant in the ginseng family. In addition to processing all kinds of ginseng, ginseng soaked in alcohol, dishes from ginseng. In addition, with pure fragrance and contains many nutritious substances. The flowers of Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz plant are also used to make the Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz tea.
Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz Roots
Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz ginseng is a precious ginseng, second only to Ngoc Linh ginseng, and not inferior to Korean ginseng. Big, long ginseng root has many very rich and beautiful shapes.
Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz Roots
Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz Ginseng has a light sweet taste, has mucilage, is average; has the effect of cooling, laxative, nourishing the mind, generating new fluids; With rice, it warms and nourishes the spleen, helps digestion, and adds strength. In China, people consider the roots and leaves as having the effect of sounding heat and burning poison.
Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz Tea
Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz Tea can be processed in 3 ways:
The first method is to use only ginseng flowers, ginseng leaves and main ginseng stems.
The second way is to combine the main parts of the ginseng plant with green tea, stevia and some other ingredients.
The third way is to use fresh ginseng root with ginger to make tea.
Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz Flowers
Why’s we use Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz Tea
Rich in omega, 10-20g of powder or fresh a day will cure insomnia.
Saponins help fight cancer and strengthen the body’s immune system.
Phytosterols help regulate blood pressure.
There are 3 types of omega 3, 6, 9 that help strengthen the cardiovascular, respiratory, and vision enhancement.
Contains calcium (0.56%) and iron (0.0056%) to help strengthen bones and grow well.
Ingredients: The Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz ginseng tea contains 19 kinds of amino acids:
Glycine (0.16%): This acid helps the body to digest well, supports nerves, anti-inflammatory, anti-aging. Improve the skin of middle-aged women.
Histidine (0.093%): people with high intensity work will help sedation, easy to sleep. Improve sexual dysfunction in men and women.
Lysine (0.212%): For patients who have just had surgery, or have weak health, this acid helps the body quickly recover and regenerate cells.
Taurine (0.194%): acts on the nervous system, helps to stay awake.
Alanine (0.203%): participates in the metabolism of sugar in the body.
Arginine (0.698%): This acid has an effect on the liver, helping to balance the amount of ammonia in the blood, promoting the synthesis of substances and stabilizing liver function.
Aspartic acid (1.954%): This acid helps convert starch into sugar and helps to increase muscle mass. Limit the amount of ammonia in the body after each exercise session.
Sum of Cystine and Cysteine (0.058%): helps improve tissue strength, strengthens white blood cells.
Cysteine helps detoxify, limiting the harmful effects of alcohol and tobacco.
Glutamic acid (0.419%): helps users stabilize nervous disorders, liver disorders.
Methionine (0.054%): prevent fatty liver, enhance male hormone.
Proline (0.388%): helps strengthen tissues, beneficial for the heart.
Threonine (0.147%): helps form collagen and elastin (substance that helps bind tissues). Boosts immunity and promotes nutrients.
Valine (0.170%): improve insomnia, anorexia.
The main ingredients of Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz Tea.
Special Grade: Flower (50%), Ginseng Root (10%), Green Tea (10%), stevia (20%), trunk (10%)
Grade 1: consists of 80% main ginseng stem, leaves and flowers, 10% green tea, 5% stevia, 5% wilted flowers.
Grade 2: Consists of 90% dried main ginseng root, 10% dried ginger
Grade 3: has 100% of the main ginseng roots, leaves, flowers, stems, fruits, and seeds.
How to Uses?
Use 100ml boiling water and 30g Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz tea. Then 5 minutes later can use.
Tea can be served with ice.
Store in the refrigerator for repeated use.
The benefits of Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz tea
Prevent cancer.
Sedative, easy to sleep.
Skin beauty, anti-aging.
Body purification.
Restore health, heal wounds quickly.
Blood circulation, prevention of anemia.
Good for the immune system.
Lower the cholesterol.
Good for male and female activities.
Brighten eyes, good memory.
BIOREMAKE’s Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz Plantation
Provide materials from Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz (Bo Chinh) Ginseng to make Tea, Soak Wine. And instructions on how to process products from Abelmoschus Sagittifolius Kurz Ginseng.
The Biosynthesis Pathways of Agarwood Constituents
Agarwood formation can be related to the self-defense mechanism of Aquilaria trees in response to biotic and abiotic stresses (Gao et al., 2012b; Singh and Sharma, 2015). Stresses trigger the defense responses of Aquilaria species which in turn initiate the secondary metabolite biosynthesis and the accumulation of agarwood resin, forming of Agarwood Constituents.
Previously, we have mentioned that sesquiterpenes and PEC derivatives are the main constituents in agarwood. Hence, it is crucially important to understand the metabolic pathway for the regulation and biosynthesis of sesquiterpenes and chromone derivatives in Aquilaria species to effectively induce the agarwood formation.
In plants, the isoprenoid precursors for the biosynthesis of sesquiterpenes, triterpenes and sterols has generally been assumed to be provided from the mevalonic acid (MVA) pathway in cytosol. In plastids, the 1-deoxy-D-xylulose-5-phosphate (DXP) or known as methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway provides precursors for the production of monoterpenes, diterpenes, and carotenoids (Rohmer, 1999; Dong et al., 2015; Singh and Sharma, 2015).
These two pathways biosynthesise C5 homoallylic isoprenoid precursor, that is isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) and its electrophilic allylic isomer dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP). An exchange of IPP and DMAPP was observed to happen in between plastids and cytosol even with the spatial partitioning of the two pathways (Dong et al., 2015).
The production of IPP and DMAPP precursors from pyruvate and acetyl-CoA involves a series of enzymes according to the respective pathway (Figure 4). The genes encode for these enzymes have been identified from Aquilaria species through transcriptome sequencing analysis (Xu et al., 2013; Ye et al., 2016).
These C5 isoprene units will later be channeled into the generation of C15 farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) by sequential condensation reactions in the presence of FPP synthase (FPS) (Rohmer, 1999; Yang et al., 2013; Ye et al., 2016). The FPS is one of the key-limiting enzymes responsible for the sesquiterpene biosynthesis (Gaffe et al., 2000; Yang et al., 2013; Liu X. M.et al., 2017).
The genes encode for FPS have been cloned from Aquilaria microcarpa (Am-FaPS-1) (Kenmotsu et al., 2011) and Aquilaria sinensis (AsFPS1) (Yang et al., 2013). The transcript level of AsFPS1 was reported to be higher in stem and roots than the leaves, suggesting that sesquiterpene synthesis in Aquilaria species tends to be tissue-specific. Besides, the expression of Am-FaPS-1 was shown to be up-regulated upon exposure to methyl jasmonate (MeJA), yeast extract and Ca2+-ionophore A23187, indicating that the two former chemicals are effective to initiate the sesquiterpene biosynthesis pathway whereas Ca2+ can act as signaling molecule during the activation process (Kenmotsu et al., 2011). This provides clues for the artificial induction of agarwood formation via exogenous chemically induced approaches by triggering the sesquiterpene biosynthetic pathway in Aquilaria trees.
FIGURE 4
Schematic relationships between the wound-induced signal transduction mechanisms for the sesquiterpene biosynthesis and regulation in Aquilaria species for the agarwood production. External stimuli trigger the Ca2+ signaling pathway and induce the defense responses of Aquilaria species via hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) pathway, ethylene (ET) signals, Jasmonic acid (JA) signals, and salicylic acid (SA) signals.
MeJA treatment triggers H2O2 production that can induce programmed cell death (PCD) and increase the sesquiterpene synthesis. These signaling molecules activate the transcription factors such as MYB, MYC, and WRKY, which will bind to the cis-element on the promoter of terpenes biosynthesis genes in the mevalonic acid (MVA) and methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathways and also the downstream terpene synthase genes (TPs). Direct and indirect interactions are shown as solid and dotted lines, respectively. AACT, acetyl-CoA C-acetyl transferase; HMGS, hydroxymethylglutaryl (HMG)-CoA synthase; HMGR, HMG-CoA reductase; MK, mevalonate kinase; MPK, phosphomevalonate kinase; MDD, mevalonate diphosphate decarboxylase; DXP, 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5-phosphate; DXS, DXP synthase; DXR, DXP reductoisomerase; CMK, 4-(cytidine 50-diphospho)-2-C-methyl-D-erythritol kinase; MCS, 2-C-methyl-D-D-erythritol-2,4-cyclo diphosphate synthase; HDS, (E)-4-hydroxy-3-methylbut-2-enyl diphosphate synthase; IDS, isopentenyl diphosphate synthase; GPS, geranyl disphosphate synthase; GGPS, geranylgeranyl diphosphate synthase.
In the final stage of sesquiterpenes production, the enzymes accountable for the diversification of sesquiterpene mainly come from the classes of sesquiterpene synthases (SesTPs) and cytochrome P450 dependent mono-oxygenases (P450s). The SesTP enzymes are responsible to catalyze the formation of multicyclic scaffold complexes from FPP, followed by oxidative functionalization of the resulting scaffolds by cytochrome P450 enzymes. The added hydroxyl groups by P450s can serve as molecular handles for further modifications, such as alkylations, esterifications and the addition of sugar residues (Pateraki et al., 2015).
In addition, the P450 enzymes which carry out stereospecific hydroxylation on the hydrocarbon backbones, that is important for the novel chiralities and further modifications of the sesquiterpene molecules, have never been reported from Aquilaria species thus far. Similarly, the NADPH-dependent cytochrome P450 oxidoreductases (POR) in Aquilaria that act as redox partners of P450s catalysis activity are basically unexplored. Several studies have been reported to isolate genes encode for SesTPs from Aquilaria, which can be considered as the early attempts to study SesTPs involved in the agarwood formation (Kumeta and Ito, 2010; Xu et al., 2013).
Structure of cytochrome P450
In the study of Kumeta and Ito (2010), five genes encode for sesquiterpene synthases which shared highly similar amino acid sequences have been isolated from Aquilaria crassna. Three out of these genes have been successfully expressed in Escherichia coli and enzymatically converted FPP into δ-guaiene as their major product. Besides, three other sesquiterpene synthase genes (ASS1, ASS2, and ASS3) identified from A. sinensis via transcriptome sequencing have been revealed to encode enzymes that produce δ-guaiene as well (Xu et al., 2013). The isolation of SesTP genes was also described in A. malaccensis where the temporal and spatial expression of the two SesTPs reported in the study, i.e., the guaiene (AmGuaiS1) and sesquiterpene synthase (AmSesTPS1), was elucidated (Azzarina et al., 2016).
The AmSesTPS1 was found to be highly expressed after 6 h of wounding while AmGuaiS1 was induced after 2 h of wounding at a magnitude of 18- and 5.5-fold higher than unwounded control, respectively. Recently, a novel sesquiterpene synthase gene (As-sesTPS) was isolated from A. sinensis where the recombinant As-sesTPS catalyzed FPP into nerolidol (Ye et al., 2018). Expression analysis showed that the transcript level of As-sesTPS was much higher in agarwood than the healthy wood, implying that the gene can be participated in the agarwood formation. Despite the fact that many sesquiterpene compounds have been discovered from the agarwood, the corresponding SesTPs responsible for their production have yet to be reported from Aquilaria. For that reason, the sesquiterpene biosynthesis pathways involve in the functionalization of terpenes in Aquilaria is urged for further clarification.
On the other hand, chromones are a large group of secondary metabolites with wide-ranging potential therapeutic indications toward immunomodulation, inflammation, cancer, diabetes, neurological conditions, bacterial and viral infections (Khadem and Marles, 2011; Yang et al., 2012; Tawfik et al., 2014). Chromone is derived from a polycyclic organic compound namely benzopyran ring, with a keto group substitution on its oxime ring. It is generally believed that derivations of chromones take place as a consequence of the convergence of multiple secondary metabolite biosynthetic pathways involving pentaketide pathway, shikimic acid pathway and the addition of nitrogenous moiety from amino acids or other sources (Khadem and Marles, 2011). Owing to the extensive pharmacological properties associated with its bicyclic ring structure, chromones have been used as the privileged scaffold in the development of new drugs (Reis et al., 2017).
The PECs are small class of chromones, which hold a phenylethyl substituent at the C2 of benzopyran ring of the chromone that happened to be structurally unique in the family (Ibrahim and Mohamed, 2015). Until now, the PECs have only been found to be present in a few species of plants for example Bothriochloa ischaemum (Wang et al., 2001), Imperata cylindrical (Liu X. et al., 2013), Cucumis melo L. (Ibrahim, 2014), Gyrinops salicifolia (Shao et al., 2016), and Aquilaria species (Wu et al., 2012b; Yang et al., 2014a). Recently, a hypothetical scheme for the biosynthetic pathway of PECs was proposed by Liao et al. (2018) based on in-dept analysis of agarwood chemical constituents using GC-EL-MS and UPLC-ESI-MS/MS methods.
In their study, the PECs was found to be the major agarwood resin constituents, which is comprised mostly of flindersia-type 2-(2-phenylethyl) chromones (FTPECs). The formation of FTPECs is further elucidated to be possibly catalyzed by type III polyketide synthase (PKs) through condensation of dihydro-cinnamoyl-CoA analogs and malonyl-CoA with 2-hydroxy-benzoyl-CoA to produce PEC scaffold that will subsequently be catalyzed by hydroxylases or O-methyltransferases (OMTs) to form structurally diverse FTPECs (Liao et al., 2018). Recent study showed that salinity stress could induce the biosynthesis of PECs in A. sinensis calli (Wang et al., 2016). Transcriptomic analysis of these salt-induced A. sinensis calli have identified several upregulated candidate genes potentially involved in the biosynthesis of PECs, including three OMT-encoding genes (flavonol-OMT 1, flavonol-3-OMT and caffeoyl-CoA-OMT) and a type III polyketide synthase gene encodes for chalcone synthase 1 (AsCHS1).
In spite of the recent progress made on the understandings of PECs biosynthesis, a tremendous effort is necessary to experimentally determine the missing steps in this complex PEC biosynthetic pathway. Even with the inadequate knowledge on the detailed PEC biosynthetic pathway, artificial synthesis of chromones and some of its derivatives is nevertheless feasible due to the advancement of chemical processes (Goel and Makrandi, 2006; Tawfik et al., 2014). Agarwood is a rich source of PEC derivatives which deserves further investigation to uncover the structure of new chromone compounds and improve the understanding toward its biosynthetic mechanism at the molecular level.
Signaling and Regulation Mechanism of Agarwood Formation
In nature, the probability of getting agarwood-containing Aquilaria trees are extremely low (1–2%), where can only be found on pathogenically infected or wounded trees (Cui et al., 2013; Chhipa and Kaushik, 2017). Therefore, it is sensible to assume that there is a wound-inducible signal transduction process causing the expression of sesquiterpene synthases prior to agarwood formation. In order to clarify the relationship of wound signal transduction and regulation of agarwood formation, high-throughput studies on agarwood formation have recently gained attention in researches (Table 2). A schematic diagram of the proposed signal transduction mechanism of sesquiterpene biosynthesis and regulation in Aquilaria species is provided in Figure 4.
2012
Identification of conserved and novel microRNAs in Aquilaria sinensis based on small RNA sequencing and transcriptome sequence data
Gao Z. H., Wei J. H., Yang Y., Zhang Z., Zhao W. T. (2012b). Selection and validation of reference genes for studying stress-related agarwood formation of Aquilaria sinensis. Plant Cell Rep. 31 1759–1768. 10.1007/s00299-012-1289-x. [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
2013
Identification of genes related to agarwood formation: transcriptome analysis of healthy and wounded tissues of A. sinensis
Xu Y., Zhang Z., Wang M., Wei J., Chen H., Gao Z., et al. (2013). Identification of genes related to agarwood formation: transcriptome analysis of healthy and wounded tissues of Aquilaria sinensis. BMC Genomics 14:227. 10.1186/1471-2164-14-227. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
2014
Profiling of microRNAs under wound treatment in A. sinensis to identify possible microRNAs involved in agarwood formation
Gao Z. H., Yang Y., Zhang Z., Zhao W. T., Meng H., Jin Y., et al. (2014). Profiling of microRNAs under wound treatment in Aquilaria sinensis to identify possible microRNAs involved in agarwood formation. Int. J. Biol. Sci. 10 500–510. 10.7150/ijbs.8065. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
2015
Hydrogen peroxide promotes programmed cell death and salicylic acid accumulation during the induced production of sesquiterpenes in cultured cell suspensions of A. sinensis
Liu J., Xu Y., Zhang Z., Wei J. (2015). Hydrogen peroxide promotes programmed cell death and salicylic acid accumulation during the induced production of sesquiterpenes in cultured cell suspensions of Aquilaria sinensis. Funct. Plant Biol. 42 337–346. 10.1071/FP14189. [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
2015
Cloning, expression and characterization of COI1 gene (AsCOI1) from A. sinensis (Lour.) Gilg
Liao Y., Wei J., Xu Y., Zhang Z. (2015). Cloning, expression and characterization of COI1 gene (AsCOI1) from Aquilaria sinensis (Lour.) Gilg. Acta. Pharm. Sin. B. 5 473–481. 10.1016/j.apsb.2015.05.009. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar] [Ref list]
2016
Transcriptome sequencing of chemically induced A. sinensis to identify genes related to agarwood formation
Ye W., Wu H., He X., Wang L., Zhang W., Li H., et al. (2016). Transcriptome sequencing of chemically induced Aquilaria sinensis to identify genes related to agarwood formation. PLoS One 11:e0155505. 10.1371/journal.pone.0155505. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
2016
Jasmonic acid is a crucial signal transducer in heat shock induced sesquiterpene formation in A. sinensis
Xu Y. -H., Liao Y. -C., Zhang Z., Liu J., Sun P. -W., Gao Z. -H., et al. (2016). Jasmonic acid is a crucial signal transducer in heat shock induced sesquiterpene formation in Aquilaria sinensis. Sci. Rep. 6:21843. 10.1038/srep21843 [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
2016
Salinity stress induces the production of 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones and regulates novel classes of responsive genes involved in signal transduction in A. sinensis calli
Wang X., Gao B., Liu X., Dong X., Zhang Z., Fan H., et al. (2016). Salinity stress induces the production of 2-(2-phenylethyl)chromones and regulates novel classes of responsive genes involved in signal transduction in Aquilaria sinensis calli. BMC Plant Biol. 16:119. 10.1186/s12870-016-0803-7. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
2017
Transcription factor AsMYC2 controls the jasmonate-responsive expression of ASS1 regulating sesquiterpene biosynthesis in A, sinensis (Lour.) Gilg
Xu C., Liu R., Zhang Q., Chen X., Qian Y., Fang W. (2017). The diversification of evolutionarily conserved MAPK cascades correlates with the evolution of fungal species and development of lifestyles. Genome Biol. Evol. 9 311–322. 10.1093/gbe/evw051. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar]
The mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway has been proposed as wound-induced signaling mechanism for the agarwood formation in A. sinensis, which phosphorylates downstream transcription factors (TFs) like MYB or WRKY that eventually lead to the expression of sesquiterpene synthase genes (ASSs) (Xu et al., 2013). The MAPK signaling cascade consists of three sequentially activated components [MAPK kinase kinases (MAPKKKs), MAPK kinases (MAPKKs), and MAPKs], which is highly conserved signaling mechanism in eukaryotes in mediating extracellular signals to downstream responsive genes (Sinha et al., 2011; Xu C. et al., 2017). Xu et al. (2013) has reported that a total of 41 unigenes from the transcriptome analysis of wounded A. sinensis are annotated as being related to MAPK signaling pathway and 25 to calcium signaling pathways which may play roles in wound-induced agarwood formation.
In plants, calcium ions (Ca2+) are important intracellular secondary messenger molecules to regulate many signal transduction pathways reacting to the external stimuli (Tuteja and Mahajan, 2007). Earlier studies in other plants have shown that TFs are crucial regulators in stress-responsive signaling pathways to transmit signals to different cellular centers to activate plant adaptation/defense mechanisms against adverse environments, including TFs like bZIP, ERF, EIN3, MYB, MYC, and WRKY (Ambawat et al., 2013; Phukan et al., 2016; Schmiesing et al., 2016). Overexpression of AaWRKY1 in Artemisia annua was found to have positively regulated the expression of amorpha-4,11-diene synthase gene (ADS) and significantly increased the production of artemisinin (Ma et al., 2009). The expression of cotton TF GaWRKY was also shown to upregulate the sesquiterpene synthase genes for the biosynthesis of (+)-δ-cadinene and gossypol sesquiterpene (Xu et al., 2004).
Besides mechanical wounding, the MeJA is an effective elicitor to increase the sesquiterpenes content in Aquilaria (Xu et al., 2013, 2016; Xu Y. H. et al., 2017). Previous studies have shown that heat shock can increase the expression of genes involved in the Jasmonic acid (JA) biosynthesis, including allene oxide cyclase (AOC), allene oxide synthase (AOS), lipoxygenase (LOX) and 12-oxophytodienoate reductase 3 (OPR3) genes, which subsequently lead to the production of JA and the accumulation of sesquiterpene in the A. sinensis suspension cell culture (Xu et al., 2016). The A. sinensis coronatine-insensitive protein 1 (AsCOI1), acts as a receptor in MeJA signaling pathway, has been cloned and characterized (Liao et al., 2015). Expression study of AsCOI1 has demonstrated that the gene was expressed in a tissue-specific pattern which is highest in stem, followed by root and leaves.
The findings imply that resin production due to external stimuli may be more responsive in stem of Aquilaria. The AsCOI1 gene is responsive toward early treatment of MeJA, mechanical wounding and heat stress. The application of MeJA in A. sinensis has increased the expression level of 17 wound signaling-related genes, including TFs WRKY4 and MYB4, protein kinases CAPKs, MAPKs and MAPKK, NADPH oxidase noxB and some regulators related to signal molecules MeJA, ethylene and hydrogen peroxide (Xu et al., 2013). Interestingly, the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) producing NADPH oxidase noxB was found to be significantly up-regulated by the MeJA treatment (Xu et al., 2013; Gong et al., 2017), which is consistent with the findings that MeJA triggers H2O2 production in plants (Orozco-Cardenas et al., 2001; Hung et al., 2006). A study on suspension cultures of A. sinensis revealed that H2O2 can induce the programmed cell death (PCD) and sesquiterpene synthesis by the elevated expression of ASS genes due to the endogenous accumulation of salicylic acid (SA) (Liu et al., 2015).
Meanwhile, the expression of jasmonate-responsive key sesquiterpene synthase ASS1 in A. sinensis was described to be regulated by a TF AsMYC2 (Xu Y. H. et al., 2017). As an immediate-early responsive gene toward MeJA treatment, AsMYC2 binds to the ASS1 promoter containing a G-box motif to initiate the expression of ASS1. Similarly, the homolog of AsMYC2 in Arabidopsis (MYC2) was shown to be MeJA-responsive and up-regulated the expression of two sesquiterpene synthases (TPS11 and TPS21) upon treatment (Hong et al., 2012). In addition, MeJA treatment has successfully induced the synthesis of 3 sesquiterpenes, that are α-guaiene, α-humulene and δ-guaiene in A. crassna cell culture (Ito et al., 2005; Kumeta and Ito, 2010).
In contrary to the sesquiterpene biosynthesis pathway, the biosynthesis and regulation of PECs remains almost unknown. In the study of Wang et al. (2016), forty-one PECs have been produced in A. sinensis calli by salt treatment. With the help of high-throughput transcriptome analysis, a total of 18,069 differentially expressed transcripts between the control and the NaCl-treated A. sinensis calli induced by 24 or 120 h salinity stress were obtained. Many differentially expressed genes are reported to be involved in the hormone signal transduction; including genes encode for MAPK cascades, receptor-like kinases, Ca2+ signal transduction and transcription factors (Wang et al., 2016).
Nonetheless, the pace of research did not just stop at searching for effective inducers and their underlying signal transduction process, but also extended to their post-transcriptional regulation mechanism. By deep sequencing of sRNAs from healthy control and wounded samples of A. sinensis, Gao et al. (2012a) have identified ten stress-responsive miRNAs from 74 putative conserved miRNAs and their hairpin forming precursors were also confirmed. Expression pattern revealed that six of these stress-responsive miRNAs were up-regulated, including miR159, miR168, miR171, miR396, miR397, and miR408, whereas miR160 and miR398 were down-regulated and continued their reduced level at 2 day point (Gao et al., 2012a). The different responses of miRNAs reacted toward treatment and the effect lasted for various time lengths reflecting the diversity of their positions in the post-transcriptional regulation of wound response in A. sinensis. Among the identified miRNAs, the down-regulated miR398 is of interest where it was demonstrated to negatively regulate the pathogen-associated molecular pattern (PAMP)-triggered callose deposition and plant innate immunity against bacteria (Li et al., 2010). The oppositely reacted miR160 and miR398 in A. sinensis suggested that they might be important regulators and play a more distinct role on agarwood formation.
Further study on miRNAs profiling of wounded A. sinensis showed that some of the most conserved miRNAs such as miR159 and miR396 families elevated and subsided quickly in early period of treatment implying their function at the upstream of wound responses (Gao Z. H. et al., 2014). The down-regulated miR396b2 in wounded tissues of A. sinensis was suggested to involve in the biosynthesis and accumulation of agarwood constituents. The target of miR396b2, which has glutamyl-tRNA reductase activity, was believed to bind NADP and produce NADPH. The NADPH is the cofactor for the two key enzymes in terpene biosynthesis, i.e., 1-deoxy-D-xylulose 5 phosphate (DXR) and 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA (HMGR) (Nagegowda, 2010). Furthermore, plant P450s that oxidatively functionalize the terpene scaffolds also require reducing agents for its catalytic activity, which is commonly provided by NADH or NADPH. Despite in the situation of lacking sequenced genome, high-throughput transcriptome analysis provides a feasible approach to examine the overall changes of gene expression on Aquilaria species responding to a variety of stresses. Further investigation of the functions of the identified regulator sequences would help to reveal the regulation mechanism of agarwood formation.
Future Prospects of Agarwood Induction Technology
Previous studies have shown that agarwood formation can be influenced by many factors. Together with the exceedingly complex agarwood resin composition, it is believed that agarwood formation is an intricate process which involved a variety of physiological changes occurs on Aquilaria trees to cope with the external stimuli either in the form of biotic or abiotic. This whole agarwood formation process is in any case inseparable from the gene-expression response of the trees toward the triggering factors. Consequently, future improvement of agarwood induction technology should emphasize on two aspects that are to further improve the induction efficiency and to screen more responsive lines of Aquilaria for resin production under breeding program.
In order to improve the induction efficiency, an induction technique plays a decisive role. The concept of currently available induction approaches can be summarized as either to provide external stimuli to activate the production of plant signaling molecules that eventually lead to the resin biosynthesis, or to bypass the external stimuli via direct introduction of signaling molecules to the plants. In any case, the overall concern is to increase agarwood yield and quality as well to reduce human intervention (e.g., holing process) during the induction process. Since the aforementioned physical wounding and biological induction method have their inevitable drawbacks of inconsistent agarwood quality and requiring intensive workforce, the chemical induction method can be regarded as a promising approach for further optimization (Table 1). Comprehensive understanding of agarwood formation at the molecular level via high-throughput using omics approach such as trancriptomic and metabolomic appears to be advantageous for more targeted and directional improvement of the induction formulation rather than the trial- and error-based experimentations.
By coupling with omics approaches such as single molecule real time sequencing technology (SMRT) which offers longer read lengths and highly contiguous de novo assemblies (Rhoads and Au, 2015), thus it tends to be particularly useful for unsolved problems in genome and transcriptome of non-model Aquilaria species where their genomes are not available. With longer reads, the highly repetitive non-coding regulatory sequence of genes controlling the agarwood resin production can be easily obtained. Sequence similarity/identity-based integration can be used to establish the cross-reference data sets between the query sequences and their homologous references from various public databases and genetic resources, where genomic sequence structures, domain features, promoter regions and gene ontology for motifs can be assigned (Mochida and Shinozaki, 2011).
The development of sequencing technology has made the future research on the whole genome sequencing of Aquilaria species to be easier to fill in the lack of genome-wide information in the current situation. Data integration based on genome sequence is important to allow analysis of global changes of transcriptome through whole genome microarrays. The gene expression analysis of induced Aquilaria at its entirety can be examined in broad coordinated trends by this approach, which is indiscernible by individual assays. The expression profiles obtained in this way will help to identify potential agarwood-producing biomarker genes that are important indicators for downstream applications of agarwood induction.
The integration of systems biology and omics approaches, covering genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics and functional analysis; provide a potential solution to comprehend the multigenic nature of resin biosynthesis in Aquilaria. On the basis of large number of previously conducted agarwood induction experiments, transcriptomic and metabolites studies (Naef, 2011; Gao X. et al., 2014; Ye et al., 2016; Wu et al., 2017), integrated omics analysis can indeed serve as a platform to build a more comprehensive picture of agarwood resin biosynthetic mechanism that involve different omics layers. The development of high-throughput mass spectrometry (MS), microarray and sequencing technologies (DNA and RNA) have made it possible to integrate such data into a system biological framework via integrated-omics which would help to predict gene-gene interactions, identify driver genes and the molecular signatures of agarwood formation (Figure 5).
Likewise, potential signaling molecules for agarwood formation can be predicted in a wake of this dramatically increased availability of data. Experimentally validated effective signaling molecules can be added into the existing recipe of chemical inducer to further enhance the induction performance. Moreover, predetermination of resin composition or the agarwood quality is conceivable with deep understanding of the key quality indicators and the specific pathways involved for agarwood production by integrated elucidation of different metabolite and transcript profiles under different induction methods. Future improvement of agarwood induction efficiency should accompany with the development of monitoring system for early detection of non-responsive trees which could avoid cutting down of Aquilaria trees that are unsuccessfully been induced. This can be achieved by monitoring the expression of a set of genes involved in agarwood resin biosynthesis.
Schematic representation of application of omic approaches in the development of agarwood inducers. PacBio, Pacific Biosciences; Illumina, Illumina sequencing; Pyroseq, pyrosequencing; RNAseq, RNA sequencing; 2D-PAGE, 2-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; DIGE, differential gel electrophoresis; ChIP seq, chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing; GC-MS, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry; LC-MS, liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry; NMR, nuclear magnetic resonance.
Aside of the effective inducer, the responsiveness of Aquilaria trees toward stimulation is another determining factor for the production of agarwood. By knowing that the degree of plant response on stimuli is largely dependent on their genetic makeup, the utilization of highly responsive Aquilaria line as induction target is expected to further increase the agarwood yield rather than optimizing the inducer recipe alone.
Conventionally, selective breeding based on phenotypic selection have been adopted to develop new plant lines with desirable traits. Current technology associates these beneficial traits of plants to genetic (DNA/RNA variations) or biochemical (signature metabolites) markers to allow marker-assisted selection (MAS). The approach of MAS offers a great promise for the selection of elite Aquilaria lines as these biomarkers can be applied to predict the phenotypic characteristics before these features develop into more noticeable. Such biomarkers can also be used for the development of fast and targeted diagnostic assays that will assist the selection program. As an alternative to obtain a high-yield line, a combined approach of genetic engineering (e.g., CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology) with tissue culture could pose a possibility to manipulate the key regulator genes of Aquilaria involved in the agarwood production which will help to fine tune or redirect the metabolic flux toward desired metabolic pathways.
On the whole, an integrated and high-throughput strategy will provide sufficient information to continually improve the agarwood induction methods, which is superior compare to the traditional way of induction method establishment that rely on the visual observation and personal experience. A deeper insight into the essential compounds and the biosynthesis mechanism of agarwood resin would greatly ease to control the stability of agarwood yield, quality and its price in the future.
Source: Scientific report on Agarwood by the authors:
A lotion is an amalgamation of water in oil or oil in water, both containing an emulsifying agent; and it can be very hard to achieve just the right balance using the raw materials at home. In theory essential oils can be incorporated into any lotion or cream and there are many on the market that are pure and natural and that you could use as a base.
To make body lotions, just add a single oil or blend of essential oils to the lotion or cream and mix as thoroughly as possible. The essential oils will not be as effective as if diluted in a simple vegetable base oil, because they may not be distributed as evenly.
Body Splashes
Body splashes are invigorating sprays or slap-on water-based lotions that have a variety of uses. They can stimulate or tone, uplift or relax- depending on what essential oil you use.
They are fun to make because they are so simple, and they also make good gifts for friends. Have an array of them in your bathroom ready to use whenever the mood takes you. Splashes are favorite with men as they do a great job of making you feel good without leaving an oily residue. They leave the skin feeling soft, and as bactericides and deodorants they are highly effective.
In times past, body splashes were called “les vinaigres de toilette” and we follow the same principle and use, in some cases, the same ingredients. The vinegar to use is white wine or cider, whichever you prefer. If you use vodka, the higher the proof the better. Don’t use these splashes, however, if you have sensitive or dehydrated skin.
DEODORANT SPLASH
Vinegar 4 ounces
Vodka 2 teaspoons
Lavender 5 drops
Sage 5 drops
Lemon 5 drops
Rosemary 5 drops
Peppermint 3 drops
Grapefruit 3 drops
Add to 2 cups spring water
First blend the essential oils together. Add them to the vodka and shake well for as long as you can. Leave them all to settle, then add the vinegar. Pour the whole mixture into 2 cups of spring water and again, shake well. Finally, pass the liquid through a paper coffee filter. The longer you leave the essential oils in the vodka and vinegar mix before adding to the water, the stronger scent will be.
Follow this same procedure when making all the splashes that follow. Here again are the basic ingredients:
BODY SPLASHES BASIC INGREDIENTS
High proof vodka 2 teaspoons
White wine or cider vinegar 4 ounces
Spring water 2 cups
INVIGORATING SPLASH
Lime 10 drops
Lavender 10 drops
Peppermint 5 drops
Lemon 3 drops
SOOTHING SPLASH
Benzoin 10 drops
Nutmeg 2 drops
Sandalwood 10 drops
Geranium 5 drops
FRUITY SPLASH
Orange 10 drops
Lemon 5 drops
Mandarin 10 drops
Grapefruit 5 drops
TONING SPLASH
Lemongrass 18 drops
Basil 2 drops
Black pepper 3 drops
Sage 5 drops
Patchouli 3 drops
Wish you always healthy and happy in life.
This article is for reference only and to share experiences, and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment.
Source: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF ESSENTIAL OILS & AROMATHERAPY – Valerie Ann Worwood
There are four ways to use essential oils in the bath. First, of course, they can just be added neat and undiluted to the water. This gives the bath a wonderful aroma and you the therapeutic values of whichever oils you have chosen. But the oils can also be incorporated into homemade bath crystals, bath oils, and bubble baths.
Many people find plain tap water drying to the skin and need a bath oil to counteract its effects. There are few truly dispersible bath oils, but one that is, is a treated castor oil known as Red Turkey Oil. You add the essential oil directly into the can bottle, just as you would with any other base oil, using 5 drops to a teaspoon of oil; as most bottles of this oil come in 2 ounce sizes, add 50 drops of your chosen oil or blend of oils. Use about 1 teaspoon of this each bath. Alternatively, first add your essential oil neat to the bath-4-6 drops per bath–and then put a teaspoon of Red Turkey Oil in the bath.
Castor Oil
Nondispersable oils may also be added to baths, only in this case the oil will float on the water and then cling to your body when you get out. Any nourishing oil can be used, such as avocado, almond, apricot kernel, or grapeseed, or make a blend– again add 5 drops of essential oil per 1 teaspoon of bath oil and use a teaspoon in each bath. Here is a good proportional blend for baths:
NOURISHING OIL
Avocado 2 teaspoons
Apricot kernel 2 teaspoons
Sweet almond 2 tablespoons
Add 50 drops of essential oils of your choice
Sometimes there is nothing more appealing than lying back in a bath full of bubbles, while the aromas of the essential oils drift around you, soothing and relaxing. The following recipe is for a bubble bath that is also cleansing. Use only one hundred percent pure soap–either soap flakes or grated pure soap.
Soap flakes (or grated soap) 8 ounces
Witch hazel 2 tablespoons
Almond oil 2 cups
Spring water 2 cups
Boil the spring water and melt the soap in it. In another container, mix the witch hazel and almond oil together and shake well. (If possible, do this in a blender.) Then slowly add the soap mixture to the witch hazel and oil blend and again, shake or blend well. These amounts will make a large quantity of basic bubble bath mixture add the essential oils of to which you can your choice as and when required. For each 2 tablespoons base bubble bath use 15 drops of essential oil and mix well. Use 1-2 teaspoons of the final product in each bath.
BODY AND BATH OILS
ESSENTIAL OILS FOR NORMAL SKIN
Palmarosa
Carrot
Geranium
Jasmine
Ylang-ylang
Frankincense
Sandalwood
Patchouli
Lavender
Neroli
NORMAL SKIN SYNERGISTIC BLEND
Frankincense 3 drops
Palmarosa 10 drops
Neroli 5 drops
Lavender 12 drops
ESSENTIAL OILS FOR DRY SKIN
Benzoin
Palmarosa
Patchouli
Carrot
Chamomile German
Pettigraine
Lavender
Geranium
Rose
Bois de rose
DRY SKIN SYNERGISTIC BLEND
Palmarosa 10 drops
Chamomile German 5 drops
Carrot 5 drops
Bois de rose 10 drops
ESSENTIAL OILS FOR GREASY SKIN
Chamomile Roman
Ylang-ylang
Jasmine
Orange
Neroli
Lemon
Nutmeg
Lavender
Cypress
Clary-sage
Bergamot
GREASY SKIN SYNERGISTIC BLEND
Lemon 15 drops
Cypress 10 drops
Ylang-ylang 5 drops
ESSENTIAL OILS FOR BLEMISHED SKIN
Naroli
Chamomile Roman
Geranium
Clary-sage
Chamomile German
Eucalyptus lemon
Lavender
Eucalyptus peppermint
Myrrh
Thyme linalol
BLEMISHED SKIN SYNERGISTIC BLEND
Eucalyptus lemon 15 drops
Lavender 5 drops
Thyme linalol 5 drops
Chamomile Roman 5 drops
Pre-Bath Body Oils
Body oils can be applied before getting in the bath, as opposed to the more usual practice of applying them after a bath, and they have a tremendously satisfying effect as the body is enveloped in an oil that is heated by water and absorbed into the body by osmosis.
You can use any combination of essential oils for a variety of skin conditions; see the previous lists and formulate your own blends. This method is also particularly useful for the treatment of arthritic and rheumatic conditions. Use 5 drops of essential oil to each 1 teaspoon of Pre-Bath Oil Base. Apply the oil all over your body before stepping into the bath (this method does not have the same effect in a shower).
PRE-BATH BASE OIL
Grapeseed 2 tablespoons
Jojoba 20 drops
Evening primrose 10 drops
Carrot 5 drops
Wish you always healthy and happy in life.
This article is for reference only and to share experiences, and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis or treatment.
Source: THE COMPLETE BOOK OF ESSENTIAL OILS & AROMATHERAPY – Valerie Ann Worwood
